Château Haut-Brion 2025

Cool and stony on the nose, with floral notes, crystal-clear fruit, citrus hints, peach, dill herbs and verbena; on the palate, powerful and opulent yet without an ounce of heaviness, very elegant; the acidity is precisely integrated, creating perfect balance with the expressive fruit; the finish is almost endless and very salty, lingering with salted preserved lemon. A majestic Haut-Brion Blanc that truly lives up to its name.

Waxy, lanolin, straw and citrus lemon notes on the nose alongside some soft vanilla and salted caramel aspects. Rich and round with a cool core and very defined detail from start to finish. A little quieter but with a lovely frame and texture – structured and slightly firm with a soft dusting of spice. Deep, layered, so complex and nuanced. Less showy and more introverted at this point but this will be excellent. Smoky, salty minerality, freshness and butteriness. A wine to sit with. 3.3pH. 14.5%. A yield of 23hl/ha.

Citrus notes leap from the glass, joined by smoke, green apples and herbs that shape the aromatic profile. The palate is all about elegance, lift and purity of fruit. You can taste and feel pears, green apples, white peach and tropical fruits that caress the palate. The wine is a blend of 53% Semillon and 47% Sauvignon Blanc. 14.5% ABV, pH 3.3. Harvest took place August 14–21. Yields were 26 hectolitres per hectare. Drink from 2027–2042. 97–97 pts.

A bigger, richer white in the vintage, as well as one of the most successful, the 2025 Château Haut-Brion Blanc reveals pear, stone fruits, spice, herbs, and a beautiful sense of minerality on the nose. Based on 53% Sauvignon Blanc and 47% Sémillon, it's rich, round, and full-bodied on the palate, with a concentrated, savory style that is dramatically different than its stablemate, the more floral, exotic La Mission Haut Brion. This beauty shines even today, yet it should have at least two decades of longevity. Drink 2026-2046.

Things are revving up here, totally humming, coming in for a strong finish, right up there as the best dry white of the vintage, layered with stone fruits, gorgeous texture, orange peel and liquorice. Well structured, muscular even as a white wine, with waves of fennel and bitter anis notes that add focus and draw out the closing minutes. Excellent quality. Harvest August 14 to 21. 45% new oak, 23hl/ha yield, 3.31ph.

The depth revealed by the bouquet suggests true greatness! Notes of mandarin and lemongrass highlight freshness as well as elegance. On the palate, its creamy texture signals an imposing wine. It seems to have settled in comfortably to scan the horizon. Then, suddenly, it straightens up and launches into a speech devoted to energy and freshness, supported by delicate bitters and a subtly saline structure that invigorates the finish. It may not yet know exactly how to get there, but it knows precisely where it wants to go. A captivating, long-lasting wine.