Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2023 is the second wine of Château Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan, and it comes from a vintage that drew consistently strong early reviews. The blend is clearly stated across critics: 55.5% Merlot, 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3.6% Cabernet Franc. Several merchants report alcohol around 14–14.2%, though the sources don’t fully agree.
In the glass, reviewers converge on a dark-fruited, classically Pessac profile with polish and lift. Jane Anson (94) calls it “inky,” built around “cassis” and “spiced bilberry,” with a “slow build tannnic architecture” and “the most gorgeous slate scrape,” concluding it’s an “exceptional vintage of this wine.” That’s one of the standout write-ups for 2023, both for conviction and for score.
James Suckling is even more bullish at 96, praising the wine’s “intensity and focus… length and raciness,” and emphasizing its “polish and a refined texture,” with “ultra-fine tannins” and an “exquisite finish.” For a second wine, this is an excellent review and positions the 2023 among the top recent Clarences on paper.
The mid-90s theme continues with multiple 93–94 assessments that underline structure as much as fruit. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Yohan Castaing, 93) notes “ripe raspberries, dark wild berries and flowers,” describing a “moderately weighted, firm and dense wine… with sweet structuring tannins and a long, vibrant finish,” adding it is “a great bottle in the making.” Vinous (Antonio Galloni, 93) highlights “especially polished” tannins, plus “black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice, new leather and gravel,” finishing with “bright acids” and calling it “a showy Clarence with tons of character.”
Jeb Dunnuck (92) frames it as “medium-bodied” and “silky,” with “classic Pessac smoked earth,” while Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent, 93) finds it initially reserved, then more savory and mineral with “wet slate” and a “firm frame of grainy tannins… finishing with a savory lift.”
Overall, Le Clarence 2023 reads as a serious, well-structured second wine—ripe but composed—worth cellaring into the late 2020s and beyond.
