2002 Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Red • Full Bodied • Merlot,Cabernet Sauvignon,Cabernet Franc
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Code: 20021200750011011247

Description

Drinking at point, the 2002 Château Haut-Brion is a beautifully pure, layered, classic wine from this château. Healthy plum-hued with very little bricking, it has a textbook Haut-Brion nose of ripe black fruit, smoky tobacco, scorched earth, and spices. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied Haut-Brion that's balanced, has ripe, polished tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's one of the quintessential Graves that grows on you over the course of an evening. I don't see it getting better, yet it clearly has another two decades of prime drinking ahead of it. I'd be happy with bottles in the cellar.
94/100,Jeb Dunnuck,jebdunnuck.com (June 2025)
  • Colour
    Red
  • Vintage
    2002
  • Alcohol
    13.5%
  • Grape
    Merlot,Cabernet Sauvignon,Cabernet Franc
  • Body
    Full Bodied
  • Producer
    Château Haut-Brion

Critics reviews

Robert Parker
89/100
Aromas of minerals, forest floor, fresh mushrooms, plums, and currants are present in the moderately fragrant bouquet. Angular, with hard tannin, medium body, and sweet plums as well as currants, this 2002 is harder and tougher-textured than from barrel. Like many 2002s, it is reserved and angular at present. It remains to be seen whether it will flesh out and reveal more charm and succulence. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (April 2005)

About The Wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
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Pessac-Léognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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Château Haut-Brion

Château Haut-Brion stands apart—not only as the sole estate outside the Médoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, but also as one of Bordeaux’s oldest and most storied vineyards. Its viticultural roots stretch back to the early 16th century, predating its First Growth peers. The estate’s reputation was already well established by the time Samuel Pepys famously praised its wine in his 1663 diary. Today, nestled in the urban sprawl of Pessac-Léognan, Haut-Brion continues to produce wines of extraordinary character and longevity, shaped by centuries of innovation and stewardship.
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