Chateau Haut Brion 2017

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is extremely aromatic and perfumed with crushed-berry, flower, currant and orange-peel character. Full-bodied, very tight and focused with fabulous depth and density that brings you down through the wine. Deep and serious. Very classic wine that reminds me of top Haut-Brions of the mid-1980s. Try after 2025."

WEINWISSER: "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."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This will be a magnificent wine. Its structure, acidity and richness all show considerable potential. A crisp edge contrasts with the concentration and density that comes from the swaths of fruit. Wood aging has opened out the tanginess of a wine that will age over many years. Drink from 2024."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 53% Merlot, 6.3% Cabernet Franc and 40.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Haut-Brion sashays gracefully out of the glass with fragrant notions of black raspberries, kirsch, dark chocolate, star anise and candied violets with a core of warm red and black currants and a touch of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate bursts with red and black fruit layers, superbly supported by firm, ripe, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Ripe tannins and volume in all the right places, this wine tempts with verve and depth of flavor, length and complexity and gets up close and personal with the tannins. And in my overeducated and sometimes pompous opinion, the wine is going to require a minimum of 12-15 years of aging before it becomes civilized enough to drink. A blend of 53% Merlot, 40.7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.4% Cabernet Franc with a the harvest taking place August 31 to September 29, the wine reached 14.25% alcohol with a pH of 3.73 and represents 45% of the Grand Vin."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Features red and black currant fruit flavors, laced with bramble, apple wood and anise notes, backed by a powerfully rendered finish. Despite the heft and density, this comes off as refined, with streamlined tannins, buried acidity and a long finish of incense and red tea elements. Not as dense and backward as the top years, but still exhibits pedigree. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2040."

FALSTAFF: "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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Colour of black cherries with healthy crimson rim. Warm oak spice over cool dark fruit. Succulent, mouth-watering and so supple. There's a core of pure black fruit and an elegance in both non-sweet fruit and fine-boned structure but all with a discreet generosity. Needs time to meld but it's magnetic in its attraction. Perhaps a little less rich than La Mission but more intense and persistent at this stage."

JEB DUNNUCK: "A more structured, straight, focused wine than the La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2017 Chateau Haut-Brion is based on a similar blend of 53% Merlot, 40.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6.3% Cabernet Franc brought up in 69% new French oak. Plenty of cassis and red currant fruits as well as notes of tobacco, Asian spices, cedar pencil, and violets all emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant, nicely textured, and concentrated Haut-Brion. It's very much in the classic, sleek style of the vintage and has good acidity, plenty of polished tannins, and a great finish, yet not a massive amount of flesh or baby fat. This classic effort needs 7-8 years of bottle age and will have 30+ years of longevity."