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La Mission Haut Brion Blanc 2018

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

The rare dry white wine from La Mission Haut Brion is made by the same team as Haut Brion Blanc. It used to be known as Laville Haut Brion but changed its name in 2009. The 2.5 hectare vineyard produces around 500 dozen bottles annually. There is more Semillon planted here than Sauvignon Blanc (the opposite of Haut Brion Blanc) although in 2018 it's 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Semillon.

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Label

Tasting Notes

Dried green mango, kiwi, citrus and green apple on the nose. Essence of grapes. Some stone and flint undertones, too. It’s full-bodied and very tight with layers of fruit and phenolics, yet so integrated and polished. It spreads across the palate. Elegance with power. Drink in 2025.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021

The La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 Blanc is a blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon. It sashays out of the glass with gregarious notes of white peaches, fresh pears and pineapple with nuances of lime blossoms, crushed rocks and sea spray, plus a waft of beeswax. The racy, medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy, delivering vibrant citrus and tropical fruit layers with a satiny texture and fantastic length. Completely exceeding my barrel tasting expectations, this promises to be an earlier drinking style, albeit multilayered, dripping with class and, yes, it's downright sexy. Give it just a few more months in bottle and then it should offer decadent drinking for the next 15+ years. Drink 2022-2037.

96
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (End of Mar), March 2021

A knockout white wine full of character and grip. It's the second time it's had a majority of Sauvignon Blanc (along with the 2016), because they really benefitted from the freshness that it provided. Harvested 27 August to 5 September. 3.27pH.

Drinking Window 2021 - 2035

95
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2019

57.4% Sauvignon Blanc, 42.6% Sémillon. Barrel sample.
Less aromatic than the Clarence and a little more spicy. But more impressive on the palate – clean-cut, bright, herby lemon, so fresh for this vintage but with some opulence. Juicy and long and mouth-watering. Much more intense than the Clarence just tasted. Almost a savoury quality from the lees on the finish. (JH) 14%
Drink 2023-2038

17
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2019

Rich and waxy on the nose, with lanolin, ripe peach and savoury preserved lemon. The palate is oily and powerful with great density of poached pear and fruit curds. The spiciness is generous and adds to the opulence, with just enough acidity to balance out the tropical opulence. Exuberant and long on the finish.

95
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2019

A blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon, the 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has a classic, balanced, yet richer style as well as impressive notes of white flowers, citrus blossom, and honeyed limes. This was a slightly more difficult vintage for whites in comparison to the reds, but this has a beautiful sense of freshness and elegance as well as a deep, layered mid-palate, and a great finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s a thrilling white.

92/94+
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, May 2019

(57.4 Sauvignon Blanc, 42.6 Semillon) | 50% new oak | 14.2% alc | Harvested between 27th August and 5th September With more attack and presence than La Clarté this is a dry and energetic white with nice raspy acidity and some powerful citrus notes. The oak is perfectly integrated and yet it seems that the flavours are slightly muted on account of its youth. There will be more to come with this wine as the outer shell melts away and the floral, citrus notes blossom.

18+
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com, April 2019
Read more tasting notes...

This is a dense and lively La Mission white with lemon, lime and cream character and a light mineral and salty undertone. White pepper and salt at the finish.

97/98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2019

The La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 Blanc is made of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon, harvested August 27 to September 5. It reveals intense lemon curd, lime leaves, yuzu and green mango scents with hints of chalk dust, orange blossoms, pie crust and coriander seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate explodes with vibrant citrus and tropical fruit layers, with a satiny texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and layered.

92/94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (April 2019), April 2019
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.