Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion checks in as 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Merlot that spent 16 months in barrel. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a beautifully perfumed, medium to full-bodied, elegant 2022 that has red, blue, and some black fruits, a lifted, floral perfume of incense, smoky tobacco, and blood orange, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Such beautiful aromas of blackberries, flowers, nettles and crushed stones follow through to a medium body with firm yet open tannins and a long and crunchy finish. Needs three or four years to come together but very well-constructed. 61% cabernet sauvignon, 21% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. 5% whole-bunch fermentation.
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Decanter
Nicely aromatic on the nose, fresh black fruits and perfumed elements. Really juicy and supple with bite to the blue fruits and a grape skin texture that is nicely filling and not harsh or austere. Acidity is there but cool and fresh so you get a liveliness but it's controlled and not sharp. A complete wine with lots going on. Beautiful depth and persistence, I like the mouthfilling nature with energy and focus. Clean and precise, characterful and supremely enjoyable.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Confirming my expectations, the 2022 Larrivet Haut-Brion is one of the best wines ever produced at this estate. Revealing a complex, vibrant bouquet of cassis, lilac, iris, mulberries, spices and menthol complemented by barely noticeable oak, it's medium to full-bodied and layered with a seamless, pure texture and a fleshy core of fruit perfectly framed by velvety tannins and bright acids. The Cabernet Franc contributes a floral finish, while the Cabernet Sauvignon adds a balanced structure. It should age gracefully.
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.