2015 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Buying options
Tasting notes
A notch less muscular than the Haut-Brion, exceptionally finessed and textured, satin and slate, push and pull, crushed rose petals, soy and smoked earth. Great quality, love the mandarin peel bitterness that gives lift through the finish, and the waves of floral aromatics that linger in your palate after the wine has gone. An exceptional wine with pleasure on its mind. Jean-Philippe Delmas director, 78% new oak for ageing.
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
More reviews and scores
The 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion has a supremely gifted bouquet with vigorous blackberry, pencil box and cedar scents that seem to have moved little since I last tasted it in 2019. The palate is medium-bodied, very ripe and actually much toastier than I remembered. This has pliant tannins and the savory element I picked up on before is now accentuated. That shaves some of the enjoyment away on the finish, hence my score. Tasted at the 2015 Ten-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.
Made from 58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet in color. It comes spilling out of the glass with gregarious scents of baked black and red cherries, warm cassis, and pencil shavings, leading to hints of crushed rocks, Indian spices, and potpourri. The full-bodied palate is beautifully poised, with loads of mineral and exotic spice accents to the core of black fruit preserves, framed by beautifully plush, rounded tannins, finishing long and fragrant. This is gorgeous!
Tasted blind. Mid crimson. Fresh and juicy and fragrant. Real savour and beginning, middle and end. Gloriously appetising. The first of these 250 wines I have been tempted not to spit. Very long and subtle.
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.