2010 La Mission Haut Brion
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Tasting Notes
A hint of classy austerity on the nose; a touch of pencil lead. Clearly a wine of some breeding. And layers and layers in the mouth, with a slightly savoury edge to the fruit. A very classy graphite texture to it. Long. Indeed very, very long and very, very classy, with the savoury edge coming back in the finish. Exceptional.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Jeannie Cho Lee MW
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Deep ruby in colour, with a nose of vibrant blackberries, cherries, plums, cedar and lovely floral aromatics, this is a perfect La Mission, with an amazing depth of flavour and very long length. At 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, La Mission is continuing its swing, begun in 2007, away from using a majority of Merlot. This vintage of La Mission is vibrant yet serious and the flavours are layered and complex, resulting in a great expressive wine with the intensity and depth to age for many decades. A real beauty and one of the best La Missions in recent history - much better than the 2009. asianpalate.com
La Mission Haut Brion, is produced from a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and a dollop of Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 15.1% natural alcohol with pH levels of 3.67. This picture is very different than what we saw in 2009 which was made from equal parts Merlot and cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. 2010 is slightly higher in alcohol as the 2009 reached 14.7. Tasters who go by the numbers might have problems with the wine, but there was no sensation of heat. Everything is in balance. This is a contender for the highest concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of La Mission Haut Brion. This is due to a combination of the perfect levels of ripeness reached in the Cabernet Sauvignon and the draught plagued Merlot which had problems ripening correctly. . 2010 La Mission Haut Brion explodes with earth, minerals, cassis, burning embers, truffle and blackberry scents. This opens to a dense, concentrated, full bodied, tannic wine. This powerful La Mission Haut Brion is packed with mocha, cassis, blackberry and spice. Stylistically, this is a big, powerful, masculine La Mission Haut Brion that will require serious cellar time. winecellarinsider.com
An indigo-beryl centre to purple amethyst gives a faint jasmine scent and childhood memories of mown grass. In its meaty substantial body and structure there are many dark fruits, bonfires of hawthorn and oxidised minerals. The alcohol level is 15%! It will be interesting to drink by 2020 but very impressive by 2050.
About the producer
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion – sister estate of Ch. Haut-Brion and part of the Clarence Dillon stable – is one of the greatest estates in all of Bordeaux. Based in Pessac-Léognan but not officially classified, it produces outstanding red and white wines.