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2005 Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Merlot (56%), Cabernet Sauvignon (39%), Cabernet Franc (5%)
Ready - youthful (Drink 2019 - 2065)
Jeb Dunnuck
100/100
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
100/100
Robert Parker
100/100
James Suckling
100/100
Antonio Galloni
99+/100
Jane Anson
99/100
Charles Curtis MW
97/100
Andy Howard MW
18/20
Neal Martin
96+/100
Jancis Robinson MW
19/20
Matthew Jukes
18.5+/20
Product: 20051011247

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2005 Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Description

Those with long memories, and who also have had the privilege to drink the 1989 Haut-Brion, will find echoes of that legendary wine in the 2005. Both are products of hot and dry vintages and, in maturity, have developed an astonishing bouquet of incense, smoke and wood spice, entwined with Haut-Brion’s other classic notes of mineral, earth and tobacco. There is more density and grip to the 2005, which renders it less immediately hedonistic, but the silky undertones are there, pupating and awaiting release. More time is required but this remains a tour-de-force. It is one of the wines of the vintage.

Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Director, Berry Bros. & Rudd (September 2025)

Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2005
Alcohol % 14%
Maturity Ready - youthful (2019 - 2065)
Grape List Merlot (56%), Cabernet Sauvignon (39%), Cabernet Franc (5%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Haut-Brion

Critics reviews

Jeb Dunnuck 100/100
An absolutely perfect wine in every way, the 2005 Château Haut-Brion reveals a more vivid ruby/plum hue as well as a quintessential Haut-Brion bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, iron, and lead pencil, with just a hint of background violet and floral, earthy nuances. Rich, full-bodied and powerful, it stays tight and compact on the palate and has building, flawless tannins as well as nicely integrated acidity.
Drink 2024 - 2055
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (Jun 2024)
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 100/100
The 2005 Haut-Brion is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-brick in color, the nose explodes with heart-thumping floral and fragrant earth notes over a core of Morello cherries, black raspberries, and creme de cassis. It is medium to full-bodied, with super-firm, ripe tannins and a lively backbone lending a rock-solid structure to the bright, muscular fruit. The palate absolutely shimmers with stunning mineral and floral notes, finishing with epic length. Tantalizingly good now, expect even greater things with 5-10 more years of bottle age. It will cellar to 2070 and, most likely, well beyond. Bought by an American banker / financier Clarence Dillon in 1935, it remains in the family today, with Prince Robert of Luxembourg now managing the 125-acre estate on the edge of Bordeaux city, in the town of Pessac. The soils include some very deep gravels and a good amount of clay. Clonal variation adds to the complexity of the site, with over 500 different clones. Jean-Phillip Delmas is the third generation in his family to oversee winemaking at this estate. The style is often more elegant, minerally, and refined than its flamboyant sibling La Mission Haut-Brion. Indeed, Haut-Brion can appear austere in its youth.
Drink 2027 - 2070
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, TheWineIndependent.com (Jul 2022)
Robert Parker 100/100
The mineral-laced 2005 Haut Brion (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) is exquisite. With its elegance and finesse, it is not as powerful as La Mission, but the nobility and complexity of the aromatics, incredible fragrance (subtle smoke and blue, red, and black fruits) that persists in the glass, full-bodied mouthfeel (though very light and delicate on its feet), and incredible length characterize this great Haut-Brion. It is just starting to drink well, and should continue to do so for at least another three decades. It is a tour de force in winemaking, but only 9,000 cases were produced.
Drink 2015 - 2045
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (Jun 2015)
James Suckling 100/100
This is a wine that makes you dream. The nose is packed with flowers, sweet tobacco, iodine, spices, raspberries, blackberries, and great freshness. The texture is perfection, pure silk and the fruit is wonderfully complex and subtle. Currants, fresh mushrooms, flowers, and stones fill the mouth and make way to a delightful finish. Please leave this alone until 2020.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (Apr 2011)
Antonio Galloni 99+/100

The 2005 Haut-Brion is a deep, meaty wine. Black cherry, game, smoke, tobacco, licorice, gravel and scorched earth saturate every corner of the palate. The 2005 is inky, creamy and voluptuous right out of the gate. It is also very young and in need of time in bottle. Most wines I tasted for this report started to lose a little steam after 24 hours, but the Haut-Brion kept getting better and better. It’s a magical wine, if a bit less accessible than most other 2005s at this stage. Tasted two times.
Drink 2025 - 2055
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (Apr 2021)
Jane Anson 99/100
Tasting this just after the Haut-Brion 1998 and it feels almost impossibly young, but as with every time I have tasted this wine, you just know that it has the balance, depth, structure and sense of joy that will carry it through the decades. Exceptional quality, plush and fragrant, incense, blackberry and pencil lead. Jean-Philippe Delmas estate director as of 2003, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director, no outside consultant. 100% new oak. I have given this 100 points every other time I've tasted it recently, but this tiny one point downscore is simply to point out that it is still a baby when sat in a lineup of older Haut-Brions!
Drink 2025 - 2050
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (Jun 2025)
Charles Curtis MW 97/100
This classic from the heralded 2005 vintage is finally living up to its potential, with a forward, ripe plummy fruit and elements of wood smoke, gunflint and earth. The texture is still firm and tannic, but there is no astringency, and the somewhat monolithic character has faded. A nuanced, subtle sheen now gives the wine an elegance and harmony that it did not possess in the early years of its evolution. It is now evident that this is a wine for the ages. Merlot dominates the blend at 56% of the total.
Drink 2030 - 2070
Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (Jul 2023)
Andy Howard MW 18/20

56% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. Seen by some as similar to the legendary 1949, a very dry winter was followed by a wet April, before dry weather set in for the rest of the growing season.

Quite different to the other first growths, with exotic notes combined with dark and red fruit, along with distinctly earthy, meaty characters. Plenty of opulence here, with a spice-laden palate, fine acidity and a hint of iodine on the finish. Nicely mature and in good balance, this still has a long way to go.
Drink 2022 - 2040
Andy Howard MW, JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2021)
Neal Martin 96+/100

The 2005 Haut-Brion has a more sophisticated and delineated bouquet than the 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion with layer upon layer of pure black fruit commingling with crushed stone, Montecristo cigar and light black olive scents. It becomes more floral as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly powdery texture and a peppery, liquorice-tinged finish. That it feels more savoury compared to previous bottles is a sign of its evolution. This needs more time but is a fabulous First Growth, albeit one eclipsed by subsequent vintage where I feel that Jean-Philippe Delmas foraged more finesse and precision. Tasted at the château.

Drink 2025 - 2055
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (Jun 2025)
Jancis Robinson MW 19/20
Dark ruby; looks more evolved than the Haut-Bailly. Mmmm! A lovely weave of different elements that's already beautifully approachable and has that warm-bricks element plus freshness. Really complete. Just so vital and satisfying, and so persistent. The freshness is its USP because some of these wines are just a bit earthbound and stolid.
Drink 2025 - 2045
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Sep 2025)
Matthew Jukes 18.5+/20
The nose is potent, attacking, fairly oaky, and closed, and the fruit is grainy, tense and introverted!  All the elements are here, but there is undoubtedly a need for patience and composure!  Perhaps it could do with more refinement at this stage.  Let’s see, but this might be a bit of a gamble, given the price tag.
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com (Sep 2025)

About this wine

Pessac-Léognan

Pessac-Léognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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