1998 Bahans Haut-Brion

The big news at Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion is that La Tour Haut-Brion will no longer be made after the 2005 vintage. The six hectares of vines will in theory be available for La Mission, although in 2006 this juice also went into La Chapelle Haut-Brion, La Mission's second wine. "La Tour Haut-Brion was not our most-demanded wine," explained estate manager Jean-Philippe Delmas. "During the ownership of the Woltners, this used to be the second wine of La Mission, but then my father created La Chapelle in 1991 as a second wine. La Tour Haut-Brion never really existed as a cru, so it's a disappearance that's not really a disappearance." As in so many recent vintages, Haut-Brion and La Mission benefited from their protected, warmer microclimate within the city limits of Bordeaux: the merlot here was harvested concentrated and rich during the second week of September, with one cuve reaching nearly 16% potential alcohol. "We then waited from September 15 until September 21 to start bringing in the cabernet sauvignon," said Delmas. "The cabernet had a bit less sugar than the merlot but was as rich in tannins and still as high in alcohol as the 2005 had been." Enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet told me that he was very careful about extraction in 2006, keeping the fermentation temperature of the merlot to 26oC and doing a shorter-than-normal cuvaison of just 15 days for the cabernet. The '06s will be bottled with alcohol, acid and tannin levels similar to those of the 2005s, he added, but with higher pH. By the way, the two white wines made here are potentially extraordinary; the fruit was picked in a leisurely fashion between August 29 and September 12, mostly in very warm, dry weather.

The harvest at Haut-Brion and La Mission began early by 2007 standards but lasted longer than usual, according to Jean-Philippe Delmas: from September 13 through October 5 for the red grapes. The merlot was finished by September 25, but at that point the cabernet sauvignon was not yet sufficiently ripe, added Delmas, who told me that the 2007 merlot does not have the "genie" (genius, or spirit) of recent years. His explanation: the merlot was further along in its evolution by late August and thus was more affected by the substantial rainfall at the end of that month. Among the standouts of my annual tasting here-an event that never fails to turn up riches-were the two splendid 2007 white wines, the 2006 La Mission and the 2005 Haut-Brion.

The big news at Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion is that La Tour Haut-Brion will no longer be made after the 2005 vintage. The six hectares of vines will in theory be available for La Mission, although in 2006 this juice also went into La Chapelle Haut-Brion, La Mission's second wine. "La Tour Haut-Brion was not our most-demanded wine," explained estate manager Jean-Philippe Delmas. "During the ownership of the Woltners, this used to be the second wine of La Mission, but then my father created La Chapelle in 1991 as a second wine. La Tour Haut-Brion never really existed as a cru, so it's a disappearance that's not really a disappearance." As in so many recent vintages, Haut-Brion and La Mission benefited from their protected, warmer microclimate within the city limits of Bordeaux: the merlot here was harvested concentrated and rich during the second week of September, with one cuve reaching nearly 16% potential alcohol. "We then waited from September 15 until September 21 to start bringing in the cabernet sauvignon," said Delmas. "The cabernet had a bit less sugar than the merlot but was as rich in tannins and still as high in alcohol as the 2005 had been." Enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet told me that he was very careful about extraction in 2006, keeping the fermentation temperature of the merlot to 26oC and doing a shorter-than-normal cuvaison of just 15 days for the cabernet. The '06s will be bottled with alcohol, acid and tannin levels similar to those of the 2005s, he added, but with higher pH. By the way, the two white wines made here are potentially extraordinary; the fruit was picked in a leisurely fashion between August 29 and September 12, mostly in very warm, dry weather.

According to enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, 2005 was a drought year but the vines really weren't overly stressed. The estate carried out a nearly normal eclaircissage and pulled leaves. "The vines really worked in 2005," he explained. "Although we actually began harvesting some merlot on clay soil at La Mission on August 31, we really took our time picking this year," Masclet went on. "We picked on the basis of taste, to privilege the fruit. There was no cooked aspect to the fruit in 2005." Still, at roughly 14% alcohol, the 2005 Haut-Brion and La Mission are the richest vintage to date for both wines. "We need to go back to 1961 to find such density of sugar," said Masclet, who then noted that the '61 Haut-Brion was still only 13.3% alcohol. The fermentation was carried out at lower temperature than usual (no more than 27oC), with less pumping-over than normal. At the time of my visit here, neither Haut-Brion nor La Mission contained any press wine. "We already had big material, an unusually strong combination of coloring matter and tannins," Masclet explained. "Adding press wine would have made the finishes too tannic." The 2005 Haut-Brion is a monument in the making; La Mission also holds out great promise, but was a bit less forthcoming in the early going.

