Press review

Decanter Maturity: 2016-2051

Dense, bright ruby. Nose of tobacco, sweet cassis, smoky, toasty oak and violet scents. Tannins silky in the mouth, firmer on the finish. Feels almost weightless in the mouth, despite 14% alcohol. Long, fine-grained, tannic, tobaccoey finish. Very good. Lovely ethereal quality to this. 57% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. 59% of production into the grand vin.

Jean-Marc Quarin (3/1/2008) : 17,75 (95)

Showing a lovely intense and vivid color, this wine offers a very aromatic, pure and fine nose; that appears fruity, ripe and deep. Caressing from entry, it then settles on the mid-palate and evolves over a tight tannic texture of particular careful precision. In addition, it performs rich on the second half of the palate and finishes long, tasty, powerful and noble, with plenty of taste and a bit of austerity. At this pace, its rating could very well rise once tasted from bottle.

Neal Martin's Wine Journal (7/1/2010) : 93+

Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. At this stage, the Haut Brion ’06 is a little disjointed on the nose: blackberry, cold black tea, autumn leaves in an October bonfire, a touch of damson and even a slither of marmalade. Good definition but needs time to meld. The palate is rounded and supple on the entry, saturated tannins, black cherries, damson, cassis, lower acidity, very caressing with a smooth cohesive, fleshy finish with beguiling weight and persistency. Tasted January 2010.

Parker # 181 (2/28/2009) : 96 Maturity: 2017-2035

The 2006 Haut-Brion performed even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Sixty-four percent of the production went into this wine, and while it displays the vintage’s powerful tannins and structure, it possesses superb concentration, and the minerality/scorched earth notes of a great Haut-Brion. Medium to full-bodied, with perhaps not quite the fleshiness of the 2005 or 2000, it is built more along the lines of the 1998 and 1996. It is a brilliant effort displaying sensational purity, texture, and length that should be exceptionally long-lived.

The property in brief

1st classified growth in 1855. Haut Brion was founded in 1525 by Jean de Pontac and since then, many illustrious personalities succeeded each other as owners. The lasted among them was Clarence Douglas Dillon, American financial minister under the Kennedy government. Today, the continuity and presence of the Dillon family are ensured by Prince Robert of Luxembourg who watches over the destiny of Domaine Clarence Dillon S.A.S., having joined the management of the Company in June of 1997 and succeeding his mother Princess Joan de Mouchy as President at the end of July 2008. Haut Brion is the sole 1st classified growth from the 1855 classification which is outside of the Medoc appellation. Its terroir may be compared to the one of Latour. Even if it is not the more concentrated wine, Haut Brion ist the noblest wine of Pessac Leognan, and its longevity is incomparable. The silky structure of the tannins is always exceptional. Classed Premier Cru of the Gironde in 1855, and Cru de Graves in 1953 , Château Haut-Brion was also classed thus in 1973, and although this latest classification only concerned the Médoc whilst Haut-Brion is located in the Graves appellation, the minutes of the 1973 classification meeting state: The jury, considering the situation of Château Haut-Brion and its long traditional connections with the Médoc Premiers Crus, and taking into account this tradition, the customs and practices on the one hand, together with its very eminent virtues on the other, has deemed it to be worthy of featuring alongside the Médoc’s Premiers Crus Classés