Pessac-Leognan
In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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Clos Marsalette,
For laying down,
Bottles of this product are discounted by 30%. Price shown includes saving.
The 2016 Clos Marsalette is in line with the property’s classic blend, with the Cabernet Sauvignon outweighing the Merlot only slightly, complemented by a dash of Cabernet Franc. The terroir is particularly gravelly here, with a high content of marine sediments and clay from the shifting of the Garonne river’s course over the centuries. The wine shows an expressive bouquet of plums, cassis and lavender. Generous yet defined, the tannins are smooth; the palate tuned perfectly with a refreshing mineral edge. Delightful. Drink now to 2030.
Stefania Masin, Buying Assistant (December 2019)
The 2016 Clos Marsalette is in line with the property’s classic blend, with the Cabernet Sauvignon outweighing the Merlot only slightly, complemented by a dash of Cabernet Franc. The terroir is particularly gravelly here, with a high content of marine sediments and clay from the shifting of the Garonne river’s course over the centuries. The wine shows an expressive bouquet of plums, cassis and lavender. Generous yet defined, the tannins are smooth; the palate tuned perfectly with a refreshing mineral edge. Delightful. Drink now to 2030.
Stefania Masin, Buying Assistant (December 2019)
Ready, but will keep,
The second wine of Haut-Bailly, La Parde de Haut-Bailly is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20 % Cabernet Franc. This is a textbook of elegance, with layers of fruit and a whiff of smoke, earthy notes and savoury nuances. It is generously textured but at the same time subtle and soft. Enjoy over the next years to 2019
Domaine de Chevalier,
Drink now,
70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon second wine of the famed Domaine de Chevalier, it is the selection of barrels which give this wine its richness and depth. Complex nose of lychee, lime flowers and white peaches the wine draws one in. The palate has great purity and length with a zingy acidity. Open to appreciation from a young age, Esprit is a wine of great elegance. Serve chilled. Perfect with seafood – also partners a leek tarte or crab mousse.
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere,
For laying down,
Bottles of this product are discounted by 10%. Price shown includes saving.
The 2014 Malartic-Lagravière has a crisp and focused bouquet with precise blackberry and briary scents, a lovely undercurrent of mineralité. The palate is beautifully balanced on the entry with rounded, quite concentrated black fruit. There is a lot of extraction here and I fear that they may have found a touch of under-ripe tannin towards the finish, which is a shame because the nose is so damn gorgeous! Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Neal Martin, vinous.com
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere,
Ready, but will improve,
Vivid, expressive, juicy and concentrated, the 2011 Malartic Lagraviere comes from good-sized estate of 131 acres, of which 17 are dedicated to their excellent white wine. Made from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with a supple, medium to full-bodied texture with no hard edges, an opulence and exuberance that provide lots of seductiveness, and tell-tale notes of burning embers, charcoal, kirsch liqueur and black currant fruit. Drink this impressive 2011 over the next two decades. Only 55% of the production made it into the grand vin. The natural alcohol is 13.5%.
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate, 30th April 2014
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate, 30th April 2014
Domaine de Chevalier,
Ready, but will keep,
Ripe fruit and hints of tobacco hit the nose before you discover the palate has well-balanced acidity and silky tannins. There is a good concentration a blackberries and earthiness with a slight hint of liquorice. As with the estate's white, the finish goes on and on. This is one for the traditional Bordeaux lover.
Ben Upjohn - Fine Wine Team
Simon Staples -Fine Wine Director
Ready, but will keep,
Manager Véronique Sanders and Technical Director Gabriel Vialhard have worked wonders here, catapulting Haut-Bailly into the very highest echelon of Bordeaux wines. The 2007 is as silky-textured and seductive as ever with refined, creamy black cherry and redcurrant fruit and a powerful yet feminine charm. The nose is more serious than usual with ripe raspberries and coffee hints, while the famous Haut Bailly terroir bursts through on the finish alongside firm, supple tannins and intense, minerally fruit. Made with more Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) than usual, this is another absolutely irresistible Haut-Bailly.
For laying down,
Ch. Haut-Bailly has a genuine Pessac personality in 2014. Graceful and charming, it also appears to be delicate too, displaying a lightness of touch. There is a welcoming harmony to this wine. It just tastes as red Bordeaux should: attractive, a fleshy fruit nose, with helpings of alluring dark fruits - in particular cherry and plum - and a spicy, lingering finish.
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot
For laying down,
Absolutely brilliant - again! The lovely and charming Veronique Sanders and the team at Ch. Haut-Bailly have done it once more. In a vintage where all the châteaux really did have to craft their babies and contend with more than problematic growing conditions, Ch. Haut-Bailly has come out almost on top of the pile, surpassing several First Growths in quality. Sadly the rigorous selection needed to make the Grand Vin so Grand will make a staggering effect on supply this year in what is an already tiny production.
Incredible intensity and deep red and black fruit with the finest tannins of the vintage coating the palate. It has precision, grace, complexity and power with an outstanding richness that fills the mouth completely. Better than 2009 or 2010? It sort of sits between the two. The power of 2009 and finesse of 2010. A real must have and I think the price will be down on last year, but I worry about being able to buy enough. Heavenly happiness!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Incredible intensity and deep red and black fruit with the finest tannins of the vintage coating the palate. It has precision, grace, complexity and power with an outstanding richness that fills the mouth completely. Better than 2009 or 2010? It sort of sits between the two. The power of 2009 and finesse of 2010. A real must have and I think the price will be down on last year, but I worry about being able to buy enough. Heavenly happiness!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion,
For laying down,
Change continues apace at this estate, which has been under new ownership since 2010, with their new cellar and tasting room opening in summer 2015. Displaying a lighter, more ethereal style, the 2014 has notes of menthol, tobacco and sweet blackcurrants, with violets and floral aromatics. Medium-bodied with a dark, plum-like colour, there is some sour cherry in the mix too. Earthy, mineral and with plenty of acidity, the luscious fruit balances out really nicely alongside the savoury edge. Persistent on the finish, spice and green pepper linger on the palate. The wine is quite powerful and serious, with layers of complexity. The 2014 is a very good effort.
55% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
55% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
Chateau Pape Clement,
For laying down,
Known to possess one of the best terroirs in Bordeaux, this historic estate has the potential and the capacity to produce first-rate wines. The 2014 is quite refined; there is some elegant charm, and juicy, sweet dark fruit in abundance, with dark cherries and plum in evidence. The mouth-feel is full, and there seems to be power here, but it is kept in check. A silky and suave finish completes the enjoyment.
Domaine de Chevalier,
For laying down,
A pale yellow hue, this has waxy, floral notes. With aromas of lemon and lime, it has wonderful harmony and elegance. The underlying weight and richness is almost like a great white Burgundy – it is perfectly in balance. The palate is concentrated with precise intensity. It finishes long, saline and mineral, going on and on.
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 75%, Sémillon 25%
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 75%, Sémillon 25%
For laying down,
A charming, pale yellow hue leads you into a glass which is bursting with fresh aromas of freshly cut pink grapefruit, citrus and a trace of peach. Aged in 50 percent new oak, this has a vivacious character on the palate, with a pleasing, saline freshness and a suave, long texture.
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 90%, Sémillon 5%, Sauvignon Gris 5%
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 90%, Sémillon 5%, Sauvignon Gris 5%
For laying down,
The new cellar, winery and tasting room is now open at Les Carmes and it really is quite an astounding building. The 2015 is a pretty powerful wine, serious, complex and very interesting indeed. The floral bouquet is very pretty, layered with really ripe raspberries which are ever so attractive. My favourite aspect of the wine has to be the earthy, mineral character though, as well as the brilliant tannic structure.
The gravelly soils offer a lovely character and the wine has a sense of place, of terroir. Light in the mouth, the tobacco, sweet black fruits and creamy texture create a wonderful palate, but the savoury characteristics are what I enjoy most about this wine. It is another really promising wine for this up and coming estate.
Blend: 45% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
The gravelly soils offer a lovely character and the wine has a sense of place, of terroir. Light in the mouth, the tobacco, sweet black fruits and creamy texture create a wonderful palate, but the savoury characteristics are what I enjoy most about this wine. It is another really promising wine for this up and coming estate.
Blend: 45% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
Chateau Pape Clement,
For laying down,
This leaps out of the glass, with an appealing nose of fresh, lemon citrus fruit alongside some floral elements and white stone fruit. Twenty percent is fermented in concrete eggs. The palate is fresh, with a creamy tightness giving way to a hawthorn character and a long, mineral finish.
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 55%, Sémillon 45%
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 55%, Sémillon 45%
For laying down,
Attractive aromas of ripe black fruit are immediately evident. Floral notes are joined by hints of cocoa and vanilla. Finesse, delicacy and fine interwoven tannins dominate the palate. There is some balance here, everything knits together tremendously. A tasty freshness emerges on the finish, quite cooling, but really welcome after the multi-layered, fruit-filled palate. Some weight and flesh are emerging, suggesting this will mature nicely in barrel.
54% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc
54% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc
Ready, but will keep,
A classic effort, the 2000 Haut-Bailly exhibits notes of lead pencil shavings, raspberries, black currants, and loamy soil. Subtle hints of earth and smoke are also present in this medium-bodied, stylish, well-balanced, pure wine that emphasizes restraint and graciousness over power and blockbuster intensity. It has entered its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another fifteen years.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Chateau Haut-Brion,
For laying down,
Jean-Philippe Delmas has made a wine of extraordinary purity and elegance this year. Dark ruby in colour, the nose is delicate and reserved with notes of Morello cherry, damson and fruits of the forest. Once sipped, there is a deft, light touch to this wine. The palate is fresh, with mineral salts, ripe, crunchy tannins and smoky acidity. Bold and yet understated, this is a more gentlemanly wine than La Mission. It finishes very long, intense and persistent.
Blend: Merlot 56%, Cabernet Sauvignon 37.5%, Cabernet Franc 6.5%
Blend: Merlot 56%, Cabernet Sauvignon 37.5%, Cabernet Franc 6.5%
Chateau Haut-Brion,
For laying down,
Ch. Haut-Brion has yet gain produced a fabulous wine in 2009. With subtle red fruit aromas mingling with bramble fruits on the expressive palate, this is powerful stuff with ripe, firm tannins, glorious depth and resounding flavours. This is the masculine counterpart to the silky femininity of La Mission, and as such will require a few more years before its brooding power is clear for all to see.
Chateau Haut-Brion,
Ready, but will keep,
Superb weather conditions produced a great wine form a very large crop. The colour is still deep and youthful and the nose is almost baked or grilled as a consequence of the intense heat at vintage time. It is sweet and supple on the palate with fabulously ripe tannins, which will keep the wine for another for another 20 years.
Chateau Pape Clement,
For laying down,
Ch. Pape Clément is a very concentrated wine in 2015. The deep purple-coloured wine exhibits a fragrant bouquet of flowers, red as well as black fruits. Medium-bodied, well textured and rich, with attractive acidity, a long finish and moderate but sweet tannin, this is made in a textbook Pessac-Léognan style, with crunchy, dusty fruit. Good grip and polished tannins are present and there is plenty of weight here.
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd