2023 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan AC

Decanter.com – 93 pts – GH: *Milk chocolate, blackcurrant and bramble fruit on the nose, gorgeous scents. Ripe and plummy, juicy and so bright, lovely clarity but such precision, really well defined, tension is there and there are edges to the tannins but there is also such good movement. Not plump at all, great clarity with freshness and lift. Lovely sculpting, not muscular but there’s weight and depth here. And I love the fleshy tannins just giving a bit of crushed velvet texture to the palate. Bright, balanced, vibrant, and long too. Soft and lush. 3.8pH.* - 04/2024

Falstaff Magazin – 96 pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zurückhaltend, schwarze Frucht nach Brombeeren und Kirschen, ein Hauch von Heidelbeeren, zart nach Vanille und Edelholz. Saftig, elegant, zeigt gute Würze und Frische, integriertes Holz, dezente Süße im Abgang, ein kraftvoller Wein mit Länge und Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 97/100 pts: *Tief, nobel, faszinierend, ungemein feinduftig, Veilchen, Kirschen, Cassis; feinziselierter Gaumen, wie aus dem Stein gemeisselt, knackig, saftig, hochelegant, tänzerisch leicht und mit hervorragender Länge. Ein hervorragender La Mission, klassisch im Stil des Hauses.*

WeinWisser – 19/20 pts – GL, TW: *52.7 % Merlot, 29.6 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7 % Cabernet Franc. Betörendes Parfüm, schwarze Kirsche, verführerischer Veilchenduft und Lakritze. Im zweiten Ansatz edle Cassiswürze, Schokopastillen und Heidelbeergelee. Am vielschichtigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem reifem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten, langen Finale kleine schwarze Beeren, dunkles Edelholz und royale Adstringenz.* – 04/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 17+/20pts – JL: *52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Fine boned and classy but less power than some years. Floral notes and lithe fruit with fine tannins that build on the palate. Could deceive but perhaps not for the very long haul.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (92-95) pts – AG: *The 2023 La Mission Haut-Brion is a dense, powerful wine. Firm tannins give the 2023 a feeling of sternness—a sense of classical austerity that is beguiling. This is the second-most tannic vintage for La Mission, only surpassed by 2010, so readers should plan on being patient. It will be interesting to see what élevage brings. At this stage, the 2023 is quite the bruiser. Hints of mocha, spice, new leather, crushed flowers and red-toned fruit linger.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (93-95) pts – NM: *The 2023 La Mission Haut-Brion was picked between September 5 until October 5, a relatively long picking, at 50hL/ha. It has a wonderful bouquet with brightness and verve: very well-defined red and black fruit, a little floral in style, maybe not as rambunctious as recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins. A perfect line of acidity counterbalances the creamy texture, turning quite plush toward the finish, but it is amazingly well-focused. This is a generous La Mission Haut-Brion that will probably drink earlier than say, the 2022, as winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas agreed. It’s very fine and very delicious, but I would not place it within the canon of top vintages.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (95-97) pts – JL: *Blackberries, spice, smoke, flowers, and currants shine in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, yet, refined, long, deep, and intense. There is a vibrancy to the fruits that pairs perfectly with the smoky, currants, and blackberries, There is depth, length, and volume, with an easy-going elegance, and lift, Nothing is pushed. Everything is balanced, and in place. The sneaky finish builds, lingers, and resonates its essence. Part of the success of the vintage is due to July, with its cloudy skies, which provided protection from the sun, helping to keep ABV levels down. In the cellars, the extraction was soft, at lower temperatures. The wine blends 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17.7% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV. 3.7 pH. Harvesting took place, September 6-October 3. Only 42% of the harvest was placed into the grand Vin. Drink from 2030-2060.* - 05/2024