Visit Pessac-Léognan is a French appellation d'origine contrôlée wine produced around Pessac and Léognan in the Graves vineyards, one of the subdivisions of the Bordeaux vineyards. The Pessac-Léognan appellation covers 10 communes in Gironde. Château Haut-Brion is the most famous wine in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, recognized the world over. The appellation's red wines share common characteristics: tight, fleshy, well-balanced tannins, with ripe fruit and licorice aromas on the finish.
This is one of Bordeaux's finest wines. It should also be noted that Graves or Pessac-Léognan are the only appellations in Gironde to admit dry white wines as cru classé. This wine can last for several decades, as is the case with Pessac Léognan 2018 which you can buy at the best price on the site.
Over 80 wines and 30 vintages of Pessac Léognan in stock
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Pessac-Léognan Legendary Wines Classification
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Château Haut-Brion 2005
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date June 29, 2015
"With its elegance and finesse, it's not as powerful as La Mission, but the nobility and complexity of the aromas, the incredible perfume (subtle smoke and blue, red and black) that lingers in the glass, the full-bodied palate, very light and delicate on its feet), and incredible length characterize this great Haut-Brion. It's just starting to drink well and should continue to do so for at least another three decades.
To be enjoyed now, but the wine can develop until around 2045."
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Château Haut-Brion 1945
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasted on October 31, 1994
"Tasted 5 times, with consistent scores, Le Haut-Brion 1945 is profound. It demonstrates the essence of the Haut-Brion style. The color remains a healthy, opaque garnet, with very light amber at the rim. A huge, penetrating bouquet of sweet black fruits, smoked nuts, tobacco and tar flies from the glass. The wine has extraordinary fruit density and extraction, massive, full-bodied, unctuously textured flavors that reveal little tannin and copious amounts of glycerin and alcohol. This is a fabulously rich, monumental example of a mature Haut-Brion that shows no signs of decline. Impressive! Drink now.
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Château Haut-Brion 1989
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date January 1, 2003
"It continues to be one of the immortal wines and one of the greatest young Bordeaux wines of the last half-century. Haut-Brion 1989 is a classic, flawless and majestic, a tribute to this phenomenal terroir and its singular characteristics. The wine still has a very thick, viscous ruby/purple color, a spectacular, youthful but impressive mix of aromas, ranging from scorched earth, liquid minerals, graphite, blackberry and blackcurrant jam, to toast, licorice and spice. The levels of fruit, extract and glycerin in this viscous, full-bodied, low-acid wine are impressive. The wine's brilliant symmetry, extraordinary purity and transparency are the hallmarks of a modern legend. It's still in the pre-teenage stage of development, and I don't expect it to reach full maturity for another 3-5 years, but this should be a Haut-Brion that rivals the greatest ever made in this field. You should drink this wine as many times as possible, life's too short!"
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Château Haut-Brion White 1989
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date January 1, 2003
"This is the biggest and greatest Haut-Brion white I've ever tasted. Jean Delmas, administrator of the Dillon estates, rightly felt that the 1989 fully reproduced the fleshy, mellow texture of a great Haut-Brion. Grand Cru blanc de Bourgogne. Only 600 cases were made of this sumptuous wine rich in yellow alcohol, rich in yellow/gold. It is surprisingly full and long on the palate, with a very distinctive, honeyed mineral character. The low acidity would seem to suggest a shorter-than-normal life, but I'm convinced this wine will last 25 years or more. It's a real show-stopper! Sweet, honeyed aromas of peach, toffee and butter fall from the glass of this prodigious effort. Expected maturity: now - 2025."
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Château Pape-Clément 2010
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date February 28, 2013
"I certainly underestimated the 2010 Pape Clément du tonneau, rating it only 93-95+. (Thank goodness I put a "plus"!). This final blend of 51% Merlot, 47.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5% Petit Verdot is perfection in a bottle. Tipping the scales at 14.5% natural alcohol, there are 8,000 cases. Its sublime elegance, power, medium-bodied texture, silky tannins, subtle hints of smoke, lead shavings, cassis, charcoal, camphor, blueberries and blackcurrants are remarkable. This is a rich, full-bodied wine, but Pape Clément's elegance and great terroir are in abundance. It's slightly more developed and evolved than the 2005 was at a similar point in its evolution, but it certainly needs another 5-7 years to develop further nuances, which it certainly will. This wine will last 30-40+ years. Well done to owner Bernard Magrez, who has built an empire based on high quality more than any other characteristic.
Drinkable now, this wine will be able to develop until 2053.
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Château Haut-Bailly 2009
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date April 6, 2015
"The 2009, which has an opaque ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of premium cigar tobacco, graphite, cassis and spice, achieves a medium to full-bodied palate, saturated, rich mouthfeel, but an elegant, ethereal quality that is difficult to articulate. It's rich, complex and tastes like the vinous equivalent of a remarkable Coco Chanel haute couture creation. It's full-bodied yet elegant, powerful yet delicate, and remarkably velvety, sumptuous and loaded with upside potential. It can be approached now, as most 2009s tend to be, given their fruit richness, low acidity and extraordinary concentration, but the great complexity that will emerge from this fabulous terroir is at least a decade or more of longevity."
