1986 Château Haut-Brion
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
While the 1986 Château Haut-Brion isn’t going to hit the heights of some of the greats here, it’s still a gorgeously complete, classic Haut Brion. Needing an hour of air to start to open up, it’s still healthy ruby (very little bricking) but is followed by textbook Haut-Brion darker fruits, smoke tobacco, gravelly earth, and cold fireplace. While it starts out firm and angular, it slowly opens up and picks up charm and sweetness, offering medium to full-bodied richness, terrific overall balance, still present tannins, and certainly outstanding length. It’s not going to get better, but it clearly has another decade of prime drinking and, I suspect, a gradual decline thereafter.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1986 Haut-Brion, served blind at a private dinner in Bordeaux, comes from an ex-château bottle. I must admit that I spent a few moments marveling at the bouquet. It's intense and Margaux-like, perhaps more like a 1985 in style with precocious red fruit, cedar, kirsch and veins of cassis. It blossoms in the glass, revealing excellent minerality, yet never loses that curious Margaux-inspired allure. The palate has finally mellowed like many 1986s appear to be doing. This Haut-Brion is framed by fine tannins, suppler than previous bottles and maybe more filigree. Beautifully balanced from start to finish, it delivers disarming purity on the finish. Ladies and gentlemen, the 1986 Haut-Brion is ready for business. (NM)
Tasted at the château, the 1986 Haut Brion is a vintage that I had not tasted for some time. It is a blend of 28% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 62% Cabernet Sauvignon according to the chateau's records. Mirroring the 1996 La Mission, in this vintage that Haut-Brion occupies a higher quality level, with more complexity and vivacity on the nose: dusky black fruit, warm gravel, terracotta and cigar humidor. Lovely! The palate is very well balanced, maybe a little rustic compared to recent vintages, yet with firm body and grip. It's the kind of gruff, almost surly, broad-shouldered 1986s that might be a little curmudgeonly compared to 1985 or 1989, however after 30 years you are compensated with plenty of freshness and focus. I don't think it ranks up there with the best of the First Growth...that would come in other vintages, but it still provides plenty of drinking pleasure for those who love their classic claret with capital "C". Tasted July 2016.
Lively and rich and fully mature. Less density than the Mouton 1986 served blind alongside this wine. It hits the palate with sweet earthiness but leaves it with a firm dryness. Very appetising and nuanced. (JR)
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Brion is the only classified growth in Pessac-Léognan. One of the five First Growths, it is renowned for producing both exceptional reds and whites. Along with its sister estate, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, it is part of the Clarence Dillon stable.