Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Good energy here with some tarry cherries, berries and spiced plums. Tight and densely packed with tannins, this has medium to full body, a fleshy midpalate and a long, juicy finish. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the gravelly soils on the plain not far from Monbousquet, the 2023 Château Haut-Brisson offers ripe black cherries, mulberries, new leather, graphite, and chalky minerality on the nose. Based on 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and aged 12 months in 35% new French oak with the balance in one- and two-year-old barrels, it's medium-bodied and has a fresh, focused, elegant mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Haut-Brisson opens in the glass with aromas of mulberries, rose petals, dark cherries and flowers, complemented by subtle hints of dark berries. Medium- to full-bodied, enveloping and generous, it is juicy and fresh, animated by lively acidity and framed by powdery, velvety tannins that carry through to a long, penetrating finish. This blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc is already showing well.
-
Decanter
After frost in 2021 and 2022, this estate came back in form this year, albeit with some Merlots from a lower section of the vineyard stricken by especially rapacious mildew. After careful sorting, the end result is a wine that exudes pleasing aromas of fresh red fruit and plum and palate tonicity with a medium finish. There are some austere tannins, however, which the barrel ageing should soften.
Barrel Sample: 90
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.