2005 Château Bahans Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
Ready - at best (Drink 2013 - 2037)
Robert Parker
93/100
Jancis Robinson MW
17.5/20
James Suckling
92/100
Product: 20058125266

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2005 Château Bahans Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Description

As usual, the 2005 Bahans-Haut-Brion mirrors its bigger brother, but is softer with more forward fruit as well as lighter tannin. Its aromas and flavors are similar to those of Haut-Brion. It should last a lot longer than its forwardness would suggest (the 1989 is still drinking beautifully), drinking well for 15 or more years.
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2005
Maturity Ready - at best (2013 - 2037)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Haut-Brion

Critics reviews

Robert Parker 93/100
An absolutely sensational second wine from Haut-Brion, the 2005 Bahans Haut-Brion displays all the smoke, gravel and chocolate notes along with ripe black fruits. Broad, savory, rich and lush, this is a sensational wine (now called Le Clarence) with gorgeous texture and length. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2015
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Jun 2015)
Jancis Robinson MW 17.5/20
Deep crimson with a definitely shocking pink rim. Light nose but very dense. Great sweetness on the front palate. Very mellifluous. More marked acidity than the Chapelle de la Mission; a little tougher and definitely different. More layers and stricter than the Chapelle. Should provide very appetising drinking. Very pure and persistent. Excellent. jancis_robinson_mw - JancisRobinson.com - 14-Apr-2006
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2006)
James Suckling 92/100
Soft and balanced, showing lovely velvety tannins and lots of coffee, chocolate, toasty oak and mushroom character, with bright fruit underneath. Full-bodied, round and unctuous. The second wine of Haut-Brion. Best after 2013. 9,580 cases made. james_suckling - Wine Spectator - 31-Mar-2008
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com (Mar 2008)

About this wine

Chateau Haut-Brion

The only property from outside the Médoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, Haut-Brion’s viticultural history can be traced back further than its Médoc First Growth counterparts.  Samuel Pepys even mentions it in his diaries.  Situated in what is now Pessac-Léognan, the property finds itself now in the suburbs of the ever-encroaching city of Bordeaux.  After falling into a state of disrepair the estate was purchased in 1935 by Clarence Dillon, an American financier, since when it has enjoyed a steady and continual resurgence to a position of pre-eminence.  Dillon’s great-grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, now runs the estate, but a key influence in the reputation which Haut-Brion enjoys today is the Delmas family.  George Delmas was manager and wine-maker until 1960, when his son Jean-Bernard took over. Jean- Bernard was a visionary figure, responsible for a number of important innovations, and on his retirement in 2003 his son Jean-Philippe took over as Directeur Générale. The vineyard is planted to 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. A stunning white wine is also made, from a part of the vineyard which is 63% Semillon and 37% Sauvignon Blanc. Production is smaller than at the other First Growth Wines, totalling about 20,000 cases, shared between the Grand Vin and a second wine, formerly called Bahans-Haut-Brion but changed in 2007 to Clarence de Haut-Brion in recognition of Clarence Dillon. Production of Haut Brion Blanc is minute, less than 800 cases in most years.  Beginning with the 2009 vintage a new white wine was introduced in the place of Clarence: La Clarté de Haut-Brion, the offspring of Domaine Clarence Dillon's two prestigious white wines: Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc. Fermentation of the red wines takes place in stainless steel vats, after which the wine will spend 22 months, sometimes more, in new oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered.  For the white wine fermentation takes place in new oak barrels, after which the wine spends a further year to 15 months on its lees in barrel before bottling.  The white wine is truly sensational, equivalent in class to a top-flight White Burgundy Grand Cru, but its scarcity means that it is rarely seen. The red wine is no less extraordinary; at its best it displays text-book Graves characteristics of cigar-box, curranty fruit, earth, smoky spice and cassis. The high Merlot content, compared to the Médoc First Growths, gives it a voluptuous edge, but does not in any way detract from its ability to age.
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Pessac-Léognan

Pessac-Léognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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