Winemaker Notes
Vibrant red robe. Intense nose of spices, red fruits and vanilla. Medium-bodied in the mouth with red cherries, cassis, and lightly grilled oak flavors. Silky tannins and nice long finish.
Sustainable and organic practices
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Picque-Caillou leaps from the glass with bold notes of blackcurrant cordial, blueberry pie and preserved plums with hints of damp soil, truffles and camphor. Full-bodied, it gives mouth-filling black fruits with loads of minty sparks and a firm, chewy frame, finishing long and earthy.
Barrel Sample: (91 - 93)+ -
Wine Enthusiast
This well-structured wine shows both richness and tension. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a mineral texture that gives the wine a taut, structured edge that contrasts with the juicy fruits. This suggests the wine will age well.
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James Suckling
Very attractive aromas of blackberries, mushrooms, stone and bark. It’s medium-to full-bodied with nicely integrated tannins and a juicy, flavorful finish. Shows finesse and suppleness for a 2018. Needs three or four years to open. Best after 2024.
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.