From 375. Decanted about an hour before dinner, could have used a bit more. Very nice nose, more black fruit than red, good complexity. Palate fine, though not as giving as the nose. Still on the upswing, but very enjoyable wine. MH maybe best yet against strong competition recently.
An excellent wine, likely better in a few years, especially from 750, but very nice now from 375 with some air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a magnum, decanted for an hour. It wasn’t enough. Need a lot more time to integrate and show complexity. Black currant, cigar box, earth and lead come through. Full bodied, with big structure and length but a tad monolithic. I think this will get better with another ten years of aging.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Remarkably great wine for this not star vintage! Equally remarkable the Haut Brion kept improving and only showed its true quality to the fullest the 3rd (!) day, displaying a wonderfully complex, full bodied (althoug next to the Grange 98, feminine) grand vin. The 3 day evolution (with cork in the bottle of course) probably speaks more to its youth but the final glass clearly hints we are talking about a truly wonderful wine in the making here. A must buy and relatively affordable given its quality.
2008 is an often overlooked vintage, but this wine was killer. Seductive black fruits, asian spice, and pencil shavings. Had a 3 hour decant and drank over 2 hours, it needed all the time. This was so well balanced, oak and tannin in great harmony. really blown away by this
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pronounced nose intensity with chocolate, toast, spices, black currant, leather, mineral, earth. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Full bodied and long finish. Drank from Magnum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tried two bottles, first in Jan, second in Feb - second was better, earthy with light fruit notes, still less complex than I would have expected, lacking aftertaste
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours. Needed an hour more to open up. Still young but already very good. It's worth to pop a bottle now (if you have more than one). I'm pretty sure it will be even better with more age. 96 pts. at the moment.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
blind I was suprised about the delicacy of this wine. Profound, primary aromas are dominating but with nice secondary notes. Elegant and powerful likewise. It is typical left bank but I thought 2000. At leat 10-15 years ahead but in a great drinking window. 97
Finishing up the last couple of ounces from last night’s bottle, which sat open overnight. Notes of burnt embers, red and black fruit and something decidedly floral in nature; rather feminine and pretty. There’s something herbal, perhaps along the lines of rosemary, lurking in the background. Flavors of macerated red berry fruit, black currant, herb, iron and tobacco. Long finish. Confirms that this needs a lot more than two hours. Check back in 2030+. 96 for Domino, 97 for me.
4th Saturday Group: Uptown Brown Bag: Blind. Garnet color. Aromas of burnt embers, black currants, iodine and something a touch herbal/minty. Full-bodied and elegant, with a satiny texture and flavors of black fruit and iodine. Reminds me of the Clarence de HB we tasted a week prior and I begin wondering if this is our bottle. Seamless across the palate, with abundant fruit. Exudes class.
This had been decanted for two hours before being rebottled (empty pinot bottle to avoid giving clues), and was poured in the first flight just over three hours after the cork was first pulled. I had put our bottles to the right, where the bigger wines are to be placed, with my intention being ours would get more air as we went through the first couple of flights, so it came as a surprise to find our bottles in the first flight. The Chateau suggested decanting one to one and a half hours, and I gave it two, but it really needs more time in the cellar, or perhaps six to eight hours decanting if opening now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful dark red and black berry notes. Just soft tertiary notes. Amazing overall balance. Very elegant and feminine. Easily the most harmonious wine in this flight. Drink now until 2032. (IG)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took a while to open in the glass. Some dark fruit emerged. Mostly secondary notes of mint, pencil lead, earth and leather. Medium finish of cassis and leather. Smooth and pure just not as expressive as bottles a few years ago. Classic Left Bank, seemed less Pessac. Nice wine just overshadowed by more illustrious vintages.
Sunday late night at Maison Dakota with J. 1 hour of air in bottle and then drank over the next hour. Drank in Grassl 1855. Appearance is clear, deep intnsity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of grilled herbs, menthol, roasted earth, tobacco, creme de cassis. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14), fine aristocratic high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of expensive sweet oak slight vanilla, grilled herbs, menthol, roasted earth, blackcurrant, blackberries, tobacco, smoke, creme de cassis. Fine long finish. Very good quality. Lovely creme de cassis. Not the ripest vintage, but still showing at First Growth standard level.
This wine peruses the lips. It has an athletic body and a capable first step. It is teaming with raw notes of hickory and sage, complimented by a robust aromatic scent. This wine has great upside and defensive capabilities, and in transition its unstoppable. Great pick.
