Description
A beautiful dark, deep red color, with purple glints. At this stage, it is rather discreet on the nose. Swirling reveals of a complex multitude of aromas, with notes of perfectly ripe red and black fruits. There are already hints of licorice and smoky notes, indicators of superb bottles of this wine. The first taste is remarkable for its softness and immediate presence. The wine then develops, powerful but still delicious, to finish long and flavorful. It is indisputably a magnificent Haut-Brion!
Wood case ships separately.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Such transparency and beauty, with black currants, blackberries, blueberries and pencil shavings on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied with open-grained tannins that fill the mouth and make it velvety and very finely textured. Subtle, crunchy aftertaste of blackberries and forest berries. Exquisite. 52.3% merlot, 38.6% cabernet sauvignon and 9.1% cabernet franc. Drink from 2029.
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Decanter
A stand out wine from Haut-Brion this year and one of the most charming Primeur samples from the estate. A little sombre on the nose, quiet with dark fruit, blackcurrant and brambles. Not so open on the nose, but this wows on the palate - rich, dense for the vintage, weighty in the mouth, clearly ripe and so filling. Chewy and alive, this is brilliant with a buzz of acidity, a sharp, sour, tartness but all so excellently delivered. So charming and so cuddly, this wine wants you to adore it. Bright and voluptuous, and not many can say that in this vintage. Really so great and still with chocolate, mint, pepper, raspberries, and floral notes all the way through. A complete knock out because it has flesh, juice, brightness and style. 3.7ph 4.3 acidity 80 IPT - second highest year after 2010 for the concentration. 42% grand vin production. A potential 100-point wine.
Barrel Sample: 98 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The Grand Vin 2023 Château Haut-Brion checks in as 52.3% Merlot, 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's more focused and tight compared to its sibling, the La Mission Haut-Brion, but it has riveting purity in its black raspberry, currant, smoke, leafy tobacco, and scorched earth-like aromas and flavors. It's rich and full-bodied, with building tannins and a level of purity that's just about off the charts. As with most vintages of Haut-Brion, it should be given at least a decade of bottle age.
Barrel Sample: 96-98 -
Vinous
The 2023 Haut-Brion was picked at the same time as the La Mission Haut-Brion, albeit the secateurs sheathed one day later, on October 6. The nose is less immediate than the La Mission and the fruit is a little darker: blackcurrant, juniper, hints of black olive and a light cedar scent. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip and tension. This has superb energy, presenting a crescendo of flavors toward a complex and persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. There is real pedigree to this First Growth, and it will certainly give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 96-98 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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, it’s 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.
Barrel Sample: 95-97
PDX1962889CA_0 Item# 1962889