France

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Sauvignon Blanc

Cabernet Franc

Sémillon

Petit Verdot

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

A blend of 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17.7% Cabernet Franc, La Mission Haut-Brion 2023 has a pH of 3.7 and a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly emerges from the glass with fragrant notes of ripe plums, boysenberries, and Morello cherries, opening out to a wonderfully evocative nose of Indian spices, fragrant soil, iron ore, and rose oil. The full-bodied palate is laden with ripe, opulent black fruit and exotic spices layers, lifted by red berry accents and ferrous sparks, framed by velvety tannins and finishing with epic length.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Red roses, powdery chalky tannins, grip and lift, this is savoury, concentrated, full of lift and vibrancy, with layers of lush ripe red and black fruits, with the inky stamp of the Cabernet in the vintage, and the caressing tannins that La Mission does so well. Harvest started early and finished late, through to October 5.

Inside Bordeaux

Medium to full intensity, vibrant plum colour, this is elegant and balanced, with the same juicy orchard apple character that you find in La Chapelle, along with cloves, incense, slate, crayon and baking spice, lots of complexity and balance. The aromatics are a little subdued right now but this has ageing ability and estate signature. 5.3 press, 75% new oak, 26hl/h yield.

One of the most intense Missions that I can remember in terms of colour, but the density in the phenolics is beautifully balanced on the palate by red roses and peony aromatics, edges of violet, incense, cigar box, black pepper spice, with clear grip and fierce concentration. Delivers an exceptional feeling of walking the line between excess and restraint, hard to resist. Yields a little higher on Cabernet Sauvignon than in Haut-Brion, so higher percentage here.

This is just gorgeous, flirting with the very best. Striking aromatics of crushed red rose petals that pop out of the glass, Not as long lasting as some vintages perhaps, but so much finesse and balance, plenty of classic La Mission finesse and balance, touches of mint leaf, cloves and pummice stone minerality. Taut on the finish in its tannic structure and no question majors more heavily on the cool blue fruit character than we have seen with this property in recent years but it is seriously enjoyable, a total masterclass in cool fruit delivery, and a reminder than in the warmer location of Mission and Haut-Brion, these more understated vintages can really offer joyful drinking. 73% new oak, harvest September 20 to October 8. No frost impact here and very little mildew, meaning the overall yield was up to 47hl/h. This is one I strongly recommend, my red wine of the vintage.

Grips from the first moment, lashings of damson, cassis, brownie, chocolate shavings, espresso, pencil lead, plum pudding, incense, the is muscular but juicy, totally mouthwatering, real tension and depth, powerful but restrained. Gets better and better the more you go back to it, building in floral notes, lives up to its En Primeur promise. Harvest from 7th to 29th September.

Fully knitted down but already showing its class, with a nuanced, complex mix of cassis, blackberry and black cherry fruits shot through with bitter orange peel, crushed stones and sage leaf. The most gorgeous juicy freshness runs through the muscular tannins, with the same violet flower freshness that was found in La Chapelle this year. Just so full of enticing campfire and gunsmoke on this finish, this is a wine that will go for years. Love it, one of my wines of the vintage. Bottled May. This is an upscore.

La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 has a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly unfurls to offer notes of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of menthol, cedar, pencil lead, and roses, plus a touch of unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied, rich and opulent on the palate, it is jam-packed with juicy black fruits and loads of fragrant accents, supported by ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy. 

Syrlige blåbær, røde plommer, mørke jordbær, røde rips, tobakk og mørk sjokolade. En integrert og sammensatt aromabilde på duft. Veldig lagdelt.

Smak av røde jordbær, sorte markjordbær, pene vaniljetoner, og lys tobakk. En strukturert 2017, med høy konsentrasjon og lang lengde. En konsentrert og feminin stil, som presterte i denne årgangen.

Smakt hos Chateau La Mission Haut Brion.

Expert

96 - Wine Enthusiast
98 - Falstaff
95 - Andreas Larsson
97 - Wine Spectator
98 - Robert Parker
96 - Jeannie Cho Lee

Critic Average Rating

A notch less muscular than the Haut-Brion, exceptionally finessed and textured, satin and slate, push and pull, crushed rose petals, soy and smoked earth. Great quality, love the mandarin peel bitterness that gives lift through the finish, and the waves of floral aromatics that linger in your palate after the wine has gone. An exceptional wine with pleasure on its mind. Jean-Philippe Delmas director, 78% new oak for ageing.

