Haut-Brion 2009 - 'Bordeaux meets Napa in a glass'
Shortly after writing up his opinions of the 2009 vintage of Palmer, Latour and Lafite-Rothschild, wine journalist John Foy has moved on to the Graves sub-appelation of Pessac-Leognan.
Writing in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Mr Foy described his experience of tasting chateau Haut-Brion 2009 and its sister chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, both of which received the rating of "extraordinary".
"Haut-Brion's mix of blackberry, black liquorice and touch of black pepper aroma is matched by the mouth-filling black fruit, elegant texture, and full-bodied cabernet sauvignon structure," he commented in the article.
La Mission, a "muscular wine" did just as well, with the critic praising its complexity and "wonderful rich fruit aromas".
Recent months have given Haut-Brion no end of reasons to celebrate: as well as marking the 75th anniversary of its acquisition by Clarence Dillon with an international series of dinners, the producer also received a 98-100 point score from Robert Parker for its 2009 vintage.