2023 La Clarte de Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognan)

Effortless, well balanced, white peach, juicy pear, delicious, sculpted and extremely easy to love. 3.2ph, 40% new oak. A test with shade cloths to provide cover for the berries on a small part of the white vineyard is underway, as the team under Jean-Philippe Delmas reacts to the changing conditions. 93 points

Aromas of smoke, white fruits and ripe orchard fruits preface the 2023 La Clarte de Haut-Brion blanc, a medium-bodied, round and supple wine that is fruity and elegant on the finish. This is a blend of 56.3% Sauvignon Blanc and 43.7% Semillon. 90-92 points

The 2023 La Clarte de Haut-Brion is the second white wine from La Mission and Haut-Brion. It offers terrific cut and focus. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks, white pepper and a touch of reduction lend notable energy to this airy, sculpted dry white. Time in the glass reveals its lovely mid-palate texture, rounding things out. The 2023 is a fine Clarté. 90-92 points

The 2023 La Clarte de Haut-Brion has quite an intense and lively bouquet: Granny Smith apples, pear and light, slate-like aromas. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine depth, perhaps needing a little more tension on the mid-palate, but this feels long and tender. It will drink after just one or two years. 88-90 points