Château Haut-Brion is a Premier Grand Cru Classé de Graves estate in the communes of Pessac-Léognan.   The name derives from the Celtic word 'Briga', or mound (hence 'high' or 'raised mound').   There is evidence of a vineyard here since the 1st century AD, but records from 1521 onwards show the winery producing a vintage each year, making this the oldest continuously working winery in Bordeaux.  In 1525 Jean de Pontac became the owner of the estate in 1549 he began construction of the château which still stands today.  The terms 'cru' and 'Aubrion' began to appear regularly in records at this time. 

On April 10th 1663, Pepys wrote his famous 'review' of the wine in his diary, having tasted it at The Royal Oak Tavern, in Lombard Street in the City of London: “There I drank a sort of French wine called Ho-Bryan that hath a good and most particular taste I never met with.”  A few years later and just after the Great Fire of London in 1666, Arnaud de Pontac sent a retainer to London to open The Pontac's Head, also in Lombard Street, selling mosty Haut-Brion wines but also other clarets from the Pontac family.  For some years 'Haut-Brion' and 'Pontack' became interchangeable names.  Pontack's itself continued into the 1780s.

Haut-Brion introduced two innovations that influenced winemaking across Bordeaux; ageing in barrel and topping up of wines in barrel.  The first process adds wood tannins and allows for carefully controlled oxidative ageing, which gives long ageing potential.  The latter is essential to preserve the wines in the barrel whilst this occurs.   

Haut-Brion had various owners in the nineteenth century including the famous foreign minister Talleyrand.  In 1935 it was purchased by the American financier, Clarence Dillon.  His daughter Joan Dillon married Prince Charles of Luxembourg.  After Charles died in 1978, Princess Joan married a French aristocrat, the Duke de Mouchy.  Princess Joan and the Duke de Mouchy ran the estate until 2008, when Joan's son Prince Robert of Luxembourg took over.

Haut-Brion is very close to the city of Bordeaux.  The 50 ha of vineyards are planted on deep gravel soils with deposits of clay, to 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.  The second wine was previously named Bahans de Haut-Brion and was a non-vintage wine, blending the product of more than one vintage as required.  In 2007 it was renamed Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, on the 75th anniversary of the purchase by the Dillon family.  Haut-Brion and neighbouring La Mission Haut-Brion (also owned by the family) are managed by Jean-Philippe Delmas, the second generation in his family in this role.