Every time get through a horizontal of the wines of Pessac Léognan I come away thinking I need more of these complex wines in my cellar. Aside from the obvious stars of the appellation, Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion, which come with a healthy price-tag, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier and more recently Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, often make some of the best reds across all Bordeaux in any given year, and in the case of Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier and the Haut-Brions, the best whites. But the value drinkers amongst you should also keep an eye on the likes of Château Bouscaut and Château Malartic-Lagravière [both in the notes below], but also the likes of Château La Louviere, Château Carbonnieux, Château Olivier, Château de Fieuzal and Chateau Latour-Martillac whose wines were not shown by the MW Institute last November. All these make super reds and whites and are worth stocking up on in most vintages. So how did the Pessac-Léognan appellation fair in 2021?

On the basis of the eight wines shown at the tasting, these wines were a success. I’m talking here about the reds. I didn’t get the chance to taste their whites which have generally been seen to have succeeded extremely well in 2021. I hope to get to taste these separately. Amongst the reds, Château Haut-Brion, was typically impressive with strong exotic aromatics and a rich, tarry palate, which was less developed and open than the aromatics. Château La Mission Haut-Brion exhibited spicy aromatics, with notes of menthol, tar and molasses, and a mid-weight nicely judged palate with a twist of austerity on the finish. Qualitatively their equal in 2021 are Domaine de Chevalier, Château Smith Haut-Lafitte and Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, though these are all stylistically quite different.

Château Smith Haut-Lafitte is as plush and enticing as you can imagine, but also has freshness and poise and is drinking well already. It is a banker, year after year. Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is sexy and unctuous. It feels very ‘modern’ aromatically, but a bit more ‘Bordeaux’ on the palate, if you get what I mean, which is to say that it’s decadent first and then shows more delicacy later. This property has certainly caused a bit of a stir with the quality of its wines over the past decade or so. Finally, there is Domaine de Chevalier which is the tightest and perhaps most traditional of the three. It opened up well in the glass and showed a super texture on the palate with depth and complexity. Just behind these on the day was a fine effort from Château Haut-Bailly. I think this will easily join this bunch in the end but this is currently a 2021 that is still in a slumber. It is classical with blackcurrant and cassis notes but needs a bit of time and feels a little on the austere side now. It should fill out further in bottle.

Château Malartic-Lagravière was vivid aromatically and showed lots of initial fruit but then dipped on the finish. Likewise Château Bouscaut also showed a lot of attractive fruit on the nose, but was more sinewy on the palate. Both are nevertheless very good and both should fill out with a year or two more in bottle. Separately I’ve been impressed by the reds of Château Bouscaut, having had the 2015 and the 2018 recently. Both properties make full, rich whites.

The following notes below were all taken at the MW Institute’s Annual Bordeaux Tasting last November. I hope you find them useful. As ever the notes are more important than the numbers.

Château Bouscaut, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Deep and saturated colour; tight to edge; sweet, ripe black fruits; attractive and open; spices; little sinewy on the palate; initial fruit attack but then finishes a bit short; works well enough and will fill out further. [61% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 14.5% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink now to 2032. 88

Château Haut-Bailly, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Good depth; earthy red purple at edge; cassis and blackcurrants; quite lifted; smoky with attractive cassis and blackcurrant notes on the palate; little austerity in the middle but attractive purity; classical; punctuated finish. This needs a bit of time. [65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 13%]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink 2027-2041 92+

Château Haut-Brion, Premier Grand Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Deepish; exotic aromatics alongside the black fruits; quite lifted with earth, spices, tobacco and tar; this has density and extract; quite dense; tannins are firm but not dry; warm finish. Already interesting on the nose the palate is somewhat tighter and needs a few years. [57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 14% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink 2027-2045 94+

Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Attractive looking; deep at core; some tar, ripe aromatics and spices; some menthol and notes of molasses; nice weight on the palate and texture; spices, tar and black fruits; mid weight and has elegance; touch of austerity on the finish. Works well. [47.9% Merlot, 45.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.3% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink 2027-2045. 93

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Deep and saturated look; sexy, ripe and lifted black fruit aromatics; coffee and ink too; ripe entry; very modern palate; some leaf too; actually feels more Bordeaux on the palate with delicacy; this is attractive, fleshy Pessac-Leognan; nicely done and finishes with good length. Dashing at first but shows purity and delicacy later. [40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 13.5% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink now to 2035. 94+

Château Malartic-Lagravière, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Deep and saturated; quite vivid in the glass; blackcurrants and chocolate; quite melded aromatics; full; wine gum notes; has flesh and extract on the palate; plenty of upfront fruit but then falls away a bit at the end. Should fill out with a few years in bottle. [67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 13% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink now-2034. 90

Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Good vivid colour; healthy looking; deep at centre; full and plush on the nose [especially for the vintage] in keeping with the property; has purity and plummy tones and black cherry notes and spices; good palate; pure flavours and has tension and length on the finish. Attractive and moreish. Enticing stuff. Drinking well already. [63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink now – 2041. 94+

Domaine de Chevalier, Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac Léognan, 2021

Deep colour; dark centre; resin, black fruits; tight at first but evident depth; spices, black fruits and notes of molasses emerge; earthy blackcurrant Cabernet notes emerge; palate has super texture; plenty of fruit and real Bordeaux balance here; has blackcurrant purity with an attractive earthy undertow; fine texture and fresh finish. [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% alc]. Tasted 11/11/25. Drink now to 2041. 94