Clarence de Haut-Brion - Château Haut Brion

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Clarence de Haut Brion '09 has a much more timid bouquet with light blackberry and briary fruit, touches of sous-bois and liquorice developing with aeration. The palate is full-bodied with a firm grip. Bold and brassy but still very well balanced with a fresh inviting finish. This is showing better than 12 months ago. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Dark ruby-red. Blackcurrant, cedar and minerals on the forward nose. Fresh, sweet and smooth on entry, then slightly austere in the middle, with rich black fruit and herb flavors joined by an emerging hint of underbrush. The finish is chewy and moderately persistent. Though Le Clarence has lately been a rather austere wine when young, I'm not sure I like it this time around as much as I did at the Primeurs. I suspect this is in a very closed phase. As the fruit is pure and clean, I am willing to bet it will come around. 89 (+?)points

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2012

This delivers the textbook profile of the appellation and vintage, with dense but mouthwatering tar, cassis, blackberry, bay leaf and dark cocoa notes all melded together and driving through the grippy finish. Approachable, but better with some time. Best from 2013 through 2023. 6,665 cases made. –JM

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

The second wine, the 2009 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, is almost as large a cuvee as the grand vin. This 7,000-case cuvee is a blend of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest small quantities of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Once again the burning ember/scorched earth characteristic that often comes from Haut-Brion is found in the second wine, along with more kirsch and cassis, fewer nuances and less complexity than its bigger sibling. The wine is full-bodied with the minerality offered by this terroir as well as plenty of sweet tannins. This is the finest second wine Haut-Brion has produced since the astonishing 1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion. Enjoy it over the next two decades.

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

This is very, very Haut-Brion. Perhaps this second wine is like the gran vin in 1995? Full body, with rich ripe tannins, with a silky texture. It is dense and powerful. Long and rich. Better in 2016. Best second wine of Haut-Brion ever? It has just about everything Haut-Brion has in an excellent year like this. Try in 2019.

Le Figaro

91-93 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

Il s’agit dorénavant du second vin de Haut-Brion. De robe sombre, le nez est discret, puis cassis. En bouche, l’attaque est fraîche, elle est suivie d’une belle longueur, le vin fait patte de velours avec ses 46 % merlot. 39 % cabernet-sauvignon, 13 % cabernet-franc, 2 % petit-verdot.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-92 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(a blend of 46% merlot, 39% cabernet sauvignon, 13% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot; 14% alcohol; pH 3.88; 77 IPT) Dark ruby-red. Reticent, brooding nose hints at red cherry, blackcurrant, violet, minerals and cedar. Extremely fine-grained and smooth, with harmonious acidity giving laser-like precision to the red fruit and mineral flavors. Completely devoid of any baby fat, this very pure, classic wine finishes firm, suave and long, with high-quality tannins. Though the '89 remains my favorite Clarence ever (the wine was called Bahans Haut-Brion back then), I think this is Haut-Brion's best-ever second wine. Along with Margaux's Pavillon Rouge, it's also one of the top second wines of the vintage, and better than the grand vin of many estates throughout the Bordeaux region.

Wein Wisser

17 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe6/28/2010

Der neue Zweitwein von Haut-Brion, der jahrzehntelang Bahans Haut-Brion hiess. 46 % Merlot, 39 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot. Delikates Bouquet, schwarze Kirschen, Rosenholz, Havannatouch und schöne Zedernoten. Am Gaumen noch leicht mehlig, viel schwarze Pflaumenschalen und reife Zwetschgen, Schokobitterkeit im aromatischen Nachklang. Zeigt geschmacklich viel Haut-Brion- Reflexionen. 2014-2024

Le Point

16 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Nez fermé, tanins gras en milieu de bouche, plein, dense, long, frais, tendu. Belle finale. O=2014 G=12 ans

TAST

18,5 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

A notre sens le plus étonnant des « autres » vins du millésime, avec toute la noblesse de forme, de texture et d’originalité que le « grand » vin mais un peu plus d’accessibilité. Un must pour tous les grands connaisseurs.

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Tasted at the chateau. The erstwhile Bahans, this has a touch more depth and breadth on the aromatics compared to the La Chapelle de al Mission, blackberry, graphite, hints of cassis and mint. Nice definition. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, notes of blackberry, graphite, a touch of tobacco leaf, a sprinkle of black pepper, leading to a masculine, quite tannic entry that grips the mouth. Very fine, but it will need more time than most Bahans of the past. Tasted April 2010.

Falstaff

92-94 / 100

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Kirschen, reife Zwetschken, feine Gewürze, viel Frucht. Komplex, Bitterschokolade, kraftvoll, zeigt seine Muskeln, präsente Tannine, sehr gute Länge, für einige Jahrzehnte ausgelegt.

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

The second wine, which used to be called Bahans Haut-Brion, is now Le Clarence Haut-Brion. The 2009 is a 7,000-case cuvee made of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. The wine has a fabulous nose of incense, burning embers, forest floor, and black cherry liqueur. Fleshy, rich, full-bodied, but not over the top as the minerality and structure move in, this is a super-duper effort, and the greatest second wine made at Haut-Brion since the 1989 Bahans Haut- Brion. It should drink well for 20-25 years. (Tasted once.) Drink 2010-2035. (90-93*) points

Periodic Review of Wine

91-93 / 100

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

The saturated ruby-purple tinged Le Clarence is one of the finest second offerings from Haut-Brion yet tasted. Its pronounced perfumes offer savory Asian soy sauce, black cherries, crème de cassis, lead-pencil dust, and liquefied-minerals. A substantial wine due to its medium to full-bodied, concentrated, silky-textured gobs of plum, mulberry, and cherry fruit. Make no mistake this Red offers stunning definition, a light-footed appeal, and fabulous seamlessness to its outer-edges. It has much potential considering its beauty. Maturity period. 20161-2028+

Wine Spectator

90-93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Violets and berries on the nose, with just a whiff of cream and vanilla. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and gorgeous fruit. Caressing, silky finish. The renamed second wine of Haut-Brion (used to be Bahans).

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

The renamed second wine of Haut-Brion that was once called Bahans. Deeper, less blue colour than the Chapelle de La Mission. Very subtle nose that pulls you in but doesn't broadcast much. Pretty firm tannins. Really quite severe at this point. Very different from the buxom norm of this vintage. Very dense indeed. This will need a long, long time. Pretty ambitious... (17+) Drink 2020-2032