Editors notes
A lovely pale yellow colour, with green glints. The nose is concentrated with fruity scents of citrus, mango and pineapple. Swirling reveals concentration and depth of aromas. On the first taste, the wine is rich, fresh, wide and taut all at once. It develops and is full, with lots of flavour and no heaviness. At times Sauvignon in exuberance, sometimes Sémillon in fleshiness and careful structure.
This Haut-Brion is ultimately a superb harmony of aromas and taste, between Sauvignon and Sémillon, which have given us their very best thanks to the conditions of this vintage.
Details
-
Wine Type
-
Vintage
-
Variety
-
Brand
-
Location
-
Cellaring
-
Closure
-
Alcohol Percentage
-
Bottle Size
-
Oak Type
Tasting Profile
-
Light (Light)Full (Full)
-
Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
-
Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
-
Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
-
Aroma
- Lemon
- Mineral
- White Flowers
-
Palate
- Lemon Zest
- Slate
- Stonefruit
Food Pairings
-
Asian -
Fish -
Shellfish
Critic Scores & reviews
-
Jeb Dunnuck
99"A complex, thought-provoking white. Vibrant and exciting with green herbs, stones and hints of aniseed and wet sea weed. Sea salt, too. It’s full-bodied and tight on the palate and rather shy. But then it takes off at the end and accelerates. Phenolic, with fine tannins. Iron. Oyster shell. 57% semillon and 43% sauvignon"
-
Matthew Jukes
96"The 2021 Château Haut-Brion Blanc is another vibrant, racy white in the vintage. White grapefruit, crushed citrus, and some obvious mineral and rocky nuances define the nose, and it's medium-bodied, with a racy, chiseled style that's going to demand bottle age."
-
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
98"The 2021 Haut-Brion Blanc has a wonderful bouquet of white peach, yellow plum, kumquat and white flower scents that opens beautifully in the glass, displaying lovely definition. The palate is very well balanced with a killer line of acidity that perfectly counterbalances the intense citrus fruit. Razor-sharp, more than any vintage that I have tasted in recent years. I often think that this is overrated at primeur, but the 2021 is undeniably a showstopping Haut-Brion Blanc."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
-
- Variety Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
- Vintage 2018
- Brand Chateau Haut-Brion
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type White
- Alcohol Percentage 14.0% Alcohol
Chateau Haut Brion Blanc 2018-
Jeb Dunnuck94 points
-
Matthew Jukes19 points
-
Lisa Perrotti-B94 points
$2,350.00
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Pessac-Leognan
Pessac-Léognan is a small Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and subregion within the Graves AOC in Bordeaux, France. It includes one Premier Cru from the 1855 classification, as well as all of the Cru Classé properties within the Graves classification. (This classification, established in 1959, is a list based on pricing, renown, and quality – judged by tasting. Overall, 16 classified châteaux fall under the Graves classification for their red wines, their white wines, or both, and all sit within Pessac-Léognan.) The terroir in this AOC benefits from the area’s gravel soils as well as the moderating effect of the Garonne River. Pessac-Léognan has a reputation for both high-quality red and white wines, producing significantly more reds than whites. The exceptional white wines are usually blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. They are typically barrel-fermented and -aged, with many age-worthy for 10 years or more. On the nose, you’ll find pronounced aromas of gooseberry, lemon, and grapefruit alongside vanilla and clove notes from the oak influence. On the palate, these whites are dry and full-bodied. Pessac-Léognan reds have aromas of red berry, violet, earth, and spice, alongside mineral, nutty, and smoky notes.
About the brand Chateau Haut Brion
Chateau Haut-Brion is the only First Growth Chateau of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification located outside the Medoc AOC. It finds its home in the Pessac-Leognan AOC north of the Graves region. First documentation of the estate dates back to 1525 when the property came to Jean de Pontac through his new wife's dowry. After a series of different owners, the estate was purchased by Clarence Dillon, an American banker in 1935. Remarkably, it still remains in the Dillon family today. A curious departure from its counterparts in the Medoc AOC, Chateau Haut Brion is Merlot focused. Of the 48 hectares under vine, almost 42% are planted to Merlot, 45% to Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder to Cabernet Franc. The dissimilarities continue in the fact that Haut Brion also produces one of the world's most esteemed white wines, Haut Brion Blanc, a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.Each variety is planted to its best-suited soil type resulting in Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel and Merlot on clay, while the white varieties thrive on the sandier soils of the estate.
You May Also Like
Customer Reviews
Write Your Own Review