This is a briliant vintage for both wines of the Haut-Brion stable at the time, I remember them standing out during En Primeur, and wow this is still delivering, right up there at the top of the lineup. Fleshy and finessed, measured, gourmet, grilled raspberry and red cherry, edges of sweeter damson, even creme de cassis, with tobacco, slate, saffran and turmeric adding layers to sink into. Great length and is full of fragrance. Knockout. Jean-Philippe Delmas estate director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director.

Edges of grilled woodsmoke, this has character and depth, even edges of slate tannins that I have found in almost none of these wines. Soft and appealing, ready to drink, has charm and balance, and as with La Chapelle there is a sweetness to the raspberry fruit that is thoroughly appealing. One of the better choices in the vintage. 39% of production in this wine.

A wine that vibrates with life, generous, juicy, full of momentrum and pulsing minerality, ripe red and black fruits, with orange peel, saffron, clove, sage, complex and studded with succulent appeal. Interesting to note the high alcohols, showing even as far back as 2012 its location in the thermal corridor of urban Bordeaux was having an impact, but they are well balanced, adding flesh to the texture rather than heat. 75% new oak.

Vibrates with life, still barely unfurling at 14 years old, with evident muscular construction to the tannic frame. A little subdued on the first nose, quickly opening to show notes of black pepper, cinnamon and black truffle alongside liquorice, baked raspberries and blueberry fruits, concentrated, vivid and sculpted, architectural as all the best 2010s are. Drawn out finish, riven with spiced cocoa beans and pulses of fresh acidity, and the drumbeat of interest is going to keep playing for decades. 75% new oak for ageing, harvest September 8 to October 8.

Generous yet contained, this is as broad-shouldered and muscular as you might expect from a vintage where everything went right during the growing season, showing a velvety finesse to its tannins. It has fully settled into its drinking window at this point, while still offering plenty of primary character to the grilled plum and black cherry fruit alongside capsicum pepper, turmeric spice, incense, olive tapenade, kirsch, cocoa bean and liquorice. 77% new oak for ageing. Harvest September 9 to October 6, Jean-Philippe Delmas director.

The nose is silky, elegant and intensely fruity with blackcurrants. There is also cedar, dry forest floor, truffles, dark chocolate and licorice. It is very clean and at the same time very complex. The palate is medium-bodied, velvety, intensely fruity and with noticeable but well-integrated tannins. The finish is very long and complex. 

It is lovely to drink now, but is at the very beginning its optimal drinking window. It will develop positively over the next 20 years and can be aged much longer!

Aroma av sur søte blåbær, mye tobakk, eukalyptus, solbær, sjokolade, lær, kaffe, bjørnebær, jordbunn, bringebær, 

Høy tannin, bra balanse, veldig klassisk still mørk, tre, mystisk, 

Poeng 94



WSET 2

A little more approachable than the Haut-Brion at this moment in time, but still at the very beginning of its drinking life, with decades ahead of it. Expect your senses to be drenched in pulses of electricity running through the palate, studding the waves of loganberry, blackberry and red cherry fruits. Feels carefully delineated and in balance, luscious and sculpted, with peony floral notes as it opens up. A classic Mission Haut-Brion, exceptionally impressive. 100% new oak.

This is a very hot vintage and there is a big difference in quality between different producers that year. Some picked too early and got green wines. Others waited too long and got cooked and even burned fruit. Someone timed the picking perfectly and made beautiful wines. This has 13% alcohol, and that is a good starting point. 

The nose is fruity with black currants and blackberries. There are also autumn leaves, tobacco, wet cellar, leather, and it is mineral with clay. It is complex and elegant. 

The palate is medium-bodied, medium-intense, slightly fruity and with a fine balancing acidity. There is some licorice, and the tannins are mature and nicely integrated. The finish is long and complex. There are no signs of a hot vintage. 

It is a brilliant wine, and among the best balanced in the vintage, but a bit low intensity means that it still does not reach the very top.

