The sterling stable of the Haut-Brion wines are now amongst us.
Amongst the greatness of its First Growth siblings Haut-Brion has been the most consistent of this exclusive group over the last two decades. The particular terroir of Pessac-Leognan along with a relentless commitment to innovation (1961 marked a ground-breaking step in the region to use stainless-steel fermentation tanks) has ensured they remain one of, if not the, very best wines in any vintage. With maturity a wonderful scorched earth note emerges. In its graceful old age this is a wine almost without peer. Regal and refined it offers one of the very finest wine experiences in the world. The 2015 is an extraordinary rendition of this wine. Such super-fine tannins, a pure and focussed palate with brooding cedar notes and a hint of warm tobacco, show hints of where this wine will go. It combines delicacy and power in a mesmerising combination that will have you swooning. Secure a legend in the making.
Haut-Brion Blanc is easily the very finest white in Bordeaux and one of the best in the world. A mesmerising, mercurial, wine that shimmers and shines with a delicacy and power which one cannot help but be seduced by! A densely packed floral nose opens with seashells, saline breeze and a clean purity that is utterly enticing. Juicy acidity provides the foil for more tropical fruits as the wine opens up. Think hints of mango and white pepper. Thrilling.
La Mission Haut Brion has always produced wines of class and repute and today they are at their peak! The property was bought by the Dillon’s – who own Haut Brion – in 1983. Somehow a further qualitative rise has followed. This really is an intense, concentrated effort by La Mission. As the wine opened up a sultry sweetness of vanilla was evident. A gratifying freshness acted as a counterpoint to the bold tannins. With a little time this is going to unfurl into beauteous wine of splendor and indulgence. One to hoard and hide away. Wondrous.
La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, known as Laville-Haut Brion until 2009, is a benchmark white not just for Bordeaux but across the entire vinous landscape. It is harvested before dawn in the cool hours to ensure the grapes retain all their shimmering freshness and vibrancy. Inevitably, this shows in the wine. The name of this estate derives from when the property was owned by priests and one cannot help but feel a sense of reverence when tasting it. Fruit, texture, florals, spice and freshness meld and mingle resulting in a wine that lives long in the memory. The best is yet to come!
The second wines of these twinned estates Clarence and La Chapelle de la Mission offer great rewards just like those of their towering parents. Displaying all the character and typicity of the appellation allied to the grandeur of the house from which they come. The perfect way to complete a set of wines that will be coveted by all who can get their hands on them.
Château Haut Brion 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£4,275 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£2,140 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
It has a heavenly bouquet that like the La Mission bestows instant gratification - a veritable kaleidoscope of aromas so crystalline that you can pick them out one by one: dark plum, blackcurrant, Kalamata olive and graphite. It is tempting to just nose this all day. The palate has an indescribably stunning balance and like the La Mission, there is a paradoxical sense of intensity married to weightlessness. Everything here is so precise, so pure and yet as it crescendos towards the finish, it offers a profundity that is unmatched across Bordeaux in this vintage. Having had the pleasure of many great wines from this estate in the past - 1945, 1955, 1959, 1961 and 1989 - the 2015 belongs among that pantheon.
Drink 2030 – 2075
98-100/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Haut-Brion is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Thrust, power and pure intensity come through loud and clear in the crème de cassis, blackberry jam, smoke, licorice and graphite flavors. Soaring aromatics and layers of intense fruit, all supported by a beam of firm tannin make the 2015 a wonderfully complete wine that will drink well for many, many decades. The unctuous fruit and baby fat will need time to melt away, but there is little doubt this is a magical wine with huge potential for the future. The purity of flavors and textures will take your breath away.
95-97/100, Antonio Galloni
|
Château Haut Brion Blanc 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£6,250 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£3,130 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
Like the 2015 La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, the bouquet was quite backward despite rigorous aeration, reluctantly proffering aromas of lime, citrus lemon, gooseberry and a touch of tinned peach. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity, perhaps even more tensile and precise than the 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion with greengage, citrus lemon and a touch of pineapple furnishing the long finish. This is a beautifully crafted Haut Brion Blanc that will reward those with the nous to cellar it for 10-15 years.
