The 2021 Haut-Bages Libéral is one of the best wines I have ever tasted from Claire Lurton. Dense, powerful and explosive, with dazzling intensity Haut-Bages Libéral races across the palate, offering up an enticing mélange of ripe red-fleshed fruit, blood orange, cedar and spice. Bright acids lend vibrancy throughout a Pauillac I won't soon forget tasting. Haut-Bages Libéral is one of my early favorites on the Left Bank in 2021. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare versus the more typical 40 or so, not a bad result at all for the year given the biodynamic farming practices in place.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022

Containing fully 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Haut-Bages-Libéral offers up aromas of rich berries, plums, loamy soil, licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, lively and youthfully primary, with lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish, I suspect it will flesh out nicely with élevage to number among the sleepers of the vintage. Tasted twice.
William Kelley, April 2022

You are clearly in Pauillac with this wine, with an earthy, soy and cold ash feel, along with blackberry fruits, chewy tannins and clear density. Impressive, 40% new oak, 20% amphoras for ageing. Harvest September 16 to October 7. Technical director Thomas Bontemps.
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, May 2022

The 2021 Haut-Bages Libéral contains the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever, the Merlot having been affected by the mildew. Matured in 40% new oak, 40% one-year-old barrels and 20% amphorae, this is curiously Margaux-like, almost more than Durfort-Vivens! Floral and elegant, opening nicely with aeration without pushing the accelerator hard. The palate is medium-bodied and very smooth in texture, maybe just needing a little more tension, but there is decent weight and a cohesive, chalky finish. Very fine, though I lean more toward the Durfort-Vivens this year.
Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2022

Clearly marked by the Cabernet component. Dark and reasonably substantial but a passage of prise de bois leaves the palate a touch dry for the moment. Substantial fruit, though, and well-honed tannins. Potential for the medium term. (JL) 13.2%
Drink 2027 – 2038
Jancisrobinson.com, May 2022