2021 Château Haut-Brion
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Tasting notes
The Ch. Haut-Brion has a compact nose, but – with a bit of air – lights up the senses. Lovely pepper spice and dried tobacco along with richer, creamier notes emerge from the glass. There is fantastic mid-palate density, particularly for the vintage, with expansive, supple tannins that are evenly spread across the palate. The wine remains very much on the refreshing side of things, the fine mouth-watering tannins only adding further freshness, only firming up towards the finish. This is a wine that packs a punch and has found an extra level of concentration which is impressive. 50% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc
Critic scores
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Headily sweet on the nose. A bit tight and tough. Still quite youthful but it lacks charm and is decidedly chewy on the rather hot end. (JR)
This is beautifully crafted and very perfumed, with ultra-fine tannins and vivid dark fruit such as blackcurrants, as well as dark chocolate, hazelnuts and hints of forest floor, mushrooms, tar, matchstick and oyster shells. Drink or hold.
In comparison to its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2021 Château Haut-Brion is firmer and much more masculine, with an impressive, almost austere style in its smoky red and black fruits, salted meats, graphite, tobacco, and crushed stone-driven aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and elegant on the palate, it picks up density and suppleness with time in the glass and has plenty of tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's clearly in the fresher, elegant style of the vintage, yet this brings a serious, age-worthy style that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve and drink brilliantly over the following two decades. The blend is 50.3% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.7% Cabernet Franc, hitting 13.8% alcohol, with the elevage in 73% new French oak.
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Brion is the only classified growth in Pessac-Léognan. One of the five First Growths, it is renowned for producing both exceptional reds and whites. Along with its sister estate, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, it is part of the Clarence Dillon stable.