Chateau Haut-Brion 2012
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted blind at the Southwold 2012 tasting, the 2012 Haut-Brion has an open and generous bouquet with blackcurrant pastille, cassis and briary aromas the exude very pure Merlot. The palate is medium-bodied with a sumptuous opening that is rare in 2012: rounded and generous, caressing in the mouth with black plum and blackcurrant towards the finish, residues of truffle and white pepper lingering on the aftertaste that turn very savory after 15 minutes—bacon fat or Italian cured meats. There is a lot to love about this Haut-Brion although in this blind showing I scored it the same as La Mission Haut-Brion. Who will stick their neck out as the two wines mature? Tasted January 2016.
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Firm and solid, this is one of the successes of 2012. It’s properly dark and tough at this stage, with that serious intent that’s a hallmark of Haut-Brion. Layers of firm tannins are interspersed with blackberry fruits and juicy acidity. The wine is dense and concentrated, with the wood aging still showing. This powerful wine will need many years. Best after 2024. Cellar Selection.
-
James Suckling
Amazing aromas of wet stones, earth, currants and berries. Subtle and complex. Full body and a beautiful core of ripe fruit on the palate and the finish. Round, light, chewy tannins. Needs at least four or five years to open. This is the most merlot ever in Haut-Brion. Rich too. One of the wines of the vintage. 65.5% merlot, 32.5% cabernet sauvignon and 25 cabernet franc. Better in 2020.
-
Wine Spectator
This combines power and refinement, with a singed alder frame around a dense core of red and black currant, plum and blackberry fruit. Notes of bay, black tea and tar line the finish. Has a lovely, fine-grained feel that lets the dark, hefty fruit drape beautifully. The tobacco element hangs in the background. Sneakily long. Best from 2018 through 2030.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of the unqualified successes of the vintage, the 2012 Château Haut-Brion possesses power that many other châteaux lack. Very deep in color, the wine's aromas and flavors of red and black fruit, earth and tar, and mineral and leaves just go on and on and on. The tannic structure suggests longevity in the bottle. (Tasted: April 8, 2016, Pessac, France)
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James - Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
Chateau Haut-Brion is the oldest and by far the smallest of the "Premiers Grands Crus" vineyards of the Gironde 1855 classification. Chateau Haut-Brion is one of the few remaining family-owned domains of the Bordeaux region with a history going back to the 16th century. It has been owned by the American Dillon family since 1935.Thanks to its long history as one of Bordeaux's most prestigious wines, the estate has left its mark on the region for centuries.
The vineyard covers an area of 51 hectares (about 126 acres). Slightly more than 48 hectares are planted with red grape varieties. The terrain at Haut-Brion, formed of two large mounds of a type of gravel known as Gunzian because it was deposited during the earliest geologic stage of the Pleistocene epoch, rises between 40 and 50 feet above the beds of the neighboring streams. This gravel consists of small stones, including various kinds of quartz, and it is these precious gems that help to give Chateau Haut-Brion's wines their distinctive character. This expansive elevated reach of gravelly terrain, bounded at the north by the Le Peugue stream and at the south by the Le Serpent stream, has been called Haut -Brion at least as far back as the early years of the fifteenth century, as evidenced by ancient maps and deeds dating from this period. The sub-soil consists of a mixture of clay and sand.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.