Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 2009

The 2009 was not part of this vertical tasting, so I am repeating the tasting note published in issue #199 of The Wine Advocate from a tasting done in January, 2012. A candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion stood out as one of the most exceptional young wines I had ever tasted from barrel, and its greatness has been confirmed in the bottle. A remarkable effort from the Dillon family, this is another large-scaled La Mission that tips the scales at 15% alcohol. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (47% of each) and the rest Cabernet Franc, it exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a magnificent bouquet of truffles, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, subtle smoke and spring flowers. The wine’s remarkable concentration offers up an unctuous/viscous texture, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, sweet, sumptuous, nearly over-the-top flavors and massive density. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime La Mission-Haut-Brion, the 2009 will take its place alongside the many great wines made here since the early 1920s. The good news is that there are nearly 6,000 cases of the 2009. It should last for 50-75+ years. Given the wine’s unctuosity and sweetness of the tannin, I would have no problem drinking it in about 5-6 years. The final blend was 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc.

This is forcefully rendered, with dark tar, espresso and chocolate up front, backed by dense layers of fig sauce, currant reduction and smoldering black tea leaves. There's dense flesh and great drive on the finish, which has serious grip. Best from 2016 through 2035. 6,000 cases made.

As with its sibling, Haut-Brion, you immediately get a sense of the generosity of the year here. It has a striking nose with touches of kirsch, black cherry, liquorice and dark chocolate, while the exoticism of 2009 is clear in the plush, ripe, fleshy and velvet-textured fruit. It's gourmet and well built, with plenty of life ahead of it. On the finish, a slate character does an excellent job of lifting everything up together, bringing a sense of balance and a welcome savoury bite. Exceptionally good.

Dark, cool and sleek, this is a very sophisticated wine with great structure and polished tannins that's just beginning to give its best. The cassis and blackberry fruit is brightest on the long finish and that suggests this has great aging potential. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

The 2009 La Mission Haut-Brion has a wonderful, extravagant bouquet with a slight medicinal note (not apparent on the bottle poured blind the following week) infusing the precocious red fruit, all beautifully defined with star anise and bayleaf developing. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well judged acidity, precocious in style with a long finish that maintains that medicinal leitmotif. Wonderful. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.

Powerful, full-bodied, youthful, mouth-filling and packed to the gills with layers of dark, red, and black fruits, the wine is big. But it is also balanced, long, deep, regal, and complex. Made from a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, the finish doesn’t seem to quit. The texture is equally dense and regal, with layer after layer of smoky, tobacco-infused fruit. This is still a baby. Give it 10–15 more years and this will be a truly majestic wine.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Dark forest berry confit with a spicy tobacco background, a hint of leather and Valrhona chocolate, fresh lime zest, mineral touch. Complex, fresh cherries, blackberries, firm, supporting tannins, very good freshness, racy style, nuances of sour cherry, dark chocolate nuances on the finish, salty touch, secure ageing potential, has not yet reached its drinking window. Better wait for another two or three years.

An absolutely legendary wine that ranks with the handful of truly monumental wines of the past 100 years or so is the 2009 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, which is close to an even split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a splash (6%) of Cabernet Franc. This beauty hit over 15% alcohol and should be a nail in the coffin to all the anti-alcohol fear mongering that has gone over the past 10-15 years. Still youthfully ruby-hued, with incredible notes of ripe currants, mulled cherries, scorched earth, tobacco, and even a hint of truffly earth, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a finish that just won't quit. Opulent, decadent, yet without any sensation of weight or heaviness, this magical Pessac can be enjoyed any time over the coming 30-40 years, and I have no doubt it will offer pleasure even beyond that.

47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. The compact, reserved bouquet opens cool, showing great depth with truffle, cedar and fine smoky notes, then plenty of black berries and dried blueberries, yet overall the terroir dominates the fruit. A majestic, powerful palate; fine muscle surrounds a dense core whose aromatics play almost entirely in the black-berry register; in the massively concentrated finish, dark malt, dried pear and currants. A great, powerful, classic Mission with the potential for a comfortable 40 years.

47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc. 47 hl/ha. Extremely dark purple with violet highlights. The bouquet starts cool, showing great depth with truffle, cedar and fine smoky notes, plenty of black berries, dried blueberries, yet for now displaying more terroir than fruit, coming across as compact and still very reserved. Majestic palate with a powerful entry, fine muscle wraps a concentrated core, with aromatics playing almost entirely in the black-berry register; massively concentrated finish with dark malt, dried pear and currants. A great, powerful, classical Mission that doesn’t aim to please at the start, but offers a potential of a good 40 years.

Merlot 47%, Cabernet Sauvignon 47%, Cabernet Franc 6%. Dense, deep, velvety, opulent bouquet with blue and black berries, blackcurrant, tobacco, leather, roasted notes. Velvety, dense, powerful palate with a tight, silky structure, full of fruit, plenty of fine tannins, intense aromatics with mocha, leather, truffle. Endless, concentrated finish with good lingering flavors. 19/20 2016 - 2040

Big chocolaty nose, sublime velvety texture, warm like a great Southern wine yet supported by the firm, inimitable tannins of Bordeaux grape varieties, also crafted to stand the test of time.

The densest and most massive wine ever tasted at the estate (before 2010). Impressive from the very first sip, it delivers a seamless, full-bodied palate, with waves of fruit and tannins and incredible length. The finish is rich, and all these elements need to come together. For lovers of very opulent wines.

A fleshy, sensual, airy nose that takes your breath away, captivating you from the very first moment. Sweet and savory aromas emerge, with a meaty note: it’s a true smörgåsbord of flavors and impressions. On the palate, the fruit is imposing, self-assured, powerful. This wine can be cellared for a very long time and should not be opened right away. The pleasure it gives today will only multiply over the coming years.

Logo on the capsule: inverted T (Trescases) Dark, intense colour with slight evolution. Intense nose with ripe, suave fruit. Soft on the attack, then round and flavourful mid-palate; however, the wine turns rough in the second half of the palate, even though there is aroma behind it. A typical behaviour of a non-representative bottle. Sad considering the beauty of the model.

It was foreseeable that this wine, already so powerful, extract-rich and yet perfectly balanced en primeur, would not be easy to taste once bottled – and that is exactly the case: a top-class bottle with great aging potential, which should be forgotten for the next ten years.

Generous yet contained, this is as broad-shouldered and muscular as you might expect from a vintage where everything went right during the growing season, showing a velvety finesse to its tannins. It has fully settled into its drinking window at this point, while still offering plenty of primary character to the grilled plum and black cherry fruit alongside capsicum pepper, turmeric spice, incense, olive tapenade, kirsch, cocoa bean and liquorice. 77% new oak for ageing. Harvest September 9 to October 6, Jean-Philippe Delmas director.

95-97 Barrel sample. Lovely, velvet textured wine, with acidity and some spicy wood. The texture is so ripe, the tannins voluptuous, smooth and textured, a light touch of chocolate. Magnificent rich wine.