Château Haut-Brion is an estate winery in the Pessac-Léognan AOC on the left bank of the Bordeaux region. In the late 17th-century it became the first chateau to be known by name. In the 1700s both Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion were under the same ownership.

The main building is a 16th-century Manor House, home of the Pontac family.

Owners: Domaine Clarence Dillon, the family of an American banker, Clarence Dillon, who bought then largely derelict estate in 1935. In 1983 the neighbouring Château La Mission Haut-Brion was purchased.

Classification: 1855 First growth.

Vineyards: In the southern suburbs of Bordeaux. Very deep gravel soils. Under Monsieur Delmas the vineyard had a great variety of different clones (and biotypes), around 400, allied to a high proportion of Cabernet Franc.

Winemaking: Château Haut-Brion was the first 1855 First growth to install stainless steel fermenters.

White wines

Pessac-Léognan Blanc AOC, Les Plantiers du Haut Brion: Second wine of Château Haut Brion Blanc.

Pessac-Léognan Blanc AOC, Château Laville Haut Brion: Acquired by Domaine Clarence Dillon in 1983.

Pessac-Léognan Blanc AOC, Château Haut Brion Blanc: 50% each Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.

Winemaking: see 1993 vintage.

Red wines

Pessac-Léognan Rouge AOC, Château Bahans Haut Brion: The second wine of Château Haut-Brion. It was, somewhat unusually, a non-vintage blend until 1983.

Pessac-Leognan Rouge AOC, La Passion d’Haut Brion:

Pessac-Leognan Rouge AOC, Château Haut Brion: Typically dense in colour with vivid aromas, dry tannins with ripe fruit and, of arguably of all the first growths today, it has the most personality. | 1663 On 10th April 1663 Samuel Pepys described having “drank a sort of French wine called Ho Bryen that hath a good and most particular taste I never met with.”| 1926 Said to be great. | 1945 Said to be great. | 1947 Said to be great. | 1950s Said to be a super decade here (not so elsewhere in Bordeaux). | 1960s Haut-Brion Rouge Said to be a good decade here (not so elsewhere in Bordeaux). 1961 Said to be great. | 1964 Said to be VG. | 1966 Said to be great. | 1971 Said to be very good. | 1975 Said to be very good. | 1978 Said to be very good. | 1979 Said to be very good. | 1985 Said to be underwhelming. | 1993 visit–Hand harvest, 100% destemmed, foulage, sulfiting depending on health of the harvest. No MLF in barrel. As soon as MLF starts ecoulage if the wine is on skins. Ageing in 100% Seguin Moreau barrels. These are assembled at Haut-Brion by someone from Seguin Moreau. 21mm staves, medium toast. Really tight and concentrated when tried from a bottled cask sample at the winery on Thursday 2nd September 1993. | 1996 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc. | 1999 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc; Merlot and Cabernet Franc picked before the first rains on 10th September, while the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked after the huge downpours of 19th-20th September when 100mm of rain fell.

Contact

Château Haut Brion

133 ave Jean-Jaurés, F-33600 Pessac

Tel+33 (0)5.56.00.29.30 | www.haut-brion.com

BP 24 33602 Pessac Cedex