France

Ch. Haut-Brion

Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

Imponerende lys farge - meget delikat nese med stikkelsbær og voks - oljete silkemyk tekstur, ren, frisk, spice, salt, stein/skifer, sublim eleganse, meget lang - imponert (97)

Expert

A blend of 58.1% Sauvignon Blanc and 41.9% Semillon, the white 2023 Haut-Brion has a pH of 3.2. It is incredibly closed to start, needing a lot of shaking to bring out fragrant notes of fresh pears, lime leaves, coriander seed, and crushed stones, soon opening out to fragrant scents of lemongrass and honeysuckle, with a touch of baking bread. The medium-bodied palate vibrates with energetic citrus flavors, with a satiny/chalky texture and a racy backbone, finishing with amazing length and depth.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Nectarine, peach pit, biscuit, liquorice root, charcoal, gunsmoke, this is a thoroughly well structured white wine that has 3.3ph, a little higher than in some vintages but delivers grip, freshness, complexity and ageing ability. 41.9% new oak. Harvest August 16 to 23.

Inside Bordeaux

White wine of the vintage, huge depth, makes you want to stop and tell your friends. Citrus, slate, nuanced green apple, white pear, citrus, sage and gunsmoke, all beautifully drawn out through the palate, gorgeous depths from first to last moment, an impressive white that rises vertically. Harvest September 3 to 13. 44% new oak, with lees stirring once a week. 30hl/h yield because some vines impacted by frost. Jean-Philippe Delmas estate director.

A blend of 71.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 28.6% Semillon, the 2020 Haut-Brion Blanc races out with vibrant notes of lime juice, yuzu zest, and lemongrass, followed by suggestions of beeswax, wet slate, sea spray, and fennel seed. The medium-bodied palate offers a wonderfully satiny texture with beautifully balanced acidity cutting through the intense, tightly wound layers, finishing long and minerally. 

Composed of 64.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 35.6% Semillon, the 2019 Haut-Brion Blanc needs a bit of shaking to wake up intense notes of lime leaves, fresh green apples, and wet slate, followed by hints of salted almonds and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate has a satiny texture and restrained citrus and mineral layers, finishing long and steely. This is certainly more muted than when Iast tasted, which is the typical aging curve for this wine. Give it a good 3-5 years more in bottle, at least, then drink it over the next 20-years+.

After a summer as hot and dry as 2018, the almost biting Sauvignon Blanc character of the Haut-Brion Blanc is welcome, especially when given the gunsmoke edge that you find here. Plenty of depth and complexity, with white pear, mango, pineapple, citrus and grilled almond that deepen as the wine opens. The Mission Haut-Brion Blanc could have been included here also, but I give the Haut-Brion Blanc the slight edge in this particular vintage. 50% new oak.

The complexity is evident from the first time you approach the nose - this is candied lemon, wax, quince, cut through the sharper citrus peel and gooseberry. Just a gorgeous white wine at the stage where everything is fully open, with hints of tertiary, but still full of freshness, and with huge length through the palate. 3.2ph. Harvest August 28 to September 10, 45% new barrel.

The stand out First Growth in my recent retasting of the 2005s, and again here it blew us all away. This was a drought year, with almost no rain from May to October, but never excessively hot, and the balance is evident. The slightly dry tannins that affected many 2005s when young were never such a problem on the warm soils at Haut-Brion, and this is generous, exceptionally nuanced and flavourful, with vivid black cherry and cassis fruits, riven through with liqourice, cocoa bean, pomegranate, sage, cocoa bean and luscious acidities. Jean-Phillip Delmas winemaker, two years into his tenure at the time after taking over from his father Jean-Bernard Delmas in 2003. 100% new oak.

Pale golden colored, the 1964 Haut-Brion Blanc has a spectacular nose of candied orange peel, toasted almonds, preserved kumquats, and lemongrass, followed by wafts of cedar chest and talc. The medium-bodied palate has a satiny texture and racy line supporting layer upon layer of preserved citrus fruit flavors, finishing long and minerally. I tasted two different bottles of this simultaneously, and this note is based on the fresher bottle, although the other bottle was just slightly more evolved. Simply breath-taking!

2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2021	8 849,90 krNot available	Extraordinary
2020	8 654,40 krNot available	Extraordinary
2019	6 826,00 krNot available	Extraordinary

Category	White wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. Haut-Brion
Vintages	1961
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle

Alcohol	13 %
Acid	5,9 %
Sugar	< 3 g/l

Packaging
Cork type
Selection
Wholesaler
Carrier