Château Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2009

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Haut-Brion '09 plays the idiot savant at first and deceptively seems to miss the complexity of its peers, then voila! It opens gloriously with blackberry, wild hedgerow and crushed stone. The palate is full-bodied with an opulent rounded entry. It is slightly low in acidity, making this forward and approachable. But it remains beautifully balanced with a sumptuous finish to die for. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

97 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Vivid deep ruby. Knockout fruity nose offers blackcurrant, strawberry, rosemary, truffle and a stony note. Then very closed in the middle, with cabernet sauvignon-dominated flavors of cassis, cigar box, cedar and minerals. Finishes long and deep, with massive but smooth tannins and a lingering note of violet. This will need plenty of time in the cellar but should be an outstanding, memorable Haut Brion. Offhand, I do not recall a better pair of wines from any estate in 2009: millionaires will have a lot of fun trying to choose between La Mission and Haut Brion in 20 years' time. 97 (+?) points

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

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 requires 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.

Jamessuckling.com

100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

Aromas of forest floor, currants and blueberries, with hints of fresh tobacco and sliced mushrooms. Turns to orange peel and blueberries. Full-bodied, with incredible structure. This is so powerful in tannins, yet so polished. This is the most structured Haut-Brion that I have ever tasted. This has 15% Cabernet Franc, which is more than normal and perhaps giving the wine a little more tannic structure. A monumental Haut-Brion made to age for centuries. I have never tasted a young Haut-Brion, with such spellbinding power and depth. A modern 1945 or 1961 HB? Better than the legendary 1989? Try in 2021.

Wine Spectator

98 / 100

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2012

This enormous young wine is among the most backward of the vintage at this early stage, with iron-clad grip holding the broad, deep core of blackberry, cassis and roasted fig notes in check for now. The finish is a torrent of dense, almost compressed layers of tobacco leaf, hot paving stone, singed bay leaf and tar that will take at least a decade to come together. This one is for the kids born in 2009. Best from 2020 through 2040.-J.M.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

97-100 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(46% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 14% cabernet franc; a 57% selection; 14.3% alcohol) Saturated bright ruby. The deep, brooding nose is quite marked by the cabernet franc presence, opening slowly with air to offer sexy, soil-driven aromas of violet, raspberry, mocha, minerals and sweet spices. Then rich and sweet in the mouth but with outstanding minerality and enticing violet lift to the ripe red cherry, raspberry, cocoa and black pepper flavors. Offers a stunning combination of concentration, density and balance; as backward and reserved as this wine is today, it manages to come across as graceful. The endless palate-staining finish is loaded with sweet, ripe tannins and an exhilarating note of floral black pepper. This wine made me think of what a blend of the great '89 and '05 Haut-Brions might taste like.

Le Figaro

98-100 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

Incroyablement concentré, Haut-Brion a réussi un des plus grands vins de son histoire avec son velouté habituel et sa complexité sans égale, mais le tout est tenu par une densité hors norme qui lui fait ressembler au fabuleux 1989. Une immense réussite ! La robe est très sombre, le nez discret au premier abord, puis subtilement fumé. En bouche, l’attaque est souple et élégante avec une jolie matière. Le vin est long et racé, la finale splendide. 14°3. Il s’est produit 57 % de grand vin, et 39 % de second vin. 46 % merlot, 40 % cabernet-sauvignon, 14 % cabernet-franc.

timatkin.com

97 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2010

14.3 % alcohol. 46M, 40CS, 14CF To me, this was the hardest of the first growths to judge en primeur. It’s a big wine (though not as alcoholic as La Mission), but seemed closed in early April. It’s got plenty of brambly, mulberry fruit but the acidity seemed a little edgy and the tannins need time to soften in bottle. Definitely a very impressive wine, but one that will take a decade or more to come around. 20+ years.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe6/28/2010

46 % Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 % Cabernet Franc. Ertrag: 47 hl/ha. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen, um Nuancen dunkler als Mission. Barocker Ansatz, delikates Schwarzbeerbouquet, Lakritze, Korinthen, Rauch und Sommertrüffelnoten, im Untergrund tief schürfende Teernuancen. Am Gaumen klassisch, hochfeine, elegant-harmonische Tannine im fülligen Körper, extrem viel Lakritze auf der noch leicht mehligen Zunge, eine Art Kombination aus den Jahrgängen 1985, 2000 und 2005. Ohne dörrige Hitzenoten (wie im 1982er und 1989er), aber grosser, klassischer Stil. Kann vielleicht mal die Maximalpunktzahl erreichen. 2020-2050

La Revue du Vin de France

19-19,5 / 20

the5/31/2010

Quelle distinction! Le toucher de bouche confine à la perfection. Les tanins sont omniprésents, mais soyeux et parfaitement enrobés. Seuls 57% de l'assemblage entrent dans le grand vin (39% dans le second vin). Décidément, le chiffre 9 est fétiche pour cette propriété ducale autant que princière : 1989 (un archétype), 1979 ( à redécouvrir), 1959, 1949 ... et 1929 (comme beaucoup, il est vrai)!

