Winemaker Notes
This wine is mainly composed of Merlot, but also Cabernet Franc, grape varieties characteristic of the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation.
Blend: 5% Cabernet Franc, 95% MerlotProfessional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Château Haut-Brisson is impressive, with the vintage’s sun-kissed style, while staying more medium to full-bodied, pure, and elegant. Ripe black cherries, currants, crushed stone, and pressed flower notes all shine here, and I love its overall balance and finesse.
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James Suckling
Nice fresh-fruit definition for this challenging hot and dry year, quite impressive for this second wine of Haut-Brisson. Mostly younger vines here. The attack is firm with well-grained tannins on the palate, medium body and a juicy, lightly chewy finish. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As readers may remember, the 2022 Haut-Brisson is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Evoking aromas of cassis, mulberries and flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, round and enveloping with a juicy core of fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline, chalky finish enhanced by a delicate reduction at this stage. This is one of the most gourmand offerings in the Vignobles K universe.
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Decanter
Vivid purple colour, rich and vibrant in the glass. Aromas of dark black fruit and opulent perfumed scents. Juicy and supple, tannins are prominent but so is acidity giving a push pull of tension and fruit forwardness. You can taste the sun kissed fruit in the glass, very slightly jammy, but it keeps a sense of liveliness and freshness too giving a drinkable expression. Really quite a joyful and fun expression with bite and soft liquorice spicing. Tasted twice.
Barrel Sample
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.