Pessac-Léognan
How to read this
Capitals mark the stressed syllable. “ahn” is a nasal vowel: say it through the nose, with no n. “ny” is the ny in “canyon”. The recording is the reference.
Carved out of the
The place
The rules
Red from the 6 Bordeaux varieties and dry white from Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, at 6,500 vines a hectare, 54 hectoliters with a ceiling of 60 in both colors, and 11% of natural alcohol. Reds are raised until September 15 and released from October 1 of the year after the harvest, whites until March 15 and from March 30. The decree is of September 9, 1987 and the cahier des charges in force, the appellation’s official rulebook, of December 10, 2024. A revision adopted by INAO’s national committee on February 12, 2026, and not yet homologated, would add Arinarnoa and Castets for red and Floréal, Sauvignac and Souvignier Gris for white, and lower the density to 5,500.
The names
Every Cru Classé de
- Colors
- Red and dry white
- Communes
- 10, at the southern edge of Bordeaux
- Vineyard
- About 1,880 hectares, 86% red; some 56 estates
- Grapes
- Red: the 6 Bordeaux varieties; white: Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle
- Density
- 6,500 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 54 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 60
- Alcohol
- 11% natural at least
- Release
- Reds from October 1, whites from March 30, of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- All 14 Crus Classés de
Graves ; Haut-Brion also a First of 1855 - AOC since
- September 9, 1987; cahier of December 10, 2024
Sources: INAO,
The stack
The same land in
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
The pyramid of names shows what each step promises: vines a hectare, bottles, ripeness, day of sale, grapes. Climb from here
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855, The Crus Classés de
Terroir
At Léognan, the gravel keeps its pebbles upright. In the words of the Bordeaux map, “In the gravel body one often sees rows of pebbles standing on end, and wedge-shaped cracks filled several times over.” This is the Garonne's very high terrace, and with the high terrace below it, the pair covers 43.4% of the delimited area. In places iron has cemented its sands and gravels together, in a clay that runs from yellow to red.
Along the Eau Blanche stream at Léognan lay a shell bed (falun) under a layer thick with bones: teeth of the shark Carcharodon megalodon, turtles, birds, whales and their kin, sea cows. The site, Le Coquillat, was lost to visitors. The outcrops near Saucats and Léognan gave geology a name: Depéret first used the word Burdigalian for them in 1893.
These gravels run north into Mérignac. Vines hold the stony knolls that drain better and face the sun, and the rest of the old, acid gravel was left to pine. At the edge of Bordeaux, an ice age stands on end.
- Slope wash and cover28.3%
- River and estuary deposits of today1.7%
- Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles58.4%
- Landes sand and the oldest river deposits2.4%
- Shell sands (faluns), limestones and marls of the Miocene3.6%
- Starfish limestone and marine marls5.5%
Shares of the delimited area, measured on BRGM’s geological map, in families by the age and rock its legend prints, youngest first.
Half its delimited soil lies above 38 m, and 9 tenths lies between 12 and 55 m. 2.1% of it is steeper than 10%.
Measured section
The line runs 9.0 km, from 55 m to 4 m. Inside the delimited area it lies between 7 and 53 m.
Colors: Slope wash and coverRiver and estuary deposits of todayIce age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebblesShell sands (faluns), limestones and marls of the MioceneStarfish limestone and marine marls
The units, as BRGM prints them
| Code | Name and age, as printed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Slope wash and cover | 28.3% | |
| CFp | Formations superficielles | 28.3% |
| River and estuary deposits of today | 1.7% | |
| Fy3-z | Alluvions subactuelles à actuelles indiféernéciées (sic), Pré-boréal à actuel | 1.7% |
| Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles | 58.4% | |
| Fxb(a) | Basse terrasses - Terrasse de Bègle (type 6) indifférenciée, Saalien - "Riss" | 1.9% |
| Fwb(G) | Moyennes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasses de Léognan, terrasse de Martillac et terrasse de St Selve indifférenciés (type 3 à 5), Esltérien - "Mindel" | 13.2% |
| Fvb(G) | Hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Martillac (type 2) indifférenciée et terrasse d'Arsac, Ménapien à Bavélien - "Gunz" | 20.3% |
| Fva(G) | Très hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Léognan (type 1) indifférenciée et terrasse de | 23.1% |
| Landes sand and the oldest river deposits | 2.4% | |
| Ft(Bn) | Formation de Belin, Tiglien - "Biber-Donau" | 2.4% |
| Shell sands (faluns), limestones and marls of the Miocene | 3.6% | |
| m1-Cs | Faluns de Saucats, Aquitanien marin | 2.9% |
| and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.7% in all | ||
| Starfish limestone and marine marls | 5.5% | |
| g1-As | Calcaire à Astéries, Rupélien marin | 5.5% |
Informative figures, computed from INAO’s digitized parcel delimitation of October 12, 2026 and BRGM’s harmonized geological map (BD Charm-50); heights from IGN’s RGE ALTI 5 m. The plans held at the town hall are the legal reference. The delimited area is always somewhat larger than what is planted.
Sources: BRGM, Notice explicative de la feuille Bordeaux à 1/50 000, 1977; BRGM, Notice explicative de la feuille Pessac à 1/50 000, 1978; INAO parcel delimitation (file of 2026-10-12) laid over BRGM BD Charm-50 Gironde, harmonized geological map.
