The 2019 Haut-Brion is a blend of 48.7% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.1% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 10th of September to the 3rd of October. The estimated label alcohol degree is 14.5%. Displaying a deep garnet-purple color, it comes off incredibly shy and reticent to begin, needing considerable coaxing to reveal notes of dark chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry preserves, woodsmoke and sandalwood, before launching into a full-scale fireworks display of iron ore, cumin seed, redcurrant jelly, red roses, oolong tea and Sichuan pepper scents plus a waft of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers the most exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins with a lively backbone of freshness supporting the tightly wound, earth-laced black fruit layers, finishing very long and minerally. This is one of the most finely structured, tightly knit wines of the vintage. Given time, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it goes atomic and eventually takes top place for the vintage.
Drinking Window: 0000 - 0000
Reviewer Name: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
ExternalLink: www.robertparker.com
External Id: https://www.robertparker.com/articles/icE4hq5hqvk952d3n
A potent, brooding wine, the 2019 Haut-Brion soars out of the glass with magnificent intensity. Its greatness and regal bearing are immediately apparent. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of dark fruit, scorched earth, tar, licorice and incense overtones that build effortlessly into the deep, eternal finish. The 2019 Haut-Brion is a wine of breeding, structure and power. It is also very clearly one of the standouts of the vintage. Don't miss it!
Drinking Window: 0000 - 0000
Reviewer Name: Antonio Galloni
ExternalLink: www.vinous.com
External Id: Vinous Tasting Notes
The is very refined and elegant with a fine-tannined line running through the center of the palate. It’s very intense and precise. Full-bodied with great, tight fruit. This is subtle and complex, then it opens on the palate and shows incredible depth and intensity. Great length, going on and on for minutes.
Drinking Window: 0000 - 0000
Reviewer Name: James Suckling
ExternalLink: www.jamessuckling.com
External Id: James Suckling Tasting Notes
2016 Haut-Brion is a wine of extraordinary purity and
elegance. Dark ruby in colour, the nose is delicate with notes of morello cherry,
damson and fruits of the forest. The palate is fresh, with mineral salts, ripe,
crunchy tannins, and smoky acidity, bold and yet understated. It is a more
gentlemanly wine than La Mission. It finishes very long, intense and
persistent.
Blend: Merlot 56%, Cab, Sav 37.5% and Can Franc 6.5%
Château Haut-Brion is a French wine, rated a Premier Grand Cru Classé (First Growth), produced in Pessac just outside the city of Bordeaux. It differs from the other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves. Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day.
When he purchased Château Haut-Brion in 1935, Clarence
Dillon restored it to its former glory and to the elite circle of the most
legendary wines in the world. This extraordinary, bold, courageous vision is
now continued by the fourth generation of the family, represented by Prince
Robert of Luxembourg, Chairman since 2008.
Located in the town of Pessac, just a few kilometres from Bordeaux, Château
Haut-Brion – the first of the three estates acquired by the Dillon family – is
the oldest winegrowing property in the region.
The property is situated just opposite that of
Château La Mission Haut-Brion and shares the same gravelly and elevated terrain
ideal for cultivating vines already referred to Haut-Brion on ancient maps and
deeds. The nature of the gravel at Château Haut-Brion, consisting of small
stones of various types of quartz, is a key element contributing to the
particularly valuable wine-growing potential of the soil. The gravel soil lies
on a single subsoil of clay, sand, limestone and falun (limestone shell)
established at the end of the Tertiary era, then during the Quaternary era
throughout the Ice Ages. From 20 centimetres to over 3 metres thick, the gravel
deposits form slopes that enjoy excellent exposure, with natural drainage
reinforced by a large hydrographic network of small water courses, as the
Peugue or the Serpent, tributaries of the Garonne.
Château Haut-Brion is a French wine, rated a Premier Grand Cru Classé (First Growth), produced in Pessac just outside the city of Bordeaux. It differs from the other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves. Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day.
When he purchased Château Haut-Brion in 1935, Clarence
Dillon restored it to its former glory and to the elite circle of the most
legendary wines in the world. This extraordinary, bold, courageous vision is
now continued by the fourth generation of the family, represented by Prince
Robert of Luxembourg, Chairman since 2008.
Located in the town of Pessac, just a few kilometres from Bordeaux, Château
Haut-Brion – the first of the three estates acquired by the Dillon family – is
the oldest winegrowing property in the region.
The property is situated just opposite that of
Château La Mission Haut-Brion and shares the same gravelly and elevated terrain
ideal for cultivating vines already referred to Haut-Brion on ancient maps and
deeds. The nature of the gravel at Château Haut-Brion, consisting of small
stones of various types of quartz, is a key element contributing to the
particularly valuable wine-growing potential of the soil. The gravel soil lies
on a single subsoil of clay, sand, limestone and falun (limestone shell)
established at the end of the Tertiary era, then during the Quaternary era
throughout the Ice Ages. From 20 centimetres to over 3 metres thick, the gravel
deposits form slopes that enjoy excellent exposure, with natural drainage
reinforced by a large hydrographic network of small water courses, as the
Peugue or the Serpent, tributaries of the Garonne.
The commune (or Bordeaux suburb) of Pessac lies just to the south of these chateaux. Léognan lies 10 kilometers (six miles) further on. The latter is also home to several other quality members of the Bordeaux elite. These include Domaine de Chevalier, and Chateaux Haut-Bailly, Malartic-Lagravière, Larrivet Haut-Brion and de Fieuzal. Léognan is surrounded almost entirely by pine forests and vineyards, and benefits from the same superior drainage as Pessac.
Southeast of Léognan lies the commune of Martillac. Smith Haut Lafitte has made massive improvements since the 1990s, and boasts an impressive hotel and spa. Latour-Martillac, in the very south of the Pessac-Léognan zone is another chateau on the upgrade.