Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2022

Alexandre Ma

95

byAlexandre Mathe3/10/2025

Château Haut-Brion’s 2022 white wine cleverly compensates for the year’s acidity with the bitter freshness of citrus peel, fragrant fennel, and savory mineral notes. Its crystalline texture feels like a chilled lotus root powder soup, enveloping the palate with a refreshing embrace. While it may lack the frosty sword-like intensity and structure of the 2021 vintage, it captivates with its gentle and lyrical personality. For those who appreciate opulent white wines, this one is definitely worth a try.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

98

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

The depth and concentration is clear. Cocoa bean, espresso, gingerbread spice, all as you would expect in this type of vintage, but given restraint and understated finesse by mint leaf, pomegranate, mandarin peel, a gathering of lightness, nuance and grace. Exceptional quality, give it plenty of time because these are muscular tannins, and this is a wine that will go the distance and then some. Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director, Jean-Philippe Delmas director.

Wine Advocate

97

byYohan Castaingthe3/6/2025

The 2022 Haut-Brion, which was bottled in May 2024, lives up to the high expectations I had set for it and then some. Revealing a dense, complex and precise bouquet of dark berries, pencil lead, cedar box, rose and spices intertwined with discreet notes of oak, it's full-bodied, dense and concentrated, with a muscular chassis of tannins and an enveloping core of fruit that retains energy and purity, concluding with youthful grip. Given the inherent quality of the terroir, time is likely to be very kind to this vintage, allowing it to integrate and mature gracefully.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

A blockbuster of a wine from this château, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion is based on 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc. It's slightly deeper hued than its sibling, the La Mission Haut-Brion, and brings a slightly firmer, more masculine style in its smoky blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, violet, and tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. As good as it gets on the palate, this sensationally layered, seamless Haut-Brion has medium to full-bodied richness, a sensationally pure, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, building yet polished tannins, and an incredible finish. It deserves at least a decade in the cellar (it's clearly enjoyable even today), and I suspect it will evolve for 50-75 years or more, given its balance, concentration, and structure.

Yvesbeck.wine

100

byYves Beckthe2/25/2025

La fraîcheur et la précision affichée d'emblée annoncent la couleur ! Elles posent les jalons de manière magistrale, sereine, avec moult nuances dédiées à la subtilité et à la haute définition. Dense et fin en attaque, le vin se révèle avec une improbable sérénité. Il est puissant, profond, lucide et conscient de ses aptitudes. Ainsi, il s'installe confortablement et est transporté par une force tranquille, respectivement des tannins parfaitement intégrés qui assurent non seulement les assises, mais qui confèrent une extraordinaire fraîcheur tout en prenant soin d'étirer la finale. Certainement une des très grandes réussites du millésime ! 2029-2072 100/100

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Haut-Brion retains captivating floral scents on the nose, with peony, violet and plenty of incense combining with intense blackberry and blueberry fruit. It builds in the glass over ten minutes, only then revealing its underlying mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, offering more substance and a tad more grip compared directly to the 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion. Alternating between the two, I am more drawn to the First Growth as the finish delivers greater complexity and precision. This is an awesome Haut-Brion for the ages.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

This is one of the deepest Haut-Brions I have encountered in a long time. The muscular structure takes you down, delivering a long and rather endless finish. Full-bodied with lots of flavor, particularly fruits such as currants as well as black truffles, cedar, walnuts and dark mushrooms. Some dried thyme and crushed stones also. Better give this eight to 10 years. This will improve for decades. Try after 2030.

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

The 2022 Haut-Brion is powerful and explosive. At the same time, it is incredibly reticent. None of that should be of concern for readers who can wait. Black-toned fruit, gravel, incense, scorched earth and licorice all stain the palate, framed by impenetrable, imposing tannins. A vertical, explosive wine, the 2022 is going to need a number of years to be at its best. I suspect it will be magnificent in many years' time. The Haut-Brion softens with a bit of time in the glass, but it remains very much a blockbuster.

Wine Maniacs

98-99

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Milk chocolate and blackcurrants on the nose, fragrant ripe black cherries and some floral notes. Sleek, supple, suave, really confident and shiny. This keeps the tension more than La Mission at this point with a vein of freshness and intensity. It’s not out to charm but it’s out to impress. Excellent construction, clean depth and power, tense, strict and streamlined, a touch of creaminess and saltiness. You get waves of flavour intensity with ripe, concentrated fruit, soft acidity and a clean stone freshness. Tannins fill the mouth with edges of both minerality and toasted spices. Calm and controlled, impressive with focus. 3.8pH. A yield of 35hl/ha.

