Today we share one of the fantastic houses from Pessac-Leognan. This location sits gravel-based soils and won a particularly intriguing legal battle. It was back in 1929 when this house won a legal battle against First Growth Haut-Brion to keep its name, the only stipulation was that it be reversed so that Haut-Brion had less prominence, and so it was changed to Larrivet Haut-Brion. In fact, the addition of Brion refers to the local gravel, rather than the First Growth, which lies much further north. In 1987, the Gervoson family have been at the helm as the family also runs Bonne Maman jams. I have noticed that the wine quality at this house has increased particularly over the past two years. Larrivet Haut-Brion sits on the same gravelly ridge as Haut-Bailly and the 75 hectares of vines grow both red and white varieties. Unusually for the Left Bank, Merlot is mostly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon planted there.
The wine I tasted comes from the 2017 vintage which is turning out to be a fabulous year, wedged in between two epic vintages of 2016 and 2018. The 2017 Larrivet Haut-Brion (OB, 94) is charming with a beautifully rich core of dark fruits that mingle well with plenty of nuance. Learn more about this house at https://www.ugcb.net/en/chateau-larrivet-haut-brion and here is my review of the 2017 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion.
2017 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion- The 2017 Larrivet Haut-Brion is a stunning example of this vintage in its good depth and flavor complexity. Wet rock and garrigue notes combine with dark currants and pencil lead on the nose. The palate is deep and concentrated with a brilliant core of boysenberry and cassis tones that mingle well with the stony accents. Medium to full-bodied and filled with tension, enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen plus years to come. Give this an hour in the decanter if consuming now. Drink 2024-2041- 94