2010 Chateau Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan (OLD) 750 ml

If there is such a thing as too much perfection in one place, it may be this bottle of the 2010 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Premier Grand Cru Classé. Of course, it is easy to wax poetic about this unique and beautiful wine, and many have, including the likes of diarist Samuel Pepys, the English philosopher John Locke, the German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, Benjamin Franklin, and our own American President Thomas Jefferson—to name just a few. Vibrant and youthful on the palate, the tannins are perfectly firm, and the wine impossibly complex. Robert M. Parker Jr. also fell head over heels for the 2010 Haut-Brion, calling it “ethereal,” and suggesting it “seems to float across the palate with remarkable sweetness, harmony, and the integration of all its component parts,” in his 100-point review. 

The property itself dates back to 1525, however, the château itself wasn’t built until 1549 when Jean de Pontac had it erected. Pontac would live 101 years, bearing witness to the reign of Louis XII through Henri III. Inherited in 1649 by Arnaud de Pontac, who, realizing his wine was better than his neighbors, created the first “luxury wine,” by doing something radical for the time—taking control of its distribution and charging twice as much. As a result, Haut-Brion’s fame climbed to dizzying heights, catching the attention of Thomas Jefferson who visited the winery in 1787. With an eye always on exceptional farming practices, Jefferson even noticed the unique terroir of its sandy-gravel soils. 

Although it is nearly impossible to believe, some 150 years after Jefferson’s visit, a series of misfortunes, like the phylloxera epidemic, found Haut-Brion in need of a serious overhaul. An American banker and Harvard graduate, Clarence Dillon, who held high positions in three Presidential administrations, came to the rescue in 1935. Today, the estate is run by his great-grandson, Prince Robert de Luxembourg along with Jean-Philippe.