A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cherries, cassis and coffee. On the palate, this has a nice depth and complexity. Cassis fruit layered with spice and slight earthiness. Soft texture. Medium tannins. Good finish. This is a very pretty wine that just now seems to be closing in on peak. There is some more upside to this wine. It will work well with roasts or grilled foods.
This is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. A gorgeous wine that is still very young. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is pretty classic for Haut Brion with cassis, crushed gravel, slight asphalt and strawberries. On the palate there are silky but firm tannins. Deep and complex, the layers unwind in the glass. Cassis and black cherries, slight strawberries over gravel and earth. Great balance. Long finish. This needs another ten years to maturity and should be there for a couple more decades after that. It is delicious right now but give it air.
Once again demonstrating how long the 2005's are taking to come around. Pop and pour (for logistic reasons), this was just starting to open at the two hour mark. Still, a great showing though.
This is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. This was one of the least expensive wines in this magnificent tasting and really stood toe to toe with all of them. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, smoke, graphite and minerals. Very expressive if not huge. On the palate, there is a wonderful texture. Cassis with layers of minerals and char. Great balance. Long finish. This really took some time to open in the glass but then just kept getting better. It seems like it will need another decade to fully mature and then have a couple more after that (which seems
