2017 CH LA MISSION HAUT-BRION BLANC BORDEAUX - 6x75cl

Tasting Notes

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  Goedhuis, April 2018,
  Score: 93-95

  A top class example of this great estate’s white wine. La Mission Haut-Brion is famed for the high proportion of Sémillon in its vineyards. The 2017, comprising 76.2% of the variety, has hints of quince and apricots, lifted by the zesty limey Sauvignon Blanc. The perfect blend of these two varieties, broad and mouth-coating, but also lively and fresh. A wonderful white Pessac-Léognan.

• 

  Neal Martin, April 2018,
  Score: 93-95

  The 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc was picked 22 to 31 August and matured in 38% new oak. It is very precise on the nose with lovely scents of orange blossom, Cornice pear, nettle and yellow flowers. The palate is well balanced with a slight waxiness on the entry. There is an underlying resinous quality to this La Mission Blanc with citrus lemon, Granny Smith apples, stem ginger and tangible mineralité towards the finish. This is a classy, sophisticated La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, one that is surpassed by the nascent Haut-Brion Blanc at the moment, but may have a trick up its sleeve with age thanks to the high proportion of Sémillon. 2022 - 2045

• 

  Antonio Galloni, April 2018,
  Score: 91-94

  The 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is dense and powerful, yet also super-expressive. Lemon confit, white stone fruit, crushed rocks and white flowers abound. A wine of real depth and phenolic-like intensity, the 2017 has a lot to offer. Even at this early stage, the wine's balance is superb. Creamy, layered and yet quite structured, the 2017 is absolutely gorgeous, even in the early going.

• 

  Wine Advocate, April 2018,
  Score: 96-98

  Blended of 76.2% Sémillon and 23.8% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2017 Blanc gives up seriously intense notes of jasmine, grapefruit, lime zest and yuzu with touches of crushed rocks and lemongrass. The palate is medium-bodied with electric intensity and incredible tension, finishing long with many citrus fruit and mineral layers.

• 

  James Suckling, April 2018,
  Score: 96-97

  This is really layered yet tight and focused with searing minerality that gives it tension and energy. Full-bodied, bright and precise. Impressive. 76% semillon and 24% sauvignon blanc.

• 

  Matthew Jukes, April 2018,
  Score: 19+

  . Very strict and very firm, this is a spectacular wine with incredible tension and drive. The Semillon is back to being the dominant variety (after last year’s anomalous reversal of the blend) and this has brought a strictness and severity to the wine. Thrilling and closed with nail-biting tension, this is a wine which will have a very long life ahead of it. The sour lemon and white flower notes are exquisite. It is interesting in this vintage that the characters of each of the wines is so heightened and individual. It is as if they have been forced to exercise their own identity like never before and they have risen to this challenge.

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Producer

Château Haut-Brion

Arguably the oldest recognised Bordeaux grand cru, Haut Brion has been owned by the American Dillon family since 1935. The Château was an early moderniser - the first estate to implement steel vats in 1961 - and over the years, their incredible investments have re-established the inherent quality of this property, enabling it to emerge as possibly the most consistent first growth since the 1980s. Situated in Pessac-Léognan in Graves, the estate is the only classified growth located outside the Médoc. Château Haut Brion has the most Merlot and the most Cabernet Franc of any of the First Growths and the second wine is Bahans Haut Brion.