Pessac-Leognan
Located just south of Bordeaux, the Péssac-Léognan AOC is renowned for producing exceptional red and white wines. The area's unique terroir, characterized by gravelly soil, allows for excellent drainage and provides the perfect environment for the cultivation of the region's signature varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for reds and Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for whites. Château Haut-Brion is amongst the most prestigious First Growth in this appellation. Other renowned wineries in the region include the Super Second Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and the fast ascending Château Smith Haut-Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier, all of which are known for their exceptional red and white blends.
Pessac-Leognan
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Bordeaux | 6 | 89-91 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€419.47 |
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Wine Advocate (89-91). |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 93 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€413.76 |
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James Suckling (93)Aromas of dried pineapple, mango, preserved lemon, toasted bread and salted almonds. It’s full-bodied with a layered, intense and nutty palate. Excellent concentration and length. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | - |
Inc. TAX
€700.93 |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€17,785.46 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (98)It is time that the 1982 Haut-Brion got the respect it deserves. Forever deemed the "least" of the First Growth, that holds no water if this example is anything to go by, the best of a couple of dozen bottles encountered over many years. Amazingly-fresh on the nose, this shimmers with red fruit, black olive, meat juices and incense, gaining vigour with each swirl of the glass. The palate is perfectly balanced with a lovely line of acidity, focused and refined with just a slightly roasted character towards the finish. Harmonious and effortless, it is the kind of claret that leaves you grinning like a Cheshire cat. Tasted at the 1982 Dinner at Hatched. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€2,719.45 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (98)It is time that the 1982 Haut-Brion got the respect it deserves. Forever deemed the "least" of the First Growth, that holds no water if this example is anything to go by, the best of a couple of dozen bottles encountered over many years. Amazingly-fresh on the nose, this shimmers with red fruit, black olive, meat juices and incense, gaining vigour with each swirl of the glass. The palate is perfectly balanced with a lovely line of acidity, focused and refined with just a slightly roasted character towards the finish. Harmonious and effortless, it is the kind of claret that leaves you grinning like a Cheshire cat. Tasted at the 1982 Dinner at Hatched. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€8,435.26 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€728.04 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€4,105.32 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (VN (NM)) |
Inc. TAX
€7,013.56 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (95)The 1986 Haut-Brion is drinking beautifully and seems to have stretched its lead over La Mission. This ex-château bottle has quite wide degradation in colour. There is more depth on the nose than La Mission, still quite fleshy and generous (atypically for the vintage) with melted red and black fruit, warm gravel, cedar and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with a silver bead of acidity. This is less Margaux-like than the bottle I tasted in 2021, a little more fungal towards the finish with touches of chestnut and leather. Still, I admire its insistent grip in the final third, which feels pure and quintessentially "Haut-Brion." Excellent. Tasted at Fells' annual tasting in London. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JA) |
Inc. TAX
€30,273.47 |
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Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)A legendary wine, and one that I have only tried twice in my life (and this time thanks to a generous friend in London). It's always a bit nerve-racking to uncork bottles that have so much history resting on their shoulders, but it more than lived up to billing. I hesitate to give a 'drink to' date, as this particular bottle has proved stubbornly long-living, despite 1989 being such a hot and dry year, and a number of them now on their final innings. It is very clearly in its tertiary phase, with saffron, tobacco and roasted earth notes, but there is still fruit here, and an explosion of cigar box, rose petal and liqourice aromatics. I'm not suggesting that this is easy to get hold of, but if you are able to, take your time with it, and share it with friends who will enjoy it as much as you will do. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (WCI) |
Inc. TAX
€14,581.46 |
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The Wine Cellar Insider (99)Just a hair's breadth away from the legendary 1989, this is one of those mesmerizing wines. The wine is concentrated, long, deep, complex, and expansive, with incredible, length, purity, volume, refinement, and a seamless finish that is close to the 60-second mark. Just entering its prime, it is only going to get better from here for at least 2-3 more decades. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 89 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€429.73 |
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Wine Advocate (89)This wine has turned out far better than I ever expected. It started off life relatively austere, closed, and tannic, and seemed a bit light, but the wine has put on weight (as so many vintages of Haut-Brion tend to do), and now shows a very complex nose of cigar tobacco intermixed with scorched earth, sweet cherry and black currant fruit, and some high quality toast. The wine is medium-bodied and a great example of finesse, elegance, and just brilliant winemaking in a vintage where the odds were stacked against even a great terroir such as Haut Brion. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007. Last tasted, 11/02. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 18.5 (JR) |
Inc. TAX
€6,229.46 |
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Jancis Robinson (18.5)Just lovely wine, and the only one that was not dominated by a single variety, being a Cabernet/Merlot blend. Excellent lustrous, nuanced ruby.. Clearly a very fine mature wine. Strong liquorice notes (Haut-Brion 'warm bricks' earthiness?) For a second I wondered if it was a 1998 Hermitage. Very complex. Spread across the palate. My guess is that no one dared guess it was a first growth but we were looking for appreciation in the comments box... |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Bordeaux | 6 | 89-91 (WA) |