Its soil, layer by layer · See it in 3D · See it on the Map · Compare it with another appellation · All about Terroir
Châteaux on this site
Château Bouscaut Château Brown Château Cantelys Château Carbonnieux Château Coucheroy Château Couhins Château Couhins-Lurton Château de Cruzeau Château de Fieuzal Château de France Château de Rochemorin Château de Rouillac Château Gazin Rocquencourt Château Haut Nouchet Château Haut-Bailly Château Haut-Bergey Château Haut-Brion Château Haut-Lagrange Château La Louvière Château La Mission Haut-Brion Château La Tour Haut-Brion Château Larrivet Haut-Brion Château Latour-Martillac Château Le Pape Château Le Thil Comte Clary Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion Château Lespault-Martillac Château Malartic-Lagravière Château Olivier Château Pape Clément Château Picque Caillou Château Pontac Monplaisir Château Seguin Château Smith Haut Lafitte Domaine de Chevalier
Also in this appellation, with no page here yet: Château La Garde, Château Luchey-Halde.
Tastings
13
May 6, 2026 · 3
April 23, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 3
April 20, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 1
March 16, 2026
Château
March 13, 2026
March 12, 2026
News from Pessac-Léognan
14
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Sauvignon Blanc drinkers are pointed toward Bordeaux
The Irish Times recommends dry white Bordeaux to Sauvignon Blanc drinkers, describing pure Sauvignon Blanc versions as aromatic and fresh and pointing to
Pessac-Léognan as the source of the best examples.Dry whites offer Bordeaux a route beyond its dominant red wine image and a familiar point of entry for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers.
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Pessac-Léognan seconds in the spotlightRed
Pessac-Léognan second wines will be presented at the Foire aux Seconds Vins at Hangar 14 in Bordeaux on October 10, includingChâteau Tour Léognan 2023 fromChâteau Carbonnieux . -
Pessac-Léognan Questions Its AssumptionsEstates across
Pessac-Léognan are reconsidering drainage, planting density, harvest decisions and aging practices. The objective is adaptation without losing the appellation's recognisable Bordeaux identity.These choices affect water availability, fruit maturity, alcohol levels and the balance between extraction and freshness.
Pessac-Léognan offers an important test of how established Bordeaux appellations can adapt without defaulting to a completely new stylistic model. -
Fifth heatwave drives Bordeaux white-wine harvest to a record-early start
A fifth heatwave has accelerated Bordeaux’s white-wine harvest.
Château Latour-Martillac inPessac-Léognan began its 2026 harvest on Aug. 11, 2026, 1 week earlier than its previous record from 2022, according to technical director Edouard Kressmann. -
Wildfires and heat are reshaping Bordeaux's terroir
Wildfires near Bordeaux have not reached the vineyards, but record heat and dense smoke threaten the 2026 harvest, potentially reducing yields and giving wines smoky notes. Smoke has reached
Graves andPessac-Léognan . -
Les Domaines de Moncets moves intoPessac-Léognan for the first timeLes Domaines de Moncets acquiredChâteau Pontac Monplaisir inPessac-Léognan , expanding to 5 properties totaling 56 hectares. The 16-hectare estate has historic links to the family that owned Haut-Brion. -
Pessac-Léognan in All Its DiversityA June 23 event focused on
Pessac-Léognan brought together selected estates advised by Vignerons Consultants for conferences and geo-sensory tastings. The sessions examined the appellation’s diversity, history, practices and terroir influence across recent vintages. -
Philibert Perrin: "White wines must gain visibility in
Pessac-Léognan "New ODG head Philibert Perrin outlines his vision for
Pessac-Léognan as the appellation faces urban pressure, climate change, shifting consumer tastes, and economic fragility. He argues that the appellation’s white wines need greater visibility while preserving its identity. -
Justin Meyer named best student sommelier in Bordeaux wine 2026
On May 12, Justin Meyer was named Bordeaux wine’s best student sommelier for 2026 after finishing ahead of 15 students in the 22nd Trophée
Pessac-Léognan , hosted at château Malartic-Lagravière. -
"
Château Picque Caillou Is the Ideal Property for Me"Laurent Marti, president of Union Bordeaux-Bègles, has acquired
Château Picque Caillou , a Grand Cru dePessac-Léognan property, according to vintagebyugcb.com. -
Picque Caillou : Laurent Marti’s dream becomes realityLaurent Marti, president of Union Bordeaux Bègles, acquired
Château Picque Caillou in thePessac-Léognan appellation from the Denis family. The property retains 25 hectares of contiguous vines in Mérignac. -
Château Smith Haut Lafitte hands over reigns to next generationChâteau Smith Haut Lafitte and Cathiard Vineyard have handed executive leadership to Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier, while their mother, Florence Cathiard, becomes co-chair of the supervisory board. The daughters succeed their parents, who have owned thePessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé since 1990. -
What should you drink while watching France vs Australia?
Vintage by UGCB asked experts to recommend wines for France vs Australia on November 22, 2025, at Stade de France. Jacques Lurton recommended
Château La Louvière 2021, fromPessac-Léognan , served slightly chilled. -
The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux published its 2025 Harvest Notebook on October 13, 2025, covering the harvest from
Saint-Julien toPessac-Léognan ,Saint-Émilion andSauternes and describing the vintage as elegant and atypical.