2017
Château Haut-Brion Rouge
Tasting notes
Beautiful deep red with purple highlights.
The initial impression on the nose is of a very elegant wine made with perfectly mature grapes.
Swirling in the glass reveals complex aromas featuring ripe fruit, spices, and liquorice.
Already emblematic of “Haut-Brion”. Starts out broad-based, tight-knit,
and subtle on the palate, with no hardness whatsoever.
The wine then goes on to develop delicious flavours,
with rich tannin evolving into a wonderfully long aftertaste.
Although temperamental at times,
Mother Nature ended up being incredibly generous in 2017.
The weather
Vegetative growth started on the 13th of March, then was accelerated by a warm, sunny spring. Two incidents of frost in late April served as a reminder to winegrowers that viticulture is fragile and that nature cannot be tamed.
The water deficit, which reached 50% in July and August, was a distinguishing feature of the vintage. However, thanks to significant rainfall in June, the vines were spared from the drought. Above-average sunshine and a spell of very hot weather (29 days over 30°C), moderated by relatively cool nights (enabling the grapes to ripen without stress) also resulted in favourable winegrowing conditions.
The outstanding fruit is reflected in our wines, which have managed to preserve the freshness vital to the balance we always seek. Weather during the month of September was fine for picking – with the exception of the second week, when it rained, which helped the Cabernets to ripen slowly and well.
2017 has all the necessary qualities to become a benchmark vintage.
A few figures
-
Harvest dates
From the 31st of August to the 29th of September
-
Blend
Merlot: 53%
Cabernet Franc: 6.3%
Cabernet Sauvignon: 40.7% -
New barrels
69%
-
Alcohol
14%
-
Bottling date
From June 13th to 18th 2019
Choose your vintage
