2017 Chateau Haut Brion 1er Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Decanter.com – 97 pts – JA: *A hugely captivating wine, one of the contenders for red of the vintage. There's an incredible plush, dense texture to the fruit here, with just the slightest pulling back on the final section that suggests the damson, cassis and black cherry fruit is not at the full extent of ripeness seen in 2016 and 2015, but there is absolutely no question that this is a successful, rich and well-expressed wine. It's extremely powerful and well constructed, with great tannins and a succulence which grows through the palate. 3.73pH.* - 04/2018

Falstaff Magazin - 94pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung und Kräuterwürze, dunkle Beerenfrucht, reife Kirschen, Nougat, Kardamom, Orangenzesten, facettenreiches Bukett. Gute Komplexität, schwarze Kirschen, straffe Textur, etwas Nougat, integrierte, tragende Tannine, schokoladiger Touch im Abgang, verfügt über einiges Zukunftspotenzial.* -05/2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 91-93+pts - LPB: *Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a little reticent to begin, opening up to fragrant notes of potpourri and oolong tea over a core of crushed red and black currants plus hints of violets, dark chocolate and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, it has an ambitious palate with firm, grainy tannins slightly masking the elegant fruit, finishing with good length though just a tad chewy. * -04/2018

Vinum Magazin – 18,5/20pts: *Superber, geradezu majestätischer Wein, für die lange Reife gebaut, fleischig, kernig, lang, Tannine von superbem Schliff, verblüffend klassisch und mindestens auf der Höhe der so genannt grossen Jahre!* - 09/2020

WeinWisser – 19/20pts - WL: *53 % Merlot, 40,7 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 6,3 % Cabernet Franc. Dichtes Granatrubin mit violettem Rand. Komplexes, tiefes Bouquet mit Anklängen an Leder, roten Johannisbeeren und Himbeeren. Im zweiten Ansatz verführerische Nuancen von Veilchen, Darjeeling und Mokka. Am Gaumen ein Traum aus seidiger Textur und perfekt stützenden Tanninen, feinspröder Extrakt, trotzdem fesselnd und ergreifend. Im langen Finale eine Symphonie aus Wildkirschen, Palisandernoten und Graphit. Ein ganz grosser, klassischer Haut-Brion, dem der Jahrgang sprichwörtlich in die Hände spielt und diesmal ganz knapp hinter Les Carmes Haut-Brion auf Platz 2 in Pessac kommt. Tendenz steigend, da ist noch mehr Musik drin. 19+/20.* – 05/2018

Wine Spectator - 89-92pts - JM: *Fresh cherry compote flavors and a light cassis thread work together, picking up light savory and iron notes. Shows charming energy, with twinges of spice and tobacco through the finish. Pure, but a bit shy on stuffing in the end. * -04/2018

JancisRobinson.com - 17,5/20pts - TP: *Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Blueberry fruit and fine, sweet spice with a little charred wood. Full bodied, with an earthy, smoky fruit core. This is plush, exotic and full of spice. Richly structured with mouth-coating, chewy tannins. Powerful.* - 09/2021

quarin.com - 18,5/20pts - JMQ: *Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez intense, fin, au fruité mûr et profond. L'aération laisse s'exprimer un fond plus floral. Ravissant en entrée de bouche, suave au développement, extrêmement fruité et surtout très frais, le vin glisse au palais, riche et tout en douceur. Il s'étaye en finale en gagnant du goût et de la trame. Une merveille ! Et l'outsider n° 1 cette année.* -04/2018

JamesSuckling.com - 94-95pts - JS: *A tight and linear red with a firm and intense, pretty center palate of blackberry and wet-earth character. Full-bodied, reserved and focused. Really compacted. * -04/2018

Vinous.com - 96+ pts - AG: *The 2017 Haut-Brion is rich and virile, even in a vintage where it has less power than is the norm. My impression is that the 2017 is going to lie dormant for many years before it awakens, but its pedigree is quite obvious. Black cherry, plum, gravel, smoke, licorice and dark spice all burst out of the glass. The 2017 is a powerful, vertical Haut-Brion endowed with a real feeling of gravitas and somber intensity. The long, substantial finish suggests readers can look forward to many years of fine drinking.* -12/2019

Vinous.com – 95 pts - NM: *The 2017 Haut-Brion was bottled 10-18 June. It impressed from barrel and it continues to do so now incarcerated in glass. It has an irresistible bouquet with ebullient red berry fruit, sous-bois, graphite and oyster shell, perhaps one of the most Burgundy-like aromatics that I can recall in this First Growth. The palate is beautifully balanced with very fine tannins. There remains a little new oak to be fully assimilated, yet winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas has managed to retain the symmetry that I observed from barrel a few months ago. Whilst not amongst the top tier Haut-Brion wines, it is a delicious and classy wine that will give three decades of drinking pleasure.* - 09/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider - 94-96pts - JL: *The wine is as dark in fruit as it is in color. This is a nap on Pratesi sheets – a silky, sensuous and richly textured rendezvous. Vibrancy on the palate, creamy tannins and layers of fruit-enhanced strata propel a surfeit of multi-colored fruit. Not quite at the level of the stunning 2016 but very close. The wine was made using 50% whole bunches during fermentation. From a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 13.25% with a pH of 3.59 * -04/2018