Wine Advisor
Haut Brion Blanc 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Delicate grapefruit/melon nose. Medium/low acidity. Quite complex with integrated unintrusive oak. Well-balance with good definition. Quite difficult to assess at this early stage. Tasted again in June 2003 at Mouton Rothschild, the wine was well-balanced, quite oaky with good acidity. Notes of pear, white flowers and a little lemon zest. Not amazingly complex and drinking now. Tasted June 2003.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A beautiful Haut-Brion Blanc, the 1999 has put on considerable weight. It reveals characteristics of dried herbs, olives, smoke, buttery citrus, grapefruit, and a hint of orange skin. The wine is medium-bodied, with good acidity as well as a luscious flavor profile. Anticipated maturity: now-2020. Last tasted, 1/03
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
(No tasting note given)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index lunch. The Chateau Haut-Brion 1999 is an off-vintage that should not be overlooked. At now 14 years of age it has developed a sensual bouquet with black truffle infusing the blackberry and cedar fruit, having softened since I last tasted it back in June 2009. The palate is rounded and sweet on the entry with those svelte, satin-like tannins in place. It is much more open and generous than I was expecting with hints of liquorices towards the finish that displays moderate length. Drink now-2023. Tasted December 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1999 white wine harvest began August 30, and September 6 for the reds. Finished by September 24, it was not without problems (the huge liquid deluge of September 20 caught them picking grapes). As Jean Delmas revealed, there was 125% more rain than normal in the month of September, 1999, with more than three inches falling on September 20. I first tasted the 1999 Haut-Brion in January, and admittedly it was a very fine wine, but difficult to get excited about. However, it is remarkable what two months of aging can do, which is one of the reasons I have, for 21 years, preferred to taste during the last two weeks of March. The wine has put on considerable weight, and appears to be one of the vintage's few superstar efforts. Haut-Brion's 1999, a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, is superb, with a beginning point, a mid point, and a finish. It is dark ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet, mineral-infused, black fruit-scented nose revealing some of the roasted/scorched earth characteristics typical of wines from this region, displayed in a subtle fashion. New oak can be discerned, but it is a condiment as opposed to a dominating element. The wine possesses exceptional delineation, beautiful freshness, and copious quantities of fruit, glycerin, and sweet tannin. It tastes like a wine from a hot vintage, without any of the negative impacts of dilution, overripeness, or hollowness that have affected many other wines. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
First tasted in March 2000 at the Haut-Brion: huge opulent rich nose. Meaty/animal aromas. Smoother and more elegant than La Mission. Less power but more finesse. Tannins quite light but overall a very classy wine for drinking over 15 years. Tasted again in November 2003: very little on the nose which seems to have closed down. The palate has a very smooth entry, cohesive and well-integrated. Ripe red berries and very ripe tannins. Not a deep wine, lacks complexity of great Haut-Brions and will drink before the 1998.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This dark ruby/purple-colored, elegant effort reveals the scorched earth, black fruit, and mineral characteristics that so distinctively speak of Haut-Brion's famed terroir. The wine is beautifully balanced, with abundant quantities of sweet fruit, low acidity, and a forward, muscular stature. It should be drinkable at a relatively early age. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. The Haut-Brion is certainly more expressive on the nose than their neighbours over the road, very good lift with blackberry, cedar, iodine, macerated black cherries, a touch of dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced, very elegant with svelte, fine tannins. Very pure, rounded wild strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, a touch of Asian spice and a hint of liquorices. A little more complexity than La Mission although it just lacks a little length. Drink 2012-2025. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Deep plum, currant, and mineral notes emerge from the concentrated, beautifully balanced, pure 1999 Haut Brion. It seems to be cut from the same mold as years such as 1979 and 1985. There is a hint of graphite in the abundant fruit. The wine is medium to full-bodied, nuanced, subtle, deep, and provocatively elegant. It is made in a style that only Haut Brion appears capable of achieving. The finish is extremely long, the tannins sweet, and the overall impression one of delicacy interwoven with power and ripeness. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1999 Haut-Brion Blanc has a rich and honeyed nose, not a million miles away from the 1992 in style, though more controlled with juniper berries, beeswax, honeysuckle and peppermint. There is a patisserie note here, a touch of those lovely flaky Portuguese custard tarts! The palate is extremely well balanced with a compelling edginess. There are notes of orange zest and tangy grapefruit, later passion fruit and dried honey that form this complex and multi-faceted Haut-Brion Blanc that is only just beginning to enter its stride. This is the best bottle that I have encountered. 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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