Winemaker Notes
Very complex on the nose, with citrus notes, superb spice and pepper aromas then a clear mineral nuance. On the palate, we find the dominant characteristics of this white blend, with strength and smoothness. It is almost sensually full-bodied, with a promising aromatic expression. This wine will age well and will perfectly accompany a variety of different dishes.
Blend: 65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This has the estate signature, which always has a touch of glamour in its whites. It's gorgeous, vibrant and extremely bright, with creamy apricot and peach fruit followed by a kick of lime leaf and lemongrass, plus a wonderfully salty lick on the finish. 50% new oak gives that creamy patisserie feel. This will please lovers of Château Brown, and also newcomers to white Bordeaux. A real success.
Barrel Sample -
Wine Enthusiast
This is a finely perfumed wine, with a creamy texture of ripe yellow-stone and pineapple fruits. It is also crisply imbued with tight citrus flavors and a mineral character. Drink from 2020.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Wine Spectator
Alluring, with lemon curd, brioche and honeysuckle notes already well-defined and leading the way, while white ginger, yellow apple and pear notes fill in behind them. On the richer side, yet carried by racy acidity. Drink now through 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Brown 2017 Blanc is a little closed, with lemon juice and fresh pears notes plus coriander seed and white pepper. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and very mineral in the mouth, with a racy backbone and nice length.
Barrel Sample: 89-91 -
James Suckling
A bright and vivid white with sliced-apple and -lemon character. Some white pineapple, too. Medium body and a fresh finish. Very good depth.
Barrel Sample: 89-90
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.