95-
96
JAMES SUCKLING: "A very pure and beautiful HBL with blackcurrant and mineral notes, like crushed stones, as well as a vivid freshness. Purity and brightness in the center-palate, with essence of cassis and a crunchy minerality from part of the vineyard in limestone. 86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification."
94-
96+
JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2023 Château Haut-Bages Liberal is gorgeous, with classic Pauillac cassis, cedar, and graphite notes as well as a beautiful sense of minerality. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a round, supple, yet focused mouthfeel, classy tannins, and a great finish. It's a stunning bottle of wine that will have some early accessibility yet also age gracefully."
18+
WEINWISSER: "86 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 % Merlot, 3.5 Vol.-%, pH 3.48, 53 hl/ha. Delikates rotbeeriges frisches Bouquet, Flieder, Sandelholz und rote Johannisbeeren. Am saftigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, energiegeladener Rasse, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und dicht verwobenem Körper. Im gebündelten, feinaromatischen, nicht enden wollenden Finale Schattenmorellensaft, edler Kreideton und feinkörnige Adstringenz. Gehört in seiner Klasse zu den Besten. "Kalkstein gibt Klarheit", erklärt mir eine stolze Claire Villars."
93-
95
THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2023 Haut-Bages-Libéral is very promising, bursting with aromas of dark berries, cassis, pencil shavings and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and suave palate with an enveloping core of fruit, lively acids typical of this limestone terroir, and sweet, powdery tannins. It's a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot with a low pH of 3.48."
94
VINUM: "Ein Pauillac-Duft wie aus dem Bilderbuch, ein Hauch Leder, viel Cassis, pfeffrig; am Gaumen seidenweich im Antrunk, packt dann zu, geschliffenes Tannin, viel Energie; sehr gute Länge. Viel Pauillac fürs Geld."
94
FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Nuancen von Cassis, reife rote Herzkirschen, feine Kräuterwürze, noch etwas zurückhaltend. Saftig, rote Waldbeeren, kompakt, reife Tannine, gute Frische, rotbeerige Nuancen im Abgang, ein energischer Speisenbegleiter."
93
DECANTER: "Great aromatics, really quite scented on the nose. Highly fragrant with purple flowers, damsons and rich black and red fruit. Great acidity, more juicy and fun than some Pauillacs with lots of energy and brightness. Really feel the vivacity to this wine, straight and clean, precise, not so much weight, the straight Cabernets are doing all the talking with some wet stone minerality on the back. Friendly, lovely and precise. Approachable, this doesn’t have the seriousness of some but this is well made with lots of freshness, mint, cedar and tobacco and liquorice on the long finish. 3.45pH."
