France

Ch. Haut-Brion

Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

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

Dette lukter røkt, varm stein, pære av kvalitet, modne gule Hardanger-epler, men mineraliteten her er noe jeg sjeldent har vørt borti. 

Smak av epler av peak, gule beskjedne plommer, moden pære, veldig floralske toner, men av det tykke. Balansen her er ekstrem, syren er så latterlig i takt med kons og resten av strukturen. 

En balanse som er så integrert og sammensatt, at jeg lurer på om jeg vil oppleve noe slikt igjen. 

Expert

On the reductive style, with gunsmoke and flint, reserved but evident flesh to the fruit, captures the contrasting freshness and intensity of a great white wine, and delivers a feeling of being raised up through the palate. Exceptional quality, 3.2ph. 40% new oak.

Inside Bordeaux

WSET 1

The 2022 Haut-Brion Blanc, 51.4% Semillon and 48.6% Sauvignon Blanc aging in 40.4% new oak, charges from the glass with vivacious notes of lemon juice, lime zest, and yuzu, plus wafts of sea spray, jasmine tea, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with vibrant, energetic citrus and mineral flavors, supported by a racy backbone, finishing long with a spicy lift.

The 2021 Haut-Brion Blanc is very closed at this stage, needing a lot of shaking to uncover notes of yuzu, freshly squeezed lemons, lime blossoms, and struck flint, plus hints of wet pebbles and candle wax. The medium-bodied palate is tight-knit and intense, delivering layers of citrus, mineral, and floral notes, with a racy backbone, finishing with long, lingering, chalky notes.

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+.

The white Haut-Brion 2018 offers pretty honeysuckle and lemon curd notes, with hints of spice cake and apple pie, together with cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a lively line cutting through the rich, ripe layers, and an oily texture, with a long finish. 

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!

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)

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	2023
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

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Sugar	g/l

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