Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2012

The Château Haut-Brion enjoys a reputation that goes back centuries, a model of longevity and excellence resulting from an exceptional terroir. The first traces of Domaine date back to 1525, when Jean de Pontac, a notable member of parliament in Bordeaux, received it by marriage and began building Château in 1549, at the same time increasing the size of the vineyard.

Served at the tables of the kings of England, as attested by a 1660 archive, Château was the first to appear under its cru name, "Ho Bryan", as Samuel Pepys, a member of the English Parliament, put it in his diary in 1663.

In the famous 1855 classification, Château Haut-Brion was the only Domaine from the Graves region to appear, as the 1st Grand Cru Classé, sharing this distinction with four Domaines: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour as well as Château Mouton Rothschild since 1973.

Bought in 1935 by American banker Clarence Dillon and run today by his descendant, Prince Robert du Luxembourg, Château Haut-Brion is based on a 51-hectare gravel vineyard: 48ha in red dedicated to the production of the grand vin and Second vin, Clarence de Haut-Brion (44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 12% Cabernet franc and 2% Petit Verdot), and 3ha in white dedicated to the production of the grand vin blanc Sec (52% Sémillon and 47% Sauvignon blanc).

The grand vin rouge of Château Haut-Brion is a wine of extraordinary intensity, complexity and velvety power. As for the white wine it produces, it is reputed to be Sec de Bordeaux's greatest white wine, mineral and unctuous.