2008 Mission Haut-Brion La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion
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Tasting notes
I loved the 2008 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion, and it’s one hell of a second wine. Upfront notes of dried tobacco, blackcurrants, loamy earth, and cedary spice all emerge from the glass, and the wine is medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins and gorgeous purity of fruit. It’s a satisfying, sumptuous effort to drink over the coming decade or so.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2008 Chapelle de la Mission has an expressive red cherry and crushed strawberry scented bouquet with smoke and wet limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, tightly coiled red berry fruit laced with cedar, leading to a slightly austere but balanced and fresh finish. It is a Claret that really needs to be partnered at the dinner table and I feel it has lost some its youthful vigor in recent years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.
Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Light and fresh without that much intensity. Just slightly raw. (JR)
Mid cherry red. More herbal than the 2009. Smells of small wild hedgerow berries rather than cassis. Lovely fragrance. A bit flat on the palate, slightly disappointing after the energy in the aroma. But dry and elegant and finely textured and a way to go – I think this reticence on the palate will increase in complexity and elegance. (JH)
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.