Château Brown Rouge 2019, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Château Brown is the red grand vin of this historic Pessac-Léognan estate, founded in 1795 and named after the Scottish merchant John Lewis Brown. The red vineyard covers about 26 hectares of gravel soils, planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot plus a little Petit Verdot. The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, and the wine is aged for 12 to 16 months in French oak barrels, around a third or more of them new, depending on the vintage.

Château Brown Pessac-Léognan shows the classic Graves combination of ripe fruit and a mineral, smoky edge. The nose brings cassis and blackberry with graphite, subtle toasty oak and spice. On the palate it is medium to full bodied, with fine, ripe tannins, a fresh line of acidity and a long, savoury finish.

Pair it with roast leg of lamb, grilled steak, game birds such as pheasant or partridge, or a classic entrecôte bordelaise. Serve at 16–18°C and give it a decant if opening it young. Château Brown is approachable within a few years of the vintage, drinks beautifully from five years on and will keep for 10–15 years in a good cellar.

Château Brown lies in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, in the northern Graves just south of Bordeaux city, where vines have been grown for centuries. The estate dates from 1795 and takes its name from John Lewis Brown, a Scottish wine merchant who settled in Bordeaux in the late 18th century and also gave his name to Château Cantenac Brown in Margaux. After a period of decline in the 20th century, the vineyard was restored and replanted from the 1990s onwards. Today it covers about 31 hectares of vines in a single block, mostly red varieties with a little Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for the white, set within parkland, gardens and woods.