Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2023

JEB DUNNUCK: "One of the finest wines in the vintage, the 2023 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is based on 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's one hell of a gorgeous wine offering a massive nose of black raspberries, graphite, liquid flowers, scorched earth, and chocolate-like aromas and flavors. It delivers remarkable purity, full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and fine-grained, sweet tannins. The overall balance paired with opulence here is something to behold, and it’s incredible to find this level of quality in the vintage."

JAMES SUCKLING: "The classy mouth-feel and length to this is really gorgeous, and it seduces you with its texture of fine silk and finesse. Lasts for a long, long time. Medium body with medium, creamy and round tannins and a layered, textured finish. Shows blackcurrants, lead pencil and crushed stone at the end. 52.7% merlot, 29.6% cabernet sauvignon and 17.7% cabernet franc."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17.7% Cabernet Franc, La Mission Haut-Brion 2023 has a pH of 3.7 and a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly emerges from the glass with fragrant notes of ripe plums, boysenberries, and Morello cherries, opening out to a wonderfully evocative nose of Indian spices, fragrant soil, iron ore, and rose oil. The full-bodied palate is laden with ripe, opulent black fruit and exotic spices layers, lifted by red berry accents and ferrous sparks, framed by velvety tannins and finishing with epic length."

WEINWISSER: "52.7 % Merlot, 29.6 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7 % Cabernet Franc. Betörendes Parfüm, schwarze Kirsche, verführerischer Veilchenduft und Lakritze. Im zweiten Ansatz edle Cassiswürze, Schokopastillen und Heidelbeergelee. Am vielschichtigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem reifem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten, langen Finale kleine schwarze Beeren, dunkles Edelholz und royale Adstringenz."

VINUM: "Tief, nobel, faszinierend, ungemein feinduftig, Veilchen, Kirschen, Cassis; feinziselierter Gaumen, wie aus dem Stein gemeisselt, knackig, saftig, hochelegant, tänzerisch leicht und mit hervorragender Länge. Ein hervorragender La Mission, klassisch im Stil des Hauses."

DECANTER: "A generously scented nose, very floral and perfumed, lovely high aromatics and fully expressive. Blue fruits, red cherries and some plum. Weighty and full, this really leaves a lasting impression on the palate, juicy but not too much, a tiny hint of sourness in the back gives the zing while the structure and the tannins do most of the talking, really putting the structure at the fore with a powdery, chalkiness that lingers. It’s serious, but in no way austere. Weighty but still streamlined. Chocolate, cherry and blackcurrant, feels very calm and confident, polished and sophisticated. It’s not trying too hard and feels settled in the glass. Delicious. 3.8pH. 4.4 acidity. 80 IPT. 47% grand vin production."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zurückhaltend, schwarze Frucht nach Brombeeren und Kirschen, ein Hauch von Heidelbeeren, zart nach Vanille und Edelholz. Saftig, elegant, zeigt gute Würze und Frische, integriertes Holz, dezente Süße im Abgang, ein kraftvoller Wein mit Länge und Reifepotenzial."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Blackberries, spice, smoke, flowers, and currants shine in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, yet, refined, long, deep, and intense. There is a vibrancy to the fruits that pairs perfectly with the smoky, currants, and blackberries, There is depth, length, and volume, with an easy-going elegance, and lift, Nothing is pushed. Everything is balanced, and in place. The sneaky finish builds, lingers, and resonates its essence. Part of the success of the vintage is due to July, with its cloudy skies, which provided protection from the sun, helping to keep ABV levels down. In the cellars, the extraction was soft, at lower temperatures. The wine blends 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17.7% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV. 3.7 pH. Harvesting took place, September 6-October 3. Only 42% of the harvest was placed into the grand Vin. Drink from 2030-2060."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2023 La Mission Haut-Brion unwinds in the glass to reveal aromas of ripe red fruits, dark wild berries, spring flowers, burning embers and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it’s layered and textural with a dense core of fruit underpinned by youthfully firm structuring tannins. This blend of 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17.7% Cabernet Franc its likely to become fleshier and more enveloping with barrel maturation."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Fine boned and classy but less power than some years. Floral notes and lithe fruit with fine tannins that build on the palate. Could deceive but perhaps not for the very long haul."