Le Clarence de Haut Brion
Le Clarence de Haut Brion
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Wine Advocate 93: The second wine of Haut-Brion is now called Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, and the 2010 is among the finest I have tasted there. It is a broad, powerful and more muscular wine than its cross-street rival, La Chapelle de la Mission, but all the same, it is wonderfully fresh and precise, with notes of blueberry and boysenberry as well as hints of smoke and wet stones. Endowed with gorgeous fruit, texture, purity and elegance, this relatively dense second wine demonstrates how draconian the selection process has become for the top estates in Bordeaux in recent years. The blend of this wine is 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc with just a touch of Petit Verdot. I would expect it to last at least 20 years, which is remarkable.
James Suckling 94-95: Coffee and currants with hints of sweet tobacco and vanilla bean. Subtle yet intense. Full body, with sexy tannins and a sweet fruit coating around it. Very fine and linear. Direct. Gorgeous. Better than I remember.
Wine Advocate 91-93: With aromas of ripe raspberries, dark wild berries and flowers, the 2023 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion is a moderately weighted, firm and dense wine on the palate with sweet structuring tannins and a long, vibrant finish. This blend of 55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.6% Cabernet Franc is a great bottle in the making.
James Suckling 95-96: Intensity and focus to this, with length and raciness for the second wine of Haut-Brion, showing polish and a refined texture. It’s medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and an exquisite finish. Caressing. 55.5% merlot, 40.9% cabernet sauvignon and 3.6% cabernet franc.
Wine Advocate 91-93: The 2025 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, a blend of 66.5% Merlot, 28.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5.2% Cabernet Franc, reveals a floral bouquet with pronounced dark fruit, evolving toward cassis and spice with aeration. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured, it’s built around a deep core of fruit and has more marked freshness on the finish than La Chapelle, lending it a more ethereal profile, enhanced by menthol notes that reinforce this sense of lift. Comparable in density and structure to La Chapelle, it remains somewhat reserved at this stage and will require patience. - Yohan Castaing
James Suckling 95-96: Structured yet refined, with polished tannins that run the length of the wine. Dark berries, smoke and cedar on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with very integrated tannins. Classy second wine from Haut Brion. - James Suckling
Vinous 91-93: The 2025 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion has a little more comeliness than the La Chapelle de la Mission, perhaps due to the higher percentage of Merlot (66.5%). Dark cherries, sous-bois, a touch more minéralité coming through by direct comparison. Just a very marginal ash-like scent. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, firm in the mouth, a tad more backbone than expected. Delineated and delivering quite a potent, granular- textured finish, you can feel the mouth tingling with red peppercorns on the aftertaste. Great potential and a very fine Deuxième Vin. - Neal Martin
Decanter 94: Alive and bright, laser sharp and super focused. While the acidity is high it stays in balance with the fresh, crisp fruit and fine but slightly firm tannins. Really cool with no hint of sun or overripeness, crystalline purity and a lick of salty graphite and flint on the finish. Quite a serious wine – sophisticated and well presented with an enjoyable juicy core that brings you back for more. Ends clean. Love this. - Georgina Hindle