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Chateau Haut-Brion

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Chateau Haut Brion in Pessac.

The castle has one of the longest and most interesting histories of any Bordeaux wine chateau.

Château Haut-Brion is a French wine, rated as first classified growth and produced in Pessac just outside the city of Bordeaux. It differs from other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves.

Interesting facts in History of Château Haut- Brion

The estate Château Haut-Brion dates back to April 1525 when Jean de Pontac married Jeanne de Bellon who is the daughter of the mayor of Libourne and seigneur of Hault-Brion, who was  brought to him in her dowry the land. In 1533, bought the castle of Haut-Brion, while the construction of château was begun in 1549. Haut-Brion first began using its distinctive bottle, rival designs of old decanter models, from the 1958 vintage which was released in 1960. The fierce competition that had existed between Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion over several years, which rose to the peak in the 1970s and early 1980s, ended when Domaine Clarence Dillon acquired La Mission in 1983.

Chateau Haut-Brion has one of the longest and most interesting histories of any Bordeaux wine chateau. The property acquires its name from an ancient Celtic term “Briga.” Loosely translated, this means a rise or mount in the land. This distinct terroir was prized for growing grapes to produce Bordeaux wine close to 600 years ago!

About marvellous production in Chateau Haut-Brion

The vineyards are elevated, up to 27 meters, somewhat above the Bordeaux norms. The soil consists of Günzian gravel and some parcels have great contents of a clay. All the vineyards are located in a cluster near the castle itself and on the other side of the main road.

The selection of optimum rootstocks and clones have been a large task at Château Haut-Brion, explored by Jean-Bernard Delmas, which has greatly contributed to the quality of the plant material in the vineyards.

The long-term aim has been to lower yields, not by green-harvesting but by ensuring healthy and balanced wines. The average age of the vines is approximately 35 years with the oldest parcels dating back to the 1930’s, planted with an average wine density of 8000 vines/ha.

The only property from outside the Medoc to be included in the 1855 classification was Haut-Brion’s viticultural history can be traced back further than its Medoc First Growth counterparts. Samuel Pepys also mentions it in his diaries. Situated in what is now Pessac-Leognan, the property will find itself now in the suburbs of the ever-encroaching city of Bordeaux.

The Château Haut-Brion vineyard is planted to 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 18% of Cabernet Franc. A stunning white wine is also made, from a part of the vineyard which is 63% Semillon and 37% Sauvignon white. Production is smaller than at the other first growth wines, totally about 20, 000 cases, shared between the grand Vin and a second wine, formerly called Bahans- Haut-Brion but changed in 2007 to Clarence Hau-Brion in recognition of Clarence Dillon. Production of Haut-Brion white is a minute, less than 800 cases in most years.

Some pics!