June 12, 2023 - Waxy, honey, orange, became less 'oxidized' with some air, and a true joy to drink.
June 1, 2023 - This was a controversial wine at the table and while I admit that I usually don't care much for aged dry white Bordeaux, I loved this. Darkish color and quite oxidized in style with an oily beeswax texture and ripe flavors of apricots, honey and mint along with extremely complex mineral notes and very vibrant acidity. It all comes together at the finish with great tautness and grip and a touch of metallic funk.
May 1, 2022 - From magnum. served 45 minutes after opening. Very fragrant, ripe on the palate but still got the acidity. Drinking very well right now.
March 27, 2022 - Corked
December 13, 2021 - Showing some oxidation with the wine showing darker colours, however, it was still highly enjoyable. The nose was a little muted but the palate was excellent with apricot and white plum with crushed stone and some honeyed notes. Similarly the finish was top rate with good balance and acidity. This was decanted as recommended and interestingly it continued to improve in the glass behaving more like a red cabernet. It is such a shame that the slight oxidation compromised the nose, but hopefully this was a one off bottle variance as there is no reason why this should not keep motoring for a a good while.
October 23, 2021 - Tasted blind. This is rich and ripe with lots of stone fruit, yellow apple, quince, some nutty, herbal and oak aromas. Intense palate rich with searing acidity and and well measured oxidative finish. Almost like a mature white Rhone blend but with higher acidity.
October 23, 2021 - Vivacious and interesting. Just a hint of evolution. Pretty powerful. No hurry to drink these.
January 1, 2021 - Fully concur with the last post. Just 2 bottles left from a case kept in ideal conditions. Deep gold in colour very little nose and oxidised.
June 16, 2020 - Dark gold-brown; old and oxidized. DD tasting blind Malibu.
September 15, 2018 - Agree with BurgNick, nose was a bit muted in the beginning, on the palate, showed canadian flower honey, stony fruits, minerality, dried herbs, and a touch of cinnamon, the wine developed more weight over next few hours, the nose was opened up later on, the weight added a bit more creaminess to the palate, like a baked citrus pie. I wonder if we should have decanted this wine. According to Neal Martin’s recent vertical tasting, he thinks this wine “requires bottle age and he would recommend two decades in the bottle and decanting is mandatory”; he said “it usually takes two to three hours and then suddenly it will awaken and produce gorgeous aromas”.
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A bit more background about Laville Haut Brion (summary from cellarinsider.com and bbr website)
Only produced 1000 cases per year and produced from 3.7 hectare vineyard with average vine over 50 years. It is a blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc.
Woltner family bought Laville Haut Brion in 1919. By the time they got Chateau Laville Haut Brion, the Woltner family were quite well established in the Graves appellation. They were already the owner of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion as well as Chateau La Tour Haut Brion.
In 1983, ownership of Laville Haut Brion changed hands when the Woltner family sold the estate to Clarence Dillon, the owner of Chateau Haut Brion. Chateau La Mission Haut Brion and Chateau La Tour Haut Brion were also included in the deal.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/graves-pessac/chateau-laville-haut-brion-pessac-leognan-bordeaux-wine/