[ Home > Wines > Bordeaux > Graves & Pessac-Leognan > Chateau La Tour Haut Brion 2000 - Bordeaux ]
Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux Silky and creamy in texture, with a full body and a long aftertaste of berry and tobacco. A very fine La Tour. Score range: 92-94 Wine Spectator This may be the finest La Tour-Haut-Brion produced since the estate was acquired by the Dillon family in 1983. A blend of 52% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, it reveals an opaque purple color as well as gorgeously sweet aromas of cassis fruit and smoke. Medium to full-bodied and deep, with ripe tannin, excellent definition, and admirable freshness in its long, convincingly rich finish, it will be at its finest between 2006-2023. Rated 89-91 Robert Parker VINEYARD COMPOSITION/VARIETAL PROFILE: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot 12.1 acres. Average age of vines is 23 years. HISTORY Formerly the second wine of La Mission Haut Brion, Château La Tour-Haut-Brion was owned for many years by the Woltner family, who also owned La Mission-Haut-Brion. In 1983 both properties were sold to the current owners, the American Clarence Dillon family, who now govern the property with winemaker Jean Delmas. The current style is lighter and made from the property's own relatively young vineyards rather than those of La Mission Haut Brion as in the past. Total average annual production is 2,000-2,500 cases. VINIFICATION Harvest is done manually, with fermentations in large temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. A computer system programs pump-over and regulates the must to a mean temperature of 86 degrees F. Wines spend 20 months in new oak barrels and are fined with fresh egg whites. STYLE Château La Tour-Haut-Brion is made in a precise, clean, crafted winemaking style. Its supple, medium-bodied, slightly herbaceous wines are drinkable at a relatively early age despite their high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. They have the characteristic nose of coffee, tobacco, occasionally grilled herbs, and black and red currants. Moderate tannins and good underlying acidity give the wine fine definition for at least 5-15 years following most vintages. |
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