James interviewed on February 1 Deputy Managing Director Jean Philippe Delmas of Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion and Chateau Quintus, to taste a selection of their 2018 wines, which is a top vintage. The 2018s show excellent balance and have intense ripeness yet maintain their Bordeaux personality with characters reflective of their appellations and terroirs. Delmas in turn described how balance is a key quality for winemakers now, and said the tools winemakers have today allow them to be a lot more precise.
They also talked about global warming’s impact on winemaking. “When you have such a challenging year, terroir is stronger than the winemaker,” Delmas said. The wines they tasted were the Chateau Haut-Brion Rouge, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion rouge, La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, Chateau Quintus and Le Dragon de Quintus.
Watch the video to hear the highlights of the conversation and see what they thought of the wines.
Below are the wines tasted during the call. Click the links to see the tasting notes and scores (subscribers only).
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2018
Le Clarence de Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2018
Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2018
La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion 2018
Château Quintus 2018
Le Dragon de Quintus 2018
