1994 Chateau Haut Brion Bordeaux Red Wine WS 94 RP 93 Start Price USD 265.00 Current Price USD 265.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, September 17, 2008 End Time Friday, October 17, 2008 Location Kennewick, Washington See more about '1994 Chateau Haut Brion Bordeaux Red Wine WS 94 RP 93' Description SquareTrade © AP6.0 Chateau Haut Brion Bordeaux NOTES One of my favorite and most educational visits in Bordeaux is the time I spend with Haut-Brion's highly respected administrator, Jean Delmas. Delmas is the thinking man's winemaker, with a level of experience and success that is unequaled in Bordeaux. On this visit, we discussed at length the strong tendency in Bordeaux to produce wines with higher and higher percentages of Merlot. As Jean Delmas says, (1), Merlot provides grapes that can be picked earlier, and tend to ripen with higher degrees of sugar, thus producing wines with higher alcohol. (2) Merlot has less acidity, which, combined with its tendency to produce high alcohol, results in a sweeter, supple, and initially more seductive wine. (3) Winemakers can extract more from Merlot than they can from Cabernet Sauvignon, thus they can vinify Merlot at higher temperatures, ultimately producing exotic, opulent wines that are thrilling to taste young. However, as Delmas pointed out, it is the Cabernet Sauvignon that provides the structure, backbone, and, to his palate, ultimately the greatest measure of complexity, character, and Bordeaux typicity. Jean Delmas enjoys a sumptuous Merlot-based wine as much as any Bordeaux wine lover I know, but he is concerned by the replacement of Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards with Merlot. In short, he worries that much of the intrinsic character of many Medoc and Graves chateaux could be muted or lost in a succession of exotic, flashy, glitzy wines that are garish Medoc imitations of Pomerols and St.-Emilions - something to think about. In contrast to the 1993's penetrating, upfront aromas, the 1994 is closed aromatically. With coaxing, some truffle-like, sweet, black fruit aromas, as well as those of mineral/stones come forward. This spicy, full-bodied, powerful wine is a more masculine, structured effort than the 1993, with a potentially more complex, richer character. It is superbly crafted, beautifully balanced, and as pure as a wine can be. The integration of new oak, acidity, and tannin is commendable. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. Vintage: 1994 Bottle Size: 750 ml Robert Parker: 93 Wine Spectator: 94 OTHER: TEXT Red Bordeaux California Washington Spain Australia Italian French Cases Portuguese Other Items Age Requirement Restricted States Announcement Board Shipping & Handling Rates Legal Disclaimer The purchase of alcohol by persons under the age of 21 is prohibited by law. You must be at least 21 years old to purchase wine or spirits. By placing an order through us, you are representing yourself to us as at least 21 years of age and that the person to whom it is being shipped is at least 21 years old. We reserve the right to ask for proof of identity before processing an order. Title to the wine you order passes to you as soon as it leaves our doors; it is up to you to know the relevant laws in your state. An adult signature with proof of age verification is required at time of delivery. Please be aware that someone over the age of 21 must be available to sign for the package. If no one is available at the time of delivery, the package will not be left. Because of this, we suggest you ship to a work address. We cannot ship wine to PO Boxes or APO addresses. Please visit our Restricted States page. Please visit our Announcement Board. Please visit our Shipping & Handling Rates page. Please visit our Legal Disclaimer page. Place a Bid!