2018 La Mission Haut Brion
By Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
2018 La Mission Haut Brion from Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux
The splendour of the 2018 vintage in Bordeaux cannot be overstated, and this magnificence is resplendently evinced in the 2018 La Mission Haut Brion from Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. This exceptional wine encapsulates the brilliance of a season that expertly sidestepped the potential pitfalls of climatic capriciousness.
Investment Merits: The Quintessence of Pessac-Leognan
Nestled within the communes of Pessac-Leognan, Chateau La Mission Haut Brion boasts a historical tapestry woven with viticultural excellence. The 2018 vintage fortifies this reputation, becoming an impeccable selection for fine wine investment. A testament to its profound composition and ageing potential, it holds a mirror to the impeccable lineage bestowed upon its terroir.
Terroir's Triumph: A Vintage Shaped by Nature's Dance
The 2018 vintage illuminates a tale where nature danced a harmonious ballet — warm days were alleviated by cooler nights, ensuring a paced maturation of grapes brimming with complexity. The wine boasts a profundity of structure starting from its mesmerisingly dark hue to a palate impeccably layered with rich cassis, restored leather and graphite nuances, rounded by judicious oak integration – unmistakable fingerprints of La Mission Haut Brion.
This exalted creation offers an aromatic carnival of blackberry, truffle and subtle smoky whispers that enthrall the discerning olfactory senses. Imbued with taut tannins, there is an undeniable longevity stretching before this vintage, daring investors to anticipate its zenith.
A Sanctuary of Sophistication: An Oenophilic Jewel
The regal stature of the 2018 La Mission Haut Brion is beyond question. It harmonises intensity with elegance – a rare equilibrium that mirrors the balance between risk and reward sought after by sagacious investors. As we delve into the glass's depths, we encounter an enduring echo of Pessac-Leognan's gravelly soils — a reminder that we are sipping not just wine but terroir poetry.
In conclusion, the 2018 La Mission Haut Brion represents both a superlative experience for the palate and an astute opportunity for investment. With each taste revealing layers of Bordeaux mastery, it stands as an exquisite exemplar of fine wine that promises to evolve eloquently over the coming decades.
Market price (CAD)
$3,080.00
12x75cl
Highest score
99
POP score
97.37
Scores and tasting notes
The 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion is composed of 53.5% Merlot, 42.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.6% Cabernet Franc, harvested September 10 to October 2. Deep purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal a beguiling nose of earth and soft-spoken fruit, opening with wild blueberries, wet slate, pencil lead and fresh black cherries giving way to a serious core of blackcurrant cordial, baked plums and wild sage, and then exposing delicate wafts of rose hip tea and candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is very tightly wound and super intense with amazing restraint and energy focused around very firm, exquisitely fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing incredibly long and fantastically multilayered. Extraordinary wine.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 23rd April 2019
A tight and linear red with fantastic oyster-shell, iodine and crushed-stone character, complementing the currants and blackberries. Extremely long and fresh.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com - April 2019
An extremely fine Mission, just beginning to say its piece. It's dense, gorgeously velvety in texture and bursting with fruit and energy. On the palate you get liquorice and dark chocolate notes, showing clear generosity while easily walking the line of balance. The longer it sits in the glass, the more the minerality takes hold on the mid-palate, doling out its tiny sparks of electricity and holding your attention. The subtle smoke, freshly cut herbs and tight tannins steal up on you, planting their flag in the finish. Harvested 10 September to 2 October, giving a 44hl/ha yield. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. IPT 75.8. The 3.76pH is the highest since 1989.
Jane Anson - Decanter - April 2019
The 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion is bright and punchy, with lovely radiant fruit and a good deal of immediacy. Sweet red and purplish berry fruit, mint, tobacco, blood orange and wild flowers all grace this expressive, open-knit La Mission. It will be interesting to see what develops with élevage. Today, La Mission is decidedly expressive, and yet its typical layers of nuance are not yet especially in evidence. In 2018, La Mission is 53.5% Merlot, 42.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.6% Cabernet Franc.
Antonio Galloni - Vinous - April 2019