Wine Advisor
Haut Brion Blanc 1992
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Note: No 1991 was produced under the Haut-Brion-Blanc label. This is another blockbuster Haut-Brion-Blanc, with a big, ostentatious bouquet of sweet, honeyed fruit. Full-bodied, with layers of richness, this creamy-textured, fleshy wine is at present more evolved and dramatic than its sibling, the 1992 Laville. The wine possesses fine acidity and an explosively long, dry finish. This dazzling Haut-Brion-Blanc should drink well for 30+ years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A controversial wine that split the table. The nose is volatile: a potent cocktail of over-ripe orange, apricot and nail-varnish remover. The palate is quite rich with notes of ripe apricots and honey, though still tarnished by excessive volatility. Certainly an interesting wine but the volatility renders it more a curiosity than a pleasurable drink. Tasted October 2003.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at The Arches. This has a light, rather austere, leafy nose with scents of wild blackberries bush, scorched earth, cigar box and a touch of ink. Medium-bodied on the palate, struck through with a degree of elegance with cedar, leather complemented by hints of mulberry. Rather attenuated towards the finish, but certainly not thin considering the vintage, although with aeration there is a bitter element that is "nagging" rather than "annoying". Drink now - don't leave this much longer. Drink now-2011. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1992 reveals a deep ruby color, a sweet, ripe nose of black fruits, smoke, and minerals, fine ripeness and richness, medium body, an elegant personality, and a supple, slightly tannic finish. It should be mature in 4-5 years and last for 15 or more.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine is an immensely successful effort for the vintage, with elegance, sweetness, and a medium plum/garnet color already beginning to show some lightening at the edge. It has developed quickly, although the wine has surprising fruit and personality for such a dreadful vintage. The wine shows good cedary, spice box, cigar, and tobacco notes intermixed with minerals, sweet plum, and cherry. The finish is a bit short and attenuated, but the aromatics, attack, and mid-palate are delicious. Anticipated maturity: Now-2008. Last tasted, 11/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Forty percent of the 1992 harvest was eliminated from Haut-Brion's final blend. The result is a stylish yet authoritatively flavored wine that reminds me of a slightly down-sized version of the superb 1985. A beautiful deep ruby color is followed by a penetrating bouquet of black fruits, smoke, and minerals. Fine ripeness and outstanding richness allied to medium body, an elegant personality, and a supple, moderately tannic finish suggest this wine will be mature in 4-5 years and last for 15-20. A terrific success in 1992!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1992 Haut-Brion Blanc is a wine that I have only encountered once before and I recall it showing quite a lot of volatility. Now at 25 years of age, it retains those feisty, almost "raucous" aromatics: rich and powerful with dried honey, pickled ginger (the Japanese variety), Seville Orange marmalade and a touch of nectarine. The palate is intense, very concentrated with a slightly viscous texture. There is a lovely tang to this Haut-Brion Blanc, still full of energy, though you could quibble and argue that it lacks a bit of elegance or grace. But that would make it less fun and less engaging. Tasted at a white Bordeaux-themed private dinner in London.
About the Producer
Haut-Brion has long produced the most prestigious Graves Blanc, although it faced strong competition from its neighbour La Mission Haut-Brion, which had been producing its own white wines under the Laville Haut-Brion label until 2009, when it was rebranded as La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc (both estates are under the same ownership). With very small production since the first vintage in 1916, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has always been a wine of considerable strength and longevity; its rarity, and the fact that it is the only white wine produced by a first growth in the Graves, makes it highly sought after by collectors. The estate's first growth status does not include white wines and it remains unclassified. Of the 52 hectares planted on the estate, only 2.9 are white: 53% Sémillon and 47% Sauvignon Blanc. (There are also a few rows of Sauvignon Blanc today, but they were not planted in 1989). They are planted on a 27m high hillock opposite the château. The soil is very deep gravel, on a clay subsoil. There is less clay than in Lamena and a different mix of varieties, with much more Sauvignon Blanc in Haut-Brion. The whole estate is located within the city limits of Bordeaux and therefore benefits from a warmer microclimate. Yields range from 25-40 litres/ha. Harvesting is carried out by hand, at maximum ripeness, so that the wines vary from 13% to 14% alcohol. Sorting takes place in the vineyard and the grapes are pneumatically pressed in whole bunches with no skin contact. Fermentation was carried out in oak barrels with native yeasts, but malolactic fermentation was prevented. The wines were decanted every three or four months and aged for 10 to 12 months, with very little stirring of the lees. In the 1980s it was common for wines to be aged entirely in new oak barrels, but today this percentage is around 50%. Production varies from 5,500 to 8,500 bottles. In 2000, the British critic Tom Cannavan enthused: "The nose has a wax and wet wool character, very buttery, with a gorgeous weight of fruit and little floral notes in the peaches, vanilla and nuts. Wonderful fruit ripeness gives a sweet impression, lots of oranges and lush apricots ...... A long, very concentrated and pure finish. Recently, American critic Jeff Leve reported on the 2010 vertical tasting, noting that the 1989 "opens with freshly picked flowers, honey, caramel, grass, lemon and lime aromas. Accompanied by a rich, polished fruit texture, the wine finishes with a blend of citrus flavours".
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