Château Haut-Brion 2023

Stony, mineral, deep, crystal-clear fruit, floral notes; taut palate, creamy texture, fruit and acidity in good balance, shows flow, elegance, and length. Like a symbiosis of 2021 and 2022.

Green apples, waxy lemon peels, ginger, and orange rind notes are all over the place. The wine is crisp, mineral-driven, fruity, and bright from start to finish. The wine is made from a blend of 58.1% Sauvignon Blanc, with 41.9% Semillon. 13.8% ABV. The picking took place August 21, finishing September 4. The length of harvest is extraordinary, considering there are only 2.5 hectares of vines. Drink from 2025-2040. 97 pts.

Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Delicate wood aromas, fine toasted touch, yellow tropical fruit, ripe gooseberries, some pineapple, white flowers, mineral undertones. Highly elegant, fine fruit expression, hints of white pear, rather subtle acidity, harmonious and already accessible.

58.1% Sauvignon Blanc, 41.9% Sémillon. An enticing bouquet of grapefruit, vineyard peach, white rose petals, starfruit, and lemongrass. Juicy on the palate, with balanced verve, supportive minerality, and vibrant energy. A focused, finely aromatic finish with grapefruit zest, tangerine, and an elegant saline note.

Powerful and intense, beautifully sculpted and full of coiled energy, graphite, slate, steel, the texture is arresting, depth, reserve, density, citrus, elderflower, pear. Stands alongside the great vintages of Haut-Brion Blanc. 3.2ph. 40% new oak. Jean-Philippe Delmas director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director, no outside consultant. Harvest from August 21 through to September 5, just over 1.2ha of white vines.

Score: 94–96. The nose is heady, evoking the scents of a tree-lined path in bloom and a basket brimming with ripe orchard fruits. A delectable creaminess, a luxurious, plush sensation of relaxation, as if lying down on a canopy bed. Rich stone fruits lead to a persistent finish.

A superb bouquet where intensity, complexity and depth are highlighted from the very first moment—in a fraction of a second! Such serenity and precision. Guided by an elegant texture, the wine unfolds with clarity and linearity. A saline touch energises the attack, fine bitter notes reinforce the aromatic expression, and the finish convinces as much through its freshness and temperament as through its persistence. A Haut-Brion that clearly stands ahead of the vintage. It has taken the lead and can boast of the outcome achieved!

A subtle bouquet of passion fruit and ripe citrus, with a beautifully balanced, exotic palate that develops a very fine, elongated, highly refreshing mineral profile. The sapid, persistent finish promises delicacy—one that doesn’t lack character.

95-97. Barrel Sample. Always one of the world's great white wines, this vintage demonstrates a tropical edge. It is a rich wine, balancing acidity and a tight texture along with a magnificent structure and future.

A blend of 58.1% Sauvignon Blanc and 41.9% Sémillon, the 2023 Blanc from Haut-Brion is performing brilliantly in bottle, revealing aromas of confit citrus, pear, ripe white fruits, orchard fruits and a subtle touch of smoke. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and finely textured, it is more vibrant and tensile than La Mission, concluding with an enveloping, delicate and penetrating finish. As is so often the case at this address in this vintage, it surpasses the expectations formed at the en primeur stage.

Slightly herbal grassy green apple notes on the nose, a little less demonstrative again than LMHB at this point. Instantly more weight on the palate, really has more fat and texture, a little oily even in terms of the density. Less apparent acidity, a touch more sombre, more on the bitterness side to give an angle and contrast to the fruit which adds body and structure in that way. Still lively, no doubt, lemon and grapefruit, clean with hints of spice on the finish. A fantastic white in 2023 and will be nice to compare it to its sister white in bottle. 3.2pH.