Featuring the wine of the the Pessac-Léognan appellation.

Though wine has been made in Pessac-Léognan since ancient Roman times, it was only in 1987 that the neighboring villages of Pessac and Léognan were singled out from the surrounding Graves region and given their own appellation. The designation acknowledges that Pessac-Léognan is home to the most acclaimed properties of Bordeaux’s Graves region.

Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.

Pessac’s Château Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Château Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs and include Domaine de Chevalier, Château Haut Bailly, Château Malartic-Lagravière and Château La Garde.

Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.

Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.

Overview of Pessac Leognan and Graves: The Graves, (the original name for the Pessac Leognan appellation) takes its name from the unique soils that consist of deep layers of gravel and stone. Below the gravel and pebble-filled surface, layers of sand, hardpan, and clay can be found.

But much of the terroir and thus, the character of the wines from this Bordeaux wine appellation is also shaped by the pine tree-laden forests that inhabit the region.

The trees assist in creating the unique, microclimate of the commune by protecting the vines from the humidity and winds. Another important consideration that makes Pessac Leognan different from all the other Bordeaux wine appellations is, that this is the only Bordeaux region making large quantities of world-class red and white Bordeaux wine.

To get an idea of how the soil and terroir of Pessac Leognan compare to the other important appellations in Bordeaux; The terroir and soil of Bordeaux In Pessac Leognan, the terroir is unique to all of Bordeaux due to the production of red and white Bordeaux wine.

History of Graves

History of Graves, Pessac-Leognan: Graves is the area many wine historians cite as the appellation where the Romans first planted grapes to produce Bordeaux wine nearly 2,000 years ago. However, the inhabitants of Margaux take exception to that claim. It’s amazing to consider that two thousand years ago, the Romans recognized the unique terroir in the region that would later become Pessac-Leognan.

Wine from the Graves area was exported to some degree to England from 1152 to 1453. Around 1305, after Cardinal Bertrand de Goth was elected Pope, he was gifted a vineyard in the Graves area. The Pope, renamed Clement V, was an avid wine lover interested in vineyard works and resided at the property before moving to Avignon. The chateau was renamed in his honor as Pape Clement.

Fast-forwarding, the most famous wine of the region, Chateau Haut-Brion, grew from the desires of the original owner, Jean de Pontac. Pontac created the famous estate and vineyard by purchasing land on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Haut-Brion was the first Bordeaux wine producer to export and promote their own brand when they opened a London tavern that exclusively served Haut-Brion wine. This occurred in 1660! By that time, Chateau Haut-Brion was already famous. Since 1663, when Samuel Pepys first wrote about Chateau Haut-Brion, he became the Robert Parker of his day. Pepys wrote in his diary on Friday, April 10, 1663: “Here we drank a sort of French wine, called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with.” This comment makes Pepys the first wine critic, as well as the first writer to mention Haut-Brion and the wines of Graves. Shortly after that, Haut-Brion became immensely popular with wealthy wine consumers.