Château Haut-Brion 2015

Jeannie Cho Lee

The Wine Independent

VertdeVin

The nose is fine, gourmand, elegant, fruity, complex and relatively intense. It reveals notes of plum, blackberry and slight notes of violet associated with discreet notes of red fruits, Sichuan pepper, elderflower as well as discreet notes of oak and spices. The nose is slightly dusty. The palate is fruity, gourmand, elegant, fine, racy and offers minerality (gravel / terroir), a nice tension, a lot of harmony as well as a beautiful, elegant and silky matter. On the palate this wine expresses notes of Quetsch plum, blackberry and slight notes of small red berries associated with slight notes of spice, gravel minerality / salinity, oak, discreet notes of mocha as well as a discreet touch of almond and a grilled touch. Tannins are fine, elegant and slightly firm. Good length. There is a small note of hazelnut on the aftertaste.

Wine Enthusiast

Direct and concentrated, this wine is powered by tannins and a firm texture. Dense, it has the potential for plenty of fruit as it matures. That will take time, because this impressive wine is powered by its structure. Wait until 2028.

James Suckling

This is all about seduction and beauty with tobacco, berries, tea and wet earth. Full-bodied, round and sexy. Love the polished and beautiful tannins. Racy and refined. Try in 2023.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 50% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Haut-Brion is reticent to begin, languidly revealing crushed black cherries, ripe black plums and wild blueberries with sparks of cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, espresso, unsmoked cigars, tapenade, crushed rocks and lavender. The full-bodied palate possesses wonderfully complementary contrasts of bold black and blue fruit richness and delicately nuanced cherry fruit, baking spices and floral accents, strutting ripe, finely pixelated tannins and seamless acidity that is placed firmly in the background, finishing very long and with plenty of attitude. This impeccably poised, exquisitely perfumed 2015 Haut-Brion possesses the most alluring yet seemingly effortless beauty. While it bears only a passing resemblance in its opulent personality to the now legendary 1989, like that vintage the 2015 cannot fail to hedonically satiate and intellectually edify all lovers of great Bordeaux who drink it. What’s more, it also has the blue-blooded tenaciousness to remain this jaw-droppingly impressive, throughout its many guises over time, and for a very, very long time.