2000 Château Branon, 12-bottle Lot

Château Branon in Pessac-Leognan dates to the 18th century but by the mid-20th century it had fallen into disrepair. In 1996 it was purchased by Sylvaine Garcin-Cathiard, part of the Garcin family of Vignobles Garcin. Daniel and Sylvaine Garcin-Cathiard are a brother and sister whose family owned a supermarket chain in the Alps, and in 1991 the pair started buying Bordeaux estates, including Branon, Château Barde-Haut and Château Smith Haut Lafite. The 19-acre Château Branon grows 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. About 6,000 bottles are produced a year. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called it “perhaps the first garage wine from the Graves region” and has rated some vintages at 96 pts.

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.