Haut Brion is typically around 40% Cab Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cab Franc, but the blend varies with vintage. It's also from an area, Graves, which is further south and distinct from the region, the Medoc, where Lafite, Latour, Mouton, and Margaux are from. Graves tends to have more gravelly soil, where the soil in the Medoc tends to be more limestone rich.

A lot of folks believe that in 1989 in particular, the wines from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion in Graves were the best in all of Bordeaux - that particular vintage happened to be perfect in the Graves region. Conversely, in 1990, the Graves wines perhaps weren't quite as good as their more northerly brethren. Of course, this is all a matter of opinion and personal taste.