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2023 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Merlot (55.5%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40.9%), Cabernet Franc (3.6%)
Not ready
(Drink 2033 - 2065)
- James Lawther MW
- 16/20
- Jeb Dunnuck
- 90-92/100
- Neal Martin
- 90-92/100
- Antonio Galloni
- 91-93/100
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
- 91-93/100
- Yohan Castaing
- 91-93/100
- Jane Anson MW
- 94/100
- James Suckling
- 95-96/100
Product: 20238014317
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Description
55% Merlot; 41% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Cabernet Franc.
Across the Haut-Brion range, the intense tannins (more sensed than felt) kept the wines in quite a cool grip during our tastings. The red fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry are present but were, on those occasions, decidedly reticent. There is no doubt that everything is in place. The finish lifts and cleanses the palate. The tannins indicate a little time for the time to come together will be necessary. However, its breeding is evident, and a most interesting wine will await.
Our score: 16.5/20
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2023
Alcohol % 14.2%
Maturity Not ready
(2033 - 2065)
Grape List Merlot (55.5%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40.9%), Cabernet Franc (3.6%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Haut-Brion
Critics reviews
James Lawther MW 16/20
55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.6% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
More reticent than La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion but shows a stony, Graves character. Juicy fruit and refined tannins. Dances on the palate but needs a little more volume. Good medium-term drinking.
Drink 2030 - 2040
Jeb Dunnuck 90-92/100
Checking in as 55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Le Clarence De Haut-Brion has a beautifully polished, medium-bodied, silky style as well as ample red, blue, and black fruits, some violet and floral nuances, classic Pessac smoked earth, fine yet present tannins, and a beautiful finish.
Neal Martin 90-92/100
The 2023 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion is well-defined on the nose with blackberry, cedar and a subtle mint aroma, showing a little more fruit concentration than the La Chapelle. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry and fine backbone. It’s a little granular in texture, sorbet-fresh and pliant, with redcurrant and cranberry fruit. This is very enticing, even at this early stage.
Drink 2027 - 2039
Antonio Galloni 91-93/100
The 2023 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion is a heady wine. Here, the tannins are especially polished, almost uncharacteristically so, even though they are very much present. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice, new leather and gravel build effortlessly in the glass. Bright acids punctuate the finish. The 2023 is a showy Clarence with tons of character.
Drink 2026 - 2045
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 91-93/100
A blend of 55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3.6% Cabernet Franc, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2023 is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of shaking to wake up scents of fresh black and red currants, raspberry leaves, and star anise, leading to touches of mossy tree bark and wet slate. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a firm frame of grainy tannins and well knit freshness to support the spritely fruit, finishing with a savory lift.
Drink 2028 - 2042
Yohan Castaing 91-93/100
With aromas of ripe raspberries, dark wild berries and flowers, the 2023 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion is a moderately weighted, firm and dense wine on the palate with sweet structuring tannins and a long, vibrant finish. This blend of 55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.6% Cabernet Franc is a great bottle in the making.
Drink 2025 - 2045
Jane Anson MW 94/100
More intense and deeply coloured than the Chapelle, this is inky, cassis, spiced bilberry, with a slow build tannnic architecture, and the most gorgeous slate scrape. Exceptional vintage of this wine, one to savour.
Drink 2029 - 2040
James Suckling 95-96/100
Intensity and focus to this, with length and raciness for the second wine of Haut-Brion, showing polish and a refined texture. It’s medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and an exquisite finish. Caressing. 55.5% merlot, 40.9% cabernet sauvignon and 3.6% cabernet franc.
About this wine
Pessac-Léognan
In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan. Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.
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