Château Larrivet Haut-Brion from Graves-Pessac-Léognan is owned by the Gervoson family and today it is director Bruno Lemoine who takes the cru to the highest place within the appellation. This wine is made from a combination of predominantly 81% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, supplemented with 18% Cabernet Franc grapes. The vines have an average age of approximately 30 years old and therefore give the wine a pleasant amount of concentrate and strength. The harvest is done manually when the grapes have reached their perfect ripeness. The wine then matures partly for 40% in new French oak barriques, partly in barriques that have been used once before and partly in barriques that have been used twice before.
Tasting notes:
Deep purple-ruby. Blackberry, bell pepper and aromatic herbs on the nose; gave a sweeter, fruitier impression with aeration. Bright blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, aromatic oak and gunflint flavors are impressively pure and deep, but slightly tough tannins coat the palate on the moderately long, perfumed finish. I think this wine has sneaky concentration and I like its pure aromas and flavors, go I hope it will develop a little more fruity charm and flesh during its time in barrel.
