2021 Blanc
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Tasting notes
I loved the 2021 Château Haut-Brion Blanc, and it's a candidate for the wine of the vintage. Incredibly pure notes of ripe golden fruits, citrus, white flowers, and a kiss of background spice and oak all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with both richness and freshness. It unquestionably plays in the fresher style of the vintage, yet this beauty brings ample mid-palate depth, a rich, layered texture, and awesome length. It’s a killer white that will evolve for 20-30 years if well stored.
Critic scores
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Haut-Brion Blanc was very impressive from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a complex, finely delineated bouquet with dried white flowers and a touch of beeswax percolating through the green apple and Conference pear aromas. The palate is quite harmonious and tensile, full of energy and focused, with a dab of stem ginger popping up on the finish. There’s real sustain on the close here—a superb Haut-Brion Blanc.
The 2021 Haut-Brion Blanc is dense, powerful and explosive. Even so, I suspect it, like the other 2021 whites in the Clarence Dillon stable, is going through a closed phase. The textural richness and volume are evident, though. Slate, crushed rocks, citrus peel, white pepper and mint all come alive in the glass. Sauvignon Blanc energy drives the aromatics and an overall feel of tension, while the mid-palate richness of the 55% Sémillon is felt in the resonating breadth of the finish.
The 2021 Blanc is a standout example of what this iconic estate is capable of producing, revealing a complex bouquet of pear, white peach, nectarine and spices. Full-bodied, round and fleshy with an enveloping core of fruit, it’s seamless and satiny, girdled by bright acids and framed by chalky, structuring dry extract.
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Brion is the only classified growth in Pessac-Léognan. One of the five First Growths, it is renowned for producing both exceptional reds and whites. Along with its sister estate, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, it is part of the Clarence Dillon stable.