Château Haut-Brion 2017 white

Combines finesse, breeding and length with juicy fruitiness. Very precisely made; it should benefit from a bit of ageing. One of the best white Haut-Brion of the last year(s)/decade(s).

Intense, offering a rich array of creamed yellow apple, chamomile, jasmine, Key lime, white peach, tangerine and salted butter notes all melded together and backed by a whiff of meringue. Showy and rich, with accents of macadamia nut and shortbread peeking through, beautifully defined by a racy quinine edge for balance. Will age effortlessly. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Best from 2023 through 2040.

This will be a magnificent wine. Its structure, acidity and richness all show considerable potential. A crisp edge contrasts with the concentration and density that comes from the swaths of fruit. Wood aging has opened out the tanginess of a wine that will age over many years. Drink from 2024.

Both La Mission and Haut Brion Blanc are incredibly accomplished, sit-up-and-take-notice whites this year, showcasing the potential brilliance and longevity of white wines in 2017. The Sauvignon Blanc comes through as a slight wildness on the attack because the intensity is just so clear, with touches of white flowers and chamomile. It hits all the right notes, evolving into wonderfully polished flavours of white peach, fleshy apricot and rosemary that just keep on coming, hitting your palate with mouthwatering precision. La Mission has all the finessed aromatics on the attack, while Haut Brion has the length. 3.22pH.

This is so reserved and tight, yet you can sense density and depth that seems endless, like a black well. Full-bodied, but agile and lively. Serious flavors of lemon peel, lemon grass and slate. It goes on for minutes. Thought-provoking wine, in a sublime way. Try after 2025.

Flowers, crushed rocks, yellow citrus, white peach, honeysuckle, and orange rind permeate the nose and palate. The wine is full, rich, crisp, and oily, with a bright finish that does not want to quit. Drink from 2022-2040.

Very pale yellow-green, silver glints. Delicate yellow tropical fruit of papaya, guava and tangerine zest, a hint of ripe gooseberries, floral nuances. Taut, fine white tropical fruit, lively structure, good balance, racy, and mineral, marked by a subtle sweet expression on the finish. An elegant supper companion!

The 2017 Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc checks in as 56.2% Sauvignon and 43.8% Semillon. This beauty is up with the top wines of the vintage yet, like the La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, will need bottle age to show it. Tart lemons, pineapple, crushed rocks, charcoal, and white flower notes all emerge on the nose, and it's racy and vibrant on the palate, with a rocking level of mid-palate depth and richness. I suspect a solid 5-7 years of bottle age are warranted.

56% Sauvignon Blanc, 44% Sémillon. Pale yellow with delicate green highlights. A finely scented bouquet of greengage plums. With aeration, ripe gooseberries, primroses, white nectarine and a refined touch of mint. On the delicate palate, a fleshy texture and perfectly integrated, ripe acidity. The long, energetic finish delivers yellow fruit in its purest form, completed by a seductive Atlantic breeze with a hint of salt. A dream of a wine, making it the best dry white wine of the year! 19.5/20

Kunz Fassprobe 18: (56.2% Sauvignon Blanc, 43.8% Sémillon) Velvety, full, creamy bouquet with yellow peach, mirabelle plums, apricots and peppermint. A balanced, delicately opulent, fruity palate with sweet fruit, fine acidity, a wide aromatic range, an elegant structure, and a long, fresh finish.

(56.2% Sauvignon Blanc, 43.8% Sémillon) Velvety, full, creamy bouquet, yellow peach, mirabelle plums, apricots, peppermint. Balanced, finely opulent, fruity palate with sweet fruit, fine acidity, a wide range of aromas, an elegant structure, and a long, fresh finish. 19/20 2024 - 2040

A slightly cooler and more structured expression of the vintage than sibling estate La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc: this heads to white tea, apple blossom and citrus, with a steely edge and gentle gunflint. It stretches across the palate, exceptionally balanced; it’s clear this will age for decades and deepen in expression along the way. Harvest 22 to 30 August, 39% new oak for ageing.

A blend of 56.2% Sauvignon Blanc and 43.8% Semillon, the 2017 Haut-Brion Blanc prances out with showy scents of pink grapefruit, fresh pineapple, and passionfruit with suggestions of crushed stones, coriander seed, and candlewax plus a waft of marzipan. The medium-bodied palate is expressive with impressive restraint, delivering gregarious fruit at this early stage, but holding back so many fine mineral and savory layers, finishing with epic tension and persistence. This is heart-thumping stuff.

The 2017 white is remarkably clear, with very floral notes and a hint of citrus that invigorates a long finish.

An intense, complex bouquet marked by notes of linden blossom, citrus, passion fruit and white pepper. So much finesse and depth. The attack is generous and highly expressive, driven by freshness and vibrant fruit intensity. The wine’s ample side is nicely “counterbalanced” by its saline character and the freshness of its acidity. The result is a great wine: powerful, full-bodied and elegant. Everything it takes to rank among the very finest white wines of Haut-Brion. A fruity, juicy, saline finish of seemingly endless length.