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.
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