Maroon in color, with a darker core. Nose of cherries, herbs and spices. Some dusty milk chocolate as well. Great mouth feel, but the tannins still needing time. It's fresh, yet starting to show secondary characteristics. With two hours of air, this wine seems to be going backwards and more tannic, shutting down actually. This First Growth is definitely in an in-between phase. While showing good fruit, fine balance and lots of class, it needs to be left alone. Give this wine at least another five years. And if you need to impress your mother on her Birthday, this 2008 currently needs to be counted out. It will be something to behold over time. It certainly has long life ahead and quite impressive for this underrated vintage. A top wine of the Left Bank for sure, but let this wine sleep at least another 3-5 years before thinking of popping. 96+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
licorice at first then strong notes of dark cherry -some nutmeg as well which was interesting. -luxurious moth feel, especially when the palate is already coated in duck fat. -and of course a lengthy, pleasant finish. The pairing with fatty duck was just right as each lifted the other. I didn't pick up much mineral, lots of tannins still -could (should) be cellared for a good five years more I think. -after 6 hours it closed up
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep purple with ruby core. Light aroma of forest floor, smoke and cigar. After about an hour in the decanter the palate broadened to red fruit, raspberry, mocha with a very long finish ending on a sweet note. Smooth and balanced. However, the wine closed up a bit later in the evening and the tannins re-asserted themselves. 95-96 now with the potential to hit 97-98 in a few years. Smooth now and needs a decant but would advise patience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Oh so young, but oh so good. At this stage, it is all about the promise, yet, with its elegant, silky tannins, refined layers of fruit, polished, textured and 40-50 second finish, there should be no doubt as to what you should expect with another decade or two of aging. The wine was made blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Passage en carafe de 2 heures avant dégustation et c’est le minimum. Nez très réticent au début puis coulis de framboises, épices douces, fruits rouges. L’attaque en bouche est fine, la puissance vient en milieu de bouche, le vin se montre encore un peu uniforme mais la finale est longue et harmonieuse. Vraiment tout au début de son plateau de maturité. Note pour aujourd’hui.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Green pepper on nose and palate. Served a couple of degrees to warm. Lacked freshness and smokiness (notably less so than the Pape-Clément 95 and 04 which were served in the same flight). It is a well made wine, fine and in balance but not the magic of that Pape 95 for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stunning wine. Sharp and precise with great minerality and long sot finish. Brings tears to my eyes. I suspected it would be good but this was even better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This came together with Calon Segur 2008 and Vieux Chateau Certan 2008 and obviously blew them away. Very detailed nose of tobacco, gravel, some mint and lote of primary fruit. This is way too early but it is drinking nicely and is not shut down at all. The nose is still primary though. On the palate, again what strikes me is the finely grained texture of the wine and the length. Amazing 1 cru quality!
Un vin encore très jeune, bouquet embaumant l’espace dès l’ouverture, notes fumées et cassis noir (gelée voir crème de cassis) et menthol (élevage bois oblige). En bouche, un vin puissant mais très féminin dans le style, aux tanins encore présents de très belle noblesse. À la vie devant lui, enfin 1 à 2 décennies sans problème... une grande bouteille en devenir. 94-96/100
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haut Brion Vertical -1998 to 2009 (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Expressive big scale youthful nose displaying intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry concentrate, red currant, ink, licorice, lavender, mocha, sweet spices, strong lead pencil and earth. Excellent concentration, youthful and energetic, nicely layered dense black fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity, strong presence of fine tannins and a long intense black fruit driven finish with noticeable lead pencil and tannins at the end. It is a big scale Haut Brion. Perhaps close to the 06 in style but a bit fresher and energetic and not as deeply toned. Another wine to buy.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Okay, so while this is somewhat approachable, it is way too young now and far from maturity. The fruit was incredibly ripe, with plum, blackberry, and blueberry. Other aromatic components were fresh tobacco, clove, coffee, and smoke. Oak was still apparent. Nicely structured with firm tannins. Young on the palate and very fruit-driven. Impressive length on the finish. This wine needs more time. And while you can certainly drink this now, I probably wouldn't touch this for 8-10 years, as it will improve considerably.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flash note. A flash note is one that I distinctly remember the quality/overall rating of a wine but can’t give specifics because the tasting note was not written at time of tasting.
