2020 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Inky crimson. Pure black fruit with a top note of cedary pencil. Pure, dark and elegant. On the palate, this is really refined, flowing across the palate even with so much tannin density. Elegant and embryonic with a lovely dark minerally character.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Smoky, mealy on the nose. Firmly textured. Only moderate acidity but a subtle wine that’s not trying too hard. Long finish thanks to the texture. (JH)
The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has a very pure bouquet with crushed violet infusing the mixture of blueberry and blackberry fruit, scents of cassis emerging with time. The oak is wonderfully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a cashmere texture and lavish new oak that is perfectly knitted to the filigree tannins. Very precise and very persistent on the finish, this fans out gloriously, Jean-Philippe Delmas conjured a sensational La Mission this year. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Black, red, and blue fruits, along with incense, spice box, cigar box, tobacco leaves, and flower aromatics work their way into the perfume. The wine coats your palate with non-stop layers of deep, dark, ripe, fruits that once they get started, they never stop. The fruit has depth, width, length, and complexity, leaving you with a seamless tasting experience that remains for at least 60 seconds. If you have the disposable income, and some time to wait, this is a future legendary vintage of LMHB that needs to be experienced! With time, this could easily surpass Haut Brion and hit 100 Pts. The wine blends 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, 14.7% ABV.
About the producer
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion – sister estate of Ch. Haut-Brion and part of the Clarence Dillon stable – is one of the greatest estates in all of Bordeaux. Based in Pessac-Léognan but not officially classified, it produces outstanding red and white wines.