2023, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Rouge, PESSAC-LÉOGNAN, Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Last Year EP $582.00-

Frequently the qualitative equal of sister-château 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. In 2023 La Mission is comprised of only 30% Cabernet Sauvignon with 53% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc.

The classy mouth-feel and length to this is really gorgeous, and it seduces you with its texture of fine silk and finesse. Lasts for a long, long time. Medium body with medium, creamy and round tannins and a layered, textured finish. Shows blackcurrants, lead pencil and crushed stone at the end.
97-98 James Suckling

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.
96 Jane Anson.

La Mission Haut-Brion 2023 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.
96-98+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown.

The 2023 La Mission Haut-Brion has a wonderful bouquet with brightness and verve: very well-defined red and black fruit, a little floral in style, maybe not as rambunctious as recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins. A perfect line of acidity counterbalances the creamy texture, turning quite plush toward the finish, but it is amazingly well-focused. This is a generous La Mission Haut-Brion that will probably drink earlier than say, the 2022, as winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas agreed. It’s very fine and very delicious.
93-95 Neal Martin.