CHATEAU HAUT BRION, 2009

"What a monumental effort! Atypically powerful, Haut-Brion 2009 could one day be considered the 21st-century version of the 1959 vintage. It is an extraordinarily complex and concentrated wine, crafted from a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc, with the highest alcohol level ever achieved at this estate: 14.3%. Even richer than the perfect 1989 vintage, with similar technical characteristics although slightly higher extract and alcohol, it offers a sensational bouquet of subtle embers, unsmoked cigar tobacco, charcoal, black raspberries, wet gravel, plums, figs, and blueberries. The aromas are so complex that one almost hesitates to stop smelling them. However, when it hits the palate, there is no disappointment. This 2009, with its creamy texture and full body, possesses low acidity, with stunning extract and remarkable clarity for a wine with a pH close to 4.0. The good news is that there are 10,500 cases of this 2009, one of the most fascinating examples of Haut-Brion ever produced. It requires a decade of aging and should last half a century or more. Lovers of Haut-Brion’s complexity should prepare for a bigger, richer, more massive wine, but one that loses none of its prodigious aromatic charms." - Robert Parker