"It is fun to go back and forth between the 1995 and 1996, two superb vintages for Haut-Brion. The 1995 seems to have sweeter tannin and a bit more fat and seamlessness when compared to the more structured and muscular 1996. Certainly 1995 was a vintage that the brilliant administrator Jean Delmas handled flawlessly. The result is a deep ruby/purple-colored wine with a tight but promising nose of burning wood embers intermixed with vanilla, spice box, earth, mineral, sweet cherry, black currant, plum-like fruit, medium to full body, a high level of ripe but sweet tannin, and a finish that goes on for a good 40-45 seconds. This wine is just beginning to emerge from a very closed state where it was unyielding and backward. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035."
- Wine Advocate, November 2002
"A splendid Haut-Brion with wonderful elegance. Refined tannins. Dark-colored, with beautiful ripe berry, cherry and very smoky nuances. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, plush texture on the finish. Best after 2001."
- Wine Spectator, January 1998
"Just lovely wine, and the only one that was not dominated by a single variety, being a Cabernet/Merlot blend. Excellent lustrous, nuanced ruby … Clearly a very fine mature wine. Strong liquorice notes (Haut-Brion 'warm bricks' earthiness?) For a second I wondered if it was a 1998 Hermitage. Very complex. Spread across the palate"
- Jancis Robinson, February 2013
