Château Haut-Brion 2023

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Even the nose is vibrant this year. You instantly sense it in the perfume with its flowers, red currants, smoke, spice, and cherries. The wine is powerful, yet reserved, long, intense, silky, and vivacious. The fruit has this lift that elevates on the palate. There is richness, elegance, and purity here. But, what is most striking is that on the palate, the wine moves in every direction, covering both sides, as well as the roof of your mouth as the wealth of fruit lingers for over 60 seconds. Part of the success of the vintage is due to July, with its cloudy skies, providing protection from the sun, helping to keep ABV levels down. There is also less green harvesting taking place this year. It is important to note that not only are the harvest dates becoming earlier here, they are also finishing later. More attention is paid to finding phenolic maturity on a parcel by harvest basis, adding nuance and balance. In the cellars, the extraction was soft, at lower temperatures, adding the elegance in the wine. The wine blends 52.3% Merlot, 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9.1% Cabernet Franc, 14.6% ABV. 3.7 pH. Harvesting took place, September 4 - October 4. Only 42% of the harvest was placed into the grand Vin. Drink from 2030-2065.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Less immediately approachable than La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2023 Haut-Brion stands among the most powerful and profound wines in the range, revealing aromas of cassis, spices, lead pencil, gentian and dark berries. Medium- to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it is fleshy yet seamless, endowed with remarkable energy and persistence. In this vintage, the terroir asserts itself with uncommon clarity, resulting in a Haut-Brion that is both racy and precise.

Jeb Dunnuck

With roughly 8,333 cases produced, the 2023 Château Haut-Brion has sensational aromatics of blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and the classic cold fireplace-driven nuances that define this magical estate. It's medium to full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with ultra-fine yet building tannins, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. This brilliant Haut-Brion deserves a solid decade of bottle age and will cruise for 40+ years in cold cellars. Drink 2035-2075.

James Suckling

Such transparency and beauty, with black currants, blackberries, blueberries and pencil shavings on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied with open-grained tannins that fill the mouth and make it velvety and very finely textured. Subtle, crunchy aftertaste of blackberries and forest berries. Exquisite. 52.3% merlot, 38.6% cabernet sauvignon and 9.1% cabernet franc. Drink from 2029.