2008 Château Haut-Brion

Description

97    Jane Anson for Decanter
“For me, Haut-Brion stands a few notches above La Mission in this vintage. It’s a wine which is almost impossible to spit forwards rather than backwards! The entire palate climbs upwards, with a mineral kick and slatey walls. This is the most complex wine that I have tasted so far, showing layers of cassis, rosemary and freshly picked mint – utterly gorgeous, and another wine of the vintage contender. Drinking Window 2020- 2038” (12/2017)

96    Robert Parker for Wine Advocate
“This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for wine of the vintage. Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate’s smallest crops. It should drink well for three decades or more.” (5/2011)

96    Roger Voss for Wine Enthusiast
“Dark, dusty, hugely structured, Haut-Brion is a complex, serious wine with grandeur. The wine has considerable weight, its tannins striated through the black plum and damson skin fruits. For long-term aging.” (4/2011)

95+   Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2008 Haut Brion has a very perfumed and floral bouquet: ebullient raspberry coulis and crushed strawberry fruit, sage and a hint of black olive. It just builds momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels a little grainy in texture, centered upon gravelly black fruit laced with black olive and smoke. It felt more austere than I expected, the finish reserved and somehow “contained” and yet the aftertaste is extraordinarily long. Avoid opening bottles for now because this was always one of the standout wines of the vintage, but at 10 years old it might be going through a dumb phase.” (2/2018)

94+   Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2008 Haut Brion is another classic, austere, yet balanced and concentrated wine in this vintage that still has some upside. Notes of blackcurrants, cold fireplace, smoked earth, and tobacco all flow to a medium to full-bodied, firm, structured Haut-Brion that has beautiful purity as well as length. It’s just still tight and relatively closed at present. Give bottles another 4-5 years, after which it should be at the early stages of its drinking plateau and cruise for another two decades.” (2/2019)