Beschreibung:

Château Haut-Brion I remember like it was yesterday tasting the Haut-Brion 1970 en primeur, my first primeur vintage as a young and eager trainee in London, and being instantly struck by the finesse it expressed in spite of its considerable but discreet power....and in spite of my total lack of experience ! Finesse can easily be mistaken for simplicity. Not so for Haut-Brion which I soon learned behaves rather like a great burgundy : it builds on itself with age . All vintages I have tasted since have shown this same finesse, even the bolder styles such as '45, '47, '49, '59, '61, '89, '00, '05, '09, '10 and now '16. Also, looking back over my notes, I see I have often preferred some slightly lesser vintages to the acknowledged great ones : I always found '71 better than the ' 70 ; '79 than '75, '85 than '86. And in less esteemed vintages such as '84 or '87 in their time, this finesse seemed to me to be a boon because the reserved make-up of the wine's identity did not require great « size ». Now to the wines offerred in this catalogue. I tasted all of them en primeur, often several times, at the château, in the barrel cellar at first and later in the Orangerie, seated at tables, just like at school, arranged in horseshoe fashion around the incredibly well-informed « teacher », who could be one of the charming guides or the incredibly knowledgeable technical director Jean-Philippe-Masclet or even Jean-Bernard-Delmas, his son Jean-Philippe- or later, Prince Robert. It was all very studious and a perfect tasting environment. I have also thankfully been able to taste them several times from bottle. The 1981 and 1983 were always very reserved and delicate, always « lovely » wines and have probably still retained their exquisite balance. The 1982 was less of a blockbuster than the other Firsts but has great balance and a whole stack of finesse to show to this day and into the future. I always regarded the 1985 and 1986 to be identical twins, both very fine and classic in style, the latter turning out perhaps just a little stronger-structured than the more savoury 1985. Both will age gracefully for at least another 10 years. The '91 to '94 vintage, generally not a glorious period for Bordeaux, were unusually impressive at Haut-Brion, the '91 (which hardly frosted at all), the '92 and '93 (hardly affected by the autumn rain) all light but dominated by sweetness of fruit and tannin, without a trace of the vegetal features of many of these vintages' wines. The 1994 had far more depth and structure than these three and is still developing just fine. The 1995 and 1996 were for me another « twin pair », both very full-bodied, the former unusually soft, the latter a touch stronger. Both will make very old bones. The 1997 was always so charming and sweet-flavoured and, several years ago at the château, was still very satisfying. We end with the superlative 1998 and 2000, neither anywhere near their plateau, both in the very top tier of the vintage, sandwiching the more humble but surprisingly powerful 1999 and I deliberately left the 1989 to last as it is one of the most emotional tasting experiences I have ever had. I can't add anything to what all the critics have already said: I find words totally inadequate to express the beauty of such an enormous wine that is only just beginning to evolve. Château Haut-Brion 1981 Pessac (Graves), 1er cru classé In second-hand carton. Corroded capsule. Bin-soiled label. Level: into-neck 1 double-magnum per lot