Chateau Haut Brion Red Dry Wine 2016 750ml /Domaine Clarence Dillon

Tasting Notes

Bright red with garnet-red and purple highlights. The nose is very expressive and complex: a combination of red and black fruit, violets, etc., plus a remarkable impression of freshness! The wine starts out full-bodied and juicy on the palate, then develops with incredible refinement, showing rich tannin and plenty of volume, but not aggressiveness. The wine is broad-based and thick, but not heavy. Not a hair out of place, nothing to express. And what flavor!!! This Haut-Brion is undoubtedly one of the chateau’s greatest successes.

Blend:

-Merlot : 56%

-Cabernet Sauvignon : 37.5 %

- Cabernet Franc : 6.5%

Weather conditions

Despite a winter and a spring marked by complicated climatic conditions – abundant rain and temperatures below seasonal averages – flowering took place with an almost miraculous homogeneity. The great brought of the summer ended with a rainy season in mid-September that was very beneficial for the end of the maturity cycle. In October, no rain came to disrupt our harvest. The freshness of the nights, combined with the warm days, allowed to develop wines rich in color but also fresh and fruity. Paradox or miracle of nature? We would rather think it is the combination of human effort and, in particular, once again, the exceptional terroir.

The quintessence of a unique terroir

Château Haut-Brion’s vineyard is located in the commune of Pessac, just a few miles southwest of Bordeaux’s city center. It belongs to the Pessac-Léognan appellation, to the north of the Graves wine-growing region.

Château Haut-Brion’s singular terroir of Graves

The property is situated just opposite that of Château La Mission Haut-Brion and shares the same gravelly and elevated terrain ideal for cultivating vines already referred to Haut-Brion on ancient maps and deeds. The nature of the gravel at Château Haut-Brion, consisting of small stones of various types of quartz, is a key element contributing to the particularly valuable wine-growing potential of the soil. The gravel soil lies on a single subsoil of clay, sand, limestone and falun (limestone shell) established at the end of the Tertiary era, then during the Quaternary era throughout the Ice Ages. From 20 centimetres to over 3 metres thick, the gravel deposits form slopes that enjoy excellent exposure, with natural drainage reinforced by a large hydrographic network of small water courses, as the Peugue or the Serpent, tributaries of the Garonne.

A unique know-how

If the wines of Château Haut-Brion are today famous all over the world, they owe it, of course, to the particular ecosystem of their terroir, but also to the succession of passionate and dedicated professionals who through their know achieved such exceptional results.

Harvest, the culmination of a whole year’s work

The harvest is the culmination of a whole year’s work. The grapes are harvested by hand according to their ripeness, then sorted and de-stalked (the stalk is separated from the fruit) leaving only the quintessence, which will determine the greatness of the vintage. The fruit is placed in a vat and the temperature is gradually raised so that fermentation can begin.

The greatness of a vintage depends on the optimal quality of each harvested grape.

From grapes to wine, a moment of truth in the winery

The grapes are harvested, then placed in a vat… The temperature is gradually raised so that fermentation can begin. Thanks to technology and precise temperature control, the fermentation is fully controlled. Two weeks later, when the colors, tannins and main aromas have delivered their full potential, it’s time to drain the vats. This is the moment of truth, each vat containing a wine with its own unique personality.

The best wines are selected for Château Haut-Brion and placed in new barrels for 20 to 24 months. Ageing helps to develop the wine, gently oxygenate it and form its character. The wine is then bottled to continue the slow ageing process.