Discover Legendary La Mission Haut-Brion: First Growth Quality at Lower Prices

Commonly thought of as the other winemaking house in Pessac-Leognan, La Mission Haut-Brion has long produced wine under the shadow of its more famous neighbor. Even during the 1855 classification, La Mission was ignored in favor of Haut-Brion, despite the fact the wines of La Mission Haut-Brion frequently fetched a higher price on the market. (Liv-ex conducted a reassessment in 2009 and ranked La Mission Haut-Brion firmly as a first growth – take that 19^th century French judges).

 

The collection below has all the vintages of La Mission Haut Brion that every Bordeaux drinker needs in their possession. The 2000 LMHB "should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages" & the 2005 LMHB "is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage" (RP100/AG100). 

 

Most 100-point vintages of the 1st Growths will run you over $1,000 a bottle. Why pay $1,000 a bottle when you can drink at the same level with La Mission at a fraction of the price? Do yourself a favor and pick up some legendary vintages of La Mission Haut Brion at the best prices in the Country! 

2000 La Mission Haut Brion

"One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old."

100 Pts Robert Parker

 

2005 La Mission Haut Brion

"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. Only 5,500 cases were produced of this blend of 69% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc."

100 Pts Robert Parker

 

2009 La Mission Haut Brion

" A candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion stood out as one of the most exceptional young wines I had ever tasted from barrel, and its greatness has been confirmed in the bottle. A remarkable effort from the Dillon family, this is another large-scaled La Mission that tips the scales at 15% alcohol. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (47% of each) and the rest Cabernet Franc, it exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a magnificent bouquet of truffles, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, subtle smoke and spring flowers. The wine's remarkable concentration offers up an unctuous/viscous texture, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, sweet, sumptuous, nearly over-the-top flavors and massive density. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime La Mission-Haut-Brion, the 2009 will take its place alongside the many great wines made here since the early 1920s. The good news is that there are nearly 6,000 cases of the 2009. It should last for 50-75+ years. Given the wine's unctuosity and sweetness of the tannin, I would have no problem drinking it in about 5-6 years."

100 Pts Robert Parker