2006 La Mission Haut Brion
By Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
2006 La Mission Haut Brion from Château La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
The sculpted elegance of the 2006 La Mission Haut Brion reflects a year that challenged the vignerons of Pessac-Léognan with its climatic caprices. The La Mission Haut Brion from Château La Mission Haut Brion towers as a testament to the savoir-faire infused into every harvest, revealing how a demanding vintage can be coaxed into a spectacle of finesse and power.
Examining 2006: A Vintner's Vigil
Nature played its part with a cool and prolonged winter followed by a blistering summer, relenting just in time to allow optimal ripening. This wine from Château La Mission Haut Brion captures this delicate balance with beguiling grace. Indeed, the 2006s, though overshadowed by their immediate successors, have silently ascended in stature, characterised by their ripe tannins and the remarkable potential for longevity.
Investment Worthy: A Vintage Distinct
Amidst the pantheon of investments, the 2006 La Mission Haut Brion stands out. It presents collectors with an unassailable opportunity to diversify their portfolios with a wine that is reaching a splendid plateau of maturity.
The quintessential minerality, so characteristic of the hallowed gravel soils of Château La Mission Haut Brion, weaves through the dense tapestry of blackcurrant and cedar notes. The structure is poised, with an acidity that cuts through the richness like a maestro's baton—each sip an orchestration of complexity and compositional precision.
Intrinsic Merit Underlined by Time
The oblique nature of the year mirrors in the convoluted layers one uncovers within this wine—flashes of black pepper intermingle with savoury undertones, and a matured tenacity that escorts the sublime finish. As it breathes, it unfurls like Baroque embroidery on silk.
An astute acquisition for enthusiasts seeking to embellish their collection with a bottle whose narrative is as intricate as its palate. While many estates extolled virtues in more exalted years, the 2006 La Mission Haut Brion from Château La Mission Haut Brion decisively showcases why 2006 has become one for the connoisseurs to revere.
To dwell upon and delight in—this offering entrenches itself firmly amongst quintessential choices within the canon of fine Bordeaux wines poised for patient appreciation or immediate indulgence.
Market price (HKD)
HK$18,180.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
126.67
Scores and tasting notes
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. This is rich and decadent on the nose with blackberry, damson, fruitcake and Asian spices: complex and well defined, very generous at the moment. Violets developing with further aeration in the glass. The palate has great weight and density, firm, sturdy tannins, good definition, assertive and perhaps even brash with confidence, leading to a chewy, reticent finish that shuts up shop and says come back later...in about 10-15 years. Almost Pauillac-like in style at this early juncture, but the La Mission has the upper hand over Haut-Brion at the moment. Tasted January 2010.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2010
A somewhat under-the-radar La Mission, the 2006 was generally overlooked following the brilliance of the 2005. A young, dense purple-hued wine that is developing beautifully, it exhibits notes of Asian plum sauce, charcoal, barbecue smoke, roasted meats, graphite and background oak. Full-bodied with good acidity, moderate tannin and a vigorous, powerful youthfulness, the 2006 will age more quickly than the 2005, but it still requires another 5-8 years of cellaring. Anticipated Maturity: 2014-2035.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #181