Description
The 26-hectare vineyard of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is planted to 45.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.8% Merlot, and 10.4% Cabernet Franc. In comparison, only 3.5 hectares of vines are reserved for the production of the white Bordeaux wine of La Mission Haut Brion. The vines are planted to 61.7% Semillon and 38.3% Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard has a terroir of deep gravel over clay, sand, and chalk in the topsoil. Underneath, you find more gravel, which is less refined, along with clay and sand.
To produce the red wine of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, the wine is vinified in large, 180 hectoliters, temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and aged in 100% new, French oak for an average of 22 months. The annual production of La Mission Haut Brion averages between 6,000 and 7,000 cases per year.
Interestingly, the blending for Chateau La Mission Haut Brion takes place shortly after Malolactic fermentation is finished and before the aging process in the barrel has started. This is because the property feels it’s better to blend the wines before the influence of the wood begins to be felt in the wine.
La Mission Haut Brion produces a Bordeaux wine of intensity, richness, opulence, and charm. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and requires several years to develop. The perfume offers smoke, tobacco, earth, truffle, spice, and cassis scents.
Tasting Notes
(48% cabernet sauvignon, 43% merlot and 9% cabernet franc) Good full red-ruby. Complex aromas of black raspberry, mocha, smoke, licorice, minerals, and flint, plus a whiff of caramel. Juicy, spicy, and penetrating, with lovely cut and intensity. Leaner than Haut-Brion today, but this is essentially a supple wine, despite some evident minerality and the fact that the cabernet sauvignon component here actually had a slightly higher pH than the merlot. Finishes with rather fine tannins. This is actually a hair higher in acidity and lower in pH than the Haut-Brion 2007. [90-92 points, Stephen Tanzer, May 2008, vinous.com]
The 2007 La Mission Haut Brion, a candidate for wine of the vintage, exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue along with notes of melted licorice, blueberries, cassis, burning embers, and charcoal, sweet tannin, medium to full body, a fleshy mouthfeel, and an endearing as well as lushness. Already appealing, it should continue to evolve and drink well for 15+ years. It is a great success for the vintage. [92 points, Robert M. Parker Jr – April 2010, The Wine Advocate, robertparker.com]
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits’ 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 La Mission Haut Brion should be considered as one of the wines of the vintage, perhaps even outclassing the gaff across the road! It has an ebullient bouquet with vivid dark berry, cold, warm gravel, and undergrowth scents that are very complex and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, crisp acidity, and a very precise structure, with superb tension on the finish. If you are seeking a 2007 Bordeaux, then this would undoubtedly be one of my picks. [95 points, Neal Martin – February 2017, The Wine Advocate, robertparker.com]