The big news at Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion is that La Tour Haut-Brion will no longer be made after the 2005 vintage. The six hectares of vines will in theory be available for La Mission, although in 2006 this juice also went into La Chapelle Haut-Brion, La Mission's second wine. "La Tour Haut-Brion was not our most-demanded wine," explained estate manager Jean-Philippe Delmas. "During the ownership of the Woltners, this used to be the second wine of La Mission, but then my father created La Chapelle in 1991 as a second wine. La Tour Haut-Brion never really existed as a cru, so it's a disappearance that's not really a disappearance." As in so many recent vintages, Haut-Brion and La Mission benefited from their protected, warmer microclimate within the city limits of Bordeaux: the merlot here was harvested concentrated and rich during the second week of September, with one cuve reaching nearly 16% potential alcohol. "We then waited from September 15 until September 21 to start bringing in the cabernet sauvignon," said Delmas. "The cabernet had a bit less sugar than the merlot but was as rich in tannins and still as high in alcohol as the 2005 had been." Enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet told me that he was very careful about extraction in 2006, keeping the fermentation temperature of the merlot to 26oC and doing a shorter-than-normal cuvaison of just 15 days for the cabernet. The '06s will be bottled with alcohol, acid and tannin levels similar to those of the 2005s, he added, but with higher pH. By the way, the two white wines made here are potentially extraordinary; the fruit was picked in a leisurely fashion between August 29 and September 12, mostly in very warm, dry weather.

According to enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, 2005 was a drought year but the vines really weren't overly stressed. The estate carried out a nearly normal eclaircissage and pulled leaves. "The vines really worked in 2005," he explained. "Although we actually began harvesting some merlot on clay soil at La Mission on August 31, we really took our time picking this year," Masclet went on. "We picked on the basis of taste, to privilege the fruit. There was no cooked aspect to the fruit in 2005." Still, at roughly 14% alcohol, the 2005 Haut-Brion and La Mission are the richest vintage to date for both wines. "We need to go back to 1961 to find such density of sugar," said Masclet, who then noted that the '61 Haut-Brion was still only 13.3% alcohol. The fermentation was carried out at lower temperature than usual (no more than 27oC), with less pumping-over than normal. At the time of my visit here, neither Haut-Brion nor La Mission contained any press wine. "We already had big material, an unusually strong combination of coloring matter and tannins," Masclet explained. "Adding press wine would have made the finishes too tannic." The 2005 Haut-Brion is a monument in the making; La Mission also holds out great promise, but was a bit less forthcoming in the early going.

Based on the high quality of the 2004s I tasted during my early morning visit to Haut-Brion and the mixed quality of much of the rest of the Graves appellation, it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the area of Pessac was more successful than the Bordeaux suburbs around Leognan. Haut-Brion's various red grapes were all harvested between September 16 and October 6, enjoying extremely favorable weather conditions (the white grapes were picked from September 6 through 20). The fruit was very ripe and high in tannins, and the team accordingly carried out shorter macerations than usual, with fewer pumpovers. The pHs, noted enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, were virtually as high as those of the previous year, but the wines are fresher than the analysis suggests, with the tannins supplying the structure.

According to enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, 2005 was a drought year but the vines really weren't overly stressed. The estate carried out a nearly normal eclaircissage and pulled leaves. "The vines really worked in 2005," he explained. "Although we actually began harvesting some merlot on clay soil at La Mission on August 31, we really took our time picking this year," Masclet went on. "We picked on the basis of taste, to privilege the fruit. There was no cooked aspect to the fruit in 2005." Still, at roughly 14% alcohol, the 2005 Haut-Brion and La Mission are the richest vintage to date for both wines. "We need to go back to 1961 to find such density of sugar," said Masclet, who then noted that the '61 Haut-Brion was still only 13.3% alcohol. The fermentation was carried out at lower temperature than usual (no more than 27oC), with less pumping-over than normal. At the time of my visit here, neither Haut-Brion nor La Mission contained any press wine. "We already had big material, an unusually strong combination of coloring matter and tannins," Masclet explained. "Adding press wine would have made the finishes too tannic." The 2005 Haut-Brion is a monument in the making; La Mission also holds out great promise, but was a bit less forthcoming in the early going.

Based on the high quality of the 2004s I tasted during my early morning visit to Haut-Brion and the mixed quality of much of the rest of the Graves appellation, it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the area of Pessac was more successful than the Bordeaux suburbs around Leognan. Haut-Brion's various red grapes were all harvested between September 16 and October 6, enjoying extremely favorable weather conditions (the white grapes were picked from September 6 through 20). The fruit was very ripe and high in tannins, and the team accordingly carried out shorter macerations than usual, with fewer pumpovers. The pHs, noted enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, were virtually as high as those of the previous year, but the wines are fresher than the analysis suggests, with the tannins supplying the structure.

