Château Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 1999

L'avant dernière année de ce millénaire a été marquée par des événements météorologiques exceptionnels. En premier lieu, une éclipse de soleil le 11 août.
Puis deux très violentes tempêtes ont secoué le Sud-Ouest, l'une le 7 août, violente et très courte, l'autre encore plus violente le 27 décembre, qui dura du coucher du soleil et durant une bonne partie de la nuit. La violence maximale fut atteinte entre 8 heures et 10 heures du soir. Ce fut catastrophique pour toute la région.
Enfin, l'année fut une année chaude en moyenne et sur l'année supérieure de 2° à la normale des 40 dernières années. C'est considérable.
Plus généralement, l'année 1999 restera une année de conditions météorologiques brutales.

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2002

Deep plum, currant, and mineral notes emerge from the concentrated, beautifully balanced, pure 1999 Haut Brion. It seems to be cut from the same mold as years such as 1979 and 1985. There is a hint of graphite in the abundant fruit. The wine is medium to full-bodied, nuanced, subtle, deep, and provocatively elegant. It is made in a style that only Haut Brion appears capable of achieving. The finish is extremely long, the tannins sweet, and the overall impression one of delicacy interwoven with power and ripeness. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

par James Suckling le 31/03/2002

Seductive juice. Gorgeous aromas of crushed berries, tobacco, cigars and cedar. Full- to medium-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a long, fruity finish. Very fine indeed. Best after 2005. 12,500 cases made.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2001

This dark ruby/purple-colored, elegant effort reveals the scorched earth, black fruit, and mineral characteristics that so distinctively speak of Haut-Brion's famed terroir. The wine is beautifully balanced, with abundant quantities of sweet fruit, low acidity, and a forward, muscular stature. It should be drinkable at a relatively early age. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2000

The 1999 white wine harvest began August 30, and September 6 for the reds. Finished by September 24, it was not without problems (the huge liquid deluge of September 20 caught them picking grapes). As Jean Delmas revealed, there was 125% more rain than normal in the month of September, 1999, with more than three inches falling on September 20.

I first tasted the 1999 Haut-Brion in January, and admittedly it was a very fine wine, but difficult to get excited about. However, it is remarkable what two months of aging can do, which is one of the reasons I have, for 21 years, preferred to taste during the last two weeks of March.

The wine has put on considerable weight, and appears to be one of the vintage's few superstar efforts. Haut-Brion's 1999, a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, is superb, with a beginning point, a mid point, and a finish. It is dark ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet, mineral-infused, black fruit-scented nose revealing some of the roasted/scorched earth characteristics typical of wines from this region, displayed in a subtle fashion. New oak can be discerned, but it is a condiment as opposed to a dominating element.

The wine possesses exceptional delineation, beautiful freshness, and copious quantities of fruit, glycerin, and sweet tannin. It tastes like a wine from a hot vintage, without any of the negative impacts of dilution, overripeness, or hollowness that have affected many other wines. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.