Drink 2025 – 2055
94-96/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Haut-Brion Blanc brings together freshness with power like few wines in this vintage. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and ripe orchard fruit all open up in the glass. In this vintage, the white is Sauvignon Blanc dominated, but it doesn’t taste like it at all. Beams of salinity give the 2015 its focus and energy through the finish. This is a stellar showing.
94-97/100, Antonio Galloni
|
Château La Mission Haut Brion 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£3,200 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£1,600 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
It has an incredibly pure bouquet with intense blueberry, blackberry, iodine and cold stone aromas that soar from the glass. There is nothing holding back here - a La Mission with real exuberance. The palate is medium-bodied with incredible intensity in the mouth, but without any leaden weight. It is a startling La Mission Haut-Brion to behold at this early stage. It is one of those wines where as a professional critic, I had to adopt a poker face to hide the untrammeled joy this nascent wine imparts. Complete and profound, the 2015 will rank as one of the great modern-day classics from this grand estate, another to add to that long list of magical La Missions.
Drink 2030 – 2070
97-99/100, Neal Martin
In 2015, La Mission Haut-Brion is translucent and deeply expressive to the core. Remarkably polished for such a young wine, the 2015 also handles its 15% alcohol with grace. Smoke, graphite, tar, leather and incense, the 2015 exudes intensity allied to freshness, a combination that makes it virtually irresistible in my book. The 2015 is also remarkably nuanced for such a big wine, but it has tremendous persistence in all directions. Scents of rose petal, mint, red cherry and pomegranate meld into the voluptuous finish.
94-97/100, Antonio Galloni
|
Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Blanc 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£5,100 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£2,550 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
Has an attractive bouquet with lime, Granny Smith apples, orange zest and cold stone, well defined if not the most complex that I have encountered over the years. The palate is lively on the entry with fine tension and impressive intensity, spicy on the tip of the tongue, almost fiery, with the Semillon dominating the finish and lending the complexity: hints of dried pineapple, almond and Cornice pear. This is an excellent La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, but it needs a few years for the aromatics to really open, just as Laville Haut-Brion did in the old days.
Drink 2020 – 2050
92-94/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is deep, powerful and intense, yet with no excess heaviness. A vertical, structured white, the 2015 possesses remarkable depth along with a spherical expression of fruit that is a joy to behold. The aromatics haven't begun to develop yet, but there is time for that. Plenty of time. This is an especially rich, concentrated white that is going to require a bit of bottle age to offer its finest drinking.
93-96/100, Antonio Galloni
|
Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£900 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£450 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
Compared directly with the La Chapelle Mission Haut-Brion, I find that this does not quite possess the same delineation at the moment. This is broodier and more introspective in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, layers of dark berry fruit tinged with tobacco and cedar, gaining weight towards the finish that fans out with a sense of conviction. This should turn out to be an authoritative deuxième vin that will probably be consumed in its youth, but clearly possesses the substance to repay ageing. Those with wise heads will afford it 5-6 years in bottle.
Drink 2020 – 2040
91-93/100, Neal Martin
A huge, ample wine, the 2015 La Clarence de Haut-Brion will give readers a very good idea of what the vintage is all about at the château. The flavors are dark and boldly sketched throughout. Violet, lavender, mint, spice, gravel and earthiness all add to the wine's distinctly masculine, brooding personality. Far from an easygoing second wine, the 2015 Clarence has the pedigree to drink well for a number of years, but it also needs time in bottle to come together fully.
90-92/100, Antonio Galloni
|
La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion 2015, Pessac-Léognan
£640 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£320 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
The bouquet is tightly wound at the moment, but precise, revealing blackcurrant, cranberry and hints of marmalade scents with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sturdy tannin on the entry that exert a firm grip, but there is more than enough fruit to back that all up. Touches of cedar and tobacco surface towards the second half and there is a sustained, chalky note on the finish that ensures that this a great deuxième vin..
Drink 2019 – 2040
91-93/100, Neal Martin
A deep, striking wine, the 2015 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion is laced with captivating scents of graphite, smoke, cured meats, herbs, melted road tar, leather and violets. Equally rich and ample on the palate, the 2015 exudes intensity, with a pedigreed expression of fruit and enough depth to drink well for a dozen or more years. All of the signatures of site come through in this beautifully crafted second wine from La Mission Haut-Brion. With time in the glass, the 2015 acquires finesse and nuance.
87-89/100, Antonio Galloni
|