Drinkable now, this wine will be able to develop until 2065.
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Château Haut-Brion 2009
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date December 22, 2011
What a blockbuster effort! Typically powerful, Haut-Brion 2009 can be considered the 21st-century version of the 1959 vintage. It's an extraordinarily complex and concentrated effort, composed of a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc with the highest alcohol ever achieved at this estate, 14.3%. Even richer than the perfect 1989, with similar technical notes but slightly higher extract and alcohol, it offers a sensational perfume of subtle embers, unsmoked cigar tobacco, charcoal, black raspberries, damp gravel, plums, figs and blueberries. There's so much aromatic going on that you almost hesitate to stop smelling it. However, when it hits the palate, it's hardly a disappointment. Smooth and full-bodied, this 2009 has low acidity with superb extract and remarkable clarity for a wine with a pH close to 4.0. The good news is that there are 10,500 cases of the 2009, one of the most compelling examples of Haut-Brion ever made. It requires a decade of cellaring and should last half a century or more. Readers who loved the complexity of Haut-Brion should be prepared for a bigger, richer and more massive wine, but one that doesn't lose its prodigious aromas.
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La Mission Haut-Brion 2009
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date December 22, 2011
"A wine candidate from the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion vintage stood out as one of the most exceptional wines I've ever tasted by the barrel, and its greatness was confirmed in the bottle. A remarkable effort from the Dillon family, this is another large-scale La Mission tipping the scales at 15% alcohol. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (47% each) and the rest Cabernet Franc, an opaque purple color and a gorgeous bouquet of truffle, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, subtle smoke and spring flowers. The wine's remarkable concentration offers an unctuous/viscous texture, a skyscraper-like feel, sweet, sumptuous, almost exaggerated flavors and massive density. The 2009 Mission-Haut-Brion, once in a lifetime, will take its place alongside the many great wines produced here since the early 1920s. It should last from 50 to 75 years or more. Given the smoothness of the wine and the softness of the tannin, I'd have no problem drinking it in about 5-6 years."
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Château Pape Clément White 2009
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date December 23, 2011
"The 2009 Pape Clément Blanc is an absolutely outstanding wine, which is no surprise given what this historic estate has done in white and red over the past 20 years. Their white wine, an intriguing blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 16% Sauvignon Gris and the rest Muscadelle, comes from 7.5 acres of pure gravelly soil. An exquisite nose of honeysuckle, tropical fruit, pineapple, green apple and orange and apricot marmalade rises from the glass. Great acidity, a full-bodied mouthfeel and a texture more akin to white Burgundy grand cru put this wine in a class of its own. I wouldn't be surprised if there are others who also think this is pure perfection in white Bordeaux. I tasted this wine four times and gave it a perfect score three of the four times. It's one of the most exquisite dry whites I've ever tasted from anywhere."
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Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2009
100/100 Robert Parker - Tasting date December 23, 2011
"Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2009 is the finest wine ever made by owners Daniel and Florence Cathiard. It boasts an opaque blue/purple color and a glorious bouquet of acacia flowers, licorice, charcoal, blueberries and black raspberries. This massive, extraordinarily rich and unctuously textured wine may be the most concentrated effort produced to date, although the 2000, 2005 and 2010 are almost as prodigious. A beautiful expression of Pessac-Léognan with soft tannins, emerging charm and delicacy, considerable power, depth, richness and authority, it should age effortlessly for 30-40 years. Drink it now, however, and it will thrive until around 2052."
CLASSIFICATION FOR PESSAC LEOGNAN
- Spearhead of Pessac wines–Léognan, Château Haut–Brion is the only one included in the 1855 classification, which is normally reserved for Médoc wines.
- A classification was created in 1859 at the request of the winegrowers' union, after the 1855 classification, strictly reserved for Médoc wines, had come into being.
- This is the Grands Crus Classés des Graves classification, comprising 16 white and red Châteaux in the Graves region. AOC Pessac–Léognan did not exist at the time, so some wines were classified even though their Appellation had changed.
Tasting an old Pessac-Léognan wine
The Pessac Leognan red announces elegance and ageing potential. Deep red with violet or black cherry highlights. The Pessac Leognan white looks good. Bright golden yellow, almost white, or shimmering with green highlights. Always distinguished. The beautiful bouquet of red wines develops dominant aromas of ripe red fruit and floral notes, such as violets, giving it complexity and power. The white Pessac-Léognan develops delicate aromas of toast, lemon, exotic fruit and hazelnut. In its younger years, red Pessac-Léognan is full-bodied on the palate, yet balanced and elegant. Aromas of fruit, undergrowth and warm earth. As it ages, the palette broadens to include dried fruit, game, cocoa and roasted notes. The white wine is full-bodied and complex, fat and unctuous, with great freshness. A well-balanced wine.
The new 100/100 Parker of Pessac Léognan :
Château Haut Brion 2016 and 2015, La Mission Haut Brion 2010.