Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2019

Alexandre Ma

98

byAlexandre Mathe5/11/2022

When the fragrant violets and delicate Garrigues embrace each other, you will see a beautiful picture with freshness and elegance in the glass. The entry of the palate is tender and smooth, without any hint of a hot vintage. On the surface of the creamy and round body, I can feel a ring of sleek and tannins; it tastes well outlined with lots of nuances of layers towards the finish. Every detail is exceptionally polished, as beautiful and flawless as a piece of Nephrite jade. ???????????????????,?????????????????????,???????????????????????????????????,???????????????????????????????,?????????????????(Nephrite jade)

Jamessuckling.com

100

byJames Sucklingthe5/5/2022

The black cassis comes out of the glass, together with iodine, sandalwood and subtle moss and wet-bark undertones, then turning to violets. The palate is mind-blowing, with a cashmere texture that unravels on the palate and continues on for minutes. It’s full of superbly complex, ethereal character and mouth-feel, One of the wines of the vintage. As glorious as it may be to taste now, this is one for your deep cellar. Try in 2029.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/12/2022

The Grand Vin 2019 Château Haut-Brion checks in as a classic blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc. Its deep purple hue is followed by a stunning bouquet of ripe black cherry and currant-like fruit as well as classic Graves cold fireplace, burning embers, tobacco, and cedar pencil. More regal, firm, and classically structured on the palate, this full-bodied beauty has a deep, concentrated mid-palate, building tannins, background oak, and a great, great finish. It's very much in the focused, elegant, yet still concentrated and powerful style of the vintage. It will need a solid decade of cellaring, but it’s a brilliant wine.

Wine Advocate

98

byWilliam Kelleythe4/7/2022

Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings, burning embers and creamy new oak, the 2019 Haut-Brion is full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a textural attack that segues into an ample and enveloping core of fruit, concluding with a long, expansive finish. Broad-shouldered and muscular, its rich, powdery tannins are already seamlessly integrated; and though it's labeled at 15% alcohol, far higher than the great vintages of yesteryear, it avoids any sense of over-ripeness.

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2022

A beauty, with a remarkably refined feel from start to finish, as the caressing but substantial structure lets waves of steeped plum, mulled raspberry and blackberry preserve roll through repeatedly, picking up singed alder and apple wood, dried anise and sweet tobacco accents through the finish, where a curl of woodsmoke lingers. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038.

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

The 2019 Haut-Brion is seriously impressive. A dark, virile wine, the 2019 impresses with its vertical energy and statuesque elegance. It's a Haut-Brion that will only reveal itself over many years. Today, the density and resonance are super-impressive and also hugely promising. Classic savory and mineral notes start to emerge over time. I can't wait to see how this ages.

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe2/17/2022

The 2019 Haut-Brion has an intense bouquet of blackberry, raspberry coulis, cedar, mint and black olive aromas vying for attention. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins that belie the backbone, the arching structure of this Haut-Brion. Very persistent and very precise, showing a little more ambition and breeding than the La Mission this year, and a persistent, graphite-tinged, sapid finish. An opulent Haut-Brion and yet the pedigree is palpable. 14.6° alcohol.

Wine Advocate

97-99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe7/15/2020

The 2019 Haut-Brion is a blend of 48.7% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.1% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 10th of September to the 3rd of October. The estimated label alcohol degree is 14.5%. Displaying a deep garnet-purple color, it comes off incredibly shy and reticent to begin, needing considerable coaxing to reveal notes of dark chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry preserves, woodsmoke and sandalwood, before launching into a full-scale fireworks display of iron ore, cumin seed, redcurrant jelly, red roses, oolong tea and Sichuan pepper scents plus a waft of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers the most exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins with a lively backbone of freshness supporting the tightly wound, earth-laced black fruit layers, finishing very long and minerally. This is one of the most finely structured, tightly knit wines of the vintage. Given time, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it goes atomic and eventually takes top place for the vintage.

WeinWisser

19,5

byTjark Witzgallthe7/7/2020

Bettane & Desseauve

98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe7/3/2020

19

Vinous

96-98

byAntonio Gallonithe6/18/2020

A potent, brooding wine, the 2019 Haut-Brion soars out of the glass with magnificent intensity. Its greatness and regal bearing are immediately apparent. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of dark fruit, scorched earth, tar, licorice and incense overtones that build effortlessly into the deep, eternal finish. The 2019 Haut-Brion is a wine of breeding, structure and power. It is also very clearly one of the standouts of the vintage. Don't miss it!

Vinous

96-98

byNeal Martinthe6/16/2020

The 2019 Haut-Brion is completely different to La Mission Haut-Brion, the two compared side-by-side in the course of 24 hours. It was picked from 10 September until 3 October at 53hl/ha. Initially it is riper, more extrovert and luxurious than its sibling, yet returning after four hours (when chatting to Jean-Philippe Delmas) it has transmogrified into a very different wine with intense black fruit, boysenberry, iodine, forest floor and potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied and like the nose, initially comes across quite exuberant. Four hours later it is a much more nuanced wine that begins in understated fashion before a crescendo of black fruit tinged with blood orange and Chinese 5-spice. It fans out and gains volume wonderfully on the finish. This is a sensual and almost flamboyant Haut-Brion.

Jamessuckling.com

99-100

byJames Sucklingthe6/11/2020

The is very refined and elegant with a fine-tannined line running through the center of the palate. It’s very intense and precise. Full-bodied with great, tight fruit. This is subtle and complex, then it opens on the palate and shows incredible depth and intensity. Great length, going on and on for minutes.

The World of Fine Wines

95-97

byMichael Schusterthe5/13/2020

Dense in fine fruit and subtle gravel aromas, very persistent to smell; full-bodied,
concentrated wine, fresh in acidity, firmly tannic; deep and sweet and refined in flavor,
immediately mouthcoating with a gentle (alcohol) warmth, very complex and tenacious
to taste, a wine of great scope and considerable power and very fine, sweetly scented length,
all within a particularly fine-textured tannin. Top-quality wine, no question, but of a very
different character, and with rather different virtues, from the Haut-Brion that used to be
12.5%–13.5% ABV. And it is worth noting that. The class is still there, but it is a changed
expression, that of a now-changed (because of the warming climate) terroir, with the resultant wine remaining impressive, but less easily drinkable, less graceful, subtly aromatic and refreshing. Than it used to be.