Château Haut Brion, 1er Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2023
The grand vin mirrors the profile of the Clarence with its intensely mineral, stony character. It is perhaps a little more relaxed than some barrel samples from this address, but it is still one of the more unyielding, most serious examples of the vintage. A reserved perfume of crushed rocks, salts, flowers, pure cassis and griotte emanates from the glass. This is all about latent power and structure at the moment, with a deep core of fruit and more than a little monasticism. One can sense the quality of the tannins as this fans out across the palate. Clearly an impressive large-scale wine, which should put on some flesh during élevage and emerge as another great Haut Brion. 52.3% Merlot, 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9.1% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
A blend of 52.3% Merlot, 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9.1% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Haut-Brion has a pH of 3.7 and a deep garnet-purple color. It is quite closed to begin, needing a lot of patient swirling to coax out notes of plum preserves, black cherry compote, and wild blueberries, leading to perfumed hints of peonies, crushed stones, rose bud tea, and licorice, with a touch of wood smoke. The medium to full- bodied palate delivers black and blue fruit layers that shimmy and swirl in the mouth with jaw-dropping energy, accented by mineral and exotic spice notes and supported with a firm backbone and plush, plush tannins, finishing with a breathtaking firework display. Very clever wine!
This is an exceptional Haut-Brion, offering juice and elegant balance alongside classically structured layers, generous but restrained, sense of architecture and building blocks of a truly great Left Bank wine. Rippling with sinewy muscles, juicy and controlled, packed with cocoa bean, espresso, liouqorice root, but none of these flavours dominate, knitted together, with a vertical lift. 100% new oak, Jean-Philippe Delmas director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director, no outside consultant.
The 2023 Haut-Brion was picked at the same time as the La Mission Haut-Brion, albeit the secateurs sheathed one day later, on October 6. The nose is less immediate than the La Mission and the fruit is a little darker: blackcurrant, juniper, hints of black olive and a light cedar scent. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip and tension. This has superb energy, presenting a crescendo of flavors toward a complex and persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. There is real pedigree to this First Growth, and it will certainly give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure.
The 2023 Haut-Brion exhibits a more Cabernet-inflected personality than the richer 2022, offering up a deep but youthfully reserved bouquet of dark wild berries, licorice, smoke and pencil lead mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, nicely integrated new oak and spices. Full-bodied, deep and velvety, its layered and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit structured around abundant but velvety tannins, concluding with a long, controlled finish. Somewhat reminiscent of the estate's successful 2006, it's a blend of 52.3% Merlot, 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9.1% Cabernet Franc.
product details
you may also like
2014 · Red Wine · Cab Sauvignon Merlot
Château Haut-Brion
La Chapelle de la Misson Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan
Case 1 x 6 L£569.77
Inc Duty & VAT
2019 · Red Wine · Cab Sauvignon Merlot
Château Haut-Brion
Le Clarence de Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan
Case 6 x 75 cl£713.92
Inc Duty & VAT
2017 · White Wine · Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Château Haut-Brion
Le Clarte de Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan
Case 6 x 75 cl£472.33
Inc Duty & VAT
2000 · White Wine · Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Château Haut-Brion
Château Haut Brion Blanc, Pessac Léognan
Bottle 75 cl£663.59
Inc Duty & VAT
