Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2005

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France, 2005

Grapes: A blend of 69% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc, 27ha vineyard (for red production) on gravel over clay/sand soils, aged 18-22 months in French oak barrels (75% new)

The property has been owned since 1983 by Clarence Dillon and is located on the outskirts of Bordeaux city, immediately opposite First Growth, Chateau Haut-Brion. It's considered to be of the same quality as its neighbour, but was not included in the 1855 Classification, being classified in 1959 as a "Grand Cru Classé de Graves".

Chateau Tasting Note:

The colour of La Mission Haut-Brion is very dark. One can surmise by its depth that the wine is extremely dense. The nose has great precision. We find there are aromas of red fruit, earth, smoke, and liquorice. With the evidence of this complexity in the mouth one notes the first impression which is the surprising contrast between the concentration of the wine and its smoothness. It possesses an enveloping body, the tannins seeming almost creamy. The wine expands taking a greater dimension on the palate while seeming never ending. The equilibrium of this wine is a great trait of La Mission Haut-Brion 2005 where the intensity of the tannins is counterbalanced by an extraordinary freshness.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Dark and dense, but with such opulent fruit, this is a year when La Mission shows its softer, richer side by comparison with neighbor Haut-Brion. There is spice and exotic and generous red fruits to give with the concentration. It has great power, but it also has a velvet structure."

97/100 points, WINE ENTHUSIAST, January 2008

"The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is pure perfection. It has an absolutely extraordinary nose of sweet blackberries, cassis and spring flowers with some underlying minerality, a full-bodied mouthfeel, gorgeously velvety tannins (which is unusual in this vintage) and a long, textured, multi-layered finish that must last 50+ seconds. This is a fabulous wine and a great effort from this hallowed terroir. Drink this modern-day legend over the next 30+ years."

100/100 points, Robert M. Parker Jr., WINE ADVOCATE, June 2015

The rivalry between the two great Pessac-Leognan estates of Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion continues despite the fact that since 1983, both wines have been made by the same winemaking team. Jean-Bernard Delmas has moved fifty miles north to Montrose, but his son, Jean-Philippe, has produced both wines following the 2003 vintage. La Mission is obviously made in a different style than Haut-Brion. It will never have as much nuance and nobility aromatically. It does possess more muscle, concentration, and opulence than Haut-Brion, but both offer prodigious styles of wine.

This is part of a private customer’s collection. These wines are in excellent condition. We are acting as an agent in the sale and the price is exclusive of V.A.T. which is not due. Our multibuy discounts do not apply.