2005 Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
100% new oak. Double decant + 6 hours.
The stand-out First Growth in my recent tasting of the 2005s, and again here it blew us all away. This was a drought year, with almost no rain from May to October, but never excessively hot, and the balance is evident. The slightly dry tannins that affected many 2005s when young were never such a problem on the warm soils at Haut-Brion, and this is generous, exceptionally nuanced and flavourful, with vivid black cherry and cassis fruits, riven through with liquorice, cocoa bean, pomegranate, sage, cocoa bean and luscious acidities. Jean-Phillip Delmas, the winemaker, was two years into his tenure after taking over from his father, Jean-Bernard Delmas, in 2003.
Drink 2023 - 2050
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (June 2023)
One of my wines of the night, the 2005 Haut-Brion, is stratospheric. Remarkably vivid and nuanced, the 2005 presents a compelling mélange of dark flavours laced with the savoury/mineral notes typical of Haut-Brion. The 2005 is a thrill to follow in the glass, as it continually reveals new shades of its personality, which I consider a common attribute among the world's truly great wines—the dense, explosive finish points to a very bright future. Readers who own the 2005 should be thrilled; it is truly magnificent.
Drink 2020 - 2055
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (November 2015)
The mineral-laced 2005 Haut Brion (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) is exquisite. With its elegance and finesse, it is not as powerful as La Mission, but the nobility and complexity of the aromatics, incredible fragrance (subtle smoke and blue, red, and black fruits) that persists in the glass, full-bodied mouthfeel (though very light and delicate on its feet), and incredible length characterize this great Haut-Brion. It is just starting to drink well and should continue to do so for at least another three decades. It is a tour de force in winemaking, but only 9,000 cases were produced.
Drink 2015 - 2045
Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (June 2015)
This is a wine that makes you dream. The nose is packed with flowers, sweet tobacco, iodine, spices, raspberries, blackberries, and great freshness. The texture is perfection, pure silk, and the fruit is wonderfully complex and subtle. Currants, fresh mushrooms, flowers, and stones fill the mouth and make way for a delightful finish. Please leave this alone until 2020.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (April 2011)
A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc.
The 2005 Haut-Brion was the last wine I tasted of the weekend, yet it transcended the potential for palate fatigue to impress me immensely. I ranked this as the best wine in a powerful flight, and like the Lafite on the first day, I felt it was near perfection. The aromas ranged from ripe blackcurrant and plum to pepper, cedar, leather, and earth. Although youthful and still very primary, it was accessible and engaging at this early stage. It is a wine of massive concentration with a robust structure, boasting firm but fine-grained tannins, lots of extracts, and a pleasant freshness that gives the finish extraordinary persistence.
Drink 2021 - 2040
Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (June 2021)
An absolutely perfect wine in every way, the 2005 Château Haut-Brion reveals a more vivid ruby/plum hue and a quintessential Haut-Brion bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, iron, and lead pencil, with just a hint of background violet and floral, earthy nuances. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it stays tight and compact on the palate and builds flawless tannins and nicely integrated acidity.
Drink 2024 - 2055
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (June 2024)
About this WINE
Chateau Haut-Brion
The only property from outside the Médoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, Haut-Brion’s viticultural history can be traced back further than its Médoc First Growth counterparts. Samuel Pepys even mentions it in his diaries. Situated in what is now Pessac-Léognan, the property finds itself now in the suburbs of the ever-encroaching city of Bordeaux.
After falling into a state of disrepair the estate was purchased in 1935 by Clarence Dillon, an American financier, since when it has enjoyed a steady and continual resurgence to a position of pre-eminence. Dillon’s great-grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, now runs the estate, but a key influence in the reputation which Haut-Brion enjoys today is the Delmas family. George Delmas was manager and wine-maker until 1960, when his son Jean-Bernard took over. Jean- Bernard was a visionary figure, responsible for a number of important innovations, and on his retirement in 2003 his son Jean-Philippe took over as Directeur Générale.
The vineyard is planted to 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. A stunning white wine is also made, from a part of the vineyard which is 63% Semillon and 37% Sauvignon Blanc. Production is smaller than at the other First Growth Wines, totalling about 20,000 cases, shared between the Grand Vin and a second wine, formerly called Bahans-Haut-Brion but changed in 2007 to Clarence de Haut-Brion in recognition of Clarence Dillon. Production of Haut Brion Blanc is minute, less than 800 cases in most years.
Beginning with the 2009 vintage a new white wine was introduced in the place of Clarence: La Clarté de Haut-Brion, the offspring of Domaine Clarence Dillon's two prestigious white wines: Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc.
Fermentation of the red wines takes place in stainless steel vats, after which the wine will spend 22 months, sometimes more, in new oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered. For the white wine fermentation takes place in new oak barrels, after which the wine spends a further year to 15 months on its lees in barrel before bottling. The white wine is truly sensational, equivalent in class to a top-flight White Burgundy Grand Cru, but its scarcity means that it is rarely seen.
The red wine is no less extraordinary; at its best it displays text-book Graves characteristics of cigar-box, curranty fruit, earth, smoky spice and cassis. The high Merlot content, compared to the Médoc First Growths, gives it a voluptuous edge, but does not in any way detract from its ability to age.
Pessac-Léognan
In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, in Bordeaux, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan, the first of which lies within the suburbs of the city. Essentially this came about through pressure from Pessac-Léognan vignerons, who wished to disassociate themselves from growers with predominately sandy soils further south in Graves.
Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
The climate is milder than to the north of the city and the harvest can occur up to two weeks earlier. This gives the best wines a heady, rich and almost savoury character, laced with notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, the soil is sandier with more clay, and the wines are lighter, fruity and suitable for earlier drinking.
Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, Ch. Pape Clément, Ch Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, Ch. Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Ch. Carmes Haut-Brion, Ch. La Garde, Villa Bel-Air.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
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.
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.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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