Le Clarence de Haut Brion 2009

What a nose. You see the chocolate, orange peel, sweet tobacco. Goes to milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and round tannin structure. Creamy texture. Like the great 1995. Sweet and beautiful. Try in 2016.

The second wine, the 2009 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, is almost as large a cuvee as the grand vin. This 7,000-case cuvee is a blend of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest small quantities of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Once again the burning ember/scorched earth characteristic that often comes from Haut-Brion is found in the second wine, along with more kirsch and cassis, fewer nuances and less complexity than its bigger sibling. The wine is full-bodied with the minerality offered by this terroir as well as plenty of sweet tannins. This is the finest second wine Haut-Brion has produced since the astonishing 1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion. Enjoy it over the next two decades.

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Clarence de Haut Brion ‘09 has a much more timid bouquet with light blackberry and briary fruit, touches of sous-bois and liquorice developing with aeration. The palate is full-bodied with a firm grip. Bold and brassy but still very well balanced with a fresh inviting finish. This is showing better than 12 months ago. Tasted January 2013.