Coming joint second in our list of Left Bank First Growths in 2008 (along withMouton, with Ch. Latour in the lead) Ch. Haut-Brion seriously impressed us thisvintage. With a nose of dark, brambly spice this was evidently restrained butstill had layer upon layer of complex fruit character. The tannins wereassertive but coated in a fantastic ball of dark fruit that suggests they willmellow wonderfully with time. Only 35% of the total production went into theGrand Vin this year and with only 7,000 cases made, it is the smallestproduction since 1992. This is a rarity: buy up while you can.