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- Recently Viewed
Colour
Red
Vintage
2009
Producer
Chateau Haut Brion
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub Region
Pessac-leognan
Product code
23BRI10B2009
Grape Variety
Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
Tasting Notes
Robert Parker
Score: 100 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 equires 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."
Jancis Robinson
Score: 19 Points"Dark crimson with a little more blue than La Mission. LOVELY supple exciting nervy nose with a great deal of integrity and complexity already. Reminds me a little of Ch Margaux in its immediate appeal and class, even if the actual aromas are different (though equally terroir-driven). Real knockout stuff with lovely suppleness on the palate and real grace. Not a blockbuster, amazingly; it seems beautifully balanced. It has the same dense tannic charge but with a bit more fruit and less austerity than La Mission. Very long. So it's definitely Haut-Brion, just more concentrated than usual! Lots of pleasure and luxury."
Wine Spectator
Score: 97-100"A dark and brooding wine, delivering blackberry, black licorice, mahogany, subtle grilled meat and raspberry jam. Full-bodied, with layers of ripe and chewy tannins. Loads of fruit yet subtle and reserved, and a long, long finish. Super fruit, yet held back. A 2005 in the remaking, but perhaps slightly supercharged." JS
Producer Information
Chateau Haut-Brion is a golden oldie in Bordeaux; Parliament Member Samuel Peyps records drinking it in his famous diary dating back to the 17th Century. Interestingly this highly celebrated Haut-Brion is the only chateau outside the Medoc and Sauternes to be included in the 1855 Classification; when it was named as a First Growth.
Located at the very centre of Bordeaux itself, in the commune of Pessac, Haut-Brion is undoubtedly the most famous chateau in the Graves region. There are 65ha of vineyards planted with both red and white grapes (Cab, Merlot, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are the major plantings). Haut-Brion is also the only one of the five Premier Crus to be as famous for its white wine as for its red! The estate also owns nearby Chateau La Mission Haut Brion and La Tour Haut Brion, making it a highly illustrious portfolio in the world of fine wine. Enjoy.
