1990 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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1990
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan)
Just a hair's breadth away from the legendary 1989, this is one of those mesmerizing wines. The wine is concentrated, long, deep, complex, and expansive, with incredible, length, purity, volume, refinement, and a seamless finish that is close to the 60-second mark. Just entering its prime, it is only going to get better from here for at least 2-3 more decades. Drink from 2024-2045. 2,226 Views Tasted Feb 4, 2024Power and elegance, with wave after wave of rich, supple, sensuous, tobacco-stained red fruits, cigar wrapper, ash, and spice. Intensely concentrated, perfectly balanced, deep, long and lingering, this is what great wine is all about. Just entering its prime-time window, it is going to deliver the good for at least another 2-3 decades with ease. 4,509 Views Tasted Apr 5, 2022I am not sure how this wine could get any better. Just a hair behind the legendary 1989, every sniff and sip is packed with aged Cuban cigars, smoke, campfire embers and perfectly ripe, spicy red and black currants. Refined, elegant, silky, fresh, vibrant, seamless and long, this has become incredibly expensive over the past few years. But if you have the money and you want to experience greatness in wine, this is about as good as it gets! 5,309 Views Tasted Aug 21, 2021WOW! Off the hook in every sense. The wine is rich, full, deep and intense. Concentrated, long, rich, balanced, elegant refined and harmonious, there is nothing out of place here. This is close in quality, but a bit less concentrated than the majestic 1989. Slightly less intense, but it sells for fraction of the price. Haut Brion lovers with deep pockets should be all over this gem! 5,455 Views Tasted Oct 20, 2020Just like walking into a Cuban tobacco store with all its smoky, leaf, cassis, cedar, forest floor and campfire aromatics. Full bodied, deep, powerful, rich, mouth filling, and with intensity and character, this is a stunner to drink today and for the next few decades. I am also thinking this is just about ready for a score upgrade as this really grabs and holds you right where you need to be grabbed and held. 6,844 Views Tasted May 17, 2017This never fails to provide an extraordinary, tasting experience. With elegant, silky textures, ripe, sweet, smoky, tobacco laden, dark red berries and more smoke, earth, tobacco leaf, cigar box, black cherry, earth, blackberry, cassis and thyme on the nose, to say it is a knock out, does not say enough. Prices have been climbing for this beauty lately. Even though it is quite pricey, when compared with current, top vintages, or the 1989, it's sill reasonable. If you have the money, it is worth considering. 6,664 Views Tasted Oct 17, 2016Silky, elegant, complex, refined and ready for prime time drinking. There is that beautiful smoky, tobacco, cigar box character that is made even better by the sweet, delicate, polished dark red fruits and cherry pipe tobacco that permeates the wine. Drink this beauty now, or lay it down for 10-20 years, if you are young enough, and have that much patience. 6,515 Views Tasted Sep 14, 2016This is a stunner. With its smoke fuled, cigar box, caramel, cassis, florest floor and blackberry nose to get you going, things are just getting started. The luscious, perfectly ripe fruits with layers of hedonistic fruits just doesn't quit from start to finish. This is drinking now and it's still young! You can pop a cork today or in 10-15 or 20 years. It's up to you. 7,256 Views Tasted Dec 22, 2015Now we're talking. Edging close to its 25th birthday, the wine is clearly expressive. Smokey, tar, cigar box, forest floor, cassis and blackberry, with hints of dried cherry make up the nose. Sweet, soft and velvety, the wine personifies grace and elegance. 7,346 Views Tasted Aug 10, 2014A little bit of air or decanting would have added more to the experience. Still, even popped and poured, it was easy to find the smoke, black raspberry, Asian spice, leather, cigar box and plum filled aromatics. On the palate, the wine was rich, silky and alive leaving with a beautiful sense of purity of fruit in the long, graceful finish. 7,900 Views Tasted Dec 17, 20131990 Haut Brion opens with licorice, tobacco leaf, cassis, smoke, fresh herbs and stone. Soft, round, plush and sexy, this hedonistic wine pleases the palate and senses. 97 Pts 17,128 Views Tasted Oct 20, 2012WOW! This knock out perfume pops with smoke, tar, creme de cassis, leather, earth, tobacco, hot stone, cigar ash, blackberry and spicy aromas. If this does not get you going, Haut Brion is not your thing. Intense, powerful, concentrated and rich, with textures of sillky and velvet, there is not a hard edge to be found. The long, pure, clean, opulent, fresh, pure, spicy finish remains in your mouth for close to sixty seconds. This is not that far off the legendary 1989 Haut Brion. As this sells for half the price, this is the wine to buy. 14,897 Views Tasted Nov 28, 20111990 Haut Brion is the real deal! Cigar box, smoke, earth, truffle, roasted dark berries, plums and tobaccos aromas make up the perfume. In the mouth, this plush, round, opulent, sexy wine coats your palate. The intense, rich, pure finish is loaded with sweet cassis, chocolate covered blackberry and dark cherries. 98 Pts 17,441 Views Tasted Dec 20, 2010Served blind at Chateau La Mission Haut Brion over dinner - This aromatic delight opens with jammy dark berries, smoke tobacco, hot stones, licorice, cigar box and baked cherries. Sensuous opulence could be the name of a porn star, or the right descriptor for this silky wine which ends with a rich bath of cassis and black cherries. 17,413 Views Tasted Jul 2, 2010The wine sported a very, dark ruby tint. Smoke, truffles, herbs, cassis and black fruits galore made their way to your nose. This wine is very intense. Stunning levels of concentration coupled with multiple layers of flavor make this a treat for your senses. Layer after layer of flavor fill your mouth with joy. Very classy and elegant as well as rich. 9,317 Views Tasted Feb 11, 2009Lovers of Haut Brion cannot have enough of this wine in their cellar. This is almost at the level of the legendary 89. But, the 90 is much more fun and open to taste today. This is so packed and stacked with smoky fruit, it's almost unreal. The intoxicating perfume offers black fruit, forest floor, smoke, tobacco and spice notes that roar from the glass! Great concentration. Layer after layer of rich, deep, polished, rich, ripe roasted fruit take over every nook and cranny of your palate. The long finish is seamless and lasts close to a minute. The corpulent texture is pure silk and velvet. This is sublime. Still young, this will improve for decades. I hope the 98, 00 & 05 are this good! 7,898 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2008Herbs, coffee, cassis, licorice and black fruit entice your senses. Perfectly balanced, but not as concentrated or layered as the 89. 7,299 Views Tasted Mar 20, 2007 |
When to Drink Chateau Haut Brion, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Haut Brion needs several years, and in the best vintages up to 2 decades time before the wine displays its true character. Haut Brion needs at least 12-20 years of aging, or longer, in good vintages until it is ready to be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours or more.
This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Haut Brion offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-50 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Haut Brion with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Haut Brion is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Haut Brion is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Haut Brion is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta.
The white wine of Chateau Haut Brion is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.