Drank among a few other great wines and this was right there even though “off” vintage. Very good. I like drinking this 2020 plus. Will probably evolve even more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chateau Lafite Rothschild - 20 year vertical blind tasting (Fribourg): Tasted blind. This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting. Dark fruit with forest, coffee, cedar, cake and bakery, classic yet sexy. Great aromatic interplay between Merlot and CabSav. On the palate dense and young, good mid palate, solid structure, aromatic and long finish with some barnyard notes. Impressive! This did really well with the group and finished right behind the three best Lafite Rothschilds of the vertical line up. 97+. Readiness: Wait.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 1959-2012 Haut-Brion dinner in Stockholm (Stockholm): The 2008 is consistently amazing and fantastic. Super-rich but with a fresh acidity. Layers of sweet fruit and smooth tannins. Incredibly accessible now. A favourite.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): (Tasted Blind): 50 CS, 41 Merlot; 9 CF. Mid to deep ruby-coloured wine, the bouquet is intense with aromas of red cherry, blueberry, redcurrant, cedar, spices and toasty oak. The palate enters with a pure fruit character, notable oak and whilst ripe, there has a tad of green elements suggesting a cooler year with cold, clammy clay joining some bright red-oriented fruits, almost slightly bipolar ripeness of sweet fruit and sour cherry skins and cherry stone. The acidity is more piercing than expected with a mineral lift, the texture is relatively thick, and the wine has decent fruit depth yet only medium length. Good concentration, I liked the line of the wine, and there are some lovely notes of cedar, cigar even ferrous with hessian tannins and a prickle of alcohol. This wine is still tight and primary, mineral-driven with a bright red fruit character and reasonable structure, but it needs more time to reach its full potential.
2012 - Clarence Dillon: Alcohol :: 14% Yet another comparison of HB and LMHB. This is deeper with better scale. Gravel, spices, capsicum, graphite and violet. At the moment the tons of dark fruits are buried underneath, but promising. Medium - full bodied. I love the scale and pedigree. The wine is tight and offering incredible depth and richness, but the wonderful balance make it approachable, especially the purity of fruits and lushness. Tannin is super silky and oak has well integrated. Complex, intense finished with excellent freshness, sweet blackcurrant fruits, earth and mineral. The harmony here is remarkable. Refine and classy. 94-95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
08 Château Haut Brion shows a good depth of color with dark ruby and purple hues. Fresh black raspberry, oak, tar, and spice are in abundance on the nose. The wine has a rich, opulent character. Multi-layered pure, ripe fruit and elegant tannins fill your mouth as you taste. The polished, balanced wine ends with an elegant, long, rich finish expressing purity in the fruit. In 2008, the merlot at La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion was picked over a three week period. According to Jean-Philippe Delmas, the reason for the much longer than usual merlot harvest was that the picking was done berry by berry, ensuring only perfectly ripe fruit was used in the wine. The wine was produced from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. 95-98 Pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Tasted at the chateau during Vinexpo. Only 35 percent made it into the first wine, with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. The nose shows ultra fine espresso and cassis, and the palate is haut couture like leather, with tobacco leaf, cedar and black fruits. A powerful yet subtle, enveloping feel, somewhat tight, but apparently more open than it was en primeur. Most impressive was its layered texture on the palate, promising volume and complexity: a great showing from Haut Brion, deftly handling its 13.7% alcohol. Very impressive and perhaps the top First Growth, but very close... 93-96+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux En Primeur 2008; 3/27/2009-4/3/2009 (Bordeaux): 2008 barrel sample @ chateau. Dark ruby, darker than LMHB, bright disc. Round, big and well balanced. Aromas confirmed by densely concentrated dark fruit that glides across the palate. Finish stretches out. Playing very well! 41% Merlot, 50% CS; 9% CF. Just 35% of harvest; small allotment of 7,000 cs (vs 14k in 2004). Malo in tank. 93-96pts. And a week later continues to stand as one of best First Growths in 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/28/2023 - Ibetian wrote: 95 Points
From 375. Decanted about an hour before dinner, could have used a bit more. Very nice nose, more black fruit than red, good complexity. Palate fine, though not as giving as the nose. Still on the upswing, but very enjoyable wine. MH maybe best yet against strong competition recently.
