Chateau Haut-Brion 2000 & 2009
Few estates in the world command the reverence and historical gravity of Château Haut-Brion. Situated in the heart of Graves on the outskirts of Bordeaux, Haut-Brion stands apart as the only property outside the Médoc to be crowned a First Growth in the legendary 1855 Bordeaux Classification. With documented vineyards dating back to the early 16th century, the estate has long been celebrated for wines of extraordinary depth, aromatic complexity, and aristocratic finesse. From the courts of kings to the cellars of the world’s greatest collectors, Haut-Brion has defined the benchmark for Bordeaux elegance - its Cabernet-driven blends offering a seamless harmony of power, refinement, and longevity. Each vintage reinforces the château’s enduring legacy as one of the most profound and intellectually captivating wines ever produced.
2000 Chateau Haut-Brion
Neal Martin - "Tasted from an ex-château bottle in Bordeaux, I was not surprised to find the 2000 Château Haut-Brion flirting with perfection. The nose is simply breathtaking - quintessential Haut-Brion with ebullient red berry fruit, roasted herbs, gravel, terracotta tiles on a warm summer's day...it is simply wave after wave of intoxicating scents that could bring even the most stoic person to tears of joy. The palate displays heavenly balance, pitch-perfect acidity, perhaps spicier than previous bottles that I have tasted, and what depth and dimension in this outstanding wine. That hint of graphite on the finish is a cheeky nod to Pauillac, as if to thumb its nose at the First Growths, because alongside Château Latour, almost by stealth, the Haut-Brion is one of the greatest Bordeaux in this millennial year. Tasted November 2014." (NM) 99+
2009 Chateau Haut-Brion
Robert Parker - "What a blockbuster effort! Atypically powerful, one day, the 2009 Haut-Brion may be considered to be the 21st century version of the 1959. It is an extraordinarily complex, concentrated effort made from a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc with the highest alcohol ever achieved at this estate, 14.3%. Even richer than the perfect 1989, with similar technical numbers although slightly higher extract and alcohol, it offers up a sensational perfume of subtle burning embers, unsmoked cigar tobacco, charcoal, black raspberries, wet gravel, plums, figs and blueberries. There is so much going on in the aromatics that one almost hesitates to stop smelling it. However, when it hits the palate, it is hardly a letdown. This unctuously textured, full-bodied 2009 possesses low acidity along with stunning extract and remarkable clarity for a wine with a pH close to 4.0. The good news is that there are 10,500 cases of the 2009, one of the most compelling examples of Haut-Brion ever made. It requires a decade of cellaring and should last a half century or more. Readers who have loved the complexity of Haut-Brion should be prepared for a bigger, richer, more massive wine, but one that does not lose any of its prodigious aromatic attractions." (RP) 100
