Tanzer Score: 90

Score: 90-93 RP

Region: Bordeaux

District: Pessac-Leognan/Graves

Type: Still Wine

Color: Red

Varietal: Red Bordeaux

Vintage: 2009

Futures Item: Yes

Available: 18

Brand: See more from Chateau Haut Brion

Sku: 133408

Price: $279.99

Quantity:   

Wine Spectator Review:
Violets and berries on the nose, with just a whiff of cream and vanilla. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and gorgeous fruit. Caressing, silky finish. The renamed second wine of Haut-Brion (used to be Bahans). Score range 90-93.

Parker Review:
The second wine, which used to be called Bahans Haut-Brion, is now Le Clarence Haut-Brion. The 2009 is a 7,000-case cuvee made of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. The wine has a fabulous nose of incense, burning embers, forest floor, and black cherry liqueur. Fleshy, rich, full-bodied, but not over the top as the minerality and structure move in, this is a super-duper effort, and the greatest second wine made at Haut-Brion since the 1989 Bahans Haut-Brion. It should drink well for 20-25 years. 90-93 points.

Tanzer Review:
Dark ruby-red. Reticent, brooding nose hints at red cherry, blackcurrant, violet, minerals and cedar. Extremely fine-grained and smooth, with harmonious acidity giving laser-like precision to the red fruit and mineral flavors. Completely devoid of any baby fat, this very pure, classic wine finishes firm, suave and long, with high-quality tannins. Though the '89 remains my favorite Clarence ever (the wine was called Bahans Haut-Brion back then), I think this is Haut-Brion's best-ever second wine. Along with Margaux's Pavillon Rouge, it's also one of the top second wines of the vintage, and better than the grand vin of many estates throughout the Bordeaux region.