1961 Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

“The dark garnet-colored 1961 Haut-Brion is pure perfection, with gloriously intense aromas of tobacco, cedar, chocolate, minerals, and sweet red and black fruits complemented by smoky wood. This has always been a prodigious effort (it was the debut vintage for Jean Delmas). It is extremely full-bodied, with layers of viscous, sweet fruit. This wine is akin to eating candy. Consistently an astonishing wine! (RP)” (01/1998)

“A recent bottle of 1961 Haut-Brion sourced from a private cellar at a dinner hosted by Christie's confirmed the status of the wine as one of the titans of the vintage. The colour was holding well, and there was a surprising amount of primary fruit still there, with pleasant aromas of ripe plum and mulberry, accented with notes of woodsmoke, fresh saddle leather, mineral and game. The texture was refined and elegant, but there was still plenty of density, and the wine was far from being overly mature. The integration and substance demonstrated that while this was mature, it would doubtless hold at this level for the foreseeable future without danger of decline. (CC)” (11/2021)

“When 1961s are still delivering, you know you are in the presence of something extremely special. No question of that here, with floral aromatics that curl upwards out of the glass, caressing and soft but with depth and power. There are plenty of traces of tobacco leaf, old book and cigar box that you might expect at this age, but they are woven through autumnal fruits that retain their power even if softened, with an unexpected persistency. Stands among the best 1961s, right up alongside legends such as Latour 1961. Take a moment to think about the fact that these wines are now 63 years old and still giving pleasure. Insane really. Owned by the Woltner family at this point, as La Mission was from 1919 until 1983.” (07/2024)

“Drinking at point, the 1961 Haut Brion was opened and followed over the evening. This prodigious, mammoth wine is another example of true greatness in wine and thumbs its nose at all the so-called more 'elegant' wines today. A huge nose of sweet tobacco, applewood, cedar, wood smoke, and ample black fruits all gives way to a deep, full-bodied effort that has a stacked mid-palate and the classic, gravelly minerality and smoky character that’s the hallmark of this magical terroir. It picked up richness and depth over the evening, yet also faded slightly, so this is a case where it’s going to hold nicely going forward but is certainly not going to improve. If you have them, drink them.” (03/2019)

“The 1961 Haut-Brion came from an ex-château bottle that had been sold at auction. This is a case where the wine was deeply impressive throughout dinner and then, after most people had departed, soared to the heavens for the four guests that remained, fortunately including myself. A pertinent reminder of how such wines require decanting. Heavenly purity on the nose, this is utterly sublime, leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum, verging on Burgundian for the first couple of hours before reverting to classic scents of blackberry, gravel and that distant estuarine note. Wonderful delineation. The palate is framed by pliant tannins that effortlessly carry the sensual, surprisingly primal and precocious black fruit. Certainly after three or four hours, the tannins have been completely subsumed into this Graves so that the finish is completely seamless, its sapidity drawing you back for more. For many, the best wine of the night. (NM)” (09/2025)

“Very mature, with a smoky, even slightly burnt nuance, but powerful with ripe cherry, toast and tobacco flavors that linger on the solid, smooth finish. (HS)” (04/1997)

“Lively, rich sheen. Classic mature ‘warm bricks’ Haut-Brion nose. Dry and minerally. Very linear in impact (the opposite of fleshy) and complete. A very good bottle. 18/20 Points (JR)” (09/2008)