2014 La Clarte de Haut Brion Blanc
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Tasting notes
The 2014 La Clarté de Haut-Brion Blanc has a slightly muddled bouquet compared to the 2014 Les Champs Libre tasted alongside, although perhaps it will gain more focus and cohesion with bottle age. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a keen thread of acidity, a steely and linear dry white Bordeaux, leading to a saline finish. Better on the palate than the nose, but I will keep the faith here. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Light, rich lanolin nose with some refreshing lime-syrup character. Smoky and a little alcoholic but interesting in a catty way. Could only be from Pessac-Léognan. Broad and emphatic. Slightly chewy end. (JR)
The 2014 La Clarte de Haut-Brion Blanc has a lively bouquet with scents of lime flower, citrus fruit and freshly sliced grapefruit, the oak neatly integrated (39% new oak used this year). The palate is well balanced with a pleasant fatness on the entry, slightly honeyed with veins of lemongrass and ginger struck through the finish. Sure, it lacks a little persistence, but its sheer drinkability cannot be denied.
34% Sémillon, 66% Sauvignon Blanc. This always smells so Sémillon! Luxurious beeswax nose and then tight grapefruit-peel palate that is dominated by Sauvignon. Long and thrilling with great weight and tension. Lightly astringent at the moment. Very nervy despite such high alcohol that Jean-Philippe Delmas called it ‘our Condrieu’. (JR)
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Brion is the only classified growth in Pessac-Léognan. One of the five First Growths, it is renowned for producing both exceptional reds and whites. Along with its sister estate, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, it is part of the Clarence Dillon stable.