Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Lots of lemon-cream and fresh-herb character in this rich, yet fresh white Pessac-Léognan that has some real structure and a long, firm finish. A blend of 80 per cent sauvignon blanc and 20 per cent semillon. Just beginning to open up, so better from 2020.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This wine is rounded and ripe, although with a tight mineral texture that masks the inherent fruitiness of lemon and white fruit flavors. Hints of wood aging are already there. The wine, crisp at the end, will age well.
Barrel Sample: 91–93 Points -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Brown 2016 Blanc sings of lime blossoms, freshly squeezed lemons and quince paste plus wafts of peaches and baking bread. Medium-bodied, the palate is wonderfully invigorating with loads of citrus and exotic fruit layers and a racy finish.
-
Decanter
Alcohol levels are hovering fairly high for the whites as well as the reds. This is a rich and sexy take on the vintage, and my guess would be that owner Jean Christophe Mau figures he has an early-ripening location (close to the city on gravel soils but over clay that retained rainfall well in the heat of the 2016 summer); and that he should work with it. A smart decision, as this is certainly contemporary but captures rich citrus fruits with fragrant white blossom on the mid-palate and some juicy mouthwatering minerality on the finish. I like it - Mau's made a virtue out of what could have been tough on the whites in this vintage. 69% Sauvignon Blanc, 31% Sémillon. Vinified and aged in barrel with 50% new oak and regular stirring of the lees.
Barrel Sample
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
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 Chateau 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, Pique-Caillou and Chateau 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.
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.