Chateau Haut Brion 1981

Professional reviews

Robert Parker (85)

My early notes on this wine were inconsistent, but two tastings of the 1981 in the late eighties revealed a flattering, gentle, medium-bodied wine with a smoky, vanillin oakiness, round, ripe flavors, and a soft, luscious finish. It lacks some guts and richness by the standards of most Haut-Brion vintages since 1978, but, nevertheless, it is a charming, lighter-weight, forward wine that has reached its plateau of maturity.

Winespectator (82)

The smoke and menthol aromas are attractive, but the wine flattens out on the palate, with gripping tannins and cooked, vegetal flavors. The finish is short. It's distinctive, but beginning to stagger.

Rene Gabriel (16)

Rene Gabriel rates this wine 16/20 points.