Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan rouge 2019 - 1er Grand Cru Classé

Decanter

About wine:

Hints of licorice and graphite on the nose with black fruits, even some blueberries and pomegranate. Great intensity, power, and muscle here—it's full of life with complex layers that you can smell right from the start. It's not as unmistakably plump or round as some, but it's clearly powerful and generous. Sweet persistence with so many nuances of flavor, but you get the impression that it's hiding all its best characteristics, showing just the slightest hint of fruit, spice, and savory aspects. Definition, precision, and wonderful freshness. It takes a little more work to understand it, but it has such potential. 

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are almost equal in proportion, with 8% Cabernet Franc added. In the glass, this Haut-Brion is worthy of its rank, dense and deep as expected. On the nose, delicious aromas of blueberry tart combine with subtle floral and smoky nuances, pencil lead and café au lait notes. Full-bodied, dense and very fresh on the attack, the palate quickly builds power around fine, tightly packed tannins, well coated by ripe fruit, and ends with a long and vigorous finish with smoky tones. To say that it needs to be waited for is an understatement... 2028-2045.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

Escaping from the glass with aromas of blackberries and plums mingled with notes of pencil shavings, burning embers, and creamy new oak, Haut-Brion 2019 is full-bodied, rich, and fleshy, with a textured attack that melts into a full and enveloping fruit core, concluding with a long, expansive finish. Broadly supported and muscular, its rich, powdery tannins are already perfectly integrated; and although it is labeled at 15% alcohol, much higher than the great vintages of yesteryear, it avoids any sense of over-ripeness.

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

The only property outside the Médoc to have been included in the 1855 classification, Château Haut-Brion has a second distinctive feature: it is completely enclosed within the town. Its terroir is certainly the earliest ripening in the appellation and the grapes mature perfectly here, producing a full-bodied, rich wine which, as it ages, develops inimitable smoky notes. After a brief period that seemed less impressive (2000-2005), the estate has just produced three outstanding vintages, including a 2009 that promises to be legendary and an even more aristocratic 2010."

James Suckling

About wine:

Blackcurrant emerges from the glass, accompanied by iodine, sandalwood, and subtle hints of moss and damp bark, then turns to violet. The palate is breathtaking, with a cashmere-like texture that unfolds across the palate and lingers for minutes. It is full of superbly complex and ethereal character and mouthfeel. One of the wines of the vintage. As glorious as it may be to drink now, this is a wine for your deep cellar. Try it in 2029.

Le Figaro vins

About wine:

An elegant bouquet, dressed all in black, with notes of equally dark fruits, charcoal, ink, and graphite, which then reveal more opulent notes of multicolored flowers, blood orange, medlar, and spices. The palate is round, smooth and fluid, like a Bottero character, with suggestive curves and fine attachments. A velvety texture that glides and a beautiful length that is found on a dynamic finish of mocha and spices, endowed with a remarkable pedigree.

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is elegant, currently discreetly tight (but this will fade with time) and offers precision, delicacy, and harmonious power. There are notes of fresh quince, bright white peach and, more subtly, fresh kumquat, combined with hints of lemon blossom, racy minerality, lemon, delicate touches of mandarin blossom and a subtle hint of fresh almond. The palate is fruity, elegant, delicate, racy, harmonious, taut (in its delicacy) and offers precision, lovely freshness, minerality, roundness, lovely salinity, richness, a little creaminess while remaining fresh, a lovely acidic structure and a lovely "unfolding silk thread" aspect. On the palate, this wine expresses juicy/pulpy lemon and mandarin notes, with a hint of quince, combined with touches of passion fruit, star fruit, and subtle hints of crushed nectarine, racy minerality, and a very discreet hint of pepper (in the background). There is an imperceptible hint of vanilla on the finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

Seeing a score of 100 points may not come as a surprise here, but the devil is in the details, as each vintage bears a unique signature, and that's what makes tasting and comparing them so interesting. I envy the younger generation of consumers who will be able to compare the 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages in terms of maturity, as each vintage has its own strengths and character. The 2019 offers a vibrant, rich, refined, powerful, concentrated, and smoky profile with countless layers of roasted and smoky red and black fruits, herbs, spice box, cigar wrapper, cedar, and burnt leaves. Although incredibly dense and intense, it is also light on its feet. Easy to drink, with a beautiful, elegant, silky, and refined finish that lasts over 60 seconds, it will be considered by future generations as one of Haut-Brion's great vintages. Drink from 2032 to 2075.