PESSAC LEOGNAN WINE : MY PASSION!
Blog of a lover of Pessac Leognan wines
GRAVES AND PESSAC LEOGNAN WINE
The Bordeaux wine region is as extensive as it is rich
The Graves sub-region is located south of the city of Bordeaux. It includes the Pessac Leognan wine appellation. This region is 50 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide. The Graves region has been a fertile wine-growing area since Roman times. The Graves region takes its name from the composition of its subsoil.
Graves are gravel and pebbles from Quaternary alluvium
The gravel is made up of flint, quartz and quartzite. They come from the Périgord and the Pyrenees. This Graves soil, combined with a temperate oceanic climate, produces characteristic wines. These wines are very famous in France and are renowned throughout the world. The Pessac Leognan wine region has been a communal appellation since 1987. It corresponds to the northern part of the Graves region. This region draws all its quintessence and originality from its soil. In fact, mixed pebbles and an uneven relief, which provide drainage, make up these soils.
Pessac Leognan are very characteristic wines
The red wines of Pessac-Léognan are distinguished by their bouquet, their velvety texture and their structure. The white wines of Pessac Léognan are wines of great aromatic richness. These white Pessac Léognan wines sometimes have delicate notes of broom or lime blossom. With a total surface area of 1610 ha, the Pessac-Léognan region produces more than 70,000 hectolitres, 80% of which is red.
THIS SITE ABOUT PESSAC LEOGNAN IS MADE FOR YOU !
A site made for all lovers of Pessac Leognan !
You like Pessac Leognan wine or you simply want to discover it ? You want to have an overview of the wines of Pessac Leognan or you want to know everything about a château or an estate in a few seconds? Then this site is made for you! This site brings together all the information about the wines of Pessac Leognan. You have access to basic knowledge about Pessac Leognan wine. From the most prestigious wine, Château Haut-Brion, to the smallest estate, Château Tringant, to the oldest estate, Château Carbonnieux…
Easily accessible information on the Pessac Leognan wine…
The Vintages page…
gives you access to both the ‘very good’ and ‘good’ years for all the wines of Pessac Leognan. This page also helps you to know when to drink a Pessac Leognan wine. The peak, the optimal year to taste your vintage, is essential to know. We also talk about ‘garde’, the length of time expressed in years, which indicates the wine potential. The longer it is kept, the more the wine improves and the longer you can wait before tasting it.
The Map page shows…
a generic map of Bordeaux wines, in order to give a good idea of the Pessac Leognan appellation. This region is located south of the city of Bordeaux and north of the Graves. A map showing the distribution of the different estates within the Pessac Leognan appellation is also included on this page.
The Chateaux page…
gives you access to the characteristics sheets of the first wines of each château or estate of Pessac Léognan. This page maps the 70 appellations of Pessac Léognan. The most prestigious house of Pessac Léognan is Château Haut Brion, first great classified growth in 1855. This page lists the 14 grands crus classés in 1959 of Pessac Léognan : Château Bouscaut, Château Carbonnieux, Château Couhins, Château Couhins-Lurton, Château Fieuzal, Château Haut-Bailly, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château La Tour-Haut Brion, Château Latour-Martillac, Château Malartic- Lagravière, Château Olivier, Château Pape Clément, Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier. Finally, the 55 other AOCs of Pessac Léognan are also included in this list. The second wines of the different châteaux and estates of Pessac Léognan are also listed for further information.
The News page…
deals with different themes: selection of the best Pessac-Léognan wines for 2019, wine fair, Pessac Leognan red wines, open days of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, biodynamic agriculture…
Each Pessac Leognan wine has its own characteristics card.
For each château or estate in Pessac Leognan, a brief history of the estate is given. Information on the red and white wines of the appellation is also given. For each red of Pessac Leognan wine and each white of Pessac Leognan wine, two columns mention different information.
Information about Pessac Leognan wine itself
The first column describes the Pessac Leognan wine itself and the best conditions for drinking it. The tasting, the aggregate score, food-pairing and serving temperature are also shown. This column mentions the vintages to be tasted now and the vintages for which we still have to wait. The average prices and the second wines of the appellation also appear. The tasting highlights, first, the color of the wine and more generally its visual aspect. Then the nose: the olfactory expression of the wine, i.e. its aroma. And, finally, the mouth: the taste profile of the wine, which is broken down into top, middle and finish.
