Château Haut Brion 1979

The vineyards at Chateau Haut Brion are planted with 45 per cent Merlot, 40 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 per cent Cabernet Franc. The total area of Haut Brion is 42.50 hectares, making it one of the small 1er cru classé estates. In addition to the outstanding first wine, Chateau Haut Brion also produces a very good second wine called Bahans de Chateau Haut Brion and a sensational white Graves as Haut Brion Blanc. The total production at Haut Brion is approximately 200,000 0.75 bottles, depending on the vintage and quality level. Historically, the estate of Chateau Haut Brion was first mentioned in a document in 1423. Jean de Pontac, the owner of Haut Brion at the time, also built an estate on the land in 1550 and invested generously in progress and viticulture. He was an enterprising man, always on the lookout for innovations for his wine estate Chateau Haut Brion. In addition to this activity, he was also a notary, Conseiller du Roi and President of the Bordeaux Parliament. After his death in 1589, Haut Brion passed to his fourth son, Arnaud II de Pontac. This was followed by several more changes of ownership in the Pontac family until finally, in 1801, the French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord acquired Haut Brion. Due to his activities as a statesman, however, he was only able to devote limited time to the Haut Brion estate and sold it in 1804. Joseph-Eugène Larrieu subsequently bought Chateau Haut Brion in 1836 and then decided to add the missing third to the Chateau Haut Brion estate in 1841. In 1934, André Gibert wanted to offer the chateau and the entire Haut Brion estate to the city of Bordeaux as a gift, on the condition that viticulture would continue to be practised at Chateau Haut Brion. Tough negotiations and political wrangling ultimately ensured that Haut Brion was bought by C. Douglas Dillon. The Dillons come from an American banking family and from the very beginning tried to push Chateau Haut Brion forward and implement improvement measures. At present, Jean-Philippe Delmas is the third generation to run the Haut Brion estate with flying colours. Haut Brion also owns La Mission Haut Brion and La Tour Haut Brion, both outstanding wines with top marks from wine critics. La Mission Haut Brion in particular is a star in the Graves region.

Class in 1979 and still available for little money compared to newer vintages, the Haut Brion. Between 1986 and 2004, drunk a good 2 dozen times with great enthusiasm, in 2004 in the Traube Grevenbroich a perfect bottle, strong colour without much age, perfect cigarbox nose, long on the palate, complex, with good acidity - 93/100. 2006 at the big Haut Brion tasting again classic, mature Haut Brion at a high level. Ripe without ageing tones with very intact colour, the classic cigarbox nose, smoky tones, leather and truffles, soft, complex and long on the palate - 93/100. 2007 again sheer delight, still dense, very young colour, the classic cigarbox nose is mixed with an incredible amount of Valrhona, chocolate at its finest also dominates the palate, becomes finer, softer and smoother on the palate with time, will certainly remain at this high level for several years in good bottles - 94/100 (source: Wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

WA 93 (1/1998): This wine has enjoyed a spectacular development in the bottle, and, while drinkable upon release, it remains one of the most sumptuous, complex, and satisfying Haut-Brions of the last twenty years. It is certainly the finest wine of the vintage from Bordeaux's Left Bank. The wine has taken on a dark plummy/garnet colour, and displays a magnificent tres Haut-Brion nose of jammy black fruits, earth, tobacco, smoke, and sweet fruitcake aromas. It is rich and medium to full-bodied, with impressive elegance, purity, and overall harmony. This is not a powerhouse or exceptionally opulent style of Haut-Brion (such as the 1989 and 1990), but, rather, a more structured, yet authoritatively flavourful wine. It offers power, richness, and elegance in a wine with extraordinary equilibrium. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 10/97. WS 88 (4/1997): Rich, ripe fruit character beneath a layer of chewy tannins. A bit lean in texture but generous with its focused flavours. Reaching its best now --Haut-Brion vertical.