Winemaker Notes
The aromatic profiles are superb; the wines show a crisp line of acidity, good tightness and a pleasant sappiness, with plenty of fruit and a good quality framework.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive, fresh-lemon and grassy nuances with wild herbs and slightly flinty elements, too. The palate has such intense and fresh acidity. Fine lemons and limes and a thrillingly dry, long finish. Drink now, but better in three years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is crisp, fruity and zesty, with a mineral texture. Its herbal character dominates, bringing in green fruits and a beautiful grassy character. The wine is developing well but will be much better from 2021.
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Wine Spectator
Youthfully brisk, with lemon peel, yellow apple and star fruit notes leading the way. A tangy quinine streak scores the finish. Tightly wound still, so a little time won't hurt. Drink now through 2023.
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Decanter
Powerful and intense, this has clear Sauvignon character without being grassy. There's excellent depth of expression and a bright, zippy character that leads you through the palate. High, bright aromatics and great persistency.
Barrel Sample -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere Blanc has a vibrant, almost racy, medium-bodied style that carries classy melon and citrus fruits as well as a distinct sense of salty minerality. Coming from a 7-hectare sector of their estate vineyard in the Graves region, and 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, aged 12 months on lees in 50% new oak, it’s a beautiful white to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years or so.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Malartic Lagraviere 2017 Blanc (a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon) features ripe apples, fresh hay and shaved almonds with dried herbs, preserved lemons and kumquat in the background. Medium-bodied, it is super intense and minerally in the mouth with a crisp line and long finish.
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.