The SoCal Winos Discord takes on Haut-Brion

Feel incredibly lucky to be at such a monumental tasting. Not sure I’ll ever attend something so extravagant ever again, but the memories will live on for a very long time. My notes below. I’m sure others will chime in with their thoughts and favorites.

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2018 Haut-Brion Blanc ⭐

This had a beautiful medium plus gold color and a lot of aromatic lift right away. The fruit leaned exotic with clear notes of mango and lychee along with citrus and orchard fruit, all framed by some oak. The palate had good acidity and weight, which gave it structure while still feeling lively. Even though it is young it already felt expressive and layered, which made it one of the more memorable wines in the lineup.

1949 Haut-Brion

This wine immediately read as very old and quite evolved. Aromatically it leaned heavily into dried fruit and nutty oxidative notes that made it feel almost Madeira-like rather than classically Bordeaux. The structure was still there but the fruit had clearly moved well into tertiary territory. It felt more like a historical curiosity than a classic expression of the estate.

1966 Haut-Brion ⭐

This bottle had been recorked at Haut-Brion, which was worth noting given its age. The wine showed mature Bordeaux character with dried red fruit, tobacco, and earthy complexity on the nose. On the palate it still had balance with moderate tannin and acidity and felt surprisingly alive. It came across as one of the more compelling mature wines in the lineup.

1970 Haut-Brion

The nose started fairly closed but opened up with time in the glass. Once it did the wine showed more classic mature claret notes like earth, dried fruit, and savory secondary elements. The acidity kept it fresh and the tannins were present but resolved. It felt like a wine that simply needed patience.

1976 Haut-Brion ⭐

This one did not show everything right away but really came together with air. As it opened the fruit and tertiary notes started to integrate and the wine gained complexity. Structurally it felt balanced with medium acidity and softened tannins. By the end it was really impressive and one of the wines that stood out most.

1979 Haut-Brion

This wine sat somewhere in the middle of the lineup stylistically. It showed mature red fruit with some earth and tobacco but without quite the depth of the strongest bottles. The structure was balanced and correct with nothing out of place. Overall it felt solid but more understated than some of the standouts.

1989 Haut-Brion ⭐

This was one of the most distinctive wines of the tasting. The aromatics were fascinating with clear notes of Thin Mints like Girl Scout cookies along with menthol and mint ice cream layered over dark fruit. There were also baking spice and five-spice notes that added complexity. The palate had a light bite of structure that kept the wine energetic and lifted.

1994 Haut-Brion

This wine felt more about structure than pure aromatics. It showed classic Bordeaux elements like red fruit, earth, and tobacco with firm tannin still giving it shape. The acidity kept everything balanced and the wine felt composed and built in a traditional way. Not the most expressive wine of the lineup but very correct stylistically.

1995 Haut-Brion ⭐

The 1995 had a bit more presence than the 1994. It showed both red and darker fruit with tobacco and earthy notes starting to come forward. The tannins were still fairly firm and the wine had good length. It came across as a classic claret that still has some grip left.

2016 Haut-Brion

This was clearly the youngest-tasting wine in the lineup. The fruit felt very primary and the tannins were prominent, giving the wine a dense structured profile. Oak and fresh dark fruit dominated the aromatics. It felt like a wine that still has a long evolution ahead of it.

2018 Haut-Brion

This wine showed a deep color and immediately felt powerful and concentrated. The aromatics leaned toward dark fruit with oak and earthy complexity underneath. On the palate it had significant structure with firm tannins and good acidity supporting the fruit. It came across as a big, modern Haut-Brion that will likely need many years before it really opens up.