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Wine Description
The Story
La Clarté de Haut-Brion is a rare and exceptional white wine, as much due the very small scale of its production as to its composition.
It is effectively the offspring of Domaine Clarence Dillon's two prestigious white wines: Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc. This second-label white wine was given its new name beginning with the 2009 vintage.
Prior to this vintage, the second-label wine combining selected plots from both Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc was known as Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion.
This wine is the result of the blend of two second wines from our two estates. Even when still very young it will give wine lovers the opportunity to get to know the expression of the Semillon (which makes up most of the blend) in a dry white wine. Fruity and floral aromas impart great freshness and unique complexity to this wine, which is a fine introduction to its elders.
Fermentation in oak casks
Length of initial maturing period in oak casks: 9-12 months in 40-50% new wood
Average production: 1,000 to 1,200 cases
Vintage 2020
In Bordeaux, the heat led to early flowering. Additionally, this led to an early harvest after a very hot summer. As a starting point, there is great maturity in the grapes, and we can expect a more opulent vintage than in recent years.
This year's summer was the hottest since 1959, but the rain fell at just the right time during the growing season. The harvest took place two weeks before the norm and will produce grapes with high alcohol potential and the lowest acidity since the 2003 vintage. As they say in Bordeaux: “It was a good and extreme growing season which , hopefully, also produces great wines.”