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Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2020

Reviews

100 -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion is a brilliant effort that exhibits a level of balance and integration that are impressive in such a powerful young Bordeaux. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with burning embers, pencil shavings, violets and smoked black tea, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered, elegantly muscular profile, its brooding core of fruit framed by a generous endowment of powdery tannin that tempers the ripeness of the vintage. Checking in at 14.7% alcohol, it's nonetheless more classically styled than the more flamboyant 2019 vintage or even the slowly maturing 2010 which I re-tasted alongside for context.

99 -James Suckling -

99 -Jeb Dunnuck -

Lastly, the Grand Vin 2020 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is cut from the same cloth as the La Chapelle, only it brings more of everything. Black raspberries, cassis, ripe cherries, sandalwood, smoked tobacco, and acacia flowers are just some of its nuances, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless, sexy mouthfeel, remarkable tannins, and a great, great finish. The level of purity, finesse, and elegance, paired with incredible concentration, is something to behold. Give bottles just 5-7 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following half a century. The blend is 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, hitting a natural alcohol of 14.7%.

99 -The Wine Independent -

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.85. After a swirl or two, the nose blossoms with an alluring array of black cherries, kirsch, and blackcurrant jelly scents, followed by hints of rose oil, sandalwood, tree bark, and Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with muscular black fruits, supported by firm, rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

98 -Vinous -

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has a very pure bouquet with crushed violet infusing the mixture of blueberry and blackberry fruit, scents of cassis emerging with time. The oak is wonderfully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a cashmere texture and lavish new oak that is perfectly knitted to the filigree tannins. Very precise and very persistent on the finish, this fans out gloriously, Jean-Philippe Delmas conjured a sensational La Mission this year. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

98 -Falstaff -

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, deep core, delicate rim brightening. Attractive black berry fruit, a touch of juniper, dark cherries, delicate hints of nougat, fresh orange zest. Juicy, ripe cherries and plums, fine, silky tannins, finesse-rich acidity, salty minerality, very balanced, lingers long, a delicate wine with good drinking appeal and certain ageing potential. (2025-2065).

96 -Wine Enthusiast -

95 -Decanter -

Dark chocolate, bramble fruits, some perfumed notes, exotic spices, liquorice, cedar and clove, but floral too. Supple and charming on the palate, not so lively and openly expressive at this point, a bit more knitted down, quiet and calm but a lovely texture. Tannis are fine but just chalky giving the grip and width while the dark fruit has both a red and black tang to it, just restricted a little by the oaky edges, subtle as they are in terms of flavour, it just narrows the expression a little. You can feel the concentration in the lingering flavour on the cheeks and again a touch of heat and wood spice on the finish. Good acidity with a lightness of touch despite the depth of flavour. Well worked with a long finish.

Technical Details

Blend 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.2% Cabernet Franc
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub Region Graves
Appellation Pessac-Léognan
Vineyard Estate vineyards of Château La Mission
Farming Method High Environmental Value (HVE) Level 3 & ISO 14001 Certified
Oak French oak, 76.8% new
Fermentation Fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats
Aging / Cooperage 22 months in French oak, 76.8% new
Alcohol 13.9%

Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2020

Name: Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2020
Brand: First Bottle
SKU: 1014623
Price: 299.0 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Bordeaux Blends | Bordeaux

WA100, JS99, JD99, TWI99, VN98, FS98, WE96, DC95

SPECIAL: Ground shipping included on 2+ bottles!

High Environmental Value (HVE) Level 3 & ISO 14001 Certified

$450.00

$299.00

750ML

33% OFF RETAIL!

The first growth Château Haut-Brion’s 2020 vintage earned 100 points and averages $673 per bottle on WineSearcher. Meanwhile, its nextdoor neighbor Château La Mission Haut-Brion – long considered an honorary first growth – ALSO earned a perfect 100… and is under $300 here at First Bottle! The math is mathing in your favor today, folks.

Château La Mission Haut-Brion is one of Bordeaux's great historic estates, sitting in Talence just across the road from its more famous sibling, first growth Château Haut-Brion. Its story begins in 1540, when Bordeaux merchant Arnaud de Lestonnac acquired the first plot of vines and married into the de Pontac family – the same clan behind Haut-Brion itself. The estate takes its name from the Lazarist priests of the Congregation of the Mission, who inherited the vineyard in the 17th century and spent nearly 130 years perfecting it before the French Revolution swept them out. Since 1983, La Mission has been reunited with Haut-Brion under the ownership of the Dillon family's Domaine Clarence Dillon – the two rivals now siblings on the same street.

Though it's not a classified first growth, it has long been regarded as Haut-Brion's qualitative equal, frequently its match and in some years even better. Wine-market analysts at Liv-ex have twice ranked it the "sixth first growth," and the estate's own CEO says that's precisely how the family sees it. Call it an honorary first growth, the King of the Left Bank, or simply the best value in blue-chip Bordeaux, but the point stands.

And the 2020 is a knockout. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded it a perfect 100 points, the same score Haut-Brion earned across the street. Unusually for a Left Bank powerhouse, it leans on Merlot, with a blend of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8.2% Cabernet Franc. The estate farms a compact vineyard on classic Graves gravel over clay, sand, and limestone, and the grand vin is aged in 100% new French oak for around 22 months.

Deep, delightfully intense, and brooding, the nose reveals black cherry, cassis, candied violets, and black tea, while the densely packed palate brings in more dark, concentrated fruits, pencil shavings, smoky sandalwood, dark chocolate shavings, and sensually sweet pipe tobacco. The power is held in check by velvety yet firm tannins, while a zipper of acidic freshness and fine minerality runs straight through the middle. The finish is, of course, extra-long, fragrant, and faintly savory, with a structure that promises decades of cellar-able time to come. Wow. We have fewer than 6 cases, and those that get to bring this home will be filled with gratitude to grasp such a tremendous Pessac-Léognan. Best of luck!

FOOD PAIRINGS: A standing rib roast gives this the properly rich and decadent pairing that will also hold up swimmingly against such a sumptuous Bordeaux.

About The Producer

Separated from its legendary neighbor Château Haut-Brion by nothing more than a road, La Mission Haut-Brion has spent centuries making a compelling case for unofficial First Growth status. The estate's roots trace to 1540, but its modern identity was shaped by the Woltner family, who purchased it in 1919 and drove the winemaking to extraordinary heights through much of the 20th century. In 1983, Domaine Clarence Dillon — already owner of Haut-Brion — acquired La Mission, reuniting the two storied neighbors under one roof for the first time. Today both properties share the same technical team led by Jean-Philippe Delmas, and the winemaking across 30 hectares of deep Pessac-Léognan gravel continues to set the standard for what the Left Bank can achieve outside the Médoc — more muscular and structured than Haut-Brion, yet possessing that same haunting complexity that keeps collectors chasing every vintage.

$450.00

$299.00

750ML

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