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Chateau Haut-Brion Cru Classe De Graves 'Pessac-Leognan' - $1,499.99

Wine Details

Vintage:	2003
Price:	$1,499.99
Producer:	Chateau Haut Brion
Region:	Graves
Varietal:	Bordeaux - Red
Container Size:	1.5 L
Flavors:

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Product Description

Although by all accounts the vine has been rampant in these parts since at least Roman times, the earliest written mention that our archivist has discovered, citing a parcel of vines being cultivated at Haut-Brion dates back to only 1423. In the early days wines were known by the name of the parishes from whence they came. Later they became known as clarets. In the case of Haut-Brion, under the great stewardship of the Pontac family the wine's reputation was for years represented by the name of this enlightened and well respected family-- Pontac wine. Eventually as its renown grew, the name of the Estate came to replace that of its owners. The notion of a Great Growth was born! We find the first written mention of the wine in the Diaries of Samuel Pepys. While visiting the Royal Oak Tavern in London on April 10, 1663 Pepys wrote "There I drank a sort of French wine called Ho-Bryan (sic) which hath a good and most particular taste which I never before encountered....."

Food Pairings

Category	Pairing
Cheese	Mozzarella, Sharp Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Feta, Goat Cheese
Red Meat	Roast Beef, Beef Stew, Lamb, Lamb Stew, Salami, Sausage, Variety Meats or Organ Meats, Kidney
Poultry & Eggs	Spicy Chicken Dishes
Vegetables	Ratatouille
Sauces	Red Wine Sauce
Herbs & Spices	Anise, Fennel Seed, Tarragon, Bay Leaf, Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme
Cheese	Aged Cheddar

Wine Terms

Name	Value
Bordeaux	A region in western France that grows famous red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes and white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle grapes. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux has a maritime climate with warm summers and fairly mild winters as well as an abundance of rain during harvest time. When young, the finest red Bordeaux wines have a deep cranberry hue and aromas of blackcurrants, plums, spice, cedar, and cassis. For the first ten years or so these wines can be very dry, with tannin masking the fruity flavors. Eventually the wines turn garnet, and develops an extraordinarily complex bouquet and flavor as well as softer tannins. The finest red Bordeaux wines still take 20 years or so before reaching their maturity. Two distinct red wine production zones exist within the Bordeaux region; the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Left Bank vineyards are located west of the Garonne River and the Gironde Estuary, into which the Garonne empties. The Right Bank vineyards are east and north of the Dordogne River and east of the Grionde Estuary. Of the various wine districts on the Left and Right Banks, four are the most important for red wines: Haut-Médoc; Pessac-Leognan, St-Emilion, and Pomerol. For white wines, the most important are Graves and Pessac-Leognan.
France	France is the standard bearer for all the world’s wines, with regard to the types of grapes that are used to make wine and with the system of defining and regulating winemaking. Its Appellation d’Origine Controlee, or AOC system, is the legislative model for most other European countries. Most French wines are named after places. The system is hierarchical; generally the smaller and more specific the region for which a wine is named, the higher its rank. There are four possible ranks of French wine, and each is always stated on the label: Appellation Contrôlée (or AOC), Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (or VDQS); Vin de pays, or country wine; and Vin de table. France has five major wine regions, although there are several others that make interesting wines. The three major regions for red wine are Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Rhone; for white wines, the regions are Burgundy, the Loire and Alsace. Each region specialized in certain grape varieties for its wines, based on climate, soil, and local tradition. Two other significant French wine regions are Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, both in the south of France. Cahors, in the southwest of the country, produces increasingly good wines.
Graves	Traditionally the only region in Bordeaux to make both top-quality reds and whites, Graves has lost much of its land to the new appellation of Pessac-Léognan. What remains is a collection of medium-to full-bodied whites and reds. The reds made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are supple, earthy, and tobacco-scented. The whites are made from Sémillon, Sauvignon d Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. These honeyed, soft, nutty wines are among the greatest in France.