Treatise on wine by Arnaldus de Villanova
Collections
Cultural heritage is so evident here, with the feeling that although almost 90 years have passed since the purchase of Château Haut-Brion by Clarence Dillon in 1935, his heirs are keen to continue the traditions through the company that bears his name, Domaine Clarence Dillon.
“Two of Chef Antonin Carême’s books signed by his hand, Le maître d’hôtel français and Le pâtissier pittoresque, were an early inspiration that would become the cornerstone of the Château Haut-Brion library. As two of my very first purchases, these represented world history, gastronomy and of course the renowned diplomacy of the erstwhile owner of Château Haut-Brion, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. I have little doubt as to what wine was served at his table during a congress that would contribute significantly to shaping modern day Europe.”
Prince Robert de Luxembourg
Château Haut-Brion’s Library holds nearly 6,000 documents dedicated to the history of gastronomy, agriculture, the vine and wine, all around the world. It notably brings together more than 5,000 books.
The oldest printed work in this extremely rare collection is an incunable: Martilogium der Heiligen nach dem Kalender, printed in Strasbourg in 1484.
Altogether, 15 different languages are represented, reflecting the cultural and geographical diversity of the collection. The oldest work overall is a 6th-century papyrus manuscript: a receipt written in Coptic, issued by a Christian monastery in Egypt to a local farmer for vine plants.
The library also preserves 28 signed autograph letters, along with 90 manuscripts, including nine parchment scrolls, seven of which are in Japanese. Among these letters, some stand out for their truly exceptional nature. The collection notably includes signed autograph letters from major figures in political history, such as Winston Churchill, as well as from leading artists including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, not to mention iconic figures from the world of gastronomy.
Also featured is a particularly remarkable letter from Thomas Jefferson, addressed to Baron Hyde de Neuville and dated 13 December 1818, in which the former President of the United States expresses his admiration for French wines, which he holds up as a model of excellence.
Among the most precious items in the library, these testimonies highlight the influence of Château Haut-Brion far beyond the world of wine, extending into the political, gastronomic, and artistic spheres.
Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Baron Hyde de Neuville (1818)
Autograph letter by Brillat-Savarin
Autograph letter by Napoléon Bonaparte
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Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Baron Hyde de Neuville (1818)
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Autograph letter by Brillat-Savarin
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Autograph letter by Napoléon Bonaparte
Over 400 historic menus
Buried in this rich historical soil, the estate can also boast an extraordinary and ancient union with the world of gastronomy. One can only imagine the pleasure that this estate and the precious nectar produced from its coveted terroir have brought to wine lovers around the world. From Roman emperors to queens, and from kings, presidents, and prime ministers, Château Haut-Brion has been the privileged witness to historic encounters, just as it has, through the ages, borne witness to millions of more intimate moments shared by lovers, friends, families, and acquaintances.
The majority of the menus preserved in the collection bear witness to prestigious lunches and dinners at which the wines of Château Haut-Brion were served, marking numerous occasions where gastronomy and oenology came together in perfect harmony. Among these rare documents are four handwritten registers detailing the menus served at the tables of Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV at the Château de Versailles. Particularly remarkable is the silk menu of a dinner held on 2 May 1903, offered to King Edward VII by French President Émile Loubet during the preparations for the treaties of the Entente Cordiale. Completing this panorama, the two original volumes of the Élysée Palace Cellar Book, from the first presidential term of General de Gaulle (1959–1965), add a further dimension to this history of the art of entertaining, at the very heart of the highest spheres of power.
A vast array of historical records about the estates
The library brings together eight original archival collections documenting the history of Château Haut-Brion. It contains Haut- Brion’s historical harvest records from the 18th and 19th centuries, journals detailing the work carried out by the various workers and harvesters, weather forecasts over several centuries and a collection of invaluable letters written by the owners and visitors to the estate. One of these is particularly moving, as it was written by Count Joseph de Fumel in 1794, only a few weeks before he was guillotined. In this letter, he leaves instructions for Sieur Giraud, the steward of Haut-Brion, concerning the care to be given to the vines, the best dates for harvesting, the number of workers to hire, the wages to be paid, when to prune the vines and how to ensure the upkeep of the château and its outbuildings “in his absence”.
A collection of artworks and antiques
The library complements the remarkable collections of artworks and antiques gathered in the three winegrowing estates which belong to the Dillon family. As all three were built on land that has grown vines since Roman times, it is only logical that some of the very first artefacts linked to the production and consumption of wine are carefully stored here. At Haut-Brion, there are Roman, Greek and Etruscan relics, including amphorae, coins and all kinds of drinking receptacles.
