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.
"The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has improved on the nose since en primeur, offering gently unfolding white peach, red apple, chalk and light yellow flower aromas. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and linear and a little wavier than its Haut Brion Blanc counterpart, leaving a touch of lemongrass on the aftertaste. A refined, cerebral proposition that will age like those great Lavilles of the past. 2022-2040"
93 Points, Vinous
Ranking with the top 3-4 whites in the vintage, the 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is Sauvignon-dominated in 2016 and is 62.7% Sauvignon and 37.3% Sémillon. Vibrant and racy, with beautiful tension and purity, it offers a classic perfume of tart apples, dried herbs, lemon curd, and a liquid rock-like minerality that develops with time in the glass. The buzzwords here are vibrant, bright, tight, and great.
97 points, jebdunnuck.com (February 2019)
Although this has great freshness, candied-lemon and complex dried herb character, it also has a rich and waxy side, plus a touch of vanilla. Rich and powerful with a lot more structure than most Pessac-Léognan whites. It also has wonderful tension and drive that’s rooted in the vibrant acidity, but supported by the mineral and lemon-zest notes. A blend of 62.7 per cent sauvignon blanc and 37.3 per cent semillon.
96 points, jamessuckling.com (February 2019)
Conditions were a little challenging for the Sémillon this year, and the blend of the La Mission Haut-Brion 2016 Blanc is, unusually, dominated by Sauvignon Blanc (62.7%) with 37.3% Sémillon. It reveals subtle notions of mandarin peel, fresh grapefruit and pineapple with touches of crushed rocks, white peaches and coriander seed. Medium-bodied, the palate has a racy line of freshness cutting through the vibrant citrus and tropical layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Considering the challenges, this is a very impressive result!
95+ points, Wine Advocate (December 2018)
The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has improved on the nose since en primeur, offering gently unfolding white peach, red apple, chalk and light yellow flower aromas. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and linear and a little wavier than its Haut Brion Blanc counterpart, leaving a touch of lemongrass on the aftertaste. A refined, cerebral proposition that will age like those great Lavilles of the past.
93 points, Vinous (January 2019)
