May 19, 2023 - Commanderie de Bordeaux MN: First Growths at Demi (Demi, Mpls): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. There's a lot going on here, with baked apple, Grand Marnier liqueur, slate and caramelized aromas on the nose. The palate offers up baked apple, sweet gold fruits, minerals, butterscotch, lanolin, citrus oil, with hints of iodine and a finish of citrusy bitters. Excellent - but I'll hang my hat on the ethereal 2010 tonight versus the aged nuances of the '85. 92+ to 93pts.
November 8, 2022 - Wow, second round and its just right perfect. Totally harmonious.
November 8, 2022 - Lovely and depp and mellow note many tasters. To me lanolin. Old on the nose but very lovely. Still alive. Languid, powerful with its expression.
June 25, 2022 - Another good looking bottle of old Haut-Brion Blanc that didn’t stay the course. Medium dark gold. Not inappropriately oxidized or spoiled and not corked but it’s all one note honeycomb without sufficient acidity or minerality. It quickly becomes boring and no one could finish their small glass. I’ve had very poor luck with Haut-Brion Blanc beyond age 15 or so and much better experiences with old Laville Haut-Brion or even Ygrec.
September 28, 2021 - Although this, my second bottle of '85 Haut Brion Blanc, lacked the dazzling magic of the first, it was still quite tasty and very interesting. This is a perfectly bright yellow, clear wine without any browning or much darkening. When I stuck my nose in the glass I was hit with -- get this -- gorgonzola and pineapple. The moldy cheese funk blew off with time, and the pineapple faded a touch too. Underneath those scents was also a muted hit of ginger. Whereas my previous bottle of this had an amazing, grippy texture (on a white!), this was far more mellow. It's worth noting that I had deep concerns about this bottle, as every bit of ink except the vintage had completely faded to white on the label. (What, did someone store this bottle in the sun?!). But once I got into drinking this wine like a beverage, it was totally enjoyable. The palate was pineapple, inflatable pool raft, lemon curd, and mellowed out ginger. The texture was a little flacid, but oh well. In this condition, the wine was more interesting that amazing, but it was still quite delicious. And it was the perfect pairing for tuna au poivre, doing a marvellous job standing up to all that pepper cut with lightly pickled veggies. A perfect bottle of this is as good as wine gets. A bottle that has been through the ringer, like this one had been, was nonetheless really interesting, complex, and fun.
July 17, 2021 - Took about an hour to open up. Initially I thought it was going to be bad. Then blossomed. Mineral and bitter almond with a hint of pear. Very long on the palate. Very nice wine
November 8, 2019 - Fresher bottle than my last one - showing very well still at peak
September 16, 2019 - Lanolin and tastes like really good oils semillon. To me not mind blowing but still very good.
August 22, 2019 - Honey, flowers, orange rind, caramel, smoky vanilla and crisp, bright, yellow citrus and a nice pop of honeyed grapefruit is drinking perfectly today.
April 2, 2019 - Courtesy of magnanimous Thierry and tasted alongside the '89 Pavillon Margaux Blanc. Great minerality and precision. Over 2 hours, evolved dramatically from initial notes of wet rocks and lemon zest to honey, grapefruit and beeswax. As with the Pavillon Margaux, very long finish. Both were super wines; this more complex and evolving over the course of the evening, but the Pavillon Margaux was such a revelation as a 100% Sauvignon Blanc that I just cannot get over it, leaving this just a tick behind for me...but the critics would favor the Haut Brion. Could be mistaken for a great Corton-Charlemagne.