History of Obilian Manor
Chateau Haut-Brion was the only first-class estate not in the Médoc appellation when Bordeaux was rated in 1855. It has a long history, having been opened as a vineyard as early as the 14th century and has maintained a good development in the business since. Another proud aspect of the Château Aubilian is that it successfully escaped the aphids that ravaged most of the vineyards of France in the 19th century, and is one of the surviving gardens of many vineyards, so it has always enjoyed the reputation of "King of Graf".
Obilian began growing wine grapes in the fourteenth century, but its veritable winemaking should have been from 1525. Jeanne de Bellon, daughter of the mayor of Libourne, near Bordeaux, married the wealthy nobleman Jean de Pontac. Jeanne is beautiful and is the mayor's most beloved baby. When she got married, the mayor gave the Manor of Oberian to his daughter as a dowry. Jeanne is a red-faced show of everyone, and naturally loves her husband in every way. Jean de Pontac bought a mansion next to the estate, Maison Noble de Haut-Brion, for Jeanne in 1533, which was incorporated into the estate along with the estate. Shortly thereafter he built for his wife the castle of Obierđ, which we see today, next to the mansion. The Château de Obilian is arguably one of the most romantic, graceful and elegant in a Bordeaux estate, so the label has always used this building as its trademark.
The manor of Obilian has been owned by the Pontac family for generations. In 1666, the Pontac family opened a restaurant and pub in London called Pontacs Head Tavern, specializing in French cuisine and Obirian wine, which became the favorite gathering place for London fashionists at that time. In those days, French wine exported to England was in bulk, and the wine was bottled and labeled in English after it arrived in England. Obilian was the first wine sold in england to be bottled in the UK with a French label, and was very popular and expensive. At that time, Obilian's usual annual opening price was 550 lira (Livres) per ton. Latour is 450 LIRa per ton, while Rafi is 410 LIRa per ton.
At the end of the seventeenth century, Francois, a descendant of the Pontac family, died childless and fell into the hands of his brother-in-law, the Fumel family. In the French Revolution of 1794, the heirs of the Fumel family were sent to the guillotine and their property was confiscated. After the end of the French Revolution, the descendants of the Fumel family bought Obilian back, but soon sold it to Talleyrand, the foreign minister of the Napoleonic Dynasty at the time. The estate was purchased by Egene Larrieu in 1836.
O'Briarian wine is also the first wine in history to be "exported" to the United States, as the French ambassador Thomas Jefferson at the end of his French ministership trip, carried six boxes of Oprillian wine back to his hometown of Virginia, showing that hundreds of years ago, politicians knew how to enjoy life after busy work. Among American celebrities are biographer Samuel Pepys, philosopher John Locke, and the "cup-and-cup" president Thomas all expressed praise for the estate in the article.
Over the past four centuries, this manor house rich in royal wine has changed hands many times, and there are many people who have made great achievements in history. These include the Admiral, the Archbishop, the Consul of the République Giène, the first commander-in-chief of France, three mayors of the city of Bordeaux, and the talented Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord (who bought the estate as Minister of Foreign Relations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). These illustrious owners of all kinds invisibly set a glorious gold edge for the elegant image of Oberian.
In 1935 there was another interesting story of buying and selling at Obilian Manor. Clarence Dillon, a very wealthy American financier at the time, decided to buy a top estate in Bordeaux, a wine mecca, because he liked wine. Dillon originally decided to go to Hakuba Village in the St. Emilion area. However, due to the heavy rain and fog on the day, the weather was very cold. He didn't feel very comfortable, so he wanted to find a place to rest and tidy up. As a result, he walked into the Obilian Manor, which is not far from the city, and became a guest of the manor. Hungry and cold, drinking Obilian's fine wine and eating the delicious meal prepared by the manor, Dillon liked it. After a discussion, it was learned that the owner also had the intention of selling the manor, so the two sides hit it off and made a deal on the spot. Since then, Dillon and his descendants have owned the Obilyan estate.
Dillon's son, Douglas Dillon, became U.S. ambassador to France in 1953 and of course the owner of the estate. Douglas returned to the United States and became treasury secretary for the Kennedy administration. In 1967 Douglas's daughter Joan married the Prince of Luxembourg, and the Oberian estate became her dowry and has been in her hands ever since. After the prince's death, the Château de Oberian followed Joan to Duc de Morchy in 1978. Morchy became the current chairman of Obilian Manor.
Also worth mentioning is delmas, the winemaking family of the Obilian estate. George Delmas joined Obierian as a winemaker in 1921. His son Jean-Bernard was born in Oberian and succeeded his father as a winemaker on the estate. Jean-Philippe, the third generation of the Delmas family, has also become part of the current estate management team. It is rare for a family to be loyal and conscientious to work in a manor for three generations. The Delmas family is also recognized as one of Bordeaux's top winemakers. In 1961, they were the first to propose to break the tradition, use new scientific and technological equipment to make wine, introduce stainless steel fermentation barrels, etc., and create a new era of famous wine with a unique taste. At a time when all the listed houses were retaining traditional brewing methods, this move was incredible. But to this day it has been a model for most of the top estates to emulate. Aged in 1970, it finished fourth at the prestigious Judgement of Paris tasting in '76.
It is also worth noting about Obilian, who in the fourteenth century was actually a large piece of land or a manor. Later, it may be due to the division of the estate, the expansion of the urban area and other reasons, leaving a few very close famous villages. They were: Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion, Ch. La Tour Haut-Brion and Ch. Les Carmes Haut-Brion. They are close together, because of the origin and climate, their wine has similar characteristics, but due to the difference in hereditary family cultivation and winemaking technology, they have different personalities. Of course, these are all Bordo villages.
The specific condition of the vineyard
The Obilyan estate currently has a total of 51 hectares of vineyards, of which 48 hectares are red grapes, the top soil is gravel soil, and the secondary soil is sandy clay soil. The proportion of grapes grown is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and the authentic wine Chateau Haut-Brion and the secondary wine Le Clarence de Haut-Brion are brewed. The average age of the vines is 35 years, and when pruning, the grower will only keep two young shoots on each main branch, and will fix the main branch with wire, allowing the new shoots to grow in the direction of the entire row of vines. Another 3 hectares are planted with two types, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, to produce Bordeaux's finest white wine, Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc. Obiyan liquor is the world's top in terms of price and quality.
Once the stems are removed, the grapes break the skin and then fermentation begins. The fermented grape juice is supervised twice a day, alcoholic fermentation lasts an average of about 5 days, while lactic fermentation lasts about 10 days. Most of Oberian's wines are aged in new oak barrels for 18-22 months.
Chateau Haut-Brion : Usually the first impression is "subtle aroma", but every time you shake the wine glass, you will always find a new aroma, which is a complex and rich aroma. The special terroir of the estate gives the wine its own special aroma. At the beginning of the tasting, you will find that the aroma is also subtle, but with a delicate, soft tannin. In the mouth, you can feel the strong power of this wine, and the final aftertaste is amazingly long-lasting.
Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (Sub-Brand): This Sub-Brand wine is like a microcosm of its authentic red wine, and some of the typical characteristics of its genuine brand can be found. It is best to wait patiently for 5 years, open the bottle to enjoy, is a very good choice before understanding the genuine brand.
Best Vintage: Chateau Haut Brion (Genuine): 1989, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010