Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 2015

Has lost none of its splendour: fleshy, fiery, dense, and incredibly long—perfect for winter evenings.

Alluring, with steeped plum, blackberry and açaí berry fruit imparting a distinctive edge. Slightly burly tannins roam underneath but the fruit is so fleshy and broad they are easily absorbed, while dark pudding, warm tar, licorice snap and roasted alder notes flow in on the lengthy finish. Reveals a gorgeous Turkish coffee accent at the very end. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2040. 6,800 cases made.

Taut and tense from the off: coffee, smoky almond and pulsing with vibrancy and energy. Reservations over the high alcohol at 15.1%abv but 3.74pH means you barely feel it. Such beautiful tannic grip and sense of forward motion, showing great ageing potential. Beautiful length of damson and loganberry fruits and fragrant heather and garden herbs. Lovely texture, structured and tannic hold. 78% new oak.

Rose petals, sandalwood and currants with some plums and fruit tea. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Incredibly straight and mineral. Toned muscles here. Tannic. Traditional and unwavering. Try in 2024.

Tasted blind. Dense, concentrated nose. Lots of alcohol and substance and structure. Plays with the taster! Extremely youthful. La Mission? Just a tad stodgy at this point. (JR)

With a depth of color from the rim to the center of the glass, this is all about incredibly ripe, dark red fruits, soft but strong tannins, and layers of fruit that seem to start and have a hard time stopping. The finish hangs on for over 40 seconds! The wine is rich, full-bodied and concentrated, yet it's elegant, powerful and graceful. Everything is in balance and harmony here. This will easily age for 3, 4, 5 or 6 decades.

Dark garnet with purple reflections and delicate rim brightening. Fine savory oak, delicate hints of nougat and cherry, blackberry confit underneath, an inviting bouquet. Juicy, pleasant fruit sweetness, integrated tannins, appears powerful and chocolatey, ripe plums on the finish, already accessible, pronounced fruit finish.

More opulent, sexy and concentrated, the 2015 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is a tour de force that has everything you could want from Bordeaux. A huge nose of smoke tobacco, gravelly earth, graphite, cassis, and blackcurrants gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated, perfectly balanced beauty that has incredible depth of flavor and intensity, yet with no weight. While the overall impression is upfront and in your face, it has incredible elegance and length on the finish (as well as ripe tannin) and will keep for three decades. The 2015 is 58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc.

58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet hues on the rim. An intoxicating bouquet with plenty of mulberries and cassis, showing remarkable depth of spice, licorice, dark fine woods, Havanan tobacco, tar, and hints of black truffle. Massive, concentrated palate with a black-berry dominance; the tannins are perfectly on point and the fruit is neither under- nor overripe. A very precise, long La Mission with a classic leaning. Not an early charmer. First drinking window in about 15 years.

58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac hues on the rim. Heady bouquet with plenty of mulberry and cassis, showing profound spice, licorice, dark fine woods, Havana tobacco, tar, and hints of black truffle. Massive, concentrated palate, entirely in the black-fruit spectrum; the tannins are spot-on and the fruit is neither under- nor overripe. A very precise, long Mission with a classical leaning. This underscores its potential and the fact that it won’t be an early charmer. First optimal drinking window likely in about 15 years.

A notch less muscular than Haut-Brion, exceptionally finessed and textured, satin and slate, push and pull, crushed rose petals, soy and smoked earth. Great quality, love the mandarin peel bitterness that gives lift through the finish, and the waves of floral aromatics that linger on your palate after the wine has gone. An exceptional wine with pleasure on its mind. Jean-Philippe Delmas, director, 78% new oak for ageing.

Made from 58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet in color. It comes spilling out of the glass with gregarious scents of baked black and red cherries, warm cassis, and pencil shavings, leading to hints of crushed rocks, Indian spices, and potpourri. The full-bodied palate is beautifully poised, with loads of mineral and exotic spice accents to the core of black fruit preserves, framed by beautifully plush, rounded tannins, finishing long and fragrant. This is gorgeous!

Remarkable flesh and texture, voluptuous tactile sensations, tannin already well integrated, long and impeccable, with a slight lack of sparkle on the finish compared to the dream one holds for this terroir.

With its opulent character driven by Merlots, its beautiful fruit ripeness and controlled exuberance, La Mission Haut-Brion 2015 is all about volume and charm. A wine that will delight lovers of this irresistibly flamboyant style.

Deep garnet red. An elegant, filigreed and complex bouquet. Beautiful harmony between spice and fruit. Hints of wild berries and smoked bacon. Compact, expressive attack. On the palate, the wine is rich and shows a lovely impression of tannins. These emerge slowly and display power that is handled with precision. The structure provides backbone and freshness. A truly great wine that needs time, yet already shows how far it can go over the years.

The nose is fruity, indulgent, elegant, racy, and harmonious. It reveals notes of blackberry, ripe strawberry, and subtler hints of toast and chocolate. The palate is fruity, indulgent, elegant, mineral, racy, and offers lovely tension, finesse, great harmony, and silkiness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry and red fruits (cherry, strawberry, a touch of raspberry) combined with discreet notes of blackcurrant, fine sweet spices, toasted oak, as well as fine notes of caramel and a discreet hint of mocha on the finish. Long finish with endless persistence.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, reminiscent of blackberry jelly. A smoky touch. Broad on the attack, immediately suave thereafter, particularly fruity and powerful mid-palate, the wine evolves with a hint of austerity but remains rich in flavors. It finishes very long, well-structured, and offers a very fine grain. Built for long aging.

(58% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc) Velvety, dense, deep and complex bouquet with subtle notes of dried plums, tobacco, currants, praline, black blackberries, and a fine touch of licorice. Dense, powerful, multi-layered and balanced palate with velvety, concentrated fruit, lots of very fine tannins, a concentrated, finely muscular structure, a dense, varied, dark aromatic profile, and a very long, powerful, aromatic finish with plenty of afterflavors. Can improve further. 19/20 2025 - 2060

This wine, rich and opulent, defines the terroir of this estate. It has a rich, dense character, powerful and concentrated. The juicy black fruits enhance the impression of generosity as well as concentration. Drink from 2027.