Regarded as one of the world’s greatest wines for around 600 years, Haut-Brion was the only First Growth outside of the Médoc in the 1855 Classification. Grapes are thought to have been grown here since Roman times, and it can boast the first-ever professional wine review, by Samuel Pepys in 1663.
The elevated vineyard consists of deep gravels with a high clay and mineral content, planted in 45% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. They also produce one of the greatest and most expensive dry white wines in the world from 63% Semillion and 37% Sauvignon Blanc.
95 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
A gloriously seductive, classic Haut-Brion showing the most savory side of this elegant, finesse-styled wine, the 1985 Haut-Brion has reached its plateau of full maturity. The color is a deep ruby/garnet with some lightening at the edge. A very complex nose of cedar, dried herbs, smoke, creosote, and black cherries, plums, and currants jumps from the glass. In the mouth, it is round, concentrated, medium to full-bodied, with a velvety texture and beautifully integrated alcohol, acidity, and tannin. A beauty!
96 Points John Gilman
The 1985 Château Haut-Brion is a brilliant wine. Like the ’85 La Mission, this wine is still a bit primary and in need of further bottle age to fully blossom, but all of the constituent components are here and this wine will be legendary in the fullness of time. The gorgeous nose delivers a fine constellation of black cherries, cassis, black truffles, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, a bit of Haut-Brion’s medicinal tones of adolescence, a dollop of fresh herbs and a deft base of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and impeccably balanced, with a rock solid core, fairly low acids, fine-grained tannins and stunning length and grip on the voluptuous and utterly refined finish. A great, great Haut-Brion.