Bordeaux 2018 at Two Years: Pessac-Léognan, Red
With this instalment of my 2018 Bordeaux report we come to the last remaining ‘big name’ red wine appellation, Pessac-Léognan. This appellation has great history stretching back many centuries, evidence for which can be perceived if you take a tour of the region. Even to the untrained eye (yes, even mine) the architecture of some châteaux to the south of the city of Bordeaux, in Pessac-Léognan (as well as Graves, Sauternes and Barsac), clearly dates to the Medieval, their high walls and turrets built at a time when the ability to defend yourself against marauding enemies was much more important than an elegant facade.
Despite this ancient history and the undeniably high quality of some of its wines, Pessac-Léognan remains a somewhat misunderstood appellation. We can all pick out the famous names, such as Château Haut-Bailly, Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Château Haut-Brion, but it is perhaps less easy to understand why and to describe just how the wines of the appellation as a whole stand when compared with those of the Médoc appellations, or of St Emilion and Pomerol.
One complicating factor here is that while the terroir leans vaguely towards the left bank, with fine gravelly soils being highly regarded, they do not dominate, and it is easy to also find deep beds of clay or streaks of limestone. Another is that the chosen grape varieties lean a little more towards the right bank than you might imagine; in many blends Merlot plays just as important a role as Cabernet Sauvignon. For these reasons Pessac-Léognan often stands apart, and always deserves considered examination of its own. It has the capacity to surprise. The 1998 vintage was a case in point; widely appreciated as great on the right bank, fewer are aware that it was also stunning in this appellation, the top Pessac-Léognan vintage of the late 1990s. The 2012 vintage was another where these wines far exceeded expectations.
