Description
"The 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it's rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009." - 95-97 points, Yohan Castaing for the Wine Advocate
"The 2022 Haut-Brion is powerful and explosive. At the same time, it is incredibly reticent. None of that should be of concern for readers who can wait. Black-toned fruit, gravel, incense, scorched earth and licorice all stain the palate, framed by impenetrable, imposing tannins. A vertical, explosive wine, the 2022 is going to need a number of years to be at its best. I suspect it will be magnificent in many years' time. The Haut-Brion softens with a bit of time in the glass, but it remains very much a blockbuster. Drink 2032-2072." 98+ points, Antonio Galloni for Vinous
"This is one of the deepest Haut-Brions I have encountered in a long time. The muscular structure takes you down, delivering a long and rather endless finish. Full-bodied with lots of flavor, particularly fruits such as currants as well as black truffles, cedar, walnuts and dark mushrooms. Some dried thyme and crushed stones also. Better give this eight to 10 years. This will improve for decades. Try after 2030." - 98 points, James Suckling
"Slightly better than its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion has a full-bodied, concentrated, structured style that's going to demand bottle age. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and tobacco are just some of its nuances aromatically, and it shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage. There are lots of tannins here, especially on the finish, and it's going to need 7-8 years in the cellar." - 96-98 points, Jeb Dunnuck
"Milk chocolate and blackcurrants on the nose, fragrant ripe black cherries and some floral notes. Sleek, supple, suave, really confident and shiny. This keeps the tension more than La Mission at this point with a vein of freshness and intensity. It’s not out to charm but it’s out to impress. Excellent construction, clean depth and power, tense, strict and streamlined, a touch of creaminess and saltiness. You get waves of flavour intensity with ripe, concentrated fruit, soft acidity and a clean stone freshness. Tannins fill the mouth with edges of both minerality and toasted spices. Calm and controlled, impressive with focus. 3.8pH. A yield of 35hl/ha." - 96 points, Georgina Hindle for Decanter
"Picture walking into a flower show with a basket of fresh berries and a lit Cuban cigar, and while that is not quite PC, it is the aromatic profile here. On the palate, the wine is fresh, bright, vibrant, lifted and floral. The wine is elevated, refined, soft, and silky with a refreshing, silky edge to the fruits in the finish. The wine is pure elegance There is nothing between you and the fruits. There is intensity, length, and a striking sense of purity. The wine lingers seamlessly for 60 seconds, or longer. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. 14.45% ABV, 3.83 pH. Harvesting took place August 29 - September 15. Yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare, with 50% of the harvest placed into the Grand Vin. This is not only in competition for wine of the vintage, it is one of the best vintages of Haut Brion ever produced. If you are an Haut-Brion fan with the disposable income, you cannot own enough of this future legend. Drink from 2030-2065." - 98-100 points, Jeff Leve for The Wine Cellar Insider
