2024 Chateau Haut-Brion, Blanc, Pessac-Leognan

The 2024 Haut-Brion Blanc is seamless and textured in the glass. Silky and creamy in feel, with fabulous balance, Haut-Brion Blanc is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Marzipan, chamomile, spice, lemon confit and a kiss of French oak are all beautifully woven together. The long, sustained finish is a thing of beauty.

The 2024 Haut-Brion Blanc also has a reserved bouquet like the La Mission Blanc and demands more encouragement than usual. Eventually, there are lime, gooseberry, crushed stone and mirabelle scents that start to gain intensity after ten minutes. The palate is very well balanced with a slightly more pithy texture. It is quite peppery, with fine grip and hints of green olive toward the persistent finish. This is excellent.

Palest gold in colour, beautiful quality, has intensity and grip, it hugs on to the palate, delivering white peaches, pear, apple orchard, fragrant and charming, with a sweet apricot puree and bitter fennel on the finish. Acidity and structure a little more pronounced here than on La Mission, clearly will go the distance, if a touch less charming right now. 40% new oak, harvest September 2 to 10. 3.22ph. 38hl/h yield.

The 2024 Château Haut-Brion Blanc is a touch more reticent compared to the La Mission Blanc, yet I love its overall balance and texture. Bright citrus, stone fruits, crushed stone, and winter savory notes all shine here, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered mouthfeel, solid mid-palate density, and outstanding length.

A blend of 56.1% Sémillon and 43.9% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2024 Haut-Brion Blanc reveals a complex, dense bouquet of smoke, iodine, white fruits and flowers mingled with delicate notes of citrus zest. Medium to full-bodied, it has a sappy and layered palate that's perfectly integrated, with a long, saline and ethereal finish. This vintage beautifully reconciles the intrinsic power of the terroir with the slow ripening of the growing season, resulting in a wine of remarkable finesse and vibrant white-fruited energy.