Château Haut-Brion

Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day.

Formerly named Château Bahans Haut-Brion, beginning with the 2007 vintage, it was renamed Le Clarence de Haut Brion (LWIN 1008153).

Although grapes are thought to have been grown on the property since Roman times, the earliest document indicating cultivation of a parcel of land dates from 1423.

1649, Lord Arnaud III de Pontac became owner of Haut-Brion, and the wine's growing popularity began in earnest.

[3][5][6] Therefore both Charles II's cellar book and Pepys' note "provide the first mention in any language of estate-named claret and are among the many proofs that Haut-Brion was created specifically for the English market.

In 1927, writer Dorothy L. Sayers, in her novel "Unnatural Death", had detective Lord Peter Wimsey joke about Pepys Anglicizing the wine's name (" .

Prince Robert of Luxembourg then challenged wine historians and amateurs to find a new reference to Haut-Brion in history prior to 1660.

[1] English philosopher John Locke, visiting Bordeaux in 1677, spoke of Haut-Brion, "...The wine of Pontac, so revered in England, is made on a little rise of ground, lieing[sic] open most to the west.

One would imagin it scarce fit to beare anything.." On the cause of its increasing costliness, he stated, "thanks to the rich English who sent orders that it was to be got for them at any price".

Haut-Brion, two-thirds of which belong to the Count de Fumel who sold the harvest to a merchant called Barton.

[1][6] Posthumously, de Fumel's nephews obtained a pardon for him as well as the restitution of the confiscated property, but they left France.

[1][2] A less prosperous period followed between 1804 and 1836 under successive ownership of various businessmen,[1] until Joseph-Eugène Larrieu bought Haut-Brion when it was sold by auction.

[2] In the classifications of 1855 ahead of the International Exhibition in Paris, Château Haut-Brion was classified Premier Grand Cru, as the only estate from Graves among the three established First Growths of the Médoc.

[14] After a series of unsuccessful owners during difficult times,[4] the American banker Clarence Dillon bought Château Haut-Brion on May 13, 1935 for ₣2,300,000.

Several unverified anecdotes surround the acquisition, as Dillon was believed to also consider buying châteaux Cheval Blanc, Ausone or a majority share in Margaux, but did not care to make the trip on a rainy, chilly day, and chose Haut-Brion for its proximity to Bordeaux and riding facilities.

[9][15] Haut-Brion first began using its distinctive bottle, emulating designs of old decanter models, from the 1958 vintage which was released in 1960.

[15] Château Haut-Brion devotes 48.35 hectares (119.5 acres) to red grape varieties, with a distribution of 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and 2.87 ha (7.1 acres) to white grape varieties, distributed with 52.6% Sémillon and 47.4% Sauvignon blanc.

[17] The selection of optimum rootstocks and clones has been a large task at Château Haut-Brion, pioneered by Jean-Bernard Delmas, which has greatly contributed to the quality of the plant material in the vineyard.

The harvest of the white grapes takes place very early due to the proximity to the city of Bordeaux which results in a warmer microclimate and thus earlier ripening.