2013 Château Haut-Brion Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

An important white grape in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley that has now found fame in New Zealand and now Chile. It thrives on the gravelly soils of Bordeaux and is blended with Sémillon to produce fresh, dry, crisp  Bordeaux Blancs, as well as more prestigious Cru Classé White Graves. It is also blended with Sémillon, though in lower proportions, to produce the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It performs well in the Loire Valley and particularly on the well-drained chalky soils found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where it produces bone dry, highly aromatic, racy wines, with grassy and sometimes smoky, gunflint-like nuances.

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.

Chateau Haut Brion is located in the bustling suburb of Pessac on the outskirts of Bordeaux, this 45-hectare 1er Cru Classé property was the only property outside of the Médoc and Sauternes to be included in the 1855 Classifcation. The vineyards (Red: Cabernet Sauvignon 45%; Merlot 37%; Cabernet Franc 18%; White: Semillon 63%; Sauvignon Blanc 37%) lie on large (up to 18 metres deep in places) gravel banks interspersed with clay.