Captures the easy drinkability of the 2001s at this stage, heading towards 25 years old, still a vibrant pale raspberry colour and now crammed with soft caressing tannins. The fruit character is all finessed spun raspberry and redcurrant puree, with tobacco and white truffle waves through the finish. Easily passes the level test - meaning that the level of this glass goes down extremely quickly, as it is deliciously moreish. Harvest September 17 to October 6, 75% new oak for ageing after a summer that saw almost no rain between July 20 and September 20, with just a few days of more challenging weather during harvest. Jean-Philippe Delmas director.

One of the wines that I selected for the 67 Pall Mall Advent Calendar (in what has got to be my favourite job I have ever done), and wow this is good. Still densely packed with fruit and tannins even at 21 years old, fully hitting its stride. Open enough to be generous, especially after a few hours in a carafe, but young enough to remain juicy and concentrated, layer upon layer of caressing blackberry and cassis fruits, tobacco, cigar leaf, olive tapenade and grilled cedar. A vintage that was 1.5C higher temperatures than average pretty much throughout the growing season, with big tannins that needed time, but are now velvety and welcoming.

Amatør

Caressing in its tobacco and campfire smoke, with crushed raspberry coulis, less layered than the blockbuster vintages in the lineup but with a fresh mint leaf and oyster shell salinity on the finish. Cool Spring followed by a hot summer with thunderstorms, with a high Merlot blend because rain arrived during the Cabernet harvest, causing issues for many Left Bank estates. It's a vintage of La Mission that I have drunk regularly, the last time a good five years ago, and remains on the exact same plateau - understated, charming and one to look out for. Jean-Philippe Delmas' first vintage, working alongside his father Jean-Bernard. Harvest September 12 to 24 - the early-ripening location of this site a definite advantage.

La Mission 1989 takes its time, pulls you in with softly charred peony and iris floral aromatics but doesn't give everything away immediately. Once it has been coaxed open in the glass, liquid magic pours out, going toe to toe with the iconic 1989 Haut-Brion. Think lashings of liqourice, olive tapenade, pomegranate, crushed roses, tobacco leaf and cigar box, with cumin spice gripping on to the finish, speaking to the heat of the year. Last tasted in 2019 and it feels like it is continuing to climb towards peak drinking, still powerful and luscious. This vintage came two years after the Cru Classé de Graves appellation had come into existence, and one year after Jean-Philippe Masclef joined as technical director, Jean Portal cellar master, Jean-Bernard Delmas estate director. A stone cold delight.

Modne solbær, balsamiske jordbær, svart te, masse tobakk, ceder og tørr skogbunn, en flott og klassisk ren nese, på smak, den slankeste og mest florale førstevekstene i 86. 

Modne markante tanniner gir solid struktur, mangler dybden og fruktkonsentrasjonen til de andre førstevekstene. 

Alkohol på 12,5% kler vinen, tanninene sitter godt i finish. 94p

Sommelier

Full of signature La Mission silk and finesse, with a step towards the rich tertiary flavours of black truffle, tobacco leaf, incense and smoked earth. Seams of crushed raspberry fruits abound, with the turmeric and cumin spices of a warm vintage, just baked over campfire smoke. In this vertical it was tasted alongside the 1961 and 1989, and sits just a touch below them, just not quite delivering the fireworks of those other two exceptional vintages, but it's still a wonderful example of how 1982 continues to deliver. The last full year under the Woltner family, before they sold in November 1983.

Rund og moden - mer varmt enn kjølig uttrykk - «spicy» - balansert med helt nedslipte tanniner (93+)

When 1961s are still delivering, you know you are in the presence of something extremely special. No question of that here, with floral aromatics that curl upwards out of the glass, caressing and soft but with depth and power. There are plenty of traces of tobacco leaf, old book and cigar box that you might expect at this age, but they are woven through autumnal fruits that retain their power even if softened, with an unexpected persistency. Stands among the best 1961s, right up alongside legends such as Latour 1961. Take a moment to think about the fact that these wines are now 63 years old and still giving pleasure. Insane really. Owned by the Woltner family at this point, as La Mission was from 1919 until 1983.

This is a wine that has in its lifetime received a few perfect scores, and it is still delivering, if slightly more quietly than in may have done in the past. Think tobacco leaf, white truffle, embers, cold ash, redcurrant, saffran, rust... you get the picture - extremely special, fragrant and full of joy. The bottle was brought by Mark Pardoe, served in one of the Berry Bros wonderful hidden dining rooms in St James, and was originally in his father's cellar. Just a thoroughly special wine.

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion
Vintages	2023
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

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