The 2016 Clarté Haut-Brion Blanc has an open-knit bouquet of orange blossom, lemon curd and light nutty aromas, hints of candle wax emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with a lightly spiced opening. There’s plenty of grilled walnut and smoke here, and something almost white-Rioja-like toward the finish – and I mean that as a complement. This has just gained a little complexity in recent months. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
- Neal Martin (01/2020)