Château Haut-Brion 2025

It is the depth of this nose that invites you to linger: profoundly dark, with ripe cherry fruit, blackcurrant and blueberry, then floral notes and dried herbs; the palate is full, opulent and very well structured, this burst of fruit seems to hover over the tongue, with the tannins only making themselves felt right at the back of the palate; the finish is saline, with dark and red berries and an unending length. Monumental.

One of the wines of the vintage for me and a clear contender for a 100–point score in bottle. Sticky liquorice and blackcurrant fruit on the nose, dark and slightly heady with fragrant jasmine aspects. Bright, alive, glossy and so perfectly weighted on the palate – more streamlined than LMHB at this point but still with chew and bounce. Lovely vibrancy capturing the ripe fruit of the vintage with a crisp, tense and cool base of spiced raspberries, cherries and touches of cranberry. Stony but delicately leaving a soft gravel and salinity on the tongue. Delicious – this knocks it out of the park. Adore it! A yield of 26hl/ha.

At the moment, it takes a bit of effort to fully appreciate the aromatics. But with swirling, you find flowers, Cuban cigars, black pit fruits, blackberries, smoke, mesquite, blue fruits, herbs, and exotic spices. On the palate, the fruit purity will knock out any wine taster. Elegant, silky, long, and precise, the seamless finish starts slowly and builds from there. Seamless in its delivery, this is a sublime vintage for Haut Brion. The wine was shaped in part by its dry summer and August rains, which lowered the ABV level and provided more lift to the concentrated berries. The wine blends 62% Merlot, 26.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.8% Cabernet Franc. 13% ABV, 3.7 pH. Picking took place September 1 - September 18. Yields were 29 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2030-2075. 97-99 Pts

Such a taut, slate-strewn journey through the palate here, slow burn, love it. An exceptional Haut-Brion, with beautiful toasted cumin and sandalwood notes, cloves, cassis, pomegranate and cocoa beans. Muscular, structured, brooding, this is going to run and run. 59% new oak. 27hl/ha yield. Alcohols among lowest on record, and yet intensely concenrated. 3.72ph Harvest September 1 to 18. 59% new oak. 62% of production in this 1st wine.

While intensity is certainly an important criterion, Haut-Brion doesn’t really focus on it. It is the details, the pixels, the definition that shape its character and its ambitions. Spicy nuances mingle with aromas of peony, liquorice, lemongrass and malt, while notes of blackcurrant and raspberry complete this exceptional array! Creamy on the attack, the wine unfolds with elegance and subtlety. It shows a taut, precise power, carried by textured tannins working in tandem with incisive acidity. The latter brings a tonic, sharp, energising edge. A majestic, serene wine that stands among the appellation’s most brilliant successes, never raising its voice, with a fascinating harmony.

Deep red colour with purple and black highlights. A very aromatic nose: refined, fruity, deep and highly complex, with an inky note that brings it close to the great Médocs. Fleshy and precise on the attack, more restrained here than La Mission, the wine gradually settles on the mid-palate, builds its framework, develops vibrant aromas and then suddenly surges on the finish—at once very powerful, delicate and, above all, immensely long. Never have I seen a Haut Brion fill the mouth to such an extent, with such precision and intensity from mid-palate to finish. Grandiose! Blend: 62% Merlot, 26.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.8% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol: 13.05% - pH: 3.72. Yield: 29.1 hl/ha. For the record, this alcohol level is the lowest in the 2009–2025 series. The much-loved 2016 is at 14%. Such a moderate level recalls 2004 and 2003. It is linked first to the rains at the end of August (50 mm), which diluted the sweetness, and then to the addition to the blend of a Cabernet Franc lot deemed remarkable, with a moderate alcohol level of 12.6%.