The aggregate score is a weighted average calculated from scores given by a wide range of critics on the wine-searcher site. Food-pairing lists a few dishes (starters, main courses, cheeses and desserts) that go perfectly with red or white of Pessac Leognan wine. The average price gives a scale of price per bottle, expressed as follows: € (from 10 to 20 euros), €€ (from 20 to 40 euros), €€€ (from 40 to 70 euros), €€€€€ (from 70 to 100 euros) and €€€€€€ (over 100 euros).
Information on the environment of Pessac Léognan wine
The second column highlights the environment of Pessac Leognan wine. Mention is made of the grape varieties, the soil and the surface area of the vineyards. Viticulture, winemaking, maturing and annual production are also shown. The grape variety is the variety of vine that grows on a given plot of land. Soil describes the land or plot, made up of earth and other elements. These determine the character of the wine: pebbles, stones, sand, mineral salts, etc…
Viticulture is the agricultural activity of cultivating a variety of vine or grape variety. Vinification is the process by which the juice of the grape or must is transformed into wine. Winemaking includes, in particular, alcoholic fermentation. Finally, maturing is an essential step between fermentation and bottling. The purpose of maturing is to cleanse the wine of its impurities, to age the wine and to develop its aromas. Maturing also aims to complete the structure of the wine by bringing out its tannins and to prepare the final blends. For maturing, the estates and chateaux of Pessac Léognan use concrete or steel vats.
A website made for all lovers of Pessac Leognan wine !
You like the wines of Pessac Leognan or you simply want to discover the wines of this wonderful area ? You want to have an overview of the Pessac Leognan wines or you want to know everything about an estate or a château in a few seconds? Then this website is made for you ! This site brings together the information about the wines of Pessac Leognan. You will have access to basic knowledge about the Pessac Leognan wine. From the most prestigious wine, Chateau Haut-Brion, to the smallest estate, Chateau Tringant, to the oldest estate, Chateau Carbonnieux…
Easily accessible knowledge on the Pessac Leognan wine
The Vintages webpage…
will give you access to both the ‘very good’ and ‘good’ years for all the Pessac Leognan wines. This page also will help you to know when to drink a Pessac Leognan wine. The peak, the optimal year to taste your vintage, is very essential to know. We also deal with ‘garde’, the length of time expressed in years, which indicates the wine potential. The longer it is kept in your cellar, the more the wine improves and the longer you can wait before tasting it.
The Map webpage…
shows a generic map of Bordeaux area, in order to give a very good idea of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. This region is located South of the city of Bordeaux and located North of the Graves. A map showing the location of the different estates within the Pessac Léognan appellation is also included on this Maps page.
The Chateaux webpage…
gives you access to the characteristics of the first wines of each estate or château of Pessac Leognan. This page maps the 70 appellations of Pessac Léognan wines. The most prestigious estate of Pessac Leognan is Château Haut Brion, first great classified growth in 1855. This page lists also the 14 ‘grands crus classés’ in 1959 of Pessac Leognan : Château Bouscaut, Château Carbonnieux, Chateau Couhins, Château Couhins-Lurton, Château Fieuzal, Chateau Haut-Bailly, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château La Tour-Haut Brion, Chateau Latour-Martillac, Château Malartic- Lagravière, Chateau Olivier, Château Pape Clément, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier. Finally, the 55 other ‘AOC’ of Pessac Léognan are also included in this wonderful list. The second wines of the different estates and chateaux of Pessac Léognan are also listed for further information.
The News webpage…
deals with various themes: selection of the best Pessac Leognan wines for 2019, Pessac Leognan red wines, open days of the Pessac Leognan appellation, biodynamic agriculture…
Each Pessac Leognan wine has its own characteristics sheet.
For each estate or chateau in Pessac Leognan, a brief history is given. Information on the white and red wines of the appellation is also given. For each white wine of Pessac Leognan and each red wine of Pessac Léognan, two columns mention different types of information.
Information about Pessac Léognan wine itself
The first column describes the Pessac Leognan wine itself and the best conditions for drinking the wine. The tasting, the aggregate score, the food-pairing and the serving temperature are also shown. This column mentions also the vintages to be tasted now and the vintages for which we still have to wait for. The second wines of the appellation and the average prices also appear. The tasting highlights first the color of the wine and more generally the visual aspect. Then the nose or the olfactory expression of the wine, i.e. its aroma. And finally the mouth: the taste profile of the Pessac Leognan wine, which is broken down into top, middle and finish.