In Bond
€302.00 |
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Wine Advocate (89-91). |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 93 (JS) |
In Bond
€302.00 |
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James Suckling (93)Aromas of dried pineapple, mango, preserved lemon, toasted bread and salted almonds. It’s full-bodied with a layered, intense and nutty palate. Excellent concentration and length. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | - |
In Bond
€581.00 |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€14,780.00 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (98)It is time that the 1982 Haut-Brion got the respect it deserves. Forever deemed the "least" of the First Growth, that holds no water if this example is anything to go by, the best of a couple of dozen bottles encountered over many years. Amazingly-fresh on the nose, this shimmers with red fruit, black olive, meat juices and incense, gaining vigour with each swirl of the glass. The palate is perfectly balanced with a lovely line of acidity, focused and refined with just a slightly roasted character towards the finish. Harmonious and effortless, it is the kind of claret that leaves you grinning like a Cheshire cat. Tasted at the 1982 Dinner at Hatched. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€2,260.00 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (98)It is time that the 1982 Haut-Brion got the respect it deserves. Forever deemed the "least" of the First Growth, that holds no water if this example is anything to go by, the best of a couple of dozen bottles encountered over many years. Amazingly-fresh on the nose, this shimmers with red fruit, black olive, meat juices and incense, gaining vigour with each swirl of the glass. The palate is perfectly balanced with a lovely line of acidity, focused and refined with just a slightly roasted character towards the finish. Harmonious and effortless, it is the kind of claret that leaves you grinning like a Cheshire cat. Tasted at the 1982 Dinner at Hatched. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€6,985.00 |
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Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€603.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€3,410.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (96)The 1985 Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not encountered for several years. This has an intense nose with dark berry fruit, wild mint, iris flower and just a touch of garrigues. Complex and entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with the presence and gravitas you expect from a First Growth. Very harmonious with a silky texture and outstanding minerality and tension, this meliorates in the glass, gaining depth and clarity whilst retaining Graves-like typicité. Perhaps this was an under-estimated First Growth for the vintage. This is drinking supremely well, plus it is cheaper than the '89! Tasted at the 1985 dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair. |
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|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (VN (NM)) |
In Bond
€5,805.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (95)The 1986 Haut-Brion is drinking beautifully and seems to have stretched its lead over La Mission. This ex-château bottle has quite wide degradation in colour. There is more depth on the nose than La Mission, still quite fleshy and generous (atypically for the vintage) with melted red and black fruit, warm gravel, cedar and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with a silver bead of acidity. This is less Margaux-like than the bottle I tasted in 2021, a little more fungal towards the finish with touches of chestnut and leather. Still, I admire its insistent grip in the final third, which feels pure and quintessentially "Haut-Brion." Excellent. Tasted at Fells' annual tasting in London. |
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|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JA) |
In Bond
€25,205.00 |
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Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)A legendary wine, and one that I have only tried twice in my life (and this time thanks to a generous friend in London). It's always a bit nerve-racking to uncork bottles that have so much history resting on their shoulders, but it more than lived up to billing. I hesitate to give a 'drink to' date, as this particular bottle has proved stubbornly long-living, despite 1989 being such a hot and dry year, and a number of them now on their final innings. It is very clearly in its tertiary phase, with saffron, tobacco and roasted earth notes, but there is still fruit here, and an explosion of cigar box, rose petal and liqourice aromatics. I'm not suggesting that this is easy to get hold of, but if you are able to, take your time with it, and share it with friends who will enjoy it as much as you will do. |
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|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (WCI) |
In Bond
€12,110.00 |
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The Wine Cellar Insider (99)Just a hair's breadth away from the legendary 1989, this is one of those mesmerizing wines. The wine is concentrated, long, deep, complex, and expansive, with incredible, length, purity, volume, refinement, and a seamless finish that is close to the 60-second mark. Just entering its prime, it is only going to get better from here for at least 2-3 more decades. |
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|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 89 (WA) |
In Bond
€355.00 |
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Wine Advocate (89)This wine has turned out far better than I ever expected. It started off life relatively austere, closed, and tannic, and seemed a bit light, but the wine has put on weight (as so many vintages of Haut-Brion tend to do), and now shows a very complex nose of cigar tobacco intermixed with scorched earth, sweet cherry and black currant fruit, and some high quality toast. The wine is medium-bodied and a great example of finesse, elegance, and just brilliant winemaking in a vintage where the odds were stacked against even a great terroir such as Haut Brion. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007. Last tasted, 11/02. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 18.5 (JR) |
In Bond
€5,150.00 |
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Jancis Robinson (18.5)Just lovely wine, and the only one that was not dominated by a single variety, being a Cabernet/Merlot blend. Excellent lustrous, nuanced ruby.. Clearly a very fine mature wine. Strong liquorice notes (Haut-Brion 'warm bricks' earthiness?) For a second I wondered if it was a 1998 Hermitage. Very complex. Spread across the palate. My guess is that no one dared guess it was a first growth but we were looking for appreciation in the comments box... |
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