Graves · Pessac-Léognan appellation · 16 classified growths, red and white
Pessac-Léognan wines: vintages available, prices and pairings
Every Pessac-Léognan Transvins offers, red and white, from the second wine to Haut-Brion, vintage by vintage: the format, the guide price and what to expect of it today, ready to drink or to keep. Tick what interests you and the quote request goes off with your selection.
The Pessac-Léognan wines on offer
Haut-Brion first, then the Graves classified growths, the unclassified wines and the second wines. Filter by budget or by “ready to drink”. Nothing is sent until you click on the quote.
Red and white, classified and unclassified
The only major Bordeaux appellation where reds and dry whites are classified side by side.
First growth and neighbours
Haut-Brion, the only red classified in 1855 outside the Médoc, a first growth, and La Mission Haut-Brion, from the same family: wines for very long ageing.
Classified growths for red
Smith Haut Lafitte, Pape Clément, Haut-Bailly, Malartic-Lagravière: ready at around eight years, twenty-five years of ageing.
Classified growths for red and white
Domaine de Chevalier, Latour-Martillac, Carbonnieux: the white with fish, the red with meat, a single estate.
Unclassified and second wines
Larrivet Haut-Brion, Lespault-Martillac, Gazin Roquencourt, Clos Marsalette, Clémentin, La Réserve de Malartic: the style of the appellation for less.
What makes a Pessac-Léognan
The appellation, created in 1987, covers the north of the Graves, from the suburbs of Bordeaux (Pessac, Talence) to the pine forests of Léognan and Martillac. Gravel soils, as in the Médoc, but more Merlot in the reds, which makes them more supple. The whites, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon aged in barrel, are among the few dry whites of Bordeaux that age for twenty years.
The Graves classification, drawn up in 1953 and revised in 1959, lists sixteen châteaux, all now in Pessac-Léognan; each is classified for its red, its white, or both. To the north, on the other side of the city, the Médoc begins: see the Margaux wines.
What to serve it with
- A young white: oysters and seafood (what wine with oysters), grilled fish (what wine with fish).
- A ten-year-old white: turbot, lobster, poultry in cream sauce (what wine with poultry).
- A red: lamb (what wine with lamb), rib of beef (what wine with beef), game birds for the old vintages (what wine with game).
Which Pessac-Léognan for which occasion
For a wedding or a big meal, a white and a red from the same château: see which Bordeaux for a wedding. For Christmas Eve, the white with oysters and pan-fried foie gras, the red with poultry (what wine with the Christmas menu). For a birthday, the birth year (birth year vintage).
Which are the classified growths of Pessac-Léognan?
Sixteen châteaux in the 1953 Graves classification, revised in 1959, each classified for red, white or both. Haut-Brion is also a premier grand cru classé of 1855, the only red outside the Médoc.
Pessac-Léognan or Graves?
Pessac-Léognan is the north of the Graves, which became a separate appellation in 1987; all the Graves classified growths are there. The Graves appellation covers the rest, further south, with wines that are generally simpler and cheaper.
How long should you keep a Pessac-Léognan?
Three to ten years for a second wine or a simple white, six to twenty for a red classified growth, fifteen to fifty for Haut-Brion. The great whites, such as Domaine de Chevalier's, last twenty years. The table applies these rules to each line; it is not a tasting note.
Are the prices shown the ones on the quote?
They are the guide prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the postage; the delivery grid gives the lead times. For a Pessac-Léognan or a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.