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Clarence Haut Brion 2010

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-LĂ©ognan
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Sauvignon

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Tasting Notes

The second wine of Haut-Brion is now called Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, and the 2010 is among the finest I have tasted there. It is a broad, powerful and more muscular wine than its cross-street rival, La Chapelle de la Mission, but all the same, it is wonderfully fresh and precise, with notes of blueberry and boysenberry as well as hints of smoke and wet stones. Endowed with gorgeous fruit, texture, purity and elegance, this relatively dense second wine demonstrates how draconian the selection process has become for the top estates in Bordeaux in recent years. The blend of this wine is 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc with just a touch of Petit Verdot. I would expect it to last at least 20 years, which is remarkable.

Kudos to the team at Haut-Brion and to the proprietors, the Dillon family, who are now represented admirably and meticulously by Prince Robert of Luxembourg. He has made some changes, and all of them seem to have resulted in dramatic improvements to what was already an astonishing group of wines.

93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (205), March 2013

Tasted at Chateau Haut-Brion. I must say that comparing this against the La Chapelle, I find the latter more expressive at the moment, the Le Clarence perhaps riper and a tad more generous, yet without quite the same degree of clarity. The palate is medium-bodied with a ripe, cedar and tobacco infused entry. There is more weight and fruit intensity than the La Chapelle and builds nicely towards an iodine, dark plum and slightly saline finish. I was perhaps expecting a little more after its showing in barrel. Tasted November 2012.

90
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, February 2013

This is a fresh and lively young wine. The second wine of Haut-Brion has a lot of linear richness. I really like the texture of this with super polished tannins and vibrant acidity

93/94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2011

52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Very bright blueish purple. Lighter nose than Chapelle La Mission but very refined and aromatic. Drawing-room refinement, really quite spindly. All frame and not much flesh at the moment. Very, very dry on the finish. There is even a hint of green. Will need quite a time to broaden out

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2011
95
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2011
Read more tasting notes...

Probably the greatest second wine made at this estate since the 1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion, this blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot reveals elegant minerality along with lots of sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit intermixed with hints of damp earth and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and lush, it should drink beautifully for 10-15 years.

90/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

Tasted at Haut Brion. The Clarence de Haut-Brion 2009 has a very different nose compared to the La Chapelle, much more reticent at first, a "doleful" bouquet that takes time to come out of its shell. Blackberry, fresh black olives and a touch of seaweed. The palate is medium-bodied with very good fruit concentration, the tannins a little drier than La Chapelle, perhaps a little coarser at this early juncture. At the moment I prefer the tension displayed by the La Chapelle. This is much more broody and introverted at the moment. Tasted September 2011.

89
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, December 2011

A blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this has a very different nose to the La Chapelle, the Cabernet very potent here, crushed stones with a hint of graphite. This has more backbone that the La Chapelle, very fine tannins with good acidity, dense blackberry, cassis and a touch of black plum, strict and linear towards the finish which is more masculine than the La Chapelle. Do not overlook this second label. Tasted March 2011.

92/94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2011
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.