Château Haut Brion
Pessac Leognan's Only First Growth
Grapes are thought to have been grown on the Haut-Brion estate in Pessac-Léognan since the Roman era, while the first recorded mention of the property is in 1423. The wine has had a long, illustrious history and is famously mentioned by Samuel Pepys in his diary of 1663. Nowadays, Haut Brion is considered by many to be one of the finest wines in the world and was ranked in the First Growth category during the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines.
Renowned for its first wine (40% of production), Haut Brion, the estate also produces a spectacular second wine from young vines, Le Clarence de Haut Brion, in addition to a white, Château Haut-Brion Blanc, the Clarendelle branded wines and a second white, La Clarté de Haut Brion (which also takes grapes from La Mission). Spanning 53 hectare, the estate is planted to 50 hectares red varieties and 3 hectares white. The reds produced are beautifully balanced and complex, often around 14% abv and made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, typically aged in 80% new oak. The Haut-Brion Blanc meanwhile is a Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend, produced in small quantities and aged in a mix of new and one-year oak.