Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2016

100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): The 2016 Haut-Brion is blended of 56% Merlot, 37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6.5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is at once profound and arresting, offering drop-dead gorgeous Morello cherries, lilacs and red rose scents with a core of Black Forest cake, warm blackcurrants and blueberry preserves plus wafts of sandalwood and underbrush. Medium-bodied, the elegantly crafted palate is completely packed with intense floral, mineral and cassis-laced flavors with a firm frame of very finely pixelated tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and achingly stunning. Drink 2025-2070. (11/30/18)"

100 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2016 Haut-Brion is quite possibly even more magnificent from bottle than it was from barrel. Powerful and rich, yet not at all heavy, the 2016 is a wine of nearly indescribable beauty. Haut-Brion is often a thrilling wine, but it is rarely this finessed in its youth. Gravel, cure meat, tobacco and cedar are some of the many nuances that develop with air, but it is an extraordinary sense of harmony that really stands out. What a wine! Drink: 2026-2066. (Jan 2019)"

100 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "This has a little more reticence initially on the nose than La Mission, but after a few minutes the rich texture begins to reveal itself, with charcoal, tobacco, dark plum and damson fruits that are straining at the leash. It has hidden power and subtle oak toasting - this clearly feels no need to shout about its presence, but there will be plenty to discover over time. You can feel those tannins licking around your teeth, building up one layer at a time. A great wine En primeur that has settled into greatness. Drinking Window: 2026-2046. (Dec 2018)"

100 points James Suckling: "Stunning black fruit with plenty of forest berries in there, the whole picture cool and very delicate, also on the concentrated and highly structured palate. The tannins are very fine-grained, but decisively austere and, together with the vibrant acidity, they propel the finish out towards infinity and leave a breathtaking final impression. A blend of 56 per cent merlot, 37.5 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 6.5 per cent cabernet franc. Very long aging potential, but you could try it in 2023. (1/22/19)"

100 points/'Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019,' Wine Enthusiast: "Immensely tannic, this is a great Haut-Brion, one of the finest for many years. It shows the severe side of this estate, with a dense structure to match the powerful black fruits. Rich with berry flavors and lifted by enough acidity, the wine will age for many years. Drink from 2026. Alcohol 14%. (May 2019)"

99 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Haut-Brion has a beguiling sense of purity on the nose, which features scents of blackberry, crushed violet petals, hints of dark chocolate and even a suggestion of fresh fig. Underneath all this is a seam of mineralité that becomes more conspicuous with aeration, tightening everything up. The palate is medium-bodied with filigreed tannin, a satiny texture, perfect acidity and incredible harmony. Everything here is in the right place. Quite sensual in style, conveying an enthralling sense of delineation on the long finish. About as good as you will find in this vintage. Drink: 2026-2080. (Jan 2019)"

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "As to the reds, the 2016 Haut Brion is a prodigious, legendary wine in the making, although it’s not for those seeking instant gratification. Deeper colored and more concentrated than the La Mission Haut Brion, it reveals a purple/ruby color as well as a sensational bouquet of blackcurrants, cassis, cigar tobacco, cold fireplace, violets, and lead pencil. Deep, masculine, structured, and mineral-laced, it has a stacked mid-palate, full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a firm, blockbuster styled finish that lasts for close to a minute. A wine for the ages, don’t even think about opening bottles for at least 7-8 years. It should keep for half a century. The blend in 2016 is 56% Merlot, 37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6.5% Cabernet Franc. Drink: 2019-2027. (2/28/19)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, opaque core, subtle brightening on the rim. Still restrained on the nose with a hint of dark chocolate, ripe cherry, tobacco notes and candied orange zest. Complex, blackberry fruit, tight and closely meshed, vivid, well-integrated tannins, fresh with some delicate nougat on the finish. It still needs time, but has potential for greatness. (5/24/17)"

98 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "A blend led by Merlot this year, at 56%, with 37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6.5% Cabernet Franc, a blend not that far from that at some leading right-bank properties. The élevage here was in 78% new oak, and the finished wine was bottled in June 2018. The aromatics here are dark, fragrant and surprisingly perfumed, almost in the style of La Mission, with a sprinkling of chalk dust and white flower petals sitting alongside darker and more brooding notes of black fruits, in particular smoked black cherry, damson and currant, along with praline oak notes and a matchsticky freshness. It feels beautifully textured at the start, confident and plush, but also reserved, elegant and not overstated. It remains very composed through the middle, beautifully polished, with a very refined frame in the midpalate, where the tannins are so tightly knit they barely seem present, with fresh acids too, but it all works together in harmony here. A very impressive and composed style, brooding but not introverted, with an appellation-defining structure and presence. The finish just lingers on and on, with a charged energy around the tannins. This should be magnificent. (Dec 2018)"