The aggregate score is an average calculated from scores given by a very wide range of critics on the wine-searcher website. Food-pairing highlights a few dishes (starters, main courses, cheeses, desserts) that go perfectly with Pessac Leognan red or white wine. The average price gives you a scale of price per bottle, expressed as follows: € (from 10 to 20 euros); €€ (from 20 to 40 euros); €€€ (from 40 to 70 euros); €€€€€ (from 70 to 100 euros) and €€€€€€ (over 100 euros the bottle).
Information on the environment of Pessac Leognan wine
The second column highlights the environment of the Pessac Leognan wine. Mention is made of the grapes varieties, the soils and the surface area of the vineyards. Viticulture, winemaking, maturing and estimated annual production are also shown in this part. The grapes variety is the variety of the vine that grows on a given plot of land. The soil describes the land or the plot, made up of earth and other various elements. These items determine the character of the Pessac-Léognan wine: stones, pebbles, sand, mineral salts, etc.
Firstly, viticulture is the activity of cultivating a variety of vines or grapes variety. Secondly, vinification is the process by which the juice of the grapes or must is transformed into Pessac Leognan wine. Thirdly, winemaking includes, in particular, the alcoholic fermentation. Fourthly, the maturing is an essential step between the fermentation and the bottling. The purpose of the maturing is to cleanse the wines of its impurities, to age the wine and to develop its inner aromas. The maturing also aims to complete the structure of the Pessac Leognan wine by bringing out its tannins and to prepare the final blends. For the maturing, the chateaux and estates of Pessac Léognan use steel or concrete vats.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PESSAC LEOGNAN WINE
An organic Pessac Leognan wine, yes, but…
For many years now, Bordeaux wines, and in particular Pessac Leognan wines, have been using environmentally friendly techniques. Thus, the owners of the estates and chateaux of Pessac-Léognan use sustainable agriculture, organic farming or biodynamic farming. But what are the differences between these techniques, that are both distinct in their own right?
Sustainable agriculture, organic and biodynamic farming in Pessac Leognan.
Sustainable agriculture aims to optimise production by limiting the amount of input, particularly of pesticides and fertilisers. This in order to limit the impact on the environment. Organic farming uses organic products to ensure the fertilisation of the soil and the protection of the vines. Since 2012, a specific European regulation has been enacted in order to regulate the production of organic wine.
Biodynamics or biodynamic agriculture is an organic agricultural production system created by the Austrian, Rudolf Steiner, in 1924. Biodynamics is a variant of organic farming. Its aim is to enhance the vitality of the grapes by strengthening the link between the environment, the soil and the plant. Biodynamic farming takes into account the lunar calendar or the dynamics of the mash. The use of preparations based on medicinal plants, quartz or cow dung are commonly used in biodynamics.
Vegan wine and natural wine.
Vegan wine also exists. The purpose of the clarification process is to remove all yeast particles and residues remaining suspended in the wine. For vegan wine, clarification uses a ‘glue’ free of any animal products (fish glue, egg white or casein). Finally, we also talk about plain wine or natural wine. It comes from organically processed grapes. Harvesting is manual and any technical intervention that could alter bacterial life is banned. Any addition of chemical products, with the exception of very small quantities of sulphites, is also prohibited.
Certification process within the Pessac Leognan appellation
Some Pessac Léognan properties are adopting an environmental certification approach. Created in 2011, the CNCE (National Commission for Environmental Certification) implements the Ministry of Agriculture and Food three-tier system. Recognized as level 2, ‘Terra Vitis’ is a network of winegrowers who respect sustainable development. Level 3, qualified as ‘ High Environmental Value’ or HVE3, is based on criteria relating to biodiversity, phytosanitary, irrigation and fertilisation processes.
PESSAC LEOGNAN WINE : A FRENCH WAY OF LIFE
Wine is a prestigious and unavoidable part of French culture.
Wine, and in particular Pessac Leognan wine, contributes as much to the influence of our magnificent country as our literature, our art, our historical monuments or our gastronomic cuisine.
The Bordeaux region is the best known and most renowned region in France.
The Bordeaux region offers a very wide range of red, white and even rosé wines, for all tastes and all budgets. Bordeaux wine, including Pessac Leognan wine, is the product of a true art, sometimes complex, in which the French excel in particular. Bordeaux wines are made from single grape varieties or blends of different grape varieties. These Bordeaux grape varieties grow on age-old, even millennia-old terroirs, in very favorable weather conditions.
DRINKING A PESSAC LEOGNAN WINE IS A PLEASURE TO BE SHARED !
