Monsieur Touton Selection, Ltd.
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Chateau Haut-Brion2008

RED WINE

PUBLIC
April 2025
Prices and availability subject to confirmation
Chateau Haut-Brion label
  • Producer Chateau Haut-Brion
  • Blend 9% Cabernet Franc
    50% Cabernet Sauvignon
    41% Merlot
    100% Red Bordeaux Blend
  • Country France
  • Region Bordeaux
  • Appellation Pessac-Leognan
  • UPC 0 15643 60013 5

Reviews

James Suckling 94

What a finish here. It starts off slowly and then builds. Full bodied, but in reserve with a sweet tobacco, berry, and light dark chocolate character. Bright acidity and a chewy finish. So classy. Production was tiny in 2008.

by JS, James Suckling , 2010

Wine Enthusiast 96

Dark, dusty, hugely structured, Haut-Brion is a complex, serious wine with grandeur. The wine has considerable weight, its tannins striated through the black plum and damson skin fruits.

by RV, Wine Enthusiast , 2011

Wine Spectator 92

This has racy acidity well-buried in the core of damson plum, cherry pit and red currant notes, all backed by fine-grained tannins and subtle sanguine and iron shadings. Tar and lilac hints chime in on the finish, where the appellation's typical tarry note shows some atypical polish. Impressive. Drink now through 2020. 7,000 cases made.

by JM, Wine Spectator , 2011

Decanter 97

I loved this vintage of Haut Brion en primeur and am so happy that it has more than lived up to expectations now that it is well into its second decade of life. The fruit remains layered and complex; with plump but measured damson, cassis, bilberry, softening ever so slightly around the edges but still maintaining a slate texture that keeps things just slowly inching forward through the palate. Rosemary, black olives and crushed mint leaf on the finish. Ruthless selection, with just 35% of production going into the first wine.

by JA, Decanter , 2021

Vinous Media 95+

The 2008 Haut Brion has a very perfumed and floral bouquet: ebullient raspberry coulis and crushed strawberry fruit, sage and a hint of black olive. It just builds momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels a little grainy in texture, centered upon gravelly black fruit laced with black olive and smoke. It felt more austere than I expected, the finish reserved and somehow "contained" and yet the aftertaste is extraordinarily long. Avoid opening bottles for now because this was always one of the standout wines of the vintage, but at 10 years old it might be going through a dumb phase.

by NM, Vinous Media , 2018

Wine Advocate 96

This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for -wine of the vintage.- Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate's smallest crops (only 7,000 cases produced versus the usual 12,000 cases). It should drink well for three decades or more.

by RP, Wine Advocate , 2011

Technical Details

Tasting notes

Beautiful dense red color. The nose is very mature and presents notes of red fruits dominated by blackberries and blackcurrants. In the mouth, the approach is dense and tight. The evolution is very impressive due to sheer volume and impressive soft tannins. The fruit presence is very persistent with an ending that is long and aromatic. This wine has a lot of flavor and taste. It promises to have a very long and beautiful future.

Vintage

In years when Bordeaux winegrowers face adverse weather conditions, they usually speak of a millesime de vigneron, meaning that only the most perspicacious, courageous and committed professionals will be able to produce quality wine. This was the case in 2008, where a rainy and cool spring impeded vine growth and meant a late start for blossoms. In addition, a relatively cold and slightly moist August slowed the ripening of grapes. With the harvest period beginning about ten days after the date selected the previous year, 2008 was therefore a rather late vintage. In such a case, the behavior of the vine depends on the quality of the soil in which it is planted, but also to a great extent on the winegrower’s expertise and the hours of labor expended by personnel in the vineyard, before the harvest. As these two conditions for success were present at both of Domaine Clarence Dillon's properties, 2008 proved an exceptional year for the quality of our white wines and a very good year for our red wines, similar to the 1988 vintage in style and to the 2004 in structure.