Chateau Haut-Brion

The history of this premier Bordeaux producer runs back as long as one would like to take it. Grapes are thought to have been grown on the property since the Roman times, though the earliest document indicating cultivation dates from 1423. The property was owned by Jean de Segur in 1509 and by Admiral Philippe de Chabot in 1525. The construction of the chateau begun in 1549.

Though there are numerous tales associated with this timeless place, in 1787, Thomas Jefferson, then American minister to France, came to Bordeaux. Describing the terroir, he wrote, "the soil of Haut-Brion, which I examined in great detail, is made up of sand, in which there is near as much round gravel or small stone and a very little loam like the soils of the Medoc." Notably, Haut-Brion became the first recorded first growth wine to be imported to the U.S., when Jefferson purchased six cases during the travels and had them sent back to his estate in Virginia. In his letter to his brother-in-law, Jefferson wrote, "I cannot deny myself the pleasure of asking you to participate of a parcel of wine I have been chusing for myself. I do it the rather as it will furnish you a specimen of what is the very best Bourdeaux wine. It is of the vineyard of Obrion, one of the four established as the very best, and it is of the vintage of 1797."

The modern history of Haut-Brion begins with the American banker Clarence Dillon, who purchased Chateau Haut-Brion in 1935. Dillon named his nephew Seymore Weller president, who held the position for four decades, and instituted many changes, including restoring the park, cleaning the chais, installing electricity along with new vinification equipment. Weller ultimately retired in 1975, to be replaced by Joan Dillon, the granddaughter of Clarence Dillon and then Princess Charles de Luxembourg. In 2008, the presidency was handed over to Prince Robert of Luxembourg, who had acted as an administrator at Haut-Brion since the age of 18.

The winemaking of the modern era of this historic Chateau has been run by three generations of the Delmas family. The revered Georges Delmas remained the director of Haut-Brion from 1921 until his retirement in 1961. Georges was succeeded by his son Jean-Bernard Delmas, born at the estate, and who implemented a number of the aforementioned renovations. Jean-Bernard, in turn, retired in 2003, and was succeeded by his son Jean-Philippe Delmas, the current winemaker.