Pessac-Leognan

佩薩克-雷奧良酒區

Pessac-Leognan is a prestigious appellation for wines produced in a particular area of the Bordeaux region of south-western France. A relatively new appellation, it was carved out of the Graves sub-region in 1987 – recognized in its own right on the merits of its high-quality red and white wines. This was a significant change, as many of the chateaux in what is now Pessac-Leognan were the best performers in the Graves Classification of 1959.

The terroir of Pessac-Leognan betrays its historical origins as part of the Graves sub-region, with the dominant soil type being the gravel (and sand) which gave Graves its name. The northern vineyards of the appellation are intermingled with the southern fringes of Bordeaux city, while those in the south are surrounded by the forests which produce the other main export of Graves: timber. While orchards and fields dominate the landscape of the Entre-Deux-Mers region just across the Garonne river, pine forests and residential settlements are predominant in Pessac-Leognan.

The four key producers in Pessac-Leognanare Chateaux Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Laville Haut-Brion and Pape Clement(named after Pope Clement V, who ordered its original vineyards to be planted in the 14th century). Each of these is located within the southern city limits of Bordeaux. The soils here are deep, with a high proportion of gravel, and are considered the best of the appellation. Their superior drainage helps to maintain the high quality of the vineyards' Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes.

The village of Pessac lies just to the south of these chateaux, while Leognan is six miles (10km) further on. It is located close to several quality producers, including some of the Bordeaux elite: the Domaine de Chevalier, and Chateaux Haut-Bailly, Malartic-Lagraviere, Larrivet Haut-Brion and de Fieuzal. Leognan is surrounded almost entirely by pine forests and vineyards, and benefits from the same superior drainage as Pessac.

Pessac-Leognan’s white wines are made predominantly from Sauvignon Blanc (a required minimum of 25%) and Semillon grapes, and are often matured in oak for greater complexity. These white varieties thrive on the sandier soils of the appellation and produce more age-worthy wines than any other part of the world. Elsewhere, blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are best consumed within two years of harvest; in contrast, the best white wines of Pessac-Leognan can develop in bottle for well over a decade.

佩薩克-雷奧良（Pessac-Leognan）位於波爾多（Bordeaux）南端、格拉夫（Graves）北部，臨近加隆河（Garonne）左岸，是一個優秀的AOC葡萄酒產區。產區主要為沙質碎石土壤，叢林密布，松樹林立，擁有8個風景秀麗的村莊。與波爾多其它產區不同，佩薩克-雷奧雖然紅葡萄酒居於主導地位，卻以優質的白葡萄酒和紅葡萄酒聞名遐邇。

1855年的波爾多酒莊評級中，此產區的侯伯王（Chateau Haut-Brion）是唯一一家不屬於上梅多克（Haut-Medoc）產區的一級酒莊。

佩薩克-雷奧良釀酒歷史悠久。 1305年，由克萊蒙教皇（Pape Clement）五世創立的黑教皇（Chateau Pape Clement），是波爾多產區最古老的葡萄莊園。 17世紀中期，當侯伯王在國際酒界中聲名四起時，當時的梅多克（Medoc）還只是一片沼澤之地。過去，佩薩克-雷奧良只是格拉夫AOC的一部分，因1953年Graves評級中入圍的16大名酒莊都位於此地，該產區便於1987年獨立成一個優秀的葡萄酒法定產區，以期與梅多克四大名村以及波美侯（Pomerol）和埃美隆（Saint-Emilion）一爭高下。

該產區最主要的紅葡萄品種是赤霞珠（Cabernet Sauvignon），此外還種植有梅洛（Merlot）、品麗珠（Cabernet Franc）和少量的味而多（Petit Verdot）和馬爾貝克（Malbec ）。產區紅葡萄酒的風格變化多樣，以黑醋栗味和雪松味為主導風味。產區最重要的白葡萄品種為長相思（Sauvignon Blanc）和賽美蓉（Semillon），用其釀製的葡萄酒通常是在低溫的橡木桶裡發酵，年輕時，油桃風味十分濃郁，熟成7至15年後，會有堅果、蜂蜜和奶油凍的風味。

該產區的白酒王，如侯伯王白葡萄酒（Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc） 、拉維爾奧比良白葡萄酒（Chateau Laville Haut-Brion）和騎士白葡萄酒（Domaine de Chevalier Blanc）等，可與勃艮第（Burgundy）白酒王媲美。勃艮第白葡萄酒用霞多麗（Chardonnay）釀製而成，而波爾多的則用長相思和賽美蓉釀製而成，因此口感風味不盡相同，可以滿足不同飲家的需要。

佩薩克-雷奧良產區最有名的酒莊當屬侯伯王。侯伯王有很多過人之處，在波爾多最早以酒莊名號聞名歐洲。 1855年分級時又一鳴驚人，成為當時唯一一座梅多克之外的的一級名莊。侯伯王酒莊不僅以紅葡萄酒聞名世界，白葡萄酒也同樣出色。該酒莊白葡萄酒產量極少，是波爾多幹白葡萄酒之王，香氣馥郁芬芳，是波爾多幹白葡萄酒中香氣最複雜的，口感圓潤，質感精緻，綿長迷人，風格獨特，具有超凡的陳年潛力。