| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
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 Sémillon planted here than Sauvignon Blanc (the opposite of Haut Brion Blanc).
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Aromas of crisp orchard fruit, grapefruit oil, white flowers, pastry cream and freshly baked bread preface the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, ample and incisive wine that's satiny and chiseled, concluding with a long, mineral finish.
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has a much more nuanced bouquet than the Haut-Brion Blanc this year with scents of Japanese yuzu, crushed stone, apple blossom and a touch of elderflower. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity, taut and fresh, vibrant and focused. This is more linear than the Haut-Brion and stricter, yet the precision on the finish is a wonder to behold. Fabulous.
A fresh, incipiently complex bouquet of pear, grapefruit, freshly baked bread and wet stones prefaces the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy wine with a satiny attack that segues into a taut, structured mid-palate built around chalky dry extract, which lend this a more tightly-knit, mordant profile than the broader, fatter and more enveloping Haut-Brion Blanc. Drink 2024-2054.
Peach and waxed-lemon character here. Some fennel and aniseed, too. Very fresh. Medium to full body with a round, creamy palate. A little closed for now at the end. 55.2% semillon and 44.8% sauvignon.
Pale lemon-straw colour. Just as with the Haut Brion Blanc, this La Mission is quite closed on the nose. With time, poached pears, star anice, nutmeg and cinnamon come through with a little mandarin fruit. The palate is full of grapefruit and green melon, with high acidity bringing real tension and cut. The fruit has a ripe, slightly confit character, but the acidity is such that it keeps the freshness. Pithy and long, this is structured and waxy on the finish. It could well warrant a higher score from bottle.
Composed of 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion blanc requires a fair bit of swirling to reveal notes of grapefruit, lime zest, and yuzu, with hints of sea spray and lanolin plus a touch of coriander seed. Light to medium-bodied, the palate shimmers with energy and citrusy layers, supported by a crisp backbone and satiny texture, finishing long and chalky.
2025-2038
This is fleshy and thrilling, with white apricot, slate, gunsmoke and mandarin zest. Good structure also, pretty closed right now, with touches of reduction and a juicy mouthwatering finish. Lower Sémillon than usual, meaning lees stirring to fill out the flesh in the mid palate. Higher alcohol in this white than in the reds, very unusual.
55.2% Sémillon, 44.8% Sauvignon (Blanc and Gris). Cask sample.
Brisk and precise but more restrained than the Haut-Brion. Long, linear and racy on the palate. Great persistence. Structured for the long haul so will need some patience. (JL) 14.1%
Drink 2026 – 2038
