Chateau Haut-Brion Premier Cru Classe, Pessac-Leognan 2006

The 2006 Haut-Brion performed even better from bottle than it did from barrel. 64% of the production went into this wine, and while it displays the vintage’s 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.

Drink 2017 - 2035

Opening initially with a red-fruited tinge, this evolves and transforms into slightly darker fruit brushed with graphite. The fruit is still forward, gradually allowing notes of toast, smoke and turned earth to nestle alongside. It's still gutsy in structure, with fine cranberry acidity.

Drink 2024 - 2035

Less obvious than La Mission, this is more about charcoal, grilled berries, and crisp minerality, with a near-perfect tightrope of freshness. Gripping and full of uplift, it starts slowly and builds in volume but remains subtle and restrained. There’s no excess here; everything is in balance.

Drink 2018 - 2036

Medium ruby-red. Inviting aromas of plum, warm stones, red liquorice and menthol. Suave, gentle and elegantly styled, it is distinctly sweeter and lusher today than the La Mission, with even more mid-palate depth. More red fruits are also showing today, with pungent minerality giving the wine lift and juiciness. Finishes with suave but substantial building tannins. Last year, this wine was showing its spine while La Mission was more opulent; in bottle, it's the other way around.