One of the top appellations within Graves, Pessac-Léognan is home to the only Graves chateau listed as a first-growth in the 1855 Médoc classification – Chateau Haut-Brion. In fact, praise for the chateau dates back to the days of Thomas Jefferson, when, upon visiting the chateau in 1787, bought 125 bottles for his cellar in Virginia. Pessac-Léognan is also known for producing some of the finest dry white wines of Bordeaux.

Notable Facts
The majority of wines made here are red, but their dry white wines are excellent as well. Many of the top chateau, like Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Mission Haut Brion, produce top-quality whites alongside their red. Other Chateaux, like Smith Haut Lafite and Carbonnieux, are better known for their distinguished whites than reds. Both colors of wine from Pessac-Léognan have the specific tastes of the gravelly soil where it's grown.

Located on the southern outskirts of the city of Bordeaux, the Graves region takes its name from its stony terroir. In fact, the French word graves means "gravel". These stones, worn smooth by the Garonne River and its tributaries during geological and climatic upheavals of the late Tertiary and early Quaternary periods, explain the Graves natural potential to produce great wines.

The sixteen estates that were classified great growths over half a century ago have the unusual distinction of producing both red and white wines. One of them, the prestigious Château Haut-Brion, was even classified a first growth in 1855.

Recognised for their superior quality as far back as the 17th century, the grands crus of the Graves were the first great wines of Bordeaux. These estates are proud to perpetuate a centuries-old tradition.

The Graves is the only French appellation whose name is so closely associated with its terroir.

What better proof of its origin? The Graves' uniqueness, as exemplified by its classified growths, is irremediably linked to that of its soil.

It took millions of years for torrential streams and gigantic glaciers to move untold tonnes of pebbles, silt, rocks, flint, and sand from the Pyrenees to form this mysterious millefeuille of alluvial terraces on limestone bedrock from the Tertiary Period. In other words, the glass of Graves one drinks today has something of the Oligocene epoch about it…

However, the history of Graves wine as we know it dates back to three great men: Clément V, the Gascon Pope, Arnaud de Pontac, an innovative member of the Bordeaux parliament, and Montesquieu, the enlightened philosopher, all of whom understood that the Graves pebbles were a divine blessing. Each of these famous men knew intuitively that good wine can only come from good terroir, and that their estates were ideally suited to winegrowing.

The Graves is the cradle of Bordeaux wine, and a part of the Bordeaux vineyards with its own strong, unique identity.

The region's proximity to the city of Bordeaux made it very popular with the Bordelais and acted as a stimulus to production. Although the Graves' famous wine châteaux, whose architecture is both eclectic and attractive, are no more than a tram ride away from the city centre, the vineyards have managed to resist urban sprawl (and contribute precious oxygen to the environment!). Since its creation more than twenty years ago, the Pessac-Léognan appellation has expanded onto soil ideally suited to viticulture, more than doubling in size thanks to the perseverence of a group of dynamic winegrowers.

Despite a number of obstacles, Graves wines have stayed true to their much-loved style for a variety of reasons (respect for the terroir, a blend of premium grape varieties that has proved their worth for centuries, the use of traditional viticultural practices, and a very natural, nonindustrial approach to winemaking). In a word, this style can be described as "elegant".

Furthermore, the region's greatest wine estates have remained faithful to their roots. For example, the Crus Classés de Graves are still owned by families who live there and welcome their guests there.

The châteaux welcome visitors on the weekend during "Open Door" days, which are increasingly popular. Since they are so close to the city of Bordeaux (vines can be found just past the ring road), wine tourism is very big. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a stronger link between a city, its history, its geography, and the international reputation of its fine wine. In addition, this vineyard region was long referred to as les Graves de Bordeaux. This part of the Graves, encompassing 10 communes to the south and west of the city of Bordeaux, is now called "Pessac-Léognan", an appellation contrôlée dating from 1987.

Crus Classés de Graves: these simple words convey a multitude of meanings. The French word cru is the name for a specific place where vines grow (crû is the past tense of the verb croître, meaning "to grow"). These crus are classés, or "classified", in keeping with a longstanding Bordeaux tradition. As early as the 17th century, the royal intendant Bazin de Bezuns wrote to Louis the 14th: "There are three cantons in the Bordeaux region whose wines are sold at a high price. The best and the one with the most vines is the Graves, which are quite close to the city of Bordeaux". There have been other classifications over the years. In the 19th century, Château Haut-Brion was put at the very pinnacle of the famous 1855 classification.

In more recent times, the classifications of 1953 and 1959 included sixteen estates, officially named the Crus Classés de Graves.

The great originality of these 20th century classifications does not lie in the hierarchy they established, but in the fact that, for the first time, great red AND white wines were classified at the same time, which is unique in the world of wine. It should be pointed out that the greatest dry white wines of Bordeaux are made in the Graves, so this is only natural. These wines are not only listed in a classification, but are also in regular strong demand on the international market.

Once a wine lover visiting the Graves puts down his glass and looks around him, he will discover lovely rolling countryside with low-lying hills that look a series of green ocean waves. This calm beauty is obviously the result of countless years of effort by local winegrowers. With impeccable breeding thanks to their terroir, then lovingly aged and attractively packaged, the great wines of the Graves can age for decades. Like the vineyards where they were born, they have time on their side.