La Clarence de Haut-Brion is the second wine of Château Haut-Brion, renamed from Le Clarence in 2012 and produced from lots that do not meet the extraordinary selection criteria applied to the Grand Vin of the Pauillac first growth and its adjacent estate under the same Dillon family management. Haut-Brion’s commitment to the highest possible standards in both vineyard and cellar means that La Clarence benefits from the same technical expertise, the same biodynamic farming approach and the same meticulous selection that produces one of the world’s great wines in the Grand Vin, differing only in the specific lot calibre reserved for the first label. The 2020 vintage was extraordinary for Haut-Brion, with Wine Advocate awarding perfect scores to multiple Dillon family estate wines from this exceptional growing season, and the La Clarence should reflect the vintage’s extraordinary concentration and quality at a second wine price and accessibility level appropriate for nearer-term drinking than the Grand Vin demands.

The 2020 La Clarence de Haut-Brion benefits from the same exceptional growing season that produced the first-growth quality in the parent wine: a warm, concentrated year that the Dillon team managed with the precision that their extensive biodynamic farming experience and state-of-the-art cellar technology provides. As a second wine from a year in which the Grand Vin achieved extraordinary critical recognition, the La Clarence provides one of the most compelling second wine value propositions in the entire Bordeaux classification: the quality of Haut-Brion’s winemaking in a great vintage at a price that reflects the wine’s second-label commercial positioning.

For collectors who seek access to Haut-Brion’s house style, vineyards and technical expertise in a more approachable format and at a price that allows more regular consumption, the 2020 La Clarence is the ideal acquisition, particularly given the exceptional vintage quality that even the second wine should reflect from this extraordinary growing season.

Deep ruby with a polished and mineral nose of blackcurrant, graphite, tobacco, dried herbs and the distinctive smoky-mineral quality of Haut-Brion’s Pessac-Léognan gravel terroir. Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins, excellent natural acidity and a long, mineral, precise finish. Best from 2026 through 2040.