My First...1st Growth

Was talking with the owner of a wine shop in the affluent section of northern DE a couple months back.
The more we talked, the more I liked the guy.
Great selection of wines and some older 1st growths in the wine case.

I saw, at that time, that he had a 1986 Haut Brion.
Great price.

I mentioned about our wine gatherings and invited him to our next larger get together.
Stopped by yesterday and saw that Haut Brion and he knocked 10% off.

Sold!
Not only have I never owned a 1st growth, I’ve never even tasted one.
Obviously, this one is not for long term cellaring at this point.

I checked Vivino and saw a couple very recent reviews.
Very encouraging.

Will report back after trying.
Not sure when that will be but no rush.

This guy just rated it 4 days ago and there was another within the last week.

Sounds amazing!

Any Haut Brion fans out there?

Karl

I just love this post. Reminds me of me . . . a very long time ago. The first one I bought was also Haut Brion.

Yes, a Haut Brion fan here . . . had 1996 and 2000 a while back - love the richness and depth it provides. A quintessential representation of Graves and great Bordeaux. Hope your first experience will be memorable.

Back in 2005, a group of friends and I had an opportunity to buy a large number of all 5 first growths from 1995 for $87 each. I was really excited about the Latour and Lafite and was really surprised when the Haut Brions outperformed the rest when all were represented. If you are ever lucky enough to try the 1989 Haut Brion, don’t pass up the opportunity.

I don’t want to be a buzz kill, but the 86 Haut Brion is not my favorite vintage of Haut Brion. It can be quite austere. If you can, look for the 1985, it’s a much better wine IMO. Haut Brion could be my favorite First Growth. I’m drooling, just thinking about it. :slight_smile:

For a younger vintage, look for 1998. It’s stunning!

Jeff

You think even now after 32 years of aging it will still be austere?
The latest reviews of it on Vivino were quite complimentary.
Sounds like it’s where it needs to be right now.

I love the line in the beginning of the documentary Red Obsession, where the guy says
“It has a taste of which I know not”

Couldn’t pass it up for the price.
It will be on me if it’s corked, unfortunately.

While the 89 Haut Brion was my favorite, I enjoyed the 86…It was my very first HB…A business associate gifted me with one bottle each of the 86 red and the 86 white…We used to discuss wines from time to time and I must have mentioned HB at some point in time, no clue why, it was a long time ago…Since she didn’t know which one I was referring to, she bought one of each. Hope you enjoy it, Karl

While on the subject of Haut Brion, I have a sole bottle of 2001 in my cellar. I assume it still needs more time, or is this a vintage that might drink well earlier than some. Would appreciate feedback from anyone that may have opened one recently.

Jay, Michael, J Wei, jon

Thanks!

It is going to be special as I have dove into wine head first over the last 4 years.
I own a plethora of wine books including Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux and the Wine Atlas and Zraley and many others.

I do love learning about wine as much or more than enjoying it.
I have noticed that there seemed to be a gravitation, for lack of a better word, towards this particular one of the five.
Not sure why that was but when I saw it in his cabinet (Temp controlled of course) for 400…I wondered if the next time it would still be there.
He said he could help a bit and I couldn’t pass that up.

I will share this with my friends who also are passionate about fine wine and I would imagine that there will be other great wines opened that evening.

I’ll try not to get my expectations to exceed the eventual experience. You never know. 32 years is a long time.
Hope it’s kept it’s integrity.

That’s a fantastic price. My first owned 1st growth is the 2014 Haut Brion. A birth wine for my son. I’ve tasted Lafite from the same year. It is remarkable how these wines taste as though they are built for the long term.

Do you ever read my site? I have 8 tasting notes for the 86 Haut Brion, last tasted, March 2016.

1986 is an austere, tannic vintage to start with. So, IMO, yes. YMMV

Keep the faith, Karl. One of the best Bordeaux I’ve ever had was an 86 Gruaud-Larose. But as with any wine, expectations can exceed the experience.

IMO, 86 Guraud Larose is one of the wines of the vintage!

Jeff

I do.

Great site!

I’d had plenty of famous wines but never Y’Quem as recently as about 5 years ago. I rarely drink stickies and so have never really felt the urge to pursue one. At Grailey’s Christmas Party I casually let that slip and the needle slid off the record and the folks I was chatting with guffawed. 1 minute later 1989 Y’Quem. I hope your HB is similarly delicious. More importantly, I hope it is to your tastes.

The first Haut Brion I bought (and brought to an offline) did turn out to be corked. Your luck will probably be better.

-Al

Karl,
Congrats on your purchase, my advice (for what its worth) would be to drink this bottle as more of a singular event, you may miss the subtlety of this wine if you place it on a table with a lot of other wines, hope you really enjoy it
Cheers
Marcus

Marcus

Good point.
I agree.

Will do that.

Most of the usual suspects in St. Julien are great in 86 imho - Ducru and Leoville Barton especially. The 86 Ducru is one of the best bottles I’ve had in the last couple of years.

Same here. I had a younger one, but then opened an 82 a few years ago for my birthday, which was a wonderful experience.

Should be a great experience!