1945 Château Haut-Brion

Community Tasting Notes (19) Avg Score: 95.6 points

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  11/24/2021 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points

  Legends only: 15 Bordeaux & 2 Heitz MV Magnums: Four Haut Brions legends, all tasted from magnums. All double decanted 4 hours prior to consumption. Narrow winner was the 1945 (rated 97 pts) which showed such an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness and showed absolutely weightless. This was quite the contrast to the other Haut Brions which were all quite similar in style, with a darker appearance and much more about raw intensity with unbelievable complexity and the fruit rather in the dried/port-like spectrum. Equally good was the 1934 (rated 96 pts) which must rank among the most complex Bordeauxs I’ve ever had and which showed quite airy, despite all the intensity. The 1929 (rated 93 pts) showed similar to the 1934 and almost equally complex but didn’t had the same absolute airiness and hence, was a bit too overwhelming and heavy. I don’t doubt that for wine lovers who like these port-like aromas and Malaga, Brandy notes more than I do, the 1934 and 1929 would have been a 100 pts experiences. The 1959 (NR) was sadly not an ideal bottle and clearly well past its prime (which is not normal for a 1959).
  
  TN: Much brighter than the 1934 and 1929 we had in the other glasses in this flight. Sweet fresh, pure strawberries, candied strawberries, some herbs and black tea notes on the nose. Very delicate and inviting. Very feminine. On the palate the wine shows much more intensity than on the nose with very fresh, not dried or too ripe red and dark red as well as floral aromas. So beautifully sweet. Additional malt, herbal, mineral, tobacco, iron minerality layers and a very intriguing layer of nutty aromas. The tannins are still slight noticeable and the wine has great tension. The acidity is high and keeps the wine young and fresh but at times it is a bit too pronounced and not perfectly integrated. Very fine creamy texture, no excess weight, very airy and light and a very long finish driven by fruit and malty notes. A very harmonious and complete wine and lots of fun to drink. Easily 96 to 97 pts and I guess if I would have had more time, the score would have climbed higher.

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  8/3/2020 - fclarity wrote: 99 Points

  Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with reddish orange rims. The medium intensity nose offered up Cuban cigar, black cherries, honey, brown spices, and minerals.
  
  This wine was so silky and integrated in the mouth, it was astonishing. It had light rounded tannin, crisp acidity, and great length. The weightless and shifting complex flavors made the wine very hard to put down.
  
  The 45s are generally great but this was right up there with the masterpieces made by Mouton and Latour. If you can find an authentic and pristine bottle like this one, you are in for quite a treat. Thank you Mike, you outdid yourself with this tasting.

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  5/13/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

  World's Greatest - Night III (Per Se): Along with the '45 Latour this nose is oxidative, but still shows some classic cigar box and spicy HB character. On the palate this is still alive and has elegantly developed currant and rustic earth. Clearly not what it should be, but still good and certainly enjoyable.

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  5/13/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed

  Some maderization. Spice on the nose, cigar box, cedar and a fine acid streak remaining on the midpalate. 90

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  12/23/2016 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 99 Points

  Like an aging prizefighter that still packs a big punch. Very bottom of neck level. Tannins integrated but still strong, fruit not fading. Very pronounced truffle scent on the nose, along with some clove, a little minerality, fair amount of vanilla. Not much of the usual HB tobacco aroma -- dominated by the truffles. On the palate, very rich in the mid and back, fruit is more compote than fresh. Overall -- wow. Surprisingly strong -- although it faded rather quickly, it was still rich and deep.

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