Château Haut-Brion 2014

Top class: freshness, breed, volume, length, quality of the dense, firm, crisp tannins.

The 2014 Haut Brion is a blend of 50% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between September 11 and October 10, cropped at 42.9 hectoliters per hectare and raised in 70% new oak. As I noted when I made the comparison in barrel, Haut Brion exudes more red fruit than La Mission Haut Brion, adorned with wild strawberry, bilberry, tobacco and again, just that hint of menthol in the background. The palate is very fresh and taut on entry. The acidity is very well judged and there is a touch of marmalade and blood orange that is tangible at the back of the mouth. There is real frisson to this Haut Brion, not quite as seductive and smooth as its sibling across the road, but very persistent on the palate. I noticed that over 15 to 20 minutes Haut Brion just gained more and more complexity, putting a small distance between itself and La Mission, as if determined to mock my barrel opinion that La Mission would have the upper hand! Be my guest. Haut Brion has an inch, just an inch ahead of its “rival” sibling.

Loaded with warm tar, singed juniper, plum reduction and cassis notes that are perfectly melded, giving this a remarkably supple edge. The finish lets tobacco, bay leaf and incense accents glide in. Shows lovely mouthfeel and superior refinement overall. Best from 2020 through 2035. 10,800 cases made.

Savoury dried herbs and lifted red fruits on the nose. Tense and tangy, this has real bite on the palate; I like the juicy core, giving this some fun and lift, but it’s also still quite compact and linear – all driven in a single line from start to finish. In that sense it’s got lovely precision and focus, but isn’t so easy today. However, it has structure, length, fruit, acidity and great tannin integration. Lots to like here, and it keeps the momentum more than most.

Beautifully perfumed with rose petals, violets and currant bush. Full-bodied, with very silky tannins and bright acidity. The tannins are super fine-grained. It goes on for minutes. Racy and refined. Persistent. Drink in 2025.

One of the stars of the vintage, the 2014 Haut-Brion is an exceptionally beautiful and vivid wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, tobacco and menthol are some of the notes that run through the 2014. Just as it did from barrel, the 2014 boasts tons of opulence, intensity and richness. Dried flowers, tobacco, menthol, licorice and smoke wrap around the huge, baritone-inflected finish. Readers should not be in any rush with the 2014, as it is likely to require a number of years before it even starts to drink well. The blend is 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc.

Deep ruby in color, sweet, fresh and concentrated with layers of lushly textured, sweet, red and black fruits, this wine is bolstered with smoke, tobacco and tar. Silky, smooth and concentrated with velvety tannins flowing with pure cassis, the freshness feels good on the palate and will only get better. The wine was made from a blend of 65.5% Merlot, 32.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 14.25% ABV with a pH of 3.67. 94-96 pts

Initially closed, but definitely suggesting complexity nonetheless: wet gravel and herbs, already developing some savouriness in the glass. Densely packed with substance on the palate, with sticky-granular texture alongside well-integrated ripe acidity. Structurally very long lasting, with intense minerality, making for a wine that's firmly chewy. Very compact, and clearly extracted at the maximum of what is possible in the vintage. 50% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The flagship 2014 Haut Brion is a beauty that packs more flavor, intensity, and depth than just about every other wine in the vintage. A blend of 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc that was harvested between the 11th of September and the 10th of October, it offers a classic bouquet of blackcurrants, wood smoke, pencil shavings, chocolate, and tobacco leaf. With full-bodied richness, a plump, layered texture, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s a gem of the vintage that can be enjoyed anytime over the next two to three decades.

Dense ruby, medium rim. Dense, powerful, broadly framed bouquet, deep, lots of Cabernet spice, masculine, cassis, tobacco nuances, blue berries, quite powerful, dense tannins but seductively silky! 19+/20

50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc. A normal harvest. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the center, with violet hues at the rim. It starts reserved, classic, and reveals tremendous depth from the very first second. The Cabernet is floral, spicy, and its black fruit is almost hidden, with licorice, mint, and dark chocolate in the background. On the nose, extremely straight-lined and perfectly vinified. Some tasters might criticize the wine’s defensive character, but precisely because it is inward-looking, it will blossom at the right stage of its life and become a soothing, great Pessac. On the palate, it is nearly powerful, imposing, and impressive. It stays on the classic side and, all the way to the long, aromatic finish, displays its almost dramatic Cabernet contours.

(50% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon) Silky, dense, complex, elegant bouquet, black berries, prunes, tobacco, noble woods, Black Currant, subtle licorice. Multi-layered, classic, finely structured palate with a tightly woven texture, plenty of fine fruit, plenty of good tannins, powerful and varied aromatics, very long, fine, dense finish with many intense afterflavors. 19/20 2023 - 2045

Haut-Brion is more concentrated and intense than Mission Haut-Brion, more settled even at 10 years old, and somehow delivers an extra punch. Absolutely a masterclass in controlled exuberance, this has concentrated cigar box, graphite and cocoa bean, touches of mandarin peel, bitter espresso and fennel, a well-managed tannic frame but so well delivered that it’s hard to resist. Jean-Philippe Delmas estate director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director.

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Haut-Brion starts off with sluggish notes of pencil shavings and unsmoked cigars opening out to a core of classic scents of cassis, licorice, and plum preserves plus a waft of dried roses. The medium-bodied palate is tightly knit and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins to texture the lively black fruit layers, finishing energetic. Tasted blind with the Southwold Group in London in February 2024.

An heady nose, slightly meaty, with very fine fruit, revealing an intriguing note of tomato consommé and a touch of lavender. Divinely flavorful and floral on the palate, the wine is perfectly balanced, like a black panther ready to pounce on its prey. A classic, persistent wine, built to last.

Ruby red. A complex, multifaceted bouquet. Notes of licorice, raspberry, blackcurrant and a touch of cedar. With aeration, I also reveal blond tobacco and caramel. The entry is silky, dense and complex. The body unfolds in a crescendo. The wine gains in power and fruit with each passing second. The structure brings freshness and liveliness and supports the fruit. The latter emerges late and lingers.

Logo on the capsule: inverted T (Trescases) Dark color, medium intensity and slightly evolved. Intense, fruity, smoky nose with a hint of dampness. Soft on the attack, with a structure that is both slender and suave, showing cherry and plum flavors; the wine finishes long with fine-grained tannins and a touch of oak. Notably, the next day the oak had completely faded, which raised the score. A fine wine for ageing.

96–98. Barrel Sample. The wine is serious, darkly structured and firm in character, packed with tannins that lend a very dry feel. Fragrant fruitiness and intense acidity shine through for a very fine wine, likely to age over several decades.