Le Clarence de Haut Brion 2012

Lots of red fruits and soft tannins with a full body. Juicy and delicious. Love the depth to this. Lovely fruit. Second wine of Haut-Brion.

Haut-Brion's second wine, the 2012 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, is a delicious, seductive, fruity, lighter-styled effort exhibiting plenty of crushed rock, floral and mineral notes intermixed with red and black currants, camphor and forest floor. This pretty, medium-bodied wine can be drunk upon release or cellared for a decade.

A blend of 41% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 14% Cabernet Franc, the Le Clarence is missing some intensity on the nose, especially compared to the La Chapelle tasted alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity. The mid-palate is disjointed at the moment, that tannins a little abrasive, whilst the finish is showing some attenuation. La Chapelle has the upper hand at the moment. Tasted April 2013.