Cory Gowan, JJ Buckley, April 2012

34.8% merlot, 18.9% cabernet franc, and 46.3% cabernet sauvignon. The 2011 Haut-Brion is a nearly opaque red from core to rim. Features intensely pure aromas of cassis, plum, wood smoke, iodine, black tea, and focused minerality. This is soft and pure on entry, multi-layered and concentrated, with cool taut fruit giving it a slightly hollow mouthfeel at this young stage. Loads of fine tannins don't impart as much of a tarry element as in some other Pessac wines. Impressive in its purity, this finishes with flavors of toasty oak and black tea. Enjoy 2020-2030.

94 -95 points,

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, April 2012

Complex aromas of brown sugar, sweet tobacco and dark fruits. Turns to hints of prunes and cocoa. Full-bodied, with ultra fine tannins and a wonderful length. Refined and silky. Beautiful balance. Such wonderful length. Turns chewy yet very polished.

94 -96 points,

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, April 2012

The Haut Brion is a blend of 34.8% Merlot, 18.9% Cabernet Franc and 46.3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The bouquet has a little more thrust than the La Mission with a little more opulence, although perhaps not the same degree of clarity and showing slightly more alcohol (but nothing to get concerned about.) It has good weight, firm rigid tannins and a weightier framework than La Mission. It is concentrated and generous with very good focus, a crescendo of flavours towards the finish and very good grip. A masterful Haut-Brion that is more voluminous than La Mission at present.

92 -95 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 2012

Like its stablemate La Mission-Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion's 2011 production was small, only 7,600 cases, which is nearly 3,000 fewer cases than in 2009. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, it is interesting to taste the 2011 Haut-Brion next to the more open-knit, seductive 2011 La Mission Haut-Brion. The former wine is more firm, backward and earthy with a more formidably structured style. Undeniably elegant, distinctive and original, it exhibits notes of mulberries, plums, blueberries and raspberries. Jean-Philippe Delmas told me that in many ways the 2011 reminds him of the 2008 from an aromatic and structural profile. There is plenty of tannin, and the 2011 has 25-30 years of aging potential. It may be more reminiscent of a vintage such as 1988, but it is better made as well as being the product of a far stricter selection process.

92 -94 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, May 2012

Dark ruby-red. Big, rich and creamy on entry, then tighter and a bit austere in the middle, showing pure cassis, red berry and mineral flavors that carry through nicely on the rising finish. Very fine-grained Haut-Brion with a lingering cocoa nuance. Technical director Masclef noted that the team did shorter cuvaisons of about 15 days, vs. a typical 21, and at slightly lower temperatures too. I think the high-quality cabernet franc here has helped this wine gain a measure of refinement that is not always there in vintages with higher proportions of merlot. Another potentially great Haut Brion, more austere and less fleshy than recent efforts but very classic.

94 -96 points,

Wine Enthusiast, May 2012

An impressively silky wine. Dry yet intensely fruity, the palate shows big fruit, smooth tannins and a perfumed character. - R.V.

93 -96 points,

Wine Spectator, April 2012

Manages to harness the angularity of the vintage extremely well, almost burying the acidity in the core of cassis, black cherry skin, plum pit and maduro tobacco flavors. This is typically among the most backward wines of the vintage when young, and it's still tight and primal, but with admirable length and density already. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Tasted non-blind.-J.M.

About Winery

Chateau Haut-Brion boasts a much more historic tradition as it is believed that grapes have been grown on the property since Roman times. However, the first true written record of Haut-Brion dates back to 1525 when Jean de Pontac married Jeanne de Bellon who brought him the dowry of the land that composes Haut-Brion. Chateau Haut-Brion also appeared in writing as a First Growth in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

Haut-Brion has a truly illustrious past.  It is the first recorded First Growth to be imported into the United States when Thomas Jefferson purchased six cases and took them back to Monticello. Haut-Brion was also the first of the great growths to use stainless steel fermentation vats. The greatness of Haut-Brion wines was also recorded by Samuel Pepys, John Locke, and Cardinal Richelieu.  Its 1970s vintage placed fourth in the Judgement of Paris wine competition.  Haut-Brion remains quite the celebrity of the winemaking world and its wines continue to be highly rated and coveted across the globe.

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