Château Haut Brion, 1er Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan,

A powerful, concentrated, muscular Haut-Brion, full of layers that will take years to fully uncover. Think liquorice, leather, crushed stones, smoked earth, bitter chocolate shavings, ripe and rich through the mid palate, both generous and finessed, with silky tannins that exert their influence without getting in the way of the sappy freshness that runs right through the wine. A seriously impressive vintage at this First Growth, one to put away and not think about for the next decade. Harvest September 10 to October 3.

A blend of 48.7% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8.1% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Haut-Brion is deep garnet-purple colored. It needs lots of swirling to begin to unlock beguiling scents of iron ore, Indian spices, roses, wood smoke, and licorice over a core of blueberry preserves, warm cassis, and blackberry pie, plus a an earthy waft of underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate starts off quiet and grows into a crescendo of black and blue fruits with uplifting floral and earth accents, framed by super-ripe, fine-grained tannins, and finishing with long, lingering, exotic spice sparks.

The 2019 Haut-Brion has an ethereal degree of transparency on the nose, perhaps the most delineated of all the 2019s, fabulous precision and detail considering the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with fine bone tannins, unerring symmetry and poise. Cohesive from start to finish with an extraordinarily persistent and compelling closing. Off the charts. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.