1996 CHÂTEAU HAUT BRION 1996

Pessac Leognan

Médoc - 1er Cru Classé

Condition Good

Stock : 0 bottle

510,00 € tax incl. 425,00 € tax excl.

Infos produit

What most characterizes the climate of 1996 is its great regularity. In summary, an average summer dotted with some good periods.
Château Haut Brion 1996 is a good wine overall, ample, with a good structure and good harmony.

Avis d'expert

90 / 100

Franck Dubourdieu

(09-2007)

4 / 5

Michael Broadbent

(03-2001)
Medium-deep with rich legs; nose packed with fruit, fragrant; sweet, fairly full body masking the tannin and acidity, complete, lovely flavour.

93 / 100

Wine Spectator

(2007)
Gorgeous aromas of crushed berries, cigar box, black licorice and tanned leather. Full-bodied, with fine silky tannins and a medium to long finish. Seems a little tight right now. But refined and pretty. Nice for the vintage.

92 / 100

Robert PARKER - The Wine Advocate

(04-1999)
The backward 1996 Haut-Brion was bottled in July, 1998. Even administrator Jean Delmas was surprised by how closed it was when I tasted it in January. Only 60% of the crop was utilized in the final blend, which was 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc. Out of barrel, this wine exhibited far more forthcoming aromatics as well as a sweeter mid-palate than it revealed from bottle. I had expected it to be more forward, and thus slightly down-graded the wine, although I am thrilled to own it and follow what appears to be a slow evolution. It will be a potentially long-lived wine. The 1996 exhibits a deep rubypurple color, and a surprisingly tight bouquet. With aeration, notes of fresh tobacco, dried herbs, smoke, asphalt, and black fruits emerge ... but reluctantly. It is tannic and medium-bodied, with outstanding purity and a layered, multidimensional style.

Features

Château informations

Features

Vintage	Wine 1996
Classification	Médoc - 1er Cru Classé
Region	Bordeaux
Appellation	Pessac Leognan
Colour	Red
Volume	0.75 l
Country	France
Château	Château Haut Brion
Country	France

Château informations

Château Haut Brion

It was in 1855 that Château Haut Brion was honored with the highest distinction of Médoc wines: Premier Cru Classé (First Growth). Château Haut Brion is the only non-Médoc domain to be included in the Médoc wine list, as well as the Graves wine classification as a Classified Growth!

Its soil is similar to elsewhere as a brother of Latour. Without being the most concentrated, Haut Brion is the most noble of wines from Pessac-Leognan and its longevity is unparalleled in the industry. The silky tannins are always exceptional. Chateau Haut-Brion is the oldest and yet the smallest of vineyards classified as Premiers Grands Crus in 1855 (Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion)

Although the vineyard has been active in the region since at least Roman times, the first mention of vineyards of Haut-Brion dates back only to 1423. In the early days, the wines were known by the name of the parishes where they came from. In the case of Haut-Brion, under the leadership of Pontac, the wine first bore the name of this noble and respectable family. Haut Brion was founded in 1525 by Jean de Pontac and since famous people have succeeded. The last of them, Clarence Douglas Dillon, was Minister of Finance of the United States under the Kennedy administration. As its reputation grew, the name of the estate came to replace that of its owners. The concept of Grand Cru is born! We find the first mention in the diary of Samuel Pepys, who wrote April 10, 1663: "I just tasted a French wine called Ho-Bryan (sic) which has the best and most special taste I've ever enountered."

Among the many great vintages of Château Haut Brion, the exceptional vintages are 1926, 1945, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000.