Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2019

Aromas of spices and citrus; fresh attack, full-bodied, dense, elegant, impressive length, marked finesse and breed, perfectly balanced.

Extroverted, with an energetic display of white peach, Key lime, verbena, oyster shell and quinine notes that are well-defined as they extend through a lengthy finish. Features real tension and drive too, which most whites in this vintage lack. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Best from 2023 through 2033.

Wet wool, something a little bit waxy to the nose with touches of lemon curd – very welcoming. Lovely mouthfeel here, enveloping, rich and concentrated but also fresh and vibrant. Nuance and structure with a spicy, almost bitter-orange tone to this. A great balance of bright lemon-citrus fruits – juicy and lively – then a creaminess that comes in and calms everything down. I love the interplay between the richness and fat from the Semillon and the precise intensity of the acidity from the Sauvignon. 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc.

Green apple, lime, aniseed and stone. Some green mango, too. Full- to medium-bodied with a compact palate of beautiful fruit and refined phenolics that last for minutes. Creamy finish. Tight at the end. Needs four or five years to open. Best after 2026.

It was a close call choosing a favorite between LMHBB and HBB, but perhaps La Mission has just a bit more going on. The bouquet is packed with honeysuckle, lemon zest, pomelo, white peach and herbs, with a touch of spice that covers all the bases. Full-bodied, rich, fleshy and deep, the wine fills the palate with a wall of ripe yellow and orange citrus, crushed rocks, mango and a dab of honey, with ample acidity to keep everything upbeat and fresh. Drink from 2025–2040.

Pale yellow-green, silver reflections. Restrained bouquet, fresh meadow herbs and lime zest, a hint of grapefruit, mineral touch. Medium complexity, fine white tropical fruit, some peach, subtle fruit sweetness on the finish, salty nuances on the finish, shows good length, a refined food companion.

Enticing aromatics combining tropical and fresh notes of mango, pineapple, lemongrass, lime and stony nuances. Textured and broad on the palate with fine extract and vivid acidity; good layers with ripe grassy notes, stone-fruit flavors, fine oak integration and a long, dense finish.

Much more Semillon-based compared to its stablemate, the Haut-Brion Blanc, the 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It's a much more subdued, classic Semillon, offering ripe peach, honeyed lime, sappy herbs, and chalky mineral nuances that show even more on the palate. Rich, layered, and medium to full-bodied, it's another blockbuster of a white from this estate that has everything you could want from a Bordeaux Blanc. It opens up beautifully with time in the glass, is flawlessly balanced, and just a thrill a second. It should evolve for 20-30 years as well.

30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, 69.9% Sémillon, 14% abv, harvested from August 30 to September 10. Pale yellow with greenish glints. Concentrated bouquet with primrose extract, noticeable minerality and cooled green tea, followed by grapefruit zest. Mid-palate shows a silky texture, salty extract and a refined mineral core. Focused finish on citrus and green tea extract. Since the 2017 vintage, the white wines have been sealed with DIAM corks.

(69.9% Sémillon, 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% vol. alcohol) Fresh, powerful, fragrant, sweet, with a finely grassy bouquet, grapefruit, delicate lime notes, lychee, white peach. Silky, fresh, elegant palate with a dense, fine structure, good sweet fruit, well-integrated acidity, strong aromatics, long, fresh finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2024 - 2040

Hard to fault this gorgeous wine, with white peach, citrus, fleshy pear and apricot pit, along with the fennel and crushed sage that add a welcome touch of bitterness. A crisp pulse of minerality keeps things moving through the palate, and this is seductive and vibrant, playing with you and keeping you engaged.

The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc, is initially tightly wound on the nose, eventually revealing hints of lime leaves and sea spray with wafts of white pepper and dill seed. Medium-bodied, the palate shows plenty of tension and mineral layers, finishing savory.

Yellow and orange fruits sing on the nose. A fiesta, full of joy and sunshine, yet with great control. On the palate, the wine brims with fresh fruit, with notes of pear, green apple and passion fruit, lightly tinged with vanilla, offering well-balanced acidity and a snappy finish.

Such complexity and subtlety in this bouquet. I detect notes of pear and flint, along with a touch of mint and nettle. On the palate, the wine is crisp, refined, savoury, and fresh. Lovely length. A convincing wine.

The nose is fruity, fresh, elegant, and well-defined. It reveals notes of crisp vineyard peach, juicy/fleshy apple, and, more lightly, ripe lemon, combined with touches of exotic fruit, a hint of pink grapefruit, pineapple, and a subtle mineral note. The palate is fruity, elegant, and delicate, offering sweetness, indulgence, fleshiness, a lovely zesty backbone, bright freshness, vibrancy, and purity. On the palate, this wine shows notes of fleshy/juicy apple, vibrant quenette, and, more lightly, juicy/ripe pineapple, joined by touches of mandarin and sweet lemon, as well as a hint of quenette, a racy minerality, and a subtle, almost acacia blossom note in the background. Good length. A tannic edge on the finish, both aromatically and structurally.

Pale color. Intense nose with ripe, subtle fruit, evolving fresh, complex, and noble in the glass. Broad on the attack, juicy mid-palate, highly perfumed, the wine unfolds both powerful and airy, rich in flavor, melting, complex, and deep on the finish. A great wine.

The wine is ripe, open in style. Generous white fruits and spice from wood aging and from a rich vintage are present, along with a structure that is still young. It follows in the line of great white wines from this estate. Drink from 2026.