Based on the high quality of the 2004s I tasted during my early morning visit to Haut-Brion and the mixed quality of much of the rest of the Graves appellation, it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the area of Pessac was more successful than the Bordeaux suburbs around Leognan. Haut-Brion's various red grapes were all harvested between September 16 and October 6, enjoying extremely favorable weather conditions (the white grapes were picked from September 6 through 20). The fruit was very ripe and high in tannins, and the team accordingly carried out shorter macerations than usual, with fewer pumpovers. The pHs, noted enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet, were virtually as high as those of the previous year, but the wines are fresher than the analysis suggests, with the tannins supplying the structure.

Thanks to its earlier-ripening site inside the city limits of Bordeaux, Haut-Brion enjoyed a somewhat more drawn-out harvest than most other chateaux in 2002, beginning to pick merlot on September 19 and finishing the cabernet on October 8. Acid levels were a bit high but the tannins were noble and ripe, reported enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet. In fact, the merlot was even higher in acidity than the estate's cabernet, noted Masclet, due in part to a higher percentage of millerande grapes.

Thanks to its earlier-ripening site inside the city limits of Bordeaux, Haut-Brion enjoyed a somewhat more drawn-out harvest than most other chateaux in 2002, beginning to pick merlot on September 19 and finishing the cabernet on October 8. Acid levels were a bit high but the tannins were noble and ripe, reported enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet. In fact, the merlot was even higher in acidity than the estate's cabernet, noted Masclet, due in part to a higher percentage of millerande grapes.

Thanks to its earlier-ripening site inside the city limits of Bordeaux, Haut-Brion enjoyed a somewhat more drawn-out harvest than most other chateaux in 2002, beginning to pick merlot on September 19 and finishing the cabernet on October 8. Acid levels were a bit high but the tannins were noble and ripe, reported enologist Jean-Philippe Masclet. In fact, the merlot was even higher in acidity than the estate's cabernet, noted Masclet, due in part to a higher percentage of millerande grapes.

Enologist and chef de culture Jean-Philippe Masclet compares the 2000 Haut-Brion to the 1990. "But the 2000 is fresher, like '98, while the '00 is more surmuri Still, the 2000 has the tannic sweetness of a vin du soleil." The millennial vintage featured superripe merlot with grape sugars in the 13.5%-14% range; the cabernet sauvignon averaged 12.5%, which Masclef told me was the highest ever for Haut-Brion. While the 2000 is a wine of obvious power, Haut-Brion is always difficult to taste at this early stage, and it is not yet apparent to this taster that the new vintage will surpass this estate compelling '98. Masclet agreed that they seem more or less equal in quality, but said he preferred the 2000 La Mission to the '98.

Enologist and chef de culture Jean-Philippe Masclet compares the 2000 Haut-Brion to the 1990. "But the 2000 is fresher, like '98, while the '00 is more surmuri Still, the 2000 has the tannic sweetness of a vin du soleil." The millennial vintage featured superripe merlot with grape sugars in the 13.5%-14% range; the cabernet sauvignon averaged 12.5%, which Masclef told me was the highest ever for Haut-Brion. While the 2000 is a wine of obvious power, Haut-Brion is always difficult to taste at this early stage, and it is not yet apparent to this taster that the new vintage will surpass this estate compelling '98. Masclet agreed that they seem more or less equal in quality, but said he preferred the 2000 La Mission to the '98.

Haut-Brion had harvested all of its merlot and cabernet franc before September 18 and 19, when four inches of rain fell on their vineyards. The cabernet sauvignon harvest then took place quickly, finishing on September 24, "but we certainly could have used a few more days of sun for maximum ripeness," notes Jean-Philippe Delmas. Still, he adds, there are no hints of verdure in the '99s. The winemaking team did a shorter cuvaison, in the belief that the riper grapes did not require as much extraction of color and tannins. The white wines of '99 are noteworthy for their extremely ripe sauvignon (even if the Laville Haut-Brion contains just 20% of this variety).

Haut-Brion had harvested all of its merlot and cabernet franc before September 18 and 19, when four inches of rain fell on their vineyards. The cabernet sauvignon harvest then took place quickly, finishing on September 24, "but we certainly could have used a few more days of sun for maximum ripeness," notes Jean-Philippe Delmas. Still, he adds, there are no hints of verdure in the '99s. The winemaking team did a shorter cuvaison, in the belief that the riper grapes did not require as much extraction of color and tannins. The white wines of '99 are noteworthy for their extremely ripe sauvignon (even if the Laville Haut-Brion contains just 20% of this variety).

The team at Haut Brion considers 1998 to be the most promising vintage here for red wine since 1990. Key statistics were similar to those for the exceptional '89s made here. The harvest of red varieties took place during the second half of September and was finished before the damaging October 1 rainstorm. The pH of the vintage was sound, says technical manager Jean-Philippe Masclet, and acidity levels were higher than average, giving the wines very good balance and grip. Polyphenol levels were markedly higher than those of 1996, but the tannins are ripe. The '98 grands vins have a bit more merlot than normal, while the second wines Bahans Haut Brion and Chapelle Haut Brion have a slightly higher percentage of cabernet. A bit of saignee was carried out for the cabernet franc used in Haut Brion and La Mission, but no other techniques were used to concentrate the juice.

