Château Haut-Brion
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Region: Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
Grape: Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc
Château Haut-Brion is the oldest of Bordeaux's First Growths and the only Premier Grand Cru Classé outside the Médoc. Planted in 1553 on the deep gravel terraces of Pessac, just south of the city, the estate has been in the hands of the Dillon family since 1935. Uniquely among the First Growths, Haut-Brion is Merlot-led, which lends the wine a fleshier, more approachable frame in youth without sacrificing the graphite structure and half-century ageing arc that define the château.
The first written tasting note in wine history was of Haut-Brion — Samuel Pepys, London, 1663, describing "Ho Bryen" as having "a good and most particular taste I never met with." Nearly four centuries on, the wine remains one of the most collected and cellared reds in the world.
Vintage 2015: A benchmark Left Bank year. 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. Warm days and cool nights across the growing season produced a wine of unusual poise — deeply concentrated black fruit, graphite and cigar box, with fine-grained tannins and effortless length. Cellaring window through 2060+.
Tasting: Blackcurrant / Black plum / Graphite / Cedar / Cigar box / Violet / Fine-grained tannins
Pairing: Cote de Boeuf / Wagyu Tomahawk / Beef Wellington / Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder / Aged Comté
ABV: 14%
Vol: 75cl
Allergens: Contains sulphites
