Chateau Haut Brion 1985

Ray Signorello, Jr. Charity Meal - a magnificent bottle of a fully mature, glorious, complex 1985 Haut Brion that exhibited notes of camphor, burning embers, sweet cherries and abundant plush, succulent fruit. It was a beauty of finesse and seamlessness.

A gloriously seductive, classic Haut-Brion showing the most savory side of this elegant, finessed-styled wine, the 1985 Haut-Brion has reached its plateau of full maturity. The colour is deep ruby/garnet with some lightening at the edge. A very complex nose of cedar, dried herbs, smoke, creosote and black cherries, plums and currants jumps from the glass. In the mout, it is round, concentrated, medium to full bodied, with a velvety texture and beautifully integrated alcohol, acidity and tannin. A beauty! Anticipated maturity:now-2012.

This has always been one of the more seductive, savory, complex Haut-Brions of the eighties. My notes have always suggested that it is the quintessentially elegant, finesse-styled Haut-Brion. The color remains a deep ruby/purple with slight lightening at the edge. The knock-out nose of intense jammy black fruits, smoke, cedar, herbs, and new oak is followed by a generously concentrated, rich, gorgeously proportioned and layered Haut-Brion with no hard edges. Everything - alcohol, acidity, tannin - is beautifully integrated into the seamless personality of the 1985. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted 10/97