2007, Château La Mission-Haut-Brion, PESSAC-LÉOGNAN, Cru Classé

Bordeaux Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc.

The 2007 La Mission Haut-Brion is one of the great successes of a vintage given the cold shoulder by consumers on initial release. It has an ebullient bouquet of vivid dark berry, warm gravel and undergrowth scents that are complex and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, crisp acidity, a precise structure and superb tension on the finish. 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.

Good full red-ruby. Complex aromas of black raspberry, mocha, smoke, liquorice, minerals and flint, plus a whiff of caramel. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, with lovely cut and intensity. Leaner than Haut-Brion today, but this is essentially a supple wine, despite some evident minerality and the fact that the cabernet sauvignon component here actually had a slightly higher pH than the merlot. Finishes with rather fine tannins. This is actually a hair higher in acidity and lower in pH than the Haut-Brion 2007. 91 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.

Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040