An excellent wine, likely better in a few years, especially from 750, but very nice now from 375 with some air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2023 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a magnum, decanted for an hour. It wasn’t enough. Need a lot more time to integrate and show complexity. Black currant, cigar box, earth and lead come through. Full bodied, with big structure and length but a tad monolithic. I think this will get better with another ten years of aging.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2023 - Ozen wrote: 96 Points
Remarkably great wine for this not star vintage! Equally remarkable the Haut Brion kept improving and only showed its true quality to the fullest the 3rd (!) day, displaying a wonderfully complex, full bodied (althoug next to the Grange 98, feminine) grand vin. The 3 day evolution (with cork in the bottle of course) probably speaks more to its youth but the final glass clearly hints we are talking about a truly wonderful wine in the making here. A must buy and relatively affordable given its quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
8/4/2023 - VinoRadz Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fabulous and ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine: 97 Points
2008 is an often overlooked vintage, but this wine was killer. Seductive black fruits, asian spice, and pencil shavings. Had a 3 hour decant and drank over 2 hours, it needed all the time. This was so well balanced, oak and tannin in great harmony. really blown away by this
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2023 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with chocolate, toast, spices, black currant, leather, mineral, earth. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Full bodied and long finish. Drank from Magnum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2023 - Dunwall Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tried two bottles, first in Jan, second in Feb - second was better, earthy with light fruit notes, still less complex than I would have expected, lacking aftertaste
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2022 - Romol Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Needed an hour more to open up. Still young but already very good. It's worth to pop a bottle now (if you have more than one). I'm pretty sure it will be even better with more age. 96 pts. at the moment.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2021 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
blind
I was suprised about the delicacy of this wine. Profound, primary aromas are dominating but with nice secondary notes. Elegant and powerful likewise. It is typical left bank but I thought 2000. At leat 10-15 years ahead but in a great drinking window. 97
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
11/28/2021 - AllRed wrote: 97 Points
Finishing up the last couple of ounces from last night’s bottle, which sat open overnight. Notes of burnt embers, red and black fruit and something decidedly floral in nature; rather feminine and pretty. There’s something herbal, perhaps along the lines of rosemary, lurking in the background. Flavors of macerated red berry fruit, black currant, herb, iron and tobacco. Long finish. Confirms that this needs a lot more than two hours. Check back in 2030+. 96 for Domino, 97 for me.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/27/2021 - AllRed wrote: 96 Points
4th Saturday Group: Uptown Brown Bag: Blind. Garnet color. Aromas of burnt embers, black currants, iodine and something a touch herbal/minty. Full-bodied and elegant, with a satiny texture and flavors of black fruit and iodine. Reminds me of the Clarence de HB we tasted a week prior and I begin wondering if this is our bottle. Seamless across the palate, with abundant fruit. Exudes class.
This had been decanted for two hours before being rebottled (empty pinot bottle to avoid giving clues), and was poured in the first flight just over three hours after the cork was first pulled. I had put our bottles to the right, where the bigger wines are to be placed, with my intention being ours would get more air as we went through the first couple of flights, so it came as a surprise to find our bottles in the first flight. The Chateau suggested decanting one to one and a half hours, and I gave it two, but it really needs more time in the cellar, or perhaps six to eight hours decanting if opening now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2021 - DrZett wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful dark red and black berry notes. Just soft tertiary notes. Amazing overall balance. Very elegant and feminine. Easily the most harmonious wine in this flight. Drink now until 2032. (IG)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2021 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took a while to open in the glass. Some dark fruit emerged. Mostly secondary notes of mint, pencil lead, earth and leather. Medium finish of cassis and leather. Smooth and pure just not as expressive as bottles a few years ago. Classic Left Bank, seemed less Pessac. Nice wine just overshadowed by more illustrious vintages.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
10/18/2020 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Sunday late night at Maison Dakota with J. 1 hour of air in bottle and then drank over the next hour. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intnsity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of grilled herbs, menthol, roasted earth, tobacco, creme de cassis. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14), fine aristocratic high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of expensive sweet oak slight vanilla, grilled herbs, menthol, roasted earth, blackcurrant, blackberries, tobacco, smoke, creme de cassis. Fine long finish.
Very good quality. Lovely creme de cassis. Not the ripest vintage, but still showing at First Growth standard level.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/5/2020 - ianpsaras15@gmail.com Likes this wine: 87 Points
This wine peruses the lips. It has an athletic body and a capable first step. It is teaming with raw notes of hickory and sage, complimented by a robust aromatic scent. This wine has great upside and defensive capabilities, and in transition its unstoppable. Great pick.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (8)
3/8/2020 - edub7 wrote: 96 Points
Maroon in color, with a darker core. Nose of cherries, herbs and spices. Some dusty milk chocolate as well. Great mouth feel, but the tannins still needing time. It's fresh, yet starting to show secondary characteristics. With two hours of air, this wine seems to be going backwards and more tannic, shutting down actually. This First Growth is definitely in an in-between phase. While showing good fruit, fine balance and lots of class, it needs to be left alone. Give this wine at least another five years. And if you need to impress your mother on her Birthday, this 2008 currently needs to be counted out. It will be something to behold over time. It certainly has long life ahead and quite impressive for this underrated vintage. A top wine of the Left Bank for sure, but let this wine sleep at least another 3-5 years before thinking of popping.
