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Cabernet Merlot
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PRICE IS THE ALL UP FINAL LANDED COST INCL GST
"The dense ruby/purple-hued 2010 possesses copious notes of graphite, blueberries and black raspberry liqueur intermixed with subtle smoky oak. A more structured effort than other recent vintages, deep, pure, full-bodied and impressive, this property has regained its momentum over the last 4-5 years, and their 2010 is another powerful yet elegant effort that admirably translates its terroir. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades."91-94 Parker
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A classy blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with an appealing scented aroma and restrained berry flavours. A solid backbone of firm, fine tannins give the wine assured cellaring potential.
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95/100 from Bob Campbell who writes "A dense, ripe silken-textured blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Firm tannins are buried in the wine's generously fleshy frame although they emerge with strength on the finish."
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93/100 from James Halliday who writes "Good hue, although not particularly deep; continues the savoury/black olive/earthy/cedary style it has had since day one; has good length, texture and structure. Drink to 2020." Also 94/100 from The Wine Front, Gary Walsh, 93/100 Nich Stock, Good Wine Guide 2011, 93/100 Jeremy Olivers Wine Annual 2011. Impressive scores at this price point.
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PRICE IS ALL UP LANDED COST INCLUDING GST.Sold only in a 12bt case "Following a harvest that finished on October 10, Haut-Brion produced a 2010 that should turn out to be one of its all-time greats ... an amazing feat given what they have accomplished over recent vintages. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc that came in at 14.6% alcohol, the 2010 boasts an opaque purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of scorched earth/burning embers, blueberries, black currant liqueur and crushed rocks. Full and opulent with nobility, finesse, purity and elegance, this amazing effort possesses extraordinary levels of extract as well as formidable, but sweet, well-integrated tannins. It requires 8-10 years of cellaring and should drink well for 50+ years." Score: 98-100 - Robert Parker. "A blend of 23% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, this has a quintessential Haut-Brion nose with that trait of fresh black olives defining the nose straight out of the blocks. It is a little less opulent than La Mission but with slightly better clarity at this stage. The palate displays very fine, succulent tannins and like the La Mission there is a Pauillac-like personality thanks to the graphite imparted by the ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. Wonderful definition towards the finish. This is a superb Haut-Brion. Tasted March 2011."
Score: 96-98 - Neal Martin.
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"Another winner from these old vines (mostly Merlot), this sleeper of the vintage from the Raynaud family that owns La Croix de Gay and La Fleur de Gay in Pomerol exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as wonderful mocha and black cherry jam notes. Fleshy and full-bodied with outstanding purity and a heady, potent finish (the alcohol must exceed 14%), it should drink nicely for a decade or more"90-92/100 Parker
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"An inky/blue/purple color is followed by aromas and flavors of incense, flowery black currants, and subtle smoke and oak. This full-bodied 2009, which exhibits wonderful intensity, purity, and length, is an exceptional effort, but in this vintage, it must take a back seat to some of its peers, such as Pichon Lalande, Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages, not to mention all the first-growths. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful wine that should drink well for 30+ years. (Tasted three times.) Drink 2010-2040."
Score: 93-95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188)
"Tasted at the château and at the UGC. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, picked between 24th September and the 9th October, cropped at around 35hl/ha and bestowed with 13.76% alcohol. This has a very tight nose at first, demanding coaxing from the glass. Very fine definition, a strict linearity at first, opening up a glacial pace, graphite, smoke, small black cherries, a hint of bilberry and crushed stones. The palate is full-bodied with brilliant definition and focus, even finer tannins than the stupendous 2008, very rounded and supple and yet with a firm linear backbone. No frills at the moment, just pure concentration. Wonderful persistency towards the finish. Top class. Tasted March 2010."
Score: 95-97 Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com
"Loads of currant and blackberry, with mineral and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with ultrafine, very long tannins. Really builds on the palate. A racy style, with excellent length."
Score: 92-95 James Suckling, WineSpectator.com
"33 hl/ha, older vines. Two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one third Merlot - they say Merlot quality in 09 was very Cabernet Sauvignon-like. IPT (total polyphenol index) 88, TA 3.4 g/l. One of the most concentrated vintages ever - from fruit not extraction. Very very dark crimson. Very mineral and grown up. Lovely lift and great, polished tannins. Very fresh and fine tannins with density and lift on the finish. Very sophisticated. Lots of mass. Reminds me a little of their 1990, though the yields were very much lower in 2009. Very glossy and confident. Very sophisticated. Date tasted 31st March 2010. Drink 2018-2030."
Score: 18 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com
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PRICE IS THE ALL UP FINAL LANDED COST INCLUSIVE OF GST"Tasted at the château and the UGC. A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot (no Petit Verdot). A very deep, almost opaque garnet/purple colour. The nose has beautiful definition with scents of ripe blackberries, small black cherries, blueberry, a touch of mint and cedar. Very focused with the oak completely in synch with the fruit. Seamless tannins on the full-bodied palate, lively and animated, very taut, this is not the cashmere wine of Ducru for example, a little firmer in terms of the backbone, very well balanced, perhaps a little more masculine. Tightly coiled towards the espresso/minerally finish, really leaving a tingle of excitement on the tongue. Superb - real finesse in the wine, although that comes through leaving it for five minutes in the glass. The sample at the UGC showed more harmony and cohesion than the one at the château. Tasted March 2010.
