Bordeaux 2012 – Pessac-Léognan and Graves reds

For our full Bordeaux 2012 coverage, see The Guide.

The set of 60-plus wines described below is probably the group of reds about which I am most excited in 2012. It's not that the average score is necessarily the highest. One would expect that in one of the most famous Médoc communes most dominated by classed growths – St-Julien most obviously (we'll be publishing these notes next week). But overall this large area on the southern outskirts of the city of Bordeaux seems to have avoided the major pitfalls of the vintage. And, significantly, it includes many relatively well-priced...