| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Frequently the qualitative equal of sister-Chateau Haut Brion and in some years even better. The historic La Tour Haut Brion vineyard has been incorporated into La Mission now but most of the fruit is relegated to the 2nd label - La Chapelle de la Mission. La Mission's production levels are now smaller than ever and, more than ever, it can be seen as an 'honorary' First Growth. There are normally around 5000 cases produced annually. The vineyard is planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot.
The 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is Merlot-dominated, checking in as 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a more opulent wine compared to Haut-Brion, and the Merlot is front and center here, with ripe, sexy black cherry and redcurrant fruits as well as licorice, scorched earth, cedar pencil, and graphite aromas and flavors. Rich, exuberant, and straight up sexy on the palate, it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a heavenly finish. Just a prodigious, powerful, off-the-charts expression of this terroir, it actually reminds me slightly of the 2005 (or 1998?) with its mix of sexiness and opulence. This is one of the few 2019s that will make your eyes roll back in your head. It will need 10-15 years of cellaring, but it’s a sensational wine on every level and will have 40+ years of prime drinking.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion unwinds in the glass with aromas of inky berry fruit, wild plums and cherries mingled with notions of warm spices, burning embers and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Powerful and tightly wound, this is less sumptuous and demonstrative out of the gates than its sibling Haut-Brion, but I suspect it possesses even greater potential. Drink Date 2033 - 2070
Blackcurrants and crushed stones with violets and roses. Earthy and black truffle notes, too. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins that are layered and attractive, in a muscular and toned fashion. Iodine, ink, earth and bark with wet-vine undertones to the fruit at the end. Reserved and impressive. Best after 2025.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion, made from 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7.5% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. Initial oaky overtones soon give way to notes of crushed black and red currants, fresh boysenberries, and pencil lead, followed by wafts of truffles and tapenade. The full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits with a grainy texture and long earthy finish.
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.
Tasted blind. The colour is a relatively simple crimson. Light nose, but a sweet, slightly oaky start. This doesn’t quite seem to belong to this subtle pack. Tea leaves and lots of dramatic, minerally tannin. Long and a little hot. 14.5%
Drink 2027
– 2040
A tight and structured La Mission that takes you deep into the glass with super intensity and power. The tannins are omnipresent and envelop the palate. It’s full-bodied yet agile and complete. Iodine, sweet-tobacco and blackberry character. It seems never to finish. Another WOW wine that reminds me of some of the great classics of this estate, such as the 1955.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Deep purple-black colored, it sashays out of the glass with beautiful notions of baked plums, boysenberries, and warm cassis, before fanning out to fragrant nuances of violets, clove oil, sandalwood, and fallen leaves, with a touch of tar and truffles. Full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing long and mineral-tinged.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion is composed of 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 11th of September to the 2nd of October. The estimated label alcohol degree is 14.5%. Very deep purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal a beguiling perfume of violets, Black Forest cake, wild blueberries and kirsch with nuances of star anise, cast-iron pan, pencil lead and crushed rocks plus a waft of wild sage. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with layers of black fruit, earth and floral-laced flavors, framed by exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with great length and loads of mineral sparks. A wine of impeccable breeding, both decadently flamboyant and provocatively graceful, this is already a prodigious wine of indisputable beauty.
Jean-Philippe Delmas compares the 2019 to the 2000 with more density - "a 2000+!" The blend is 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5% Cabernet Franc, with an estimated abv of 14.5%. We were unable to taste the 2019 before release this year.
