Château Haut-Brion is the outlier among Bordeaux’s First Growths: the only one outside the Médoc, rooted in Pessac-Léognan on ancient gravel mounds just south of the city. That setting is not a footnote—it shapes a style prized for perfume, finesse, and a distinctive smoky, mineral “gravel” signature. Haut-Brion is also the oldest of the First Growths, with documented beginnings in the early 16th century and international renown by the 1600s. Samuel Pepys’s famous 1663 diary note is one of the earliest recorded accolades for a Bordeaux wine. Its status was formally sealed in 1855 with First Growth classification.
The modern era began in 1935, when American financier Clarence Dillon acquired the estate, initiating decades of investment and quiet innovation under what is now Domaine Clarence Dillon, today led by his descendants. In 1961, Haut-Brion pioneered stainless-steel, temperature-controlled fermentation among Bordeaux’s top châteaux—an innovation that is now standard across the region and a key to the estate’s reputation for precision and purity.
Haut-Brion’s vineyards sit virtually on Bordeaux’s doorstep, an “urban grand cru” of roughly 50–53 hectares. Most is planted to red varieties—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a touch of Petit Verdot—with a small, jewel-box parcel of around 3 hectares devoted to Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc for the estate’s rare and revered white. This combination, rooted in deep gravel soils laced with clay, produces reds of layered depth and longevity and whites of remarkable texture and drive.
Under the Dillon family, the Haut-Brion sphere has expanded carefully while keeping identities distinct. In 1983 they acquired neighboring Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and later created Château Quintus in Saint-Émilion by uniting historic Right Bank properties. These moves reinforced the family’s role as stewards of Bordeaux’s heritage rather than builders of scale.
The portfolio is structured with clarity. The Grand Vin remains the pinnacle, joined by Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, the second red wine, and La Clarté de Haut-Brion, the rare white produced in partnership with La Mission. Across the range, the constant is balance: wines that often reveal their pedigree earlier than their Médoc counterparts, yet comfortably evolve for decades. This duality—approachable youth and timeless age-worthiness—cements Haut-Brion’s place not only as one of Bordeaux’s First Growths, but as a defining benchmark for what great wine can be.