Haut-Brion had harvested all of its merlot and cabernet franc before September 18 and 19, when four inches of rain fell on their vineyards. The cabernet sauvignon harvest then took place quickly, finishing on September 24, "but we certainly could have used a few more days of sun for maximum ripeness," notes Jean-Philippe Delmas. Still, he adds, there are no hints of verdure in the '99s. The winemaking team did a shorter cuvaison, in the belief that the riper grapes did not require as much extraction of color and tannins. The white wines of '99 are noteworthy for their extremely ripe sauvignon (even if the Laville Haut-Brion contains just 20% of this variety).

The team at Haut Brion considers 1998 to be the most promising vintage here for red wine since 1990. Key statistics were similar to those for the exceptional '89s made here. The harvest of red varieties took place during the second half of September and was finished before the damaging October 1 rainstorm. The pH of the vintage was sound, says technical manager Jean-Philippe Masclet, and acidity levels were higher than average, giving the wines very good balance and grip. Polyphenol levels were markedly higher than those of 1996, but the tannins are ripe. The '98 grands vins have a bit more merlot than normal, while the second wines Bahans Haut Brion and Chapelle Haut Brion have a slightly higher percentage of cabernet. A bit of saignee was carried out for the cabernet franc used in Haut Brion and La Mission, but no other techniques were used to concentrate the juice.

Jean-Philippe Delmas explained the uneven ripening that characterized the 1997 growing season as follows: "In winter we had spring, in spring we had summer, in summer we had winter, and in fall we had summer." The harvest actually began on August 18 for the white wines, and September 3 for the reds. The Graves received substantially less rainfall during the final third of August than did most of the right bank. Less than 50% of the crop went into the grand vin for both Haut Brion and La Mission, compared to two-thirds in 1996. Incidentally, Delmas prefers the '95 vintage to '96, "for its finesse and charm."

The team at Haut Brion considers 1998 to be the most promising vintage here for red wine since 1990. Key statistics were similar to those for the exceptional '89s made here. The harvest of red varieties took place during the second half of September and was finished before the damaging October 1 rainstorm. The pH of the vintage was sound, says technical manager Jean-Philippe Masclet, and acidity levels were higher than average, giving the wines very good balance and grip. Polyphenol levels were markedly higher than those of 1996, but the tannins are ripe. The '98 grands vins have a bit more merlot than normal, while the second wines Bahans Haut Brion and Chapelle Haut Brion have a slightly higher percentage of cabernet. A bit of saignee was carried out for the cabernet franc used in Haut Brion and La Mission, but no other techniques were used to concentrate the juice.

Jean-Philippe Delmas explained the uneven ripening that characterized the 1997 growing season as follows: "In winter we had spring, in spring we had summer, in summer we had winter, and in fall we had summer." The harvest actually began on August 18 for the white wines, and September 3 for the reds. The Graves received substantially less rainfall during the final third of August than did most of the right bank. Less than 50% of the crop went into the grand vin for both Haut Brion and La Mission, compared to two-thirds in 1996. Incidentally, Delmas prefers the '95 vintage to '96, "for its finesse and charm."

Jean-Philippe Delmas explained the uneven ripening that characterized the 1997 growing season as follows: "In winter we had spring, in spring we had summer, in summer we had winter, and in fall we had summer." The harvest actually began on August 18 for the white wines, and September 3 for the reds. The Graves received substantially less rainfall during the final third of August than did most of the right bank. Less than 50% of the crop went into the grand vin for both Haut Brion and La Mission, compared to two-thirds in 1996. Incidentally, Delmas prefers the '95 vintage to '96, "for its finesse and charm."

The very strong 1994 vintage here was a hard act to follow, and the summer drought of '95 didn't make things any easier for Haut-Brion and La Mission. As I tasted through these two groups of wines, I sensed lower levels of extract, and fruit that struggled to ripen thoroughly. In fact, the merlot harvest in these vines did not begin until September 21—quite a contrast to '94, when much of the merlot was picked in early September, before the damaging rains. The '95s here are very good, whereas the '94s, white as well as red, are special.

The very strong 1994 vintage here was a hard act to follow, and the summer drought of '95 didn't make things any easier for Haut-Brion and La Mission. As I tasted through these two groups of wines, I sensed lower levels of extract, and fruit that struggled to ripen thoroughly. In fact, the merlot harvest in these vines did not begin until September 21—quite a contrast to '94, when much of the merlot was picked in early September, before the damaging rains. The '95s here are very good, whereas the '94s, white as well as red, are special.