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2022 Château Haut-Brion

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RATINGS

98Vinous / IWC

...captivating floral scents on the nose, with peony, violet and plenty of incense combining with intense blackberry and blueberry fruit. It builds in the glass over ten minutes, only then revealing its underlying mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins...the finish delivers greater complexity and precision.

98James Suckling

...delivering a long and rather endless finish. Full-bodied with lots of flavor, particularly fruits such as currants as well as black truffles, cedar, walnuts and dark mushrooms. Some dried thyme and crushed stones also.

98Decanter Magazine (points)

Dark and brooding aromatics on the nose - blackcurrants, cherries and plums with mint and graphite accents... Smooth and so juicy, glorious and joyful on the palate - it bursts with ripe red berry fruit... Fruity, soft, svelte...sleek and sophisticated, confident but not showy... Really fantastic... Calm and generous in terms of fruit purity with well integrated tannins and wood. Wonderful...delicate charm, layered but really finely presented.

98+ Jeb Dunnuck

...smoky blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, violet, and tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. As good as it gets on the palate, this sensationally layered, seamless Haut-Brion has medium to full-bodied richness, a sensationally pure, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, building yet polished tannins, and an incredible finish.

97+ The Wine Advocate

...dense, complex and precise bouquet of dark berries, pencil lead, cedar box, rose and spices intertwined with discreet notes of oak...full-bodied, dense and concentrated, with a muscular chassis of tannins and an enveloping core of fruit that retains energy and purity...

96Wine Enthusiast

...beautifully powerful, rich and elegant... Tropical fruits come through with the wine's texture and structure. Spice and wood aging give an extra richness that will continue.

18Jancis Robinson

...opulence of texture. Powerful tannic frame behind. Lovely depth of fruit. Dark- and red-fruit notes with a touch of liquorice as it opens. Complex, powerful and persistent with enough freshness to provide balance.

PRODUCER

Château Haut-Brion

As one of the four original First Growth Bordeaux, Château Haut-Brion enjoys an illustrious history and has long been considered one of the jewels of French winemaking. Founded in the 16th century in Pessac, the founding family’s early winemakers employed such modern techniques as topping up vines and racking casks. The resulting wines were widely admired and were bought as investments as early as the late 1700s. Francophile Thomas Jefferson served Château Haut-Brion at The White House after he became president and the practice was continued by several of his successors. The château cultivates 106.7 acres given over to 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 36 years and annual production is about 7,800 bottles of Château Haut-Brion and 88,000 bottles of the second line, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, formerly known as Château Bahans Haut-Brion.

REGION

France, Bordeaux, Graves

Graves is on the left bank of the Garonne River south of the city of Bordeaux. The appellation takes its name from its soil, which is intensely gravelly thanks to glaciers that melted in the area a few million years ago. Graves is generally thought of as the birthplace of Bordeaux wines, since “claret,” as the English historically called Bordeaux reds, were being produced for export in Graves and shipped to England as early as the 12th century. Some Graves châteaux, including Haut-Brion, trace their history to the late 16th century and Thomas Jefferson was one of several notable wine connoisseurs who wrote admiringly about the wines of Château Haut-Brion. Haut-Brion’s popularity with international celebrities is perhaps why it was the only non-Médoc château to be included in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. Graves makes red and white wines. The reds are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The whites are made of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. The Graves AOC includes nearly 8,000 acres of vineyards. In 1953 a Graves classification was created for red wines, and in 1959 white wines were added.

VINTAGE

2022 Château Haut-Brion