CLARENDELLE Pessac Leognan 2016
CLARENDELLE Pessac Leognan 2016 , From the owners of Chateau Haut Brion, this is a claret of 5-Star pedigree. Critic James Suckling called it “exceptional value”. Very focused with deep fruit and tobacco complexity, sourced exclusively from Haut Brion and Mission Haut Brion vines. Clarendelle is the initiative of Clarence Dillon’s great grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg. This wine is a blend of grapes exclusively from Haut Brion and La Mission – no wonder Suckling is impressed by its value. Rich, ripe with textural tannins and cellaring potential. Open early and decant.
American financier Clarence Dillon visited Bordeaux in 1934 and fell in love with world famous Château Haut Brion. The estate wasn’t then in peak form, but that didn’t put him off one iota. Certain it was the jewel of Bordeaux, he bought it and so started his family’s long commitment to the region and fine wine. In 1983 they purchased La Mission Haut-Brion, next door, and the family have since extended their portfolio to other areas of Bordeaux.
Clarendelle is a Bordeaux wine brand created by the Dillon family and is part of the Clarence Dillon Wines group. It makes four wines from the classic Bordeaux varieties, chiefly Merlot for its red wine and Sémillon for its white. The brand was established in 2005 by the Dillon family who also own other Bordeaux estates, most notably Château Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion.
The wines of Clarendelle are all designated from the greater Bordeaux appellation and include a red, a dry white, a rosé and a dessert white made from fruit grown in several viticultural sub-regions. The red grapes – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – are sourced from the Saint-Émilion, Haut-Médocand Pessac-Léognan regions and include fruit from the other Domaine Clarence Dillon estates. The white grapes – Sémillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc – come mostly from Graves and Pessac-Léognan. A Pessac-Léognan-designated red wine has also been made in select vintages, although the last was 2008.
Clarendelle was created as a value alternative to the other Dillon estates, and as such its wines don’t command the same super-premium prices. It is named for Clarence Dillon, who bought the family’s first wine estate in Bordeaux in 1935 – the first growth Château Haut-Brion.
