CHATEAU LA MISSION-HAUT-BRION Rouge. Pessac-Leognan 2021 Bottle

Description

Château La Mission-Haut-Brion 2021 is an exceptional wine, celebrated for its elegance and power. It has received outstanding accolades, including 95 points from The Wine Advocate and 97 points from Wine Enthusiast. The wine showcases a complex bouquet of plums, cassis, flowers, and spices, with a hint of minerality. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, featuring a fleshy core of fruit and velvety tannins that enhance its mouthfeel. Decanter highlights its floral notes and vibrant fruit, complemented by exotic spices and a chalky finish. With its balanced acidity, this wine promises excellent aging potential and can be enjoyed from 2027 to 2055, perfectly capturing the essence of its prestigious terroir.

*****

Château La Mission-Haut-Brion is the greatest Graves wine after Haut-Brion and in some vintages is considered the superior wine of the two. La Mission-Haut-Brion is situated just across the road from Haut-Brion in the commune of Talence in the southern suburbs of Bordeaux. Since 1983, both properties have been under the same ownership, Domaine Clarence Dillon S.A.

La Mission-Haut-Brion's vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Merlot 45%, Cabernet Franc 7%) lie on a large (up to 18 metres deep in places) gravel bank interspersed with clay. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and then matured in oak barriques (100% new) for 18 months. The wines of La Mission Haut Brion are rich, oaky and powerful and need at least 10 years of bottle ageing before they should be broached.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing
Drink Date: 2027 - 2055
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion unfurls in the glass with a complex, detailed bouquet of plums, cassis, flowers, spices, licorice and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its fleshy, layered core of fruit is framed by beautifully velvety tannins. In bottle, much as en primeur, this blend of 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc is a charming, sensual rendition of La Mission.
Published: Feb 08, 2024


DECANTER Score 95
Rose, violets and peonies on the nose, with dark chocolate and cassis, smells like liqueur chocolates, perfumed and aromatic. A crystalline quality to the fruit, so driven and pure on the palate. Energetic and lively filled with strawberry, raspberry, red cherry and plum - direct with a vein of exotic spice - cinnamon and clove, as well as touches of orange, bitter grapefruit, dark chocolate and crushed stone. Such a lot going on here, but so well delivered with intensity and direction with racy acidity that keeps everything lifted the whole way through. Lovely minerality on the tongue, the graphite lingering with the juiciness that is still so mouthwatering even on the finish. Compelling and charming. - Georgina Hindle Apr 22
Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 points
Yeast and apple aromas are lifted by the wine's acidity and a citrus shot. It is still young, its apple flavors and touches of wood giving shape to this impressive wine. Drink from 2026. — Roger Voss

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points
Blackcurrants and graphite aromas follow through to a medium body with very fine tannins and a savory finish. Fluid, with a subtle and open character. Stone and dust at the end. So drinkable now but will improve with age.

VINOUS 93 points
Drinking Window 2027 - 2055
From: 2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion has a very cohesive bouquet, well-defined with minerally red and black fruit, hints of white flowers and a distant tang of black olive. The almost "estuarine" element becomes more prominent with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite fresh though not a complex or deep La Mission. It is lifted by the salinity and sustain on the finish—also its typicité. Whilst not a wine from the top drawer, it is a fascinating, engaging Pessac that will drink over the next 20 or 30 years. - By Neal Martin on November 2023

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
Tasted blind. Looks more evolved than some. Well-integrated, quite evolved nose. Sweet and a bit specious. But good vigour and length. But a bit drying on the end. (JR)

DECANTER 92 points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle
(at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2022)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045
Gorgeous pink rose floral notes on the nose, so aromatic and pretty with red cherries and strawberries. Tannins are firm on the palate, gripping the tongue but the density is so appealing, bright with high acidity giving a high tone and a chalky edge to the flavour and texture on the tongue. You get the crushed stone and graphite edges too. It's direct and linear, all travelling in one line, just stopping short of sharp but well defined with real clarity and drive. Lovely density of flavour with a weightless texture except for the grippy, mint and slate tannins that are so cooling and fresh. Charming and lively.