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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
From two legendary Bordeaux estates, these rare cellar selections from Chateau Haut-Brion and its sister property Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion boast a plethora of perfect scores and rank among the most long-lived and highly sought after collectibles, delivered in perfect provenance at best on the market pricing while they last. Lots of treasures here so let’s dig in.
As part of Domaine Clarence Dillon, First Growth Chateau Haut-Brion and “Super Second” Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion have shared the same winemaking team in Pessac-Leognan for nearly two decades, crafting blends that uniquely reflect each estate’s exceptional terroir, La Mission offering bigger, more concentrated flavors with Haut-Brion displaying greater length and finesse according to renowned third generation winemaker Jean-Phillipe Delmas. Described by James Suckling as “already breathtaking” with “enormous aging potential,” the extravagant 100 pt. 2009 Haut-Brion offers the estate’s signature ripe, opulent fruit elegantly balancing massive tannins and declared “one of the most compelling examples of Haut-Brion ever made” by Robert Parker Jr. Describing it as “pure perfection and one of truly legendary wines out there,” the powerful 100 pt. 2010 Haut-Brion is “a massive wine in every sense” according to Jeb Dunnuck that Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson declares “ready to power through the ages,” certain to be a focal point in any collection in original wooden cases of one. The Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth calls the impressive 100 pt. 2015 Chateau Haut-Brion “a brick house of a wine,” while Antonio Galloni describes the massive 100 pt. 2016 Chateau Haut-Brion as a "nearly indescribable beauty,” exclaiming “What a wine!” Describing it as “a hugely captivating wine,” Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson declares the opulent 98 pt. 2017 Chateau Haut-Brion “one of the contenders for red of the vintage,” while the Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss names it a Cellar Selection that’s destined to be “a magnificent wine.” According to the Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown, “Domaine Clarence Dillon pretty much nailed it across the board in 2018,” with James Suckling calling the elegant 100 pt. 2018 Chateau Haut-Brion “a classic beauty in the making.”
Called “a beautifully dense, ripe wine” with “an opulent structure and gorgeous fruits,” by the Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss, the powerful 100 pt. 2010 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion is described as “a real head turner” by the Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robustly structured to evolve over the next five decades. “A total knockout,” Antonio Galloni of Vinous calls the 99 pt. 2016 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion “absolutely delicious and the kind of wine that is so suggestive of a very bright future,” while he describes the “gracious and wonderfully nuanced” 97 pt. 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion as “a positively stunning wine” that “simply has it all.” Naming it one of the wines of the vintage, the 100 pt. 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion is “already showing its class,” according to Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson and is summed up by Jeb Dunnuck as “one of the few 2019s that will make your eyes roll back in your head,” available exclusively in cellar-ready magnums.
A treasure trove of top scoring Bordeaux blends that will make it hard to choose, these outstanding releases from the iconic Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion offer an excellent foundation for a new Bordeaux collection and a golden opportunity for seasoned collectors to fill in a few holes in the cellar, all guaranteeing patient Bordeaux lovers decades of enjoyment ahead. |
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Pure perfection and one of truly legendary wines out there, the 2010 is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit a whopping 14.6% natural alcohol, with a healthy pH of 3.7. This deep rich, opulent beauty is just now at the early stages of its prime drink window and has an incredible array of blackcurrants, chocolate, truffly earth, graphite, and hints of tobacco. A massive wine in every sense, it still somehow stays weightless and graceful, with silky, building tannins, flawless balance, and just everything in the right place. It needs an hour or two in a decanter if drinking any time soon, and it's going to have upwards of 75-100 years of ultimate longevity.
100 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Nov 2021)
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Haut-Brion charges out of the gate with exuberant notes of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and baked plums followed by nuances of dark chocolate, licorice and cloves. Full-bodied, the palate has lots of subtle earth and mineral accents with a firm, finely grained texture and great freshness lifting the long finish.
99 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Mar 2020)
Sappy, tongue-coating pastis, blackberry coulis and loganberry fruit starts this huge wine off, followed by a parade of licorice snap, violet, tar, black tea, roasted alder, wood spice and steeped black cherry fruit notes. A beam of pure cassis drives through this, and the finish pulls everything together with a mouthwatering brambly edge that should soften slowly over time. A riveting display of brawny power, unbridled energy and high-level terroir. Best from 2020 through 2040. 7,800 cases made.
99 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2013)
A firm and serious wine, complex and complicated, one of the finest wines from 2010 vintage. It has a rich undertow of black fruits, while the tannins dominate at this stage. To add to the powerful range of flavors, the wine has an edge of severity that bodes well for its long-term future.
98 points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast (May 2013)