Chateau Haut Brion 2006

Winemaker Notes
Elegance would be the word that best describes this wine. There exist obvious wines which spontaneously approach you and those whose reticence oblige you to draw them out to get to know them. Chteau Haut-Brion, without a doubt, falls into the second category. Its color is a very deep red. The nose, at first reserved, opens up softly and slowly. Notes of minerals are followed by red berries, then an earthy whiff dominated by an aroma of fresh ground coffee beans. Before you know it the wine charms you with all of its incredible complexity. The mouth is silky. The treatment of this vintage’s special tannins renders them astonishingly suave. Their freshness carries them along eventually towards an unending length on the palate. One will without a doubt need great patience to await the future when one can truly profit from the potential of this great vintage of Chteau Haut-Brion.

Critical Acclaim

96 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2006 Haut-Brion performed even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Sixty-four percent of the production went into this wine, and while it displays the vintages powerful tannins and structure, it possesses superb concentration, and the minerality/scorched earth notes of a great Haut-Brion. Medium to full-bodied, with perhaps not quite the fleshiness of the 2005 or 2000, it is built more along the lines of the 1998 and 1996. It is a brilliant effort displaying sensational purity, texture, and length that should be exceptionally long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.

95 Jeb Dunnuck
The 2006 Haut Brion is a classic, elegant version of this cuvee, and while approachable, it is still young and relatively unevolved. Textbook Graves notes of smoky tobacco, cigar, leafy herbs, lots of earthy minerality, and a deep core of black fruits all emerge from this beauty. With medium to full-bodied richness and impressive mid-palate depth, it has fine, present tannin, impeccable balance, and a great finish. Drink this classic Haut Brion anytime over the coming two decades.

Chteau Haut-Brion was the first estate in Bordeaux to be known by its place and name in the 17th century. This revolutionary Chteau was also the first to craft New French Claret which the current red Bordeaux standard is now based on. Haut-Brion seamlessly combines ideal terroir, devoted ownership and effective use of technology. This is the only First Growth located in Pessac-Leognan and remains the benchmark of quality throughout the region. 120 acres are devoted to reds producing 10,000 to 12,000 cases and less than 10 acres are allocated to whites for a smaller range of 650 to 850 cases. Optimum rootstock and clones are used, harvest is done by hand, and the wines are internationally celebrated for balance, complexity, cigar-box, currant fruit and cassis. Heres to the voluptuous, ageable wines of an incredible and historic First Growth.