Château-Haut-Brion Pessac Léognan 2000

UPDATED SCORE --- 99 POINTS FROM PARKER
'the 2000 Haut-Brion (a blend of 51% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc) showed incredibly at the tasting, and for me is one of the three or four most prodigious wines of the vintage. A compelling nose of roasted herbs, scorched earth, sweet blueberries, plums, black currants, and a hint of graphite is followed by a deep, layered, sumptuously textured, full-bodied Haut-Brion, but one with extraordinary complexity. This wine seems more evolved and approachable than I had expected it to be at age 10. My window of maturity seven years ago was 2012-2040, but I would change that to 2010-2050.'

+++ Wine Advocate's Neal Martin 99+ POINTS
'Tasted from an ex-château bottle in Bordeaux, I was not surprised to find the 2000 Château Haut-Brion flirting with perfection. The nose is simply breathtaking - quintessential Haut-Brion with ebullient red berry fruit, roasted herbs, gravel, terracotta tiles on a warm summer's day...it is simply wave after wave of intoxicating scents that could bring even the most stoic person to tears of joy. The palate displays heavenly balance, pitch-perfect acidity, perhaps spicier than previous bottles that I have tasted, and what depth and dimension in this outstanding wine. That hint of graphite on the finish is a cheeky nod to Pauillac, as if to thumb its nose at the First Growths, because alongside Château Latour, almost by stealth, the Haut-Brion is one of the greatest Bordeaux in this millennial year. Tasted November 2014.'

In 1533, Jean de Pontac bought the title to the domaine of Haut-Brion, giving birth to a wine estate whose illustrious heritage would be preserved over the centuries by four families. Today it is the Dillon family, led by the great-grandson of American Clarence Dillon, who continue to maintain the crown jewel status of this legendary first-growth Bordeaux estate. The ancient gravel soils of the vineyard consist of small stones, including various kinds of quartz, these precious gems giving life and complexity to this great wine. Haut-Brion was named a First-Growth in the historic 1855 classification and remains one of the greatest, most ageworthy wines in the world.

Unlike the other 4 First Growths, Mouton, Margaux, Lafite and Latour, which are planted to 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon, Haut Brion has less than 50% Cabernet in the blend, with up to 40% Merlot, which explains why it is usually not as 'big' as its First Growth peers, but eminently more aromatic. Also, interestingly, Robert Parker makes a point to say in his 4th edition of Bordeaux, "After more than 30 years of intensely tasting Bordeaux, I have a greater & greater affection for Haut-Brion, its character increasingly appealing to me as I have gotten older and wiser..."