Château Haut-Brion 1991

Review of the Estate

Château Haut-Brion is notable for its First Growth status, under both the 1855 and 1973 Mèdoc classifications, despite its geographical location in Graves. This mark of respect is due to the obsession with quality and continual winemaking improvements that have been the dominant modus operandi at Chateau Haut Brion over the past four centuries.

The modern estate grew from humble origins as a property known as Maison Noble d'Aubrion which was acquired by Jean de Pontac through his marriage to Jeanne de Bellon in 1525.

Pontac was responsible for expanding Chateau Haut-Brion, and creating an international market for the wines, the quality of which was noted by Samuel Pepys who wrote in April 1663,"here I drank a sort of French wine, called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with." However, Chateau Haut Brion was still known formally as Château Pontac until the late 18th Century when it eventually passed out of the Pontac family's hands.

As the first recorded First Growth to be imported into the United States, when Thomas Jefferson purchased six cases during his travels and sent them back to his home in Virginia, it is perhaps unsurprising that Chateau Haut-Brion was eventually purchased by an American. After a string of owners, financier Clarence Dillon acquired the estate in 1935. Chateau Haut Brion is currently owned by Domaine Clarence Dillon, which is a limited company and thereby prevents excessive divisions of the estate between successive generations. Presently, Prince Robert of Luxembourg is at the helm, with Jean-Philippe Delmas managing the viticultural aspects of the business.

As a First Growth, there is constant pressure to produce outstanding yet consistent wines and Château Haut-Brion has consistently embraced new technologies to meet this standard. In the 1960s, the estate pioneered the installation of stainless steel vats - the first of the First Growths to do so. This increased the reliability of the vinification process and positioned Chateau Haut Brion at the forefront of innovation in the Bordeaux region, producing a savoury wine which is both rich and intricate.

Vineyard

Surface area: 106.7 acres

Grape Varieties: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc

Average age of vines: 36 years

Density of plantation: 8,00 vines per hectare

Average yields: 35-45 hectoliters per hectare

Average cases produced: 11,000 per year

Plateau of maturity: 10 - 40 years

Château Haut-Brion 1991 Reviews / Tasting Notes

Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 89
This wine has turned out far better than I ever expected. It started off life relatively austere, closed, and tannic, and seemed a bit light, but the wine has put on weight (as so many vintages of Haut-Brion tend to do), and now shows a very complex nose of cigar tobacco intermixed with scorched earth, sweet cherry and black currant fruit, and some high quality toast. The wine is medium-bodied and a great example of finesse, elegance, and just brilliant winemaking in a vintage where the odds were stacked against even a great terroir such as Haut Brion. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007.

Wine Spectator
Point Score: 85
Firm in texture and impressively focused for the vintage, with smoky, tobacco-scented berry and floral flavors that linger on the finish.--Haut-Brion vertical. Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator 1997

Chateau Haut-Brion Wine List