Château Haut-Brion
Château Haut-Brion is the closest vineyard to the town of Bordeaux. I simply travelled there by the suburban bus to Pessac.
Its red wine is rated a Premier Grand Cru Classé (First Great Growth). It differs from the other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves. Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day.
Château Haut-Brion is a very ancient vineyard. Grapes are thought to have been grown on the property since Roman times, although the earliest document indicating cultivation of a parcel of land dates from 1423. The estate Château Haut-Brion dates back to April 1525 when Jean de Pontac married Jeanne de Bellon, the daughter of the mayor of Libourne and seigneur of Haut-Brion.
In 1787, Ambassador Thomas Jefferson came to Bordeaux. He described the terroir as follows, “The soil of Haut-Brion, which I examined in great detail, is made up of sand, in which there is near as much round gravel or small stone and a very little loam like the soils of the Médoc”.
Château Haut-Brion devotes 48.35 hectares (119.5 acres) to red grape varieties, with a distribution of 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and 2.87 ha (7.1 acres) to white grape varieties, distributed with 52.6% Sémillon and 47.4% Sauvignon blanc.
When I visited Château Haut-Brion, I just walked into the property. There was a metal obstruction which aimed to stop random visitors like me. But it didn’t, as I climbed around it. I was politely told by a lady that you are required to make a booking if you want to taste wines, and that the boutique was closed. I managed to take a few photos. It was a worthwhile visit, being able to see such a famous vineyard, basically in the Bordeaux suburbs.
Logistics
TGV fast train from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux. Then bus number 4 to Pessac.