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La Clarté de Haut Brion 2016

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

La Clarté Haut Brion is the new name for Les Plantiers Haut Brion - the second white wine of both Haut Brion Blanc and La Mission Haut Brion Blanc with around 1000 cases produced annually.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Haut Brion

Label

Tasting Notes

Very salty and fruity with lots of dried pineapple and lemon rind. Medium-to full-bodied, dense and long. White pepper, too.

93/94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2017

Composed of 76.3% Sémillon and 23.7% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2016 La Clarté de Haut-Brion features very pretty honeysuckle, yuzu, lemon drops and fresh pears scents with hints of kumquat and lime leaves. Medium-bodied with fantastic freshness, the palate features a great intensity of citrus flavors and a long chalky finish. Drink 2019-2029.

91
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim), November 2018

Exceptionally rich flavour and succulence on show here, a lovely Clarté in a tough vintage that is more exotic than in some years but absolutely works. Some spicy herbal notes of rosemary pick up the mid-palate and there is a freshness that ensures a mouthwatering uplift to the finish. An interesting side note - there is 60% new oak here, significantly more than in the grand vin, showing just how the technical team truly is led by what is best for the wine, not what is expected of it. 76.3% Sémillon and 23.7% Sauvignon Blanc, harvested to 13th September. The pH ranges from 3.16 to 3.22 across lots.

Drinking Window 2018 - 2025

90
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2017

Mainly Sémillon. Rich and sweet and seductive. Spicy and racy.
Drink 2018-2024

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2017

The second wine of this incredible estate is the 2016 La Clarte de Haut Brion Blanc (76.3% Sémillon and 23.7% Sauvignon). As with the grand vin, it has an incredible mix of vibrancy and richness as well as beautiful tart citrus, lime, white flowers, and crushed rock aromas and flavors. Fresh, focused, medium-bodied, and with bracing acidity yet terrific concentration, it too needs short-term cellaring and should keep for two decades. 2019 - 2039.

94
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019

The nose is light fresh with fragrant white flowers herbal the start of the palate has citrus crispness. A hint of mid sweetness some tropical fruits with lime and lemon giving a racy freshness to the finish. 2018-24

90/92
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2017

There’s not much of a gap in quality behind the second wine of Haut-Brion and the white Grand Vin in 2016, which makes this a comparative bargain. Semillon dominated, with lemongrass, fresh herb and vanilla spice flavours and a long, balanced finish. 2018-26

94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2017
Read more tasting notes...

The 2016 La Clarte de Haut-Brion Blanc is a blend of 23.7% Sauvignon Blanc and 76.3% Sémillon. It has a light lime flower scented bouquet that does not quite have the vigor of the 2015 last year. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, taut and linear with fresh grapefruit and hints of pineapple towards the brisk finish.
Drink Date 2019 - 2028

87/89
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.