Site and terroir
Château Haut-Brion is located in the municipality of Pessac, south west of Bordeaux, in the Pessac-Léognan appellation and in the northern part of the Graves wine-growing region. The vineyard is situated on a gravel terrace that is topped by two small hills. The slopes of the gravel mounds provide natural drainage.
The soils consist of small quartz pebbles over a subsoil of clay, sand, limestone and shell sand. The gravel layers are about 20 centimetres to more than three metres thick.
Vineyards and grape varieties
The vineyard area covers around 51 hectares, of which 48 hectares are planted with red and around three hectares with white grape varieties. In the red vineyards, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are grown. The white parcels are planted with Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris.
The estate uses no insecticides and aligns its interventions with the characteristics of the soils. During winter, spontaneous ground cover remains; the depth and frequency of mechanical cultivation are limited. Deep rooting of the vines is intended to reduce erosion. Compost is produced on a parcel-by-parcel basis from vine-pruning material generated on the estate, using an eight-month composting cycle.
Wines and history
The estate produces Château Haut-Brion Rouge and Château Haut-Brion Blanc as distinct red and white wines. Since the 1923 vintage, the wines have been bottled systematically at the estate.
The documented history of winegrowing goes back to the first century AD. The earliest written mention of a wine explicitly associated with the Haut-Brion terroir dates from 1521. Jean de Pontac acquired the seigneurial rights of Haut-Brion in 1533 and began building the château in 1549. Clarence Dillon bought the estate on 13 May 1935; since then, it has belonged to the Dillon family. Since 2008, Prince Robert of Luxembourg has been Chairman and Managing Director.
Classification
Château Haut-Brion belongs to the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is classified both as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification and as a Cru Classé de Graves. In the 1855 classification, it was included as one of four Premiers Grands Crus Classés for red wine.
