Winemaker Notes
Blend: 41% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
An equal blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Cabernet Franc, this wine is structured, serious and also approachable. Ripe, juicy fruit is in evidence under the firm structure and dusty tannins. The combination is a rich and supple wine that will be ready from 2018.
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James Suckling
Extremely aromatic and lively with pure currant and berry character. Full-bodied, very fine and intense. Attractive fruit and tannin tension to this. Better in 2017.
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Wine Spectator
This has lots of dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors, lined with subtle black tea, warm ganache and roasted alder notes. Stays refined, with tight-grained tannins supporting the finish. Should have a bit of staying power.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A wonderfully expansive, velvety textured, rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, are super and very impressive in the 2012 Le Clarence de Haut Brion. This is far higher quality than what most people would consider a second wine, even when coming from a first-growth chateau. Mulberry, spice box and expansive, rich flavors backed up by velvety tannins characterize this medium to full-bodied beautiful wine to drink now and over the next 15-20 years. Bravo.
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.
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.