96+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2019 - AlbertaOenologist Likes this wine: 95 Points
licorice at first then strong notes of dark cherry -some nutmeg as well which was interesting.
-luxurious moth feel, especially when the palate is already coated in duck fat. -and of course a lengthy, pleasant finish. The pairing with fatty duck was just right as each lifted the other.
I didn't pick up much mineral, lots of tannins still -could (should) be cellared for a good five years more I think.
-after 6 hours it closed up
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2019 - Kwlharvey wrote:
decant for 1 hour smooth balanced medium body
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2018 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep purple with ruby core. Light aroma of forest floor, smoke and cigar. After about an hour in the decanter the palate broadened to red fruit, raspberry, mocha with a very long finish ending on a sweet note. Smooth and balanced. However, the wine closed up a bit later in the evening and the tannins re-asserted themselves. 95-96 now with the potential to hit 97-98 in a few years. Smooth now and needs a decant but would advise patience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Oh so young, but oh so good. At this stage, it is all about the promise, yet, with its elegant, silky tannins, refined layers of fruit, polished, textured and 40-50 second finish, there should be no doubt as to what you should expect with another decade or two of aging. The wine was made blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2018 - Ericsson wrote: 94 Points
Passage en carafe de 2 heures avant dégustation et c’est le minimum.
Nez très réticent au début puis coulis de framboises, épices douces, fruits rouges.
L’attaque en bouche est fine, la puissance vient en milieu de bouche, le vin se montre encore un peu uniforme mais la finale est longue et harmonieuse.
Vraiment tout au début de son plateau de maturité.
Note pour aujourd’hui.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2018 - bigop Likes this wine: 92 Points
Green pepper on nose and palate. Served a couple of degrees to warm. Lacked freshness and smokiness (notably less so than the Pape-Clément 95 and 04 which were served in the same flight).
It is a well made wine, fine and in balance but not the magic of that Pape 95 for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 97 Points
Stunning wine. Sharp and precise with great minerality and long sot finish. Brings tears to my eyes. I suspected it would be good but this was even better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2018 - UTPK wrote:
This came together with Calon Segur 2008 and Vieux Chateau Certan 2008 and obviously blew them away. Very detailed nose of tobacco, gravel, some mint and lote of primary fruit. This is way too early but it is drinking nicely and is not shut down at all. The nose is still primary though. On the palate, again what strikes me is the finely grained texture of the wine and the length. Amazing 1 cru quality!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
4/28/2018 - stefad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Un vin encore très jeune, bouquet embaumant l’espace dès l’ouverture, notes fumées et cassis noir (gelée voir crème de cassis) et menthol (élevage bois oblige). En bouche, un vin puissant mais très féminin dans le style, aux tanins encore présents de très belle noblesse. À la vie devant lui, enfin 1 à 2 décennies sans problème... une grande bouteille en devenir. 94-96/100
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2018 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Haut Brion Vertical -1998 to 2009 (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Expressive big scale youthful nose displaying intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry concentrate, red currant, ink, licorice, lavender, mocha, sweet spices, strong lead pencil and earth. Excellent concentration, youthful and energetic, nicely layered dense black fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity, strong presence of fine tannins and a long intense black fruit driven finish with noticeable lead pencil and tannins at the end. It is a big scale Haut Brion. Perhaps close to the 06 in style but a bit fresher and energetic and not as deeply toned. Another wine to buy.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Okay, so while this is somewhat approachable, it is way too young now and far from maturity. The fruit was incredibly ripe, with plum, blackberry, and blueberry. Other aromatic components were fresh tobacco, clove, coffee, and smoke. Oak was still apparent. Nicely structured with firm tannins. Young on the palate and very fruit-driven. Impressive length on the finish. This wine needs more time. And while you can certainly drink this now, I probably wouldn't touch this for 8-10 years, as it will improve considerably.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2017 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flash note. A flash note is one that I distinctly remember the quality/overall rating of a wine but can’t give specifics because the tasting note was not written at time of tasting.
