Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A red with chocolate, tobacco and berry character, following through to a medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Garcin family has done a fabulous job in Bordeaux with their other estates, such as Barde-Haut and Clos L'Eglise in Pomerol, as well as with the nearby luxury wine from Pessac Leognan – Branon. They produce this wine from gravelly and sandy soils, of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Attractive, soft cassis and tobacco-leaf notes mixed with licorice and spice are present in this dense ruby/plum wine. It is medium-bodied with soft tannin and a relatively smooth, velvety texture, finish and opulence, giving this wine an up-front appeal, although it should age nicely for 12-15 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a tough wine, but one with enough weight and fruit about it. It is dense and packed with potential of good things. Big fruits, big tannins and a dark structure all promise good aging with a serious, firm aftertaste. Drink from 2020.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.