Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, 1989 tinar de mirat earthy grip under the dark

earthy grip under the dark fruit

Jean Foillard is one of Kermit Lynch's original "Gang of Four" — the Morgon growers who proved Beaujolais could be a living

Prunotto's Bussia (the cru Beppe Colla put on the map in 1961)

Corullón draws from roughly 90 different plots on steep schist and slate hillsides at 500 to 950 meters elevation

and wife Alexandra established the vineyard in 1996

Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, 1989 tinar de mirat earthy grip under the darkHaut Brion started picking on August 31, 1989, one of the earliest harvest dates in its history, after a growing season so warm, sunny and dry that the estate still compares the resulting wine to its own 1959. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, from the only First Growth outside the Medoc: an urban estate in Pessac where gravel deposits run up to eight meters deep, capturing and releasing heat to create the hottest