2020 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is a rich yet vibrant white Bordeaux blend of mostly Sémillon with a touch of Sauvignon Blanc. It opens with juicy pear, melon, and green papaya, backed by hints of citrus, roasted almond, and wet stone. Full-bodied and textured, with a soft minerality and a fresh, lightly toasty finish. Elegant and expressive now, but built to age gracefully through 2035.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: Mar 29, 2023

A fresh and layered white with pear and melon aromas and flavors. Some green papaya, too. It’s full and deep with lots of fruit and flavor. Some minerality at the end. About 75% semillon, the rest sauvignon. Drink or hold

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: Apr 6, 2023
Drink: 2023-2035

The 2020 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is showing nicely in bottle, bursting with notions of grapefruit, nectarine, lemongrass and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a sweet core of fruit and a chalky finish, it will offer demonstrative drinking young.

Decanter | D 92
Published: Feb 1, 2023
Drink: 2024-2033

Elderflower, roasted almonds, perfume - almost like Turkish Delight but subtle with lemon, apple and white pear on the nose. Clean and crisp, light and delicate, a nice weight in the glass - acidity isn't totally high but there is brightness from a shot of ripe lemon and lime juice balanced by a cool, crystalline mineral aspect with wet stone nuances. Softly charming. 3.7pH.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.50%
Body: Medium
Grapes:  25.2% Sauvignon Blanc 74.8% Sémillon

Mission-haut-brion.com

La Clarté de Haut-Brion boasts a legendary and unique kinship: made from grapes grown on the Haut-Brion terroir, it is born of two prestigious estates: Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

- 2020 - 

Tasting notes
The wine presents a beautiful shade of light-yellow.
The first nose is powerful and fruity, with lovely aromas of peach and quince.
The nose reveals ripeness and is slightly woody, with a toasted scent.
The first taste is smooth and full of flavour.
The wine develops thanks to its majority of Sémillon (75%), with rich body on the palate,
almost sweet, giving a feel of Southern France.
The finish, with some lovely bitter notes, is very refreshing.

The weather
Winter 2019/2020 is mild and wet. The vine’s growth cycle begins very early (it is the earliest year after 1989). In Spring, constant rainfall encourages mildew to appear, so we are doubly attentive. Flowering is very early too and occurs as usual. From mid-June and until mid-August, an exceptionally hot, dry period sets in, during which we note three periods of heatwave. As a result, we decrease work carried out in the vineyard, especially leaf-thinning, to protect the wholeness of the grape bunches and to preserve aromatic freshness. From 11th August, steady rainfall enables the grape to perfect its ripeness. Harvests of white grapes are early and gathered in very good conditions. Temperatures are above seasonal averages, ideal for completing the ripening of all the red grape varieties, which entered our fermenting rooms in excellent health.

Harvest date
From the 19th to the 28th of August 

Assembly
Sauvignon: 25.2%
Semillon: 74.8%

New barrels
46.4%

Alcohol
13.5%