Chateau Haut Brion - Pessac-Leognan 1er Cru classe Red 2011

Wine Region: Bordeaux - France

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon (44%), Merlot (42%), Cabernet Franc (12%)

Tasting notes: Intense nose of very ripe black fruit with hints of cocoa beans. With aeration, complex, liquorice aromas leap out of the glass. The first impression on the palate is very elegant. The wine then quickly builds up power with rich tannin that blossoms into a beautiful long aftertaste. 

Expert Rating: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95/100

"The unbelievably superb 2011 Haut-Brion exhibits a classic nose of subtle smoldering embers, warm rocks, black currants, new saddle leather, spice box and high quality, unsmoked cigar tobacco. The color is a dense ruby/purple to the edge, and the wine cuts a serious as well as broad swath across the palate. The most amazing aspect of this terroir is that the wine, despite all its power and richness, literally dances on the palate, as if it were a 90 pound ballerina. This brilliant 2011 should evolve quickly, hitting its prime in 7-8 years, and drink beautifully for 20-25 years." Robert Parker Jr.

About the winery: 

Château Haut-Brion’s vineyard is located in the commune of Pessac, just a few miles southwest of Bordeaux’s city center. It belongs to the Pessac-Léognan appellation, to the north of the Graves wine-growing region. Château Haut-Brion is the only wine to be both First Growth from the 1855 classification and Classified Growth of the Graves.

The vineyard stretches across an area of 51 hectares, 48 of which are planted with red grapes varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) and about 3 hectares are devoted to white grape varieties (Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris).

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