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
Haut-Brion has produced exceptional wines in 2023 across both Le Clarence and the main estate wine, and there is so much to enjoy here. Squid ink, oyster shell freshness and orange peel alongside deep waves of muscular tannins holding cassis, bilberry and blackberry fruits, tobacco leaf, cigar, espresso coiled power and pinpricks of energy. Knitted together, vertical lift, beautiful. A decades-delivering wine. Jean-Philippe Delmas director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director, no outside consultant. 69% new oak for ageing.
The 2023 Haut-Brion boasts exquisite purity on the nose with ebullient blackberry, clove, peony and black olive scents. Wonderful delineation, the oak seamlessly integrated, as usual. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly more backbone than the La Mission at the moment. Perhaps a tad more salinity, too. The finish is quite controlled and focused, nothing ostentatious or over-the-top here, but its precision has to be admired.
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!
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.