Region | |
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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 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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The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has quite an intense nose with apple blossom, flint and slice Williams pear scents that develop with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, quite steely with a gooseberry and spicy finish that is driven by the Sauvignon Blanc. It's backward and close but the breeding is there. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2024-2038.
Green apple, lime, aniseed and stone. Some green mango, too. Full-to medium-bodied with a compact palate of beautiful fruit and refined phenolics that last for minutes. Creamy finish. Tight at the end. Needs four or five years to open. Best after 2026.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, is locked tight on the nose to begin, eventually offering glimpses at lime leaves and sea spray with wafts of white pepper and dill seed. Medium-bodied, the palate has plenty of tension and mineral layers, finishing savory.
Hard to fault this gorgeous wine, with white peach, citrus, fleshy pear and apricot pit, along with the fennel and crushed sage that add a welcome touch of bitterness. A crisp pulse of minerality keeps things moving through the palate, and this is seductive and vibrant, playing with you and keeping you engaged.
Much more Semillon-based compared to its stablemate, the Haut-Brion Blanc, the 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It's a much more subdued, classic Semillon, offering ripe peach, honeyed lime, sappy herbs, and chalky mineral nuances that show even more on the palate. Rich, layered, and medium to full-bodied, it's another blockbuster of a white from this estate that has everything you could want from a Bordeaux Blanc. It opens up beautifully with time in the glass, is flawlessly balanced, and just a thrill a second. It should evolve for 20-30 years as well.
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has a very Sémillon-driven bouquet that virtually crowds out the Sauvignon Blanc, offering dried honey, peach skin, Conference pear and a touch of spice. The palate is very well balanced with more complexity compared to the Haut-Brion Blanc. This has a fine bead of acidity, and plenty of dry extract on the finish that distinguishes it from its counterpart. Superb, but it will need time. 2030 - 2070
The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, formerly known as Laville Haut-Brion of course, is complex on the nose with peach skin, orange blossom and honeysuckle aromas gently unfolding with each swirl. As usual with this wine, it only really begins to "sing" after an hour's aeration (something I can afford to do at home and not when tasting at the château.) The palate is poised and vibrant on the entry. Notes of orange rind, melon and white peaches dovetail into a more resinous, textural finish that fans out gloriously. This is outstanding, but one worth cellaring as it will repay bottle age. 2030 - 2070
This is a juicy, savory white with dried apples and peaches and saltiness at the same time. Very classic, but even more precise. Layered and powerful. Exciting. Semillon and sauvignon blanc, as always.
A blend of 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc wafts out with subtle scents of lemongrass, lime leaves, and green apples with hints of honeysuckle, coriander seed, and wet slate. Medium-bodied, elegant, and refreshing, the palate has tightly wound citrus fruit flavors and a chalky finish.
The La Mission Haut-Brion 2019 Blanc is composed of 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, harvested from the 30th of August until the 10th of September. The estimated label alcohol degree is 14%. Notions of freshly squeezed limes, grapefruit juice and white peaches come wafting out of the glass followed by suggestions of yuzu zest, coriander seed, underripe pineapple, wet pebbles and green mango with a touch of fennel. The medium to full-bodied palate offers layer upon layer of citrus fruits and mineral accents wrapped in a beautiful satiny texture and featuring seamless freshness, finishing long and chalky.
Jean-Philippe Delmas likens the 2019 to the 2015, a ripe and powerful style. The blend is 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, with an estimated abv of 14%. We were unable to taste the wine before release in 2019.