Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is, inarguably, one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated white wines. Formerly known as Château Laville Haut-Brion, it was rechristened for the legendary 2009 vintage.
A blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the fruit for this Blanc is picked pre-dawn, with the cool air of evening preserving the freshness and integrity of the grapes. This allows more fruit purity in the resulting wine. No skin contact is seen in the pressing, and grapes are fermented in 100% new French oak.
Incredible intensity and texture are the hallmarks of this wine. It is superbly concentrated, yet fresh on the palate.
"This is so powerful with incredibly subtle fruit character of pineapple, peaches and apples. Some lees and cream. Full-bodied yet remains agile and tensioned. Wonderful finish. Hard not to drink now. For now or ageing."
98 points, James Suckling.
Made up of 33% Sauvignon Blanc and 67% Semillon, the La Mission Haut-Brion 2015 Blanc has a slightly closed nose, offering peeks at lemon curd, white peach and yuzu notes with accents of musk perfume, garrigue, fresh hay and wet pebbles. Medium to full-bodied with a lovely textural element of phenolic grip and a racy acid line cutting through the intense stone fruit and savory layers, it finishes with great persistence.
94+ points, Wine Advocate (February 2018)
The 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, a blend of one-third Sauvignon Blanc and two-thirds Semillon, picked between 28 August and 8 September, has an attractive bouquet with lime, Granny Smith apples, orange zest and cold stone, well defined if not the most complex that I have encountered over the years. The palate is lively on the entry with fine tension and impressive intensity, spicy on the tip of the tongue, almost fiery, with the Semillon dominating the finish and lending the complexity: hints of dried pineapple, almond and Cornice pear. This is an excellent La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, but it needs a few years for the aromatics to really open, just as Laville Haut-Brion did in the old days.
(92 - 94) points, Wine Advocate (April 2016)
The 2015 La Mission Haut-Bion Blanc is deep, powerful and intense, yet with no excess heaviness. A vertical, structured white, the 2015 possesses remarkable depth along with a spherical expression of fruit that is a joy to behold. The aromatics haven't begun to develop yet, but there is time for that. Plenty of time. This is an especially rich, concentrated white that is going to require a bit of bottle age to offer its finest drinking.
(93 - 96) points, Vinous (April 2016)
The 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is rich and beautifully layered, with tons of depth and no excess weight. Lemon confit, orchard fruit, smoke, mint and floral notes emerge effortlessly. With time in the glass, the 2015 shows a range of lightly tropical-inflected flavors and the textural weight of the Sémillon. Absolutely impeccable in its balance, the 2015 will drink well pretty much from the outset.
95 points, Vinous (February 2018)
