1996 Château Haut-Brion Blanc

As one of the four original First Growth Bordeaux, Château Haut-Brion enjoys an illustrious history and has long been considered one of the jewels of French winemaking. Founded in the 16th century in Pessac, the founding family’s early winemakers employed such modern techniques as topping up vines and racking casks. The resulting wines were widely admired and were bought as investments as early as the late 1700s. Francophile Thomas Jefferson served Château Haut-Brion at The White House after he became president and the practice was continued by several of his successors. The château cultivates 106.7 acres given over to 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 36 years and annual production is about 7,800 bottles of Château Haut-Brion and 88,000 bottles of the second line, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, formerly known as Château Bahans Haut-Brion.

Pessac-Léognan was created in 1987 from the northern part of the left bank Graves appellation. Before then it was simply part of Graves, or sometimes it was called Haut-Graves. Unlike many other Bordeaux appellations, Pessac-Léognan is known for both red and dry white wines, although its reds are more famous. The appellation includes ten communes and the area’s most important châteaux, including Château Haut-Brion, the only non-Médoc estate included in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. There are 2,964 acres of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan and 16 classified growth estates. The main red grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, along with a small amount of Cabernet Franc. White grapes grown are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with a little Muscadelle. Pessac-Léognan is considered to have the best terroir of the greater Graves region.