2005 Ch. Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

Very perfumed nose of red and black fruits, almost exotic. Gorgeous texture on the palate fills the mouth, sumptuous. Great intensity, abundant but ripe tannins, very long. Magnificent.
(Alun Griffiths MW, BBR Wine Director - Mar 09)

In the words of Robert Parker, 'A strong argument can be made that this great First Growth is the world's most elegant and aromatically complex wine'. In 2005 it lives up to such an exulted billing   An intoxicating bouquet of sun-kissed red and black cherries abounds with hints of roasted coffee bean and mocha. This is a brooding, sleeping giant of a wine with monumental levels of fruit but an exquisitely fine demeanour.  Intense and mouthfilling with wonderful length, it has all the classic earthy mineral Haut Brion richness that you would expect.This is power and elegance par excellence .

Another profound effort from Haut-Brion, the 2005 (a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc) has bulked up to the point that it is fair to compare it to the great successes of 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2000... noble bouquet of blue and red fruits interwoven with wet stones, unsmoked cigar tobacco, scorched earth, and spring flowers. The wine is full-bodied and complex as well as exceptionally elegant with laser-like precision. The tannins are still serious and substantial, and in that sense, this is a completely different style of Haut-Brion than the opulent, silky-textured 1989 and 1990; it comes across as an improved, more concentrated and structured version of the 1995 or 1998. Patience will be required for this stunner.