1970 La Tour Haut-Brion
BY NEAL MARTIN |
I admit I have a penchant for deceased châteaux, perhaps none more so than La Tour Haut-Brion since it provided such a bevy of memorable bottles. Its history is entwined with that of La Mission Haut-Brion. The Woltner family acquired La Tour Haut-Brion from Victor Cousteau upon his retirement. It was later sold to Château Haut-Brion in 1983 as part of La Mission Haut-Brion. Up until then, between 50% and 70% of fruit from the four-hectare vineyard was blended into La Mission Haut-Brion and the remainder labeled a La Tour Haut-Brion, which is why it was considered a Deuxième Vin. After 1983 La Tour Haut-Brion was treated as a Grand Vin and the vineyard reverted to those encompassing the château, as had been done prior to Cousteau’s acquisition. The final vintage of La Tour Haut-Brion was the 2005, whereupon it was merged with La Mission Haut-Brion. The second wine, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, was a selection made by the winemaking team rather than specific parcels of vineyard. I remember lamenting the vanishing of the name in writing on the original Wine-Journal, prompting Prince Robert de Luxembourg to call me at home and explain his reasoning. To be honest, I still miss this Pessac-Léognon, in no small part because of so many fond memories of older vintages. It was a wine that often punched above its reputation.