Score: 93-95 Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com
Intense aromas of blackberry and smoke. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and long finish. Solid and tight. As it should be.
Score: 91-94 James Suckling, WineSpectator.com
Dark crimson. Purple rim. Very sweet indeed on the nose - unusually so for St-Julien. Glamorous and luscious with a hint of ink and freshness. Lots to enjoy! The tannins are very well handled and it's pure pleasure. Maybe lacks just a hint of freshness. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2016-2028.
Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com
Black red, concentrated and smoky blackcurrant fruit with a little herby lift, very good firm fruit, still quite tight, but concentration and balance assure a good future. Drink 2015-28.
Score: 17 Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com
Bilberry and blackberry give brightness on the nose but under this is richer firmer cassis. The tannins although firm feel ripe and although the acidity in the mid palate is quite obvious black fruited fleshiness towards the back balances. Drink 2020-2040.
Score: 89-92 Derek Smedley MW
This Japanese-owned third growth is very Cabernet Sauvignon in style, with firm, slightly four-square tannins, but good underlying acidity and bright blackcurrant fruit. The tannins should soften in barrel and bottle to produce something with considerable style and restraint. 10+ years.
Score: 91
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94/100 from Halliday “Spotlessly clean but complex blackcurrant/blackberry and briar fruit; long palate strengthened and lengthened by tannins on the finish. Fruit, not oak, driven. ”
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PRICE IS THE ALL UP FINAL LANDED COST INCLUSIVE OF GST.'There are 10,500 cases of the 2009 Haut-Brion, from a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc. For technicians, the highest ever natural alcohol, 14.3%, was achieved, with a pH of 3.9, which is about the same as the 1989 and 1990, as well as 1959. This is the kind of wine to send chills even up my spine, and I have been tasting here for nearly 30 years. An extraordinary nose of plum, blueberry, raspberry, crushed rock, and that intriguing floral as well as unsmoked cigar tobacco note (a classic sign of this terroir) is followed by a wine of creamy unctuosity reminiscent of 1989, but there is a freshness, vibrancy and precision that is historic and possibly unprecedented. Some graphite emerges as the wine sits in the glass, but the wine is very thick while at the same time precise and elegant. This is the quintessential expression of one of the greatest wine terroirs of the world. To reiterate, the good news is that there are going to be 10,500 cases of Haut-Brion in 2009, which is about 1,500 more cases than the 9,000 produced in 2005. This wine will probably need 7-8 years of cellaring when released and evolve as well as the 1959 has (which is still a perfect wine today), so we're realistically talking 50-75 years when stored in a cool cellar. (Tasted once.)
Score: 98-100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010
Tasted at the chateau. The Haut-Brion '09 is a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc, 14.3% alcohol, pH 3.84. The bouquet is markedly different from La Mission: far more rounded and opulent, much more sweet, ripe fruit with blackberry, red cherry, cassis and a touch of crème de menthe. This is one of the most decedent Haut-Brion's that I have tasted at this stage. The palate is full-bodied, layers of tannic black fruits, huge structure, dense and demonstrative. Blackberry, a touch of tar and graphite, some black olive towards the finish, almost a tidal wave of flavours. Huge grip on the dry finish, but incredible persistency in the mouth. Tasted April 2010.
Score: 96-98 Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com, April 2010
A dark and brooding wine, delivering blackberry, black licorice, mahogany, subtle grilled meat and raspberry jam. Full-bodied, with layers of ripe and chewy tannins. Loads of fruit yet subtle and reserved, and a long, long finish. Super fruit, yet held back. A 2005 in the remaking, but perhaps slightly supercharged.
Score: 97-100 James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2010
57% of the crop went into this. The alcohol level was 14% in 2005 when there was lots of Merlot, but in 2009 when the assemblage was 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, it reached 14.3%, the highest ever. What problems did this cause? Jean-Philippe Delmas was asked. 'To find the right yeast.' He smiled, adding, 'and the fermentation was very long: three weeks with a very long malolactive fermentation. This was the first time they had such high alcohols with Cabernet. Dark crimson with a little more blue than La Mission. LOVELY supple exciting nervy nose with a great deal of integrity and complexity already. Reminds me a little of Ch Margaux in its immediate appeal and class, even if the actual aromas are different (though equally terroir-driven). Real knockout stuff with lovely suppleness on the palate and real grace. Not a blockbuster, amazingly; it seems beautifully balanced. It has the same dense tannic charge but with a bit more fruit and less austerity than La Mission. Very long. So it's definitely Haut-Brion, just more concentrated than usual! Lots of pleasure and luxury. Date tasted 2nd April 2010. Drink 2018-2040.
Score: 19 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2010
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