Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Slightly reductive at this stage, but it opens up with time, showing fresh herbs, minerals and creamy tropical fruit with a touch of guavas and green apples. Saline on the palate, with round, medium body and a textured finish. Drinkable now after a quick decanting, but better from 2026.
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Vinous
The 2023 L'Esprit de Chevalier Blanc offers crisp sea-spray scents on the nose, complemented by Granny Smiths and light kiwi notes. The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity. Notably saline on the entry, it possesses impressive depth, turning quite spicy with touches of white pepper on the persistent finish. This is one of those Deuxième Vins where you think: "Cor blimey…what's the Grand Vin like?" –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Bright pear, citrus, and floral notes all emerge from the 2023 L'Esprit De Chevalier Blanc, a vibrant white from this brilliant estate that has a slightly fresher, more upfront style compared to the Grand Vin. I love its balance and would happily drink a bottle any time over the coming 5-7 years.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aromas of white flowers, spices, candied citrus and herbs introduce the 2023 L'Esprit de Chevalier Blanc, a medium- to full-bodied wine that is ample and lively, concluding with a long, saline and ethereal finish. A blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, it fully confirms expectations formed at the en primeur stage. Rating: 92+
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Decanter
An excellent second wine, certainly lighter that the grand vin, but with plenty of lemon zest but also hints of tropical notes like mango and kumquat. Plenty of freshness and verve on the palate, with a length that surpasses some quality first white wines from Bordeaux.
Barrel Sample: 91 -
Wine Spectator
A plump white, with friendly notes of lemon gelée, fen- nel, yellow apple and chamomile. The rounded, open- knit finish is pure and delicious. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
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.