{"product_id":"chateau-la-mission-haut-brion-pessac-leognan-2020","title":"Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChâteau 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough 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 \u003cem\u003e\"sixth first growth,\"\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeep, 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!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFOOD PAIRINGS: A standing rib roast gives this the properly rich and decadent pairing that will also hold up swimmingly against such a sumptuous Bordeaux.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53447957512489,"sku":"1014623","price":299.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/ChateauLaMissionHaut-BrionPessac-Leognan2020_1014623_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1788190753","url":"https:\/\/firstbottlewines.com\/products\/chateau-la-mission-haut-brion-pessac-leognan-2020","provider":"First Bottle Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}