Alexandre Ma

98-99

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

The year 2022 was marked by extreme heat and dryness, yet Château Haut-Brion 2022 presents me with a fragrant, enchanting floral wonderland. With a gentle swirl of the glass, violet and geranium scents drift into the air. I must confess, this is the first time I've detected such distinct Cabernet Franc notes in Château Haut-Brion. Drawing my nose nearer, I'm instantly whisked away to a fantastical realm of fresh fruit, where plums, Chinese plums, and creamy blueberries pirouette gracefully, akin to butterflies flitting from blossom to blossom. Amidst the serenity, there's even a rare whisper of longan sweetness. Tasting this wine, you'll experience an indescribable velvety sensation that immerses you in its world, allowing you to forget the worries of the mundane. At this moment, it is no longer a simple wine but the long-sought-after "Pool of Oblivion" I've been searching for...

Vinous

96-98

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Haut-Brion, matured in 70% new oak, represents the 99th vintage under three generations of the Delmas family (see my recently published book for a remarkable photo of the first). It has slightly darker fruit than the La Mission at the moment. Incense and potpourri infuse the black plum and bilberry. There's a touch of brine in the background. It manifests more and more complexity as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and is blessed with unerring symmetry. It has a bewitching granular texture, complex and more focused than recent vintages, and comes across as almost pixelated on the finish. Quintessential Haut-Brion. Magnificent, but not necessarily the best wine that Delmas oversaw in this vintage.

The Vintage Journal

98-99

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep crimson. Intense elderberry, praline hint marzipan roasted chestnut aromas. Richly concentrated wine with abundant dark berry, cassis fruited, fine dense slinky tannin, marzipan roasted chestnut vanilla notes and fine marked searing acidity. Finishes chocolaty and minerally with a graphite plume. (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot 70%+ new oak) 14.45% alc

matthewjukes.com

19,5

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

97-99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Haut-Brion is a blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.9% new oak. The nose is typically closed and broody, requiring a lot of shaking to wake up enticing notes of iron ore, red roses, lavender, mint tea, and forest floor, leading to a tantalizing core of plum preserves and blueberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly knit with vibrant black and blue fruit layers and red berry sparks, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and minerally. A classic, breath-taking expression of Haut-Brion, I expect this to remain shy and restrained for the first 10 years so in bottle, and then watch it soar.

Yvesbeck.wine

97-98

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Haut-Brion se révèle de manière filigrane et subtile. Il a un évident focus sur la précision et les détails. Je relève des nuances minérales suivies de myrtilles et de sureau puis une rafraîchissante touche d'anis. La finesse annoncée par le bouquet est parfaitement relayée par l'attaque. Le vin révèle ses tannins progressivement. Dotés d'une puissance difficile à capter au début, ils se positionnent avec une évidente sérénité ! Leur côté énergétique est de paire avec la tension de la structure et Haut-Brion se montre plus conquérant, plus vigoureux que l'attaque le laissait présager. Un vin d'une grande subtilité qui n'a guère besoin de hausser la voix pour se faire entendre. Même en chuchotant il est déjà très explicite et prometteur. Une très belle réussite construite sur la finesse et la précision.

Bettane & Desseauve

97-98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Puissant, ferme, encore un peu serré dans son tannin et marqué dès la naissance comme mission-haut-brion par les notes de créosote si typiques du cru.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

Slightly better than its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion has a full-bodied, concentrated, structured style that's going to demand bottle age. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and tobacco are just some of its nuances aromatically, and it shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage. There are lots of tannins here, especially on the finish, and it's going to need 7-8 years in the cellar.

Vinous

97-99

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Haut-Brion comes across as a bit restrained, given the natural opulence of the year and the other wines in the Clarence Dillon portfolio. Deep and wonderfully layered, the 2022 possesses remarkable depth but also a bit less of the explosive energy that is such a Haut-Brion signature. I suspect that will come in time, as the 2022 starts to show quite a bit better with a little aeration. Violet, gravel, incense, leather, tobacco and scorched earth linger. Superb. Drinking window : 2025-2062

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

Picture walking into a flower show with a basket of fresh berries and a lit Cuban cigar, and while that is not quite PC, it is the aromatic profile here. On the palate, the wine is fresh, bright, vibrant, lifted and floral. The wine is elevated, refined, soft, and silky with a refreshing, silky edge to the fruits in the finish. The wine is pure elegance There is nothing between you and the fruits. There is intensity, length, and a striking sense of purity. The wine lingers seamlessly for 60 seconds, or longer. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. 14.45% ABV, 3.83 pH. Harvesting took place August 29 - September 15. Yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare, with 50% of the harvest placed into the Grand Vin. This is not only in competition for wine of the vintage, it is one of the best vintages of Haut Brion ever produced. If you are an Haut-Brion fan with the disposable income, you cannot own enough of this future legend. Drink from 2030-2065.

Wine Advocate

95-97

byYohan Castaingthe4/28/2023

The 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it's rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

Currants and cedar with sandalwood and peaches. Fascinating aromas. Violets. Full-bodied with a crunchy and electric palate of primary fruit, with hints of tangerines and citrus. Great finish with structure and polish. 53.6% merlot, 35.4% cabernet sauvignon and 11% cabernet franc. Interesting to have such high merlot in the blend.