The famous winery is located in the commune of Pessac (suburb of Bordeaux) in the Pessac-Léognan area of Graves(Bordeaux). Its origins go back to Arnaud I Pontac, who made a fortune as an exporter of wine and vines from Bordeaux from 1496. His son Jean de Pontac (1488-1589) built the north wing of the château in 1550. In 1525, he married Jeanne de Bellon, who brought part of the Haut-Brion vineyard into the marriage as a dowry. His only sister Marie married Arnaud de Lestonnac, who founded the neighbouring Château La Mission Haut-Brion in 1540.
Fifteen children were born from Jean Pontac's three marriages (the last of which he entered into at the age of 76). There is nothing worth mentioning about viticulture in the next two Pontac generations. Through Arnaud III de Pontac (1599-1682), the wines of Haut-Brion also began to become known and popular in England. He recognised the importance of the English market and is considered the founder of château wines because he was the first in Bordeaux to market a wine under the name of the estate as "Haut-Brion", which was subsequently imitated by many Bordeaux vineyards.
Birth of the second wine
Another marketing pioneering act was that he sold the second qualities from his other estates under the family name "Pontac", which was, so to speak, the birth of the second wine that is common in many châteaux today. He also introduced new winemaking techniques. It can be assumed that he worked with much longer maceration times, as the Haut-Brion wines were described as much darker than other Bordeaux wines at the time. He also introduced ageing in new oak barrels. The famous Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) described the wine in 1663 as follows: " I have just tasted a French wine called Ho-Bryan (sic), which has the best and most extraordinary flavour I have ever encountered". It was also very popular at the English court; the cellar records of Charles II (1630-1685) mention "169 bottles of Hobriono" served to royal guests.
Foundation of "Pontack's Head"
In 1666, Arnaud Pontac sent his son François Auguste Pontac (1636-1694) to London, who founded the later famous "Pontack's Head" tavern behind the Old Bailey (criminal court) on his behalf. The target audience was the wealthy, aristocratic society, who could enjoy the equally exquisite wines of Château Haut-Brion with exquisite food. The restaurant, which was unusual in its kind at the time, was a resounding success and remained in operation for over a hundred years. After François-Auguste's death, his sister Thérèse inherited two thirds of the estate. The remaining third became the property of Louis-Arnaud Lecomte, François-Auguste's nephew. Thérèse also inherited the Château de Pez in Saint-Estèphe. In 1654, she married Jean-Denis d'Aulède de Lestonnac (????-1694), who was the owner of the famous Château Margaux at the time. This was already a small empire of exquisite châteaux.
Owner Charles Maurice Talleyrand
Their son Marquis François-Delphin d'Aulède de Lestonnac (+1746) managed Margaux and Haut-Brion at the same time. The heiress was his sister Catherine d'Aulède de Lestonnac, widow of Count François-Joseph de Fumel since 1688. Her great-nephew Joseph de Fumel (1720-1794) carried out extensive embellishment work on the château and added an orangery, a farm building and a large park. During the turmoil of the French Revolution, the property was expropriated and Joseph de Fumel lost his head under the guillotine in 1794 in addition to his property "for international activities". In 1801, the estate was acquired by the statesman Charles Maurice Talleyrand (1754-1838), Napoleon's foreign minister (1769-1821). He also used the prestigious property for diplomatic purposes, but sold it again after three years. Between 1804 and 1836, it belonged to a banker and later to a wine merchant. Finally, in 1836, it became the property of the Parisian banker Joseph-Eugène Larrieu (1777-1856) at a public sale.
Bordeaux classification 1855
The new owner expanded and consolidated the estate. In 1841, he acquired the third that had been separated in the course of the inheritance in 1694. Above all, he is credited with the fact that it was classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. The exceptional status of Château Haut-Brion is demonstrated by the fact that it is the only one of the 61 châteaux classified in 1855 that is not located in the Médoc region. In the 1959 classification for Graves, the red wine is also included in the list of "Grands Crus".
The estate remained in the Larrieu family until 1923, when it was taken over by a bank and then owned by André Gibert. Finally, in 1935, it was bought by the US investment banker Clarence Dillon (1882-1979) for 2.3 million francs because he valued this wine so highly. His son Clarence Douglas Dillon (1909-2003) later acquired further wine estates. From 1979, the family empire Domaine Clarence Dillon was managed by his daughter Joan Dillon, a Duchesse de Mouchy. Her successor since 2001 has been her son Prince Robert of Luxembourg. The winery is managed by the Delmas family, currently by Jean-Philippe Delmas in the third generation.
Varietal range & winemaking
In the 1960s, Château Haut-Brion was the first winery in Bordeaux to use stainless steel fermentation tanks. Great importance is attached to the selection and propagation of the best vines. The focus is on diversity, with around 400 different clones in the vineyard. The vineyards cover a total of 46 hectares and the vines are on average 40 years old. The soil consists of nine metres of gravel, which gives the wine its unmistakable character. The vast majority of the 43 hectares are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (37%) and Cabernet Franc (18%). The red wine is fermented quickly and relatively warm in stainless steel in the house style. It is then matured for 18 to 24 months in 100% new barriques. The English wine writer Hugh Johnson describes the 1899 Impérial as: "The most fascinating Bordeaux I have ever tasted". The bottle shape of the house is also unmistakable; compared to a normal Bordeaux bottle, the bottles are conical (slightly thicker towards the top).
Wine style & special vintages
The unmistakable, excellent Haut-Brion style is described as "optimal elegance and harmony with fruity and earthy flavours". Despite its longevity, the wine is ready to drink relatively early. After a few years, the tannins disappear more quickly than in other Bordeaux wines and a creamy flavour develops with notes of plums, cassis and tobacco. The second wine is called "Bahans Château Haut-Brion". There is a special anecdote about five bottles of the legendary 1811 vintage (see there). Outstanding more recent vintages include 1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000, which are among the most expensive wines in the world. The 1970 vintage was included in the legendary Paris Wine Tasting in 1976. Three hectares of the vineyard are planted with the white wine varieties Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The long-lasting white wine also matures in new barriques.
Image: By BillBl - originally posted to Flickr as Chateau Haut-Brion, CC BY 2.0, Link
