| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
La Clarté Haut Brion is the new name for Les Plantiers Haut Brion - the second white wine of both Haut Brion Blanc and La Mission Haut Brion Blanc with around 1000 cases produced annually.
The 2020 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is showing nicely in bottle, bursting with notions of grapefruit, nectarine, lemongrass and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a sweet core of fruit and a chalky finish, it will offer demonstrative drinking young. 2023 - 2035
Very structured second wine with density and freshness. It’s full-bodied and creamy with a flavorful, lightly chewy palate. About 75% semillon, the rest sauvignon.
The 2020 La Clarte de Haut-Brion flies out of the glass with exuberant notions of white peaches, fresh pineapple, and lime leaves with touches of chalk dust and struck flint. The medium-bodied palate is racy and intense with tropical fruits and mineral accents, finishing on a chalky note.
Powerfully rich with excellent weight through the mid palate. Silky in texture, seductive but balanced by an enjoyable touch of green apple and steel through the close of play. Harvest from 19th to 28th August.
Drinking Window 2021 - 2027
Full bottle 1,285 g. Cask sample taken 12 April. 74.8% Sémillon, 25.2% Sauvignon Blanc picked 19 to 28 August. Estimated alcohol 13.4%.
Very dense and limpid and immediately offering so much more than the other dry whites from this appellation. Smoky minerality and an amazing floral freshness. White blossom? Then it's surprisingly lightweight on the palate (after that dense nose). This really races along. Sort of like a Victorian child with a hoop, to venture in to Tam territory. Already lots of fun to drink, with low astringency and good fruit/acid balance. Though not especially persistent.
Drink 2021 – 2025
(75% SM, 25% SB; 13.4% ABV)
Pale, cloudy; slightly reduced and fairly closed; full and supple; dry, broad, and very Semillon in style, guava and melon core-flavor, pure, with a nice concentration, good length across the palate, if not the vitality and “race” of a vintage like the 2017 or 2014, for example, and with nice aromatic persistence. You do taste the vintage here, at least in this locale and with these winemaking choices. It’s good, and it is nicely balanced, but it lacks a bit of tension and drive. To drink relatively young. 2023–30.
The 2020 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is a blend of 74.8% Sémillon and 25.2% Sauvignon Blanc, harvested from 19th to 28th August, with an estimated alcohol of 13.4%. It opens with intense notes of fresh pineapple, white peaches and lemon curd with suggestions of honeysuckle, paraffin wax and chalk dust. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers bags of juicy peaches and citrus flavors, accented by tropical fruit opulence and supported with refreshing acidity, finishing with a spicy kick. 2023 - 2031
We were unable to taste this wine En Primeur but this will be the first vintage in a new, clear glass bottle in the iconic Haut Brion shape.
