Wine of the Day: Chateau Haut Brion 1989 11-1-16
Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 1989 750ML ($1699.95) Buy Now: $1299 special
A wine of firsts. Haut Brion was Bordeaux’s original grand vin: the first Bordeaux to be grown, branded, and marketed as a single-estate, château wine; the first to receive written mention as such, in Samuel Pepys’ famous 1663 diary; and the first on the 1855 classification list. Even oenophile/diplomat Thomas Jefferson visited Haut Brion in 1787, to sample and purchase one of his favorite wines. Quality has always remained the passion at this 111-acre estate in Pessac. Arnaud de Pontac, Haut Brion’s 17th-century savior, and president of Bordeaux’s parliament, could afford low yields, new oak, and elimination of moldy grapes and inferior wines. The rest of the Médoc gradually followed suit, creating the classed growths we know today, with wine estates around the world eventually embracing the same pursuit of absolute quality.… Read the rest