Pessac-Léognan & Graves
ALTHOUGH by No means excellent across the board, the general standard of reds in Pessac-léognan and graves was higher than in 2014, with none of the excess acidity that marked some of them last year. by contrast, I felt the whites achieved more focus and precision in 2014, although the style this year is hugely seductive, with exotic fruits yet still lilting freshness.
The best of the reds have luscious, fresh fruits and real elegant softness to the tannins. In Pessac-léognan particularly, you are almost spoilt for choice and don’t always have to go to the biggest names for wines that will deliver consistent pleasure over the next 15 to 20 years. you have to be more selective within graves, as in every year, but overall I have rarely tasted so many reds that are going to offer serious pleasure at great value.
one interesting style change to note is how many of the Pessac estates are beginning to darken their flavour profile and emphasise their ageing ability. I noted several that are now including (or increasing the percentage of) Petit Verdot in their blends. This spicy, dark-skinned grape is better known in the Médoc, but is starting to be big news here. both haut-bailly and olivier have included it in their grands vins for the first time – and both using young vines to do so, showing great confidence in the quality – joining châteaux such as latour-Martillac, Malartic-lagravière, Fieuzal and many others. you can even find the spiciness of Malbec in bouscaut and hautbergey. It confirms the general sense of excitement and confidence in the potential of Pessac-léognan to move further on to the world stage and challenge the best classified wines from St-Emilion and the Médoc.
This is not an easy vintage to draw a clear comparison with other years. The weather was fairly unusual, with an extended hot and dry period in the early summer, then a rainy August and relatively dry but cooler September and october. There are some wines that have delivered their best since 2010, but in style they are closer to the softer fruits of 2009 or 2005. For me, the best have that delicacy of the undervalued 2001s. Very few excel in all areas as they did in 2010, but this is nevertheless a high-quality year.
The aromatic register in the white wines is closer to nectarine and apricot than fresh-cut grass. In general they show clearly riper fruits than vintages such as 2013 or 2014, when the wines showed excellent ageing potential. There are a few notable exceptions, particularly in the best whites of Pessac-léognan, that have in the main delivered excellence once again.