Le Point

19 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Violette, bouche fraîche en attaque, puissante ensuite, un vin qui monte en bouche, long, puissant, massif, tannique, une masse de tanins qui demandent de l'élevage. C'est parmi les premiers crus, celui qui demande le plus d'élevage. Une future très grande bouteille. O=2012 G=30 ans

TAST

19,5 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

Un colosse, battant tous les records d’intensité tannique de la propriété, un concentré de 2009 absolument unique en son genre, une assise d’une noblesse monumentale, mais il faudra de la patience pour qu’il se mette à sourire. La Chapelle de Mission, malgré sa richesse et son harmonie, fait quand même second vin par rapport à lui, contrairement à Clarence pour Haut-Brion.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Tasted at the chateau. The Haut-Brion ’09 is a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc, 14.3% alcohol, pH 3.84. The bouquet is markedly different from La Mission: far more rounded and opulent, much more sweet, ripe fruit with blackberry, red cherry, cassis and a touch of crème de menthe. This is one of the most decedent Haut-Brion’s that I have tasted at this stage. The palate is full-bodied, layers of tannic black fruits, huge structure, dense and demonstrative. Blackberry, a touch of tar and graphite, some black olive towards the finish, almost a tidal wave of flavours. Huge grip on the dry finish, but incredible persistency in the mouth. Tasted April 2010.

Falstaff

98-100 / 100

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Feine dunkelbeerige Frucht, zart nach Feigen, Orangenzesten, Heidelbeerkonfit, zart nach Gewürzen. Engmaschig, süße Waldbeeren, massives Tannin, das für ein Jahrhundert reichen wird, frische Säurestruktur, etwas monolithisch, große Länge.

Periodic Review of Wine

97-100 / 100

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

What more can one say about this renowned estate! The densely-rimmed saturated purple colored Haut-Brion is another massive achievement for Bordeaux. Its thrilling fragrance boasts such pure wet-stone, spice-mix, balsamic notes, blueberries, cherry liqueur, and liquefied-minerals. Aromatically stimulating, followed by a massive, rich, medium to full-bodied, dense mout-feel and a delicate, light-footed extract. The most remarkable aspect of this wine is how the nuances proceed at glacial speed across the palate with tremendous length and enveloping layers. This is a surreal, intensely loaded, finessed wine with an enormous structure and hefty tannin. A Haut-Brion for a generationi! Life is to short not to taste this intelligent 2009. Maturity period 2020-2060.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc. For technicians, the highest ever natural alcohol, 14.3%, was achieved, with a pH of 3.9, which is about the same as the 1989 and 1990, as well as 1959. This is the kind of wine to send chills even up my spine, and I have been tasting here for nearly 30 years. An extraordinary nose of plum, blueberry, raspberry, crushed rock, and that intriguing floral as well as unsmoked cigar tobacco note (a classic sign of this terroir) is followed by a wine of creamy unctuosity reminiscent of 1989, but there is a freshness, vibrancy and precision that is historic and possibly unprecedented. Some graphite emerges as the wine sits in the glass, but the wine is very thick while at the same time precise and elegant. This is the quintessential expression of one of the greatest wine terroirs of the world. To reiterate, the good news is that there are going to be 10,500 cases of Haut-Brion in 2009, which is about 1,500 more cases than the 9,000 produced in 2005. This wine will probably need 7-8 years of cellaring when released and evolve as well as the 1959 has (which is still a perfect wine today), so we’re realistically talking 50-75 years when stored in a cool cellar. (Tasted once.)

Anthony Rose

96-98 / 100

byAnthony Rosethe4/26/2010

A blend of 46% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 14% cabernet franc, with a yield of 40 hl / ha., 10,500 cases were made in 2009 as against 7000 in 2008 and 9000 cases in 2005. 57% of production was grand vin, 14.3% alcohol. Dense opaque brooding colour, fine sweet aromatic quality, cigar and tobacco spice, lovely dark cherry and mulberry and cassis fruits concentration with a juicy fresh nip of acidity and quite firm muscular tannins that rather rasp at the back of the palate at this stage of the wine's early evolution although the wine develops and softens in the mouth within a few seconds as you taste; there's still plenty of grip and muscle on the back palate serving as the backbone for the flesh and an overall framework bringing balance. 96-98+

Wine Spectator

97-100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

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.

Decanter Magazine

19,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/9/2010

Black red, satiny smooth expression of pure fruit, rich and velvety texture with firm tannins that show up after the concentrated fragrance of pure vineyard fruit, beautiful structure and almost massive for Haut-Brion, but this robustness will assure a great and fascinating future. Drink 2016-45.

Jancis Robinson

19 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

57% of the crop went into this. The alcohol level was 14% in 2005 when there was lots of Merlot, but in 2009 when the assemblage was 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, it reached 14.3%, the highest ever. What problems did this cause? Jean-Philippe Delmas was asked. 'To find the right yeast.' He smiled, adding, 'and the fermentation was very long: three weeks with a very long malolactive fermentation. This was the first time they had such high alcohols with Cabernet. 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. 14.3% Drink 2018-2040