Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 2020

Aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries. Lots of stones, too. Full-bodied and chewy with plenty of crushed cement. Chewy finish. Medium at the end. Drink after 2027.

Leading off the reds, the 2020 Le Clarence De Haut-Brion is a darker, more structured version of this cuvée that has lots of ripe blackcurrant fruit, notes of scorched earth, tobacco, cedar, and lead pencil, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great finish. With its brilliant Graves character, this is a second wine that deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for two decades.

The 2020 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion has a very finely delineated, concentrated and generous bouquet with layers of red and black fruit, pressed violets and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, very poised and pure, with an almost Burgundian allure toward the finish. This should age beautifully in bottle. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Dark fruits on the nose, plum and blackcurrant with a gentle fragrance. Nice body and weight in the mouth, round and juicy, plump and alive with lovely energy and focus. Tannins are fine and do well to give quite a wide frame while the fruit stays in the centre. Lovely lingering fruit and spiced flavours on the mid-palate, this is long and really keeps the intensity from start to finish with a menthol, aerated aspect. Feels extremely well made, not pushed too hard, everything in balance. Juicy, supple, crunchy even with a hint of silky creaminess at the back. Not massively layered but packing a punch in terms of flavour and purity. 1.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Concentrated spice notes, seductive texture of slate and satin, with aromatics of incense, rosemary, cut herbs. These are big tannins that are fully ripe, cradling the blackberry fruit and christmas pudding spice. A serious wine but one with a smile on its face.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion offers up classic scents of juicy plums and cassis with nuances of pencil shavings, crushed rocks, and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is finely crafted, with tight-knit black fruits and earthy accents bound within, and a firm, grainy texture and compelling freshness, finishing long and earthy.

The 2020 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion exhibits attractive aromas of dark berries, rose petals, cigar wrapper and burning embers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered palate that's rich, seamless and enveloping, with an open, expressive profile and a long, subtly kirsch-inflected finish.