2022 Château Haut Brion Blanc

The 2022 Château Haut-Brion Blanc is close to an even split of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, but it seems to lead with its Sauvignon at this point and has bright citrus, lime pith, honeyed flower, and obvious chalky minerality on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with notable concentration as well as acidity, it's another brilliant wine from this team. (05/2023)

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. (05/2023)