Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Expressive nose full of green apple, elderflower, honeysuckle, acacia, citrus zest and grapefruit. Lively and upfront, a rush of almost sweet but fresh lemon, peach and apple fruits, crunchy but with a lovely texture that gives a sense of weight on the palate. Full of life with direction and precision, a mouthwatering sensation as well as a full one. Great stuff here, so much character as well as purity of fruit and overall harmony. One worth seeking out.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of Haut-Brion, the 2021 La Clarte De Haut-Brion Blanc is well worth seeking out, offering melon ball, crushed citrus, and honeyed mineral-nuances in a medium-bodied, clean, straight, balanced package. It shows the vintage's fresh, pure, chiseled style.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
James Suckling
Fresh, yet creamy, with a medium body. Notes of salted lemons and herbs with smoked almonds. Supple, ripe and well ba2-930-93
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 55% Sémillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2021 La Clarté de Haut-Brion exhibits aromas of crisp nectarine, citrus oil, white flowers and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, lively and textural, it's beautifully balanced, concluding with a long, saline finish. It's worth serious consideration this year.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.