First there is a scent of freshness dominated by aniseed and basswood. Then comes a whiff of little diluted verbena dissolving behind a soft trace of honeycomb. The finish is very complex: it mixes all those fragrances together, and then veils them with a touch of incense. Next comes the palate where the tartness of the fruit is mitigated by the sweetness of the composition. Little by little one can taste the musk, that unctuous Muscat of the ripe Sauvignon.

One also finds the flavor of finely roasted, honey-coated almonds suggesting delicious praline. With age all these impressions combine and relate to those evoked by the aromas of a liquorous wine.

Thus Château Haut-Brion Blanc achieves the dream of the Larrieus: the aromatic fullness of a sauternes present in a dry white wine...