2003 Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan

Representative blend: 45% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. The second wine is Clarence de Haut Brion (previously Bahans Haut Brion).

Haut Brion is sited across the road from its sister property, La Mission Haut Brion. Both are within the southern suburbs of the city of Bordeaux, and surrounded by development on all sides. It is in part this very specific (and quite warm) microclimate which gives Haut Brion its unique taste - Havana tobacco, earth and spice. It can also be the most velvety and seductive of all the first growths, and to some extent remains underappreciated for its myriad subtleties and beauties.

Haut Brion has been owned by the American Clarence Dillon family since the 1930s.

Tasting Note

Serena Sutcliffe, MW: Tasted from Imperial in 2011 in Hong Kong. Spice bazaar and cinnamon, vanilla pod and drinking chocolate on the nose. Great woodsmoke (think Pessac-Léognan) and red fruit taste. Layers of flavour and velvet curtains texture. Already a delight, even in this generous format. From bottle in 2012, deep, brilliant colour. Rich and winey on the nose. Very spicy on the palate, with big, soft tannins. 07/12