Pessac Leognan

wines

Still youthful and beautifully lush, with dark, velvety tannins that flow underneath, allowing the gorgeous plum sauce, blackberry reduction and anise notes to drape wonderfully before slowly giving way to a cast iron–edged finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 14,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA hugely concentrated wine showing chewy, but ripe tannins. Smooth, polished fruit combines with well-balanced wood and suppressed power. This is certainly a wine that will develop well, making it drinkable in five years and mature in 10-15 years.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEAmong the finest Cantenac-Browns of the last three decades, the saturated purple-colored 2000 is a sleeper of the vintage. Loaded with chocolatey black currants intermixed with sweet earth, cedar, and spice box, it exhibits medium to full body, surprisingly ripe tannin for a wine from this estate, a multi-layered texture as well as mid-palate, and a finish that lasts 25-30 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018.Robert Parker | 90 RPNo written review provided. | 90 W&S

Huge, deep purple-black color, and aromas of rich, spicy fruit give a sense of great power to this superbly intense wine. Liquorice and rich tannins suggest complexity, while subtle acidity adds refinement.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2000 Domaine de Chevalier has long been one of my favourite wines and now at 16 years of age, it continues to live up to expectations. It has a beautiful nose, so lively and vivacious, with black plum and blackberry, cedar and damp undergrowth scents, an undercurrent of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive definition, a fine thread of acidity, though still backward and intimating that there is "much more in the tank." The structure is wonderful here, though it does not quite deliver the length you might expect, which compelled me to dock a couple of points. The bottom line: it’s a great Pessac-Léognan with a 30-40 year lifespan. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThis offers a complex nose of sweet tobacco and stones, with red fruits such as plums, as well as a smoky note on the nose. Full and juicy, with a tobacco and berry character that turns almost tea-like on the finish. This has medium tannins, and is just starting to come around. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS(a blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 5% cabernet franc; pH 3.78; 12.9% alcohol): Medium-deep ruby-red. Enticing aromas of redcurrant, plum, violet, minerals and graphite complemented by sexy oak spices. Broad, lush and sweet, with a pristine quality to the perfumed flavors of red berries, black cherry and spices. Harmonious acidity gives the wine shape and balance and a very clean, fresh mouthfeel. Finishes impressively broad and horizontal, with smooth, ripe tannins and lingering spicy perfume. This sophisticated, glossy wine is still remarkably young and lively.Vinous Media | 92 VMNo written review provided. | 91 W&STar and clove on the nose here, teasing out to leather notes after a few minutes. Cassis bud fruit character, this remans slightly foursquare and austere even as it approaches its 18th birthday. Some truffle and undergrowth as it opens in the glass, the tannins still have grip but a little less generosity than I might expect for a 2000 vintage. Clearly still plenty of life ahead of it, easily a decade before you need to worry about where this wine is going. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 90 DEC

This 2005 offers a fabulous bouquet of forest floor and flowers, a dark plum/ruby/purple color, and medium body. Super-intense but light on its feet, this beauty seems to be close to full maturity. Complex and cerebral, this stunner is just now drinking beautifully and should continue to do so for another 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPA complete wine, rich and opulent. It has all the right balances of acidity, sweet fruits, black flavors and underlying dry tannins. Excellent.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEMedium red. Ripe aromas of smoky plum, redcurrant, mocha, tobacco and nutty oak. Rich, pliant and fruity, with ripe acids framing the raspberry and subtle game flavors and contributing to the impression of inner-mouth perfume. Offers good volume and a restrained sweetness. Finishes with dusty, serious tannins and very good length.Vinous Media | 91 VMAromas of plum, chocolate and leather follow through to a full body, with a very good richness of fruit and a caressing, medium finish. Not overdone. Balanced and pretty. Best after 2011. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS Clean, saturated fruit tannins place this in an international style. But the soil character is embedded in the wine, appearing after several days of air, once the tremendous volume of tannin begins to yield. The supple and generous feel of the wine belies the power of that tannin, needing a decade or more to mature.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

The fortified chateau dating to the 12th century is now the home of the Bethmann family. This latest release indicates the high quality the estate now produces. Rich in tannins and with a dense structure, the wine is full of juicy acidity. The texture and dry core promise aging. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WETobacco, blackcurrant and crushed stone. Ash, too. Full-bodied with very polished and juicy tannins that are firm, yet polished and long. Wonderful finish. Give it three or four years to come together. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 94 JSExpressive nose of bright red cherries and strawberries. Good juiciness here, this has life for sure but the fruit is still a little in high definition right now and edged with spicy oak elements that are quite dominant. Definitely lots going on and this has power, precision, good fruit and acidity but needs more time to soften and integrate. A peppery, quite savoury finish. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2039Decanter | 93 DECThe 2019 Olivier is a powerful, brooding wine. Dark cherry, tobacco, iron, game, menthol and dried herbs lend quite a bit of complexity and nuance to this hearty, earthy Pessac-Léognan. From bottle, the 2019 comes across as a bit burly, while the fruit is not quite as forward as it was en primeur.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGBlackcurrants, darker cherries, earth, and spicy oak notes all emerge from the 2019 Château Olivier, a young, unevolved, promising 2019 with medium to full body, ripe, nicely polished tannins, the vintage’s elegant style, and a great finish. Give it 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 10-15.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDAromas of red berries and plums, framed by hints of burning embers and a deft framing of new oak, introduce the 2019 Olivier, a medium to full-bodied, supple and charming wine that’s elegantly fleshy, with an ample core of fruit, powdery tannins and lively acids, concluding with a discreetly heady finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP