September 30, 2023 - Pronounced nose lead by the smells of Cabernet. A touch of black currant leafiness, in the prettiest way. Just opened and super smooth and supple on the palate. Languid, serene, gorgeous.
September 4, 2021 - Medium nose intensity with notes of black current, black fruits, cassis, vanilla, spices, vanilla. Medium+ acidity and high tannin. On the palate, the tannin is rather subdued probably due to the merlot blend. Already drinking well and 2-3 hours of decanting will make the wine more approachable.
September 22, 2020 - Like many other 2012s, the Clarence HB is already open and singing. This is not the most complex wine but it has a good precision and very good balance. It is driven by the Merlot with a beautiful softness and fresh red fruit. This pure, fresh fruit, the freshness overall is the highlight. Easily 92/93 points.
TN: Medium intensive nose displaying red fruit and minerality. Medium+ expressive palate with fresh strawberries and raspberries as well as some red currant. In addition a layer of minerality and hints of smoke. Not overly complex but well defined. Smooth tannins, good, well-integrated acidity, fresh and light with a medium- length.
Decanting: A short 30 minutes decant should do the job.
May 10, 2019 - A scary good Bordeaux. Based on the ratings I was expecting a pretty mediocre wine, but it was nothing short of great.
Pure ripe Cabernet fruit in the form of cassis, cedar and cigar tobacco, great Merlot with plush textures and flavors of earth, chocolate and plums, expensive chocolatey and smoky oak and warm pebbles from "the terroir".
Absolutely round in the mouth, great balance and most importantly a splendid combination of ripeness and freshness.
Very close to it's peak according to my taste, as it delivers primary (fresh fruit), secondary (oak influence) and tertiary (tobacco/leather) nuances in a very full package.
On the down side, the wine lacks a bit of depth and finish to catapult it into the 96-98 point range.
September 4, 2018 - Refreshing. Need 1 hour decanting. Fine tannic, Medium palate. I liked
December 9, 2017 - Decanted for 1.5 to 2hrs. I find it still tight and with need for more time. Cassies and dark fruit, a lot of earth. I think will benefit with time and still a good wine. I agree may be a bit pricey for the taste but hopefully will be a much better wine soon
November 6, 2017 - Trinity Wine Fair: The wine shows density in the nose with ripe red and black fruit, oak notes, elegant, the palate has ripe fruit, bitter notes, slightly grippy tannins so could use food, medium body and finish.
March 10, 2017 - Closed, slightly green nose, but with some plum and mocha. Same on the palate. Dry. OK, just not exciting.
March 3, 2017 - No formal note here. Drink or hold.
February 25, 2016 - A rather delicate with very subtle cassis, dark berries, green pepper and earth on the nose. The palate was slightly lighter than medium bodied with medium tannins and was quite fleeting in it's fruit presence. The short finish had a slight burst of energy and rustic fruit. This was a very easy wine to drink and will probably be ready to drink within a few years. Quiet hard to predict where this will end up as the fruits were not showing but the wine had a very nice velvety smoothness in it's texture. But in the current declining Bordeaux market, there's probably more value and quality to be found in lesser priced first label wines.