Drank among a few other great wines and this was right there even though “off” vintage. Very good. I like drinking this 2020 plus. Will probably evolve even more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Chateau Lafite Rothschild - 20 year vertical blind tasting (Fribourg): Tasted blind. This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting. Dark fruit with forest, coffee, cedar, cake and bakery, classic yet sexy. Great aromatic interplay between Merlot and CabSav. On the palate dense and young, good mid palate, solid structure, aromatic and long finish with some barnyard notes. Impressive! This did really well with the group and finished right behind the three best Lafite Rothschilds of the vertical line up. 97+. Readiness: Wait.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2015 - krister wrote: 99 Points
The 1959-2012 Haut-Brion dinner in Stockholm (Stockholm): The 2008 is consistently amazing and fantastic. Super-rich but with a fresh acidity. Layers of sweet fruit and smooth tannins. Incredibly accessible now. A favourite.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2015 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 92 Points
The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): (Tasted Blind): 50 CS, 41 Merlot; 9 CF. Mid to deep ruby-coloured wine, the bouquet is intense with aromas of red cherry, blueberry, redcurrant, cedar, spices and toasty oak.
The palate enters with a pure fruit character, notable oak and whilst ripe, there has a tad of green elements suggesting a cooler year with cold, clammy clay joining some bright red-oriented fruits, almost slightly bipolar ripeness of sweet fruit and sour cherry skins and cherry stone. The acidity is more piercing than expected with a mineral lift, the texture is relatively thick, and the wine has decent fruit depth yet only medium length. Good concentration, I liked the line of the wine, and there are some lovely notes of cedar, cigar even ferrous with hessian tannins and a prickle of alcohol. This wine is still tight and primary, mineral-driven with a bright red fruit character and reasonable structure, but it needs more time to reach its full potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (3)
12/21/2013 - Miceri Likes this wine: 99 Points
Medium dark red; very open fruity nose; soft, round, refined, very approachable, hint of licorice; extremely good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/25/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 94 Points
2012 - Clarence Dillon: Alcohol :: 14%
Yet another comparison of HB and LMHB. This is deeper with better scale. Gravel, spices, capsicum, graphite and violet. At the moment the tons of dark fruits are buried underneath, but promising. Medium - full bodied. I love the scale and pedigree. The wine is tight and offering incredible depth and richness, but the wonderful balance make it approachable, especially the purity of fruits and lushness. Tannin is super silky and oak has well integrated. Complex, intense finished with excellent freshness, sweet blackcurrant fruits, earth and mineral. The harmony here is remarkable. Refine and classy. 94-95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2011 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
Hermitage event in HK with Robert P, Lisa and Neal: Primary but full of promise, cedar, lovely nose, much more typicity than the 2001. Great wine with promise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
08 Château Haut Brion shows a good depth of color with dark ruby and purple hues. Fresh black raspberry, oak, tar, and spice are in abundance on the nose. The wine has a rich, opulent character. Multi-layered pure, ripe fruit and elegant tannins fill your mouth as you taste. The polished, balanced wine ends with an elegant, long, rich finish expressing purity in the fruit. In 2008, the merlot at La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion was picked over a three week period. According to Jean-Philippe Delmas, the reason for the much longer than usual merlot harvest was that the picking was done berry by berry, ensuring only perfectly ripe fruit was used in the wine. The wine was produced from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. 95-98 Pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2009 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Tasted at the chateau during Vinexpo. Only 35 percent made it into the first wine, with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. The nose shows ultra fine espresso and cassis, and the palate is haut couture like leather, with tobacco leaf, cedar and black fruits. A powerful yet subtle, enveloping feel, somewhat tight, but apparently more open than it was en primeur. Most impressive was its layered texture on the palate, promising volume and complexity: a great showing from Haut Brion, deftly handling its 13.7% alcohol. Very impressive and perhaps the top First Growth, but very close... 93-96+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote:
Bordeaux En Primeur 2008; 3/27/2009-4/3/2009 (Bordeaux): 2008 barrel sample @ chateau. Dark ruby, darker than LMHB, bright disc. Round, big and well balanced. Aromas confirmed by densely concentrated dark fruit that glides across the palate. Finish stretches out. Playing very well! 41% Merlot, 50% CS; 9% CF. Just 35% of harvest; small allotment of 7,000 cs (vs 14k in 2004). Malo in tank. 93-96pts. And a week later continues to stand as one of best First Growths in 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment