La Clarté de Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan, 2019
Le Clarté is a second wine of both Mission and Haut Brion Blanc, with 50% of the grapes coming from each respective Chateau. The 2025 is 76.5% Sémillon and 23.5% Sauvignon Blanc. 2025 Le Clarté is an unapologetic, classically-styled Bordeaux white blend. Sauvignon Blanc adds lots of fresh cut grass and citrussy lemon fruit notes. On the palate there is a pleasing waxiness from the Sémillon, allied to a stone fruit profile with some quince, gooseberry and apple.
critic reviews
The 2019 La Clarte de Haut-Brion, 74.8% Semillon and 25.2% Sauvignon Blanc, slowly unfurls to reveal notes of fresh lime juice, wet pebbles, and struck flint, followed by subtle hints of cedar and lemongrass. The medium-bodied palate is restrained, with tight-knit citrus and stone fruit flavors leading to a long saline finish.
The 2019 La Clarté de Haut-Brion has a bold and powerful nose, quite reduced at first and with a hefty dose of sulphur. The palate is likewise powerful and oaky, reductive with a nutty and smoky finish. This pales against the bottle poured at the château just after bottling. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
With aromas of confit citrus fruit, peaches, grapefruit and pastry cream, the 2019 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is full-bodied, deep and fleshy, with a satiny attack that segues into an ample core of fruit underpinned by lively acids and chalky structure. A combined second wine for both Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion, this has turned out nicely in bottle, delivering a wine that's richer and headier in style than its 2018 predecessor.
Clear Sauvignon led nose even with the high degree of Sémillon in the blend, 2019 was a warm year but Clarté has maintained a deliciously sappy and nuanced feeling. Touch of gunsmoke reduction on the nose, with lemongrass and dill freshness. They used a little more new oak than usual (45%) but it has been eaten by the acidities, and is felt only in the texture of the wine. Pulses of smoke and minerality pulse through the palate from beginning to end. 60hl/h yield, 45% new oak.