Château Haut-Brion 2019

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings, burning embers and creamy new oak, the 2019 Haut-Brion is full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a textural attack that segues into an ample and enveloping core of fruit, concluding with a long, expansive finish. Broad-shouldered and muscular, its rich, powdery tannins are already seamlessly integrated; and though it's labeled at 15% alcohol, far higher than the great vintages of yesteryear, it avoids any sense of over-ripeness.

Jean-Philippe Delmas is delighted with his 2019s, and justly so, as this rich, dramatic and unusually powerful vintage is a great success for Château Haut-Brion (and its neighbor, La Mission Haut-Brion). In the vineyards, a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon is being planted these days, but the evolution is subtle, as the 2019 blend remains very much in line with tradition at this address, at 49% Merlot and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc. That predominance of Merlot, combined with Haut-Brion's warm mesoclimate, have delivered an above-average alcohol level, labelled at 15%. On the white side of the ledger, we can expect a touch more Sauvignon Blanc in the future, as Delmas notes that Sémillon tends to lose its acidity rapidly in warm vintages. In both colors, the vineyard team are working to mitigate the effects of climate change and minimize the quantities of copper employed in treatments throughout the year. In the cuvier and chai, winemaking remains very classical, with fermentation in Haut-Brion's proprietary two-tier stainless steel tanks, designed to maximize the quantity of high-quality free-run juice; malolactic fermentation in tank; and maturation in new oak barrels, some 80% of which are produced in house by Séguin Moreau (complemented by purchased barrels from Demptos and Taransaud). White grapes are whole-cluster pressed with great attention to pH, the musts protected with dry ice, and bottled with some 25 parts per million free sulfites, without much in the way of dissolved carbon dioxide.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Perhaps seeing a 100 Pt score is not a surprise here, but the devil is in detail as every vintage carries a unique signature, and this is the point of tasting and comparing. I am jealous of the younger generation of consumers that will be able to compare the 2018, 2019, and 2020 on maturity, as each vintage has its own strong points and character. The 2019 offers a vibrant, rich, refined, powerful, concentrated, smoky profile with countless layers of roasted, smoked red and black fruits, herbs, spice-box, cigar wrapper, cedar, and burnt leaves. Even though this is incredibly dense and intense, it is also light on its feet. Effortless to drink, with a beautiful, elegant, silky, refined finish that surpasses the 60-second mark, this will be seen by future generations as one of the great vintages of Haut Brion. Drink from 2032-2075. 100 Points

VertdeVin

The nose is elegant, currently discreetly tight (but this will fade over time) and offers precision, delicacy and harmonious power. It reveals notes of fresh quenette, bright white peach and fresh kumquat associated with touches of lemon blossoms, racy minerality, lemon as well as fine hints of mandarin blossoms and a subtle hint of fresh almond. The palate is fruity, elegant, delicate, racy, harmonious, tense (in delicacy) and offers precision, a nice freshness, minerality, roundness, a nice salinity, fat, unctuosity with freshness, a pretty tangy weft as well as a pretty side of “unrolling silk thread”. On the palate this wine expresses notes of juicy / pulpy lemon, juicy / pulpy mandarin and more slightly quenette associated with passion fruit, carambole as well as fine hints of crushed nectarine, racy minerality and with a very discreet hint of pepper (in the background). Presence of an imperceptible hint of vanilla on the aftertaste.

The Wine Independent

Jeb Dunnuck

The Grand Vin 2019 Château Haut-Brion checks in as a classic blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc. Its deep purple hue is followed by a stunning bouquet of ripe black cherry and currant-like fruit as well as classic Graves cold fireplace, burning embers, tobacco, and cedar pencil. More regal, firm, and classically structured on the palate, this full-bodied beauty has a deep, concentrated mid-palate, building tannins, background oak, and a great, great finish. It's very much in the focused, elegant, yet still concentrated and powerful style of the vintage. It will need a solid decade of cellaring, but it’s a brilliant wine.

James Suckling

The black cassis comes out of the glass, together with iodine, sandalwood and subtle moss and wet-bark undertones, then turning to violets. The palate is mind-blowing, with a cashmere texture that unravels on the palate and continues on for minutes. It’s full of superbly complex, ethereal character and mouth-feel, One of the wines of the vintage. As glorious as it may be to taste now, this is one for your deep cellar. Try in 2029.