Mission Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2020

TASTED

96 / 100

byAndreas Larssonthe7/6/2021

Good purity, depth and nuance, some stony notes, charcoal, violet and ripe dark berries and crème de cassis. Excellent combination of power and freshness, dense young fruit with plenty of fine tannin, good oak integration, layers of digest dark fruit mild spices and a very long lingering finish.

La Revue du Vin de France

96-97 / 100

the6/7/2021

Noble et disert, tout aussi dense mais plus ouvert au public que Haut-Brion, moins nerveux et plus moelleux, c’est un vin qui va vers le dégustateur. La matière montre une texture admirablement fondue, une ampleur généreuse mais aussi beaucoup de délicatesse dans la définition du fruit. Finale presque en dentelle, très longue mais sans insistance tannique. 2020 montre ici plus de parenté avec le 2019 qu’avec le 2018.

Le Figaro

97-99 / 100

the6/2/2021

Après une première approche puissante et capiteuse, un nez qui s'ouvre habilement sur des arômes de grenade et de figue, qui nous plonge dans l'atmosphère mystique du chant de Salomon. En bouche, une fraîcheur exquise, avec beaucoup de concentration, de légères notes épicées, et une finale mocha qui n'en finit plus.

Vinous

96-98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Silky and pliant, La Mission is all finesse. Fine tannins lend energy as the 2020 gradually opens with some coaxing. Today, the flavors are remarkably primary, and yet the 2020 is so persistent, so elegant. Hints of cedar, tobacco, gravel and dried herbs add aromatic complexity, but the 2020 is a mere infant. I can't wait to watch it grow up. There is a bit of new oak that needs to integrate, but nothing élevage can't take care of.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

Another sensational wine, the 2020 Château La Mission Haut-Brion boasts a deep ruby/purple color to go with a rocking perfume of ripe black cherries, tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and exotic spices. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, it has a ripe, expansive texture, building tannins, and just an opulent texture. The vintage doesn't get any sexier than this beauty.

Vinous

97-99 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion was picked September 7–29. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, wild strawberry, wilted violet petals and hints of orange blossom. It unfolded with aeration as I examined it side-by-side against its neighbor over the course of an hour. The exquisitely balanced palate is lightly spiced on the entry and segues into a very structured midpalate that frames the weight of pixelated black fruit. That spicy theme continues and is exaggerated toward a finish that fans out wonderfully. This is a less alcoholic La Mission Haut-Brion compared to recent vintages, a bit "cooler" and streamlined, yet no less intense and satisfying. An enthralling wine in the making from Jean-Philippe Delmas and his team.

Decanter.com

98 / 100

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

A kick of black fruit and confident spice right from the first nose, this is an intense and concentrated La Mission, tightly in control, not letting up from beginning to end. The pencil lead and bitter dark chocolate is layered in between the cassis notes in a way that makes you see the Cabernet influence although this is majority Merlot (once again - this is a character of the year, low yields of Cabernet mean Merlot is more featured in the blend than usual; but the intensity of the Cabernets mean that it still has an outsized influence on flavour profile). Grilled coffee beans overtake on the close of play, this is seductive and switches beautifully between the tannins pressing in on the palate and the juice expanding things outwards. This is the wine to go for in the Domaines Clarence Dillon stable this year. Harvest from 7th to 29th September.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97-99 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Dark in color, the wine pops with its profile of Cuban cigars, black currants, camphor, spice, tar and smoke. Full-bodied, powerful, long and rich, the wine builds as it intensifies on your palate. There is length, intensity and layers of mineral-driven, dark red pit fruits with lift and persistency in the extended finish. The wine demands 12-15 years of aging and will evolve for at least 3-4 decades after that. The wine blends 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, 14.7% ABV. Harvesting took place, September 7, September 29. 97-99

Wine Advocate

97-99 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

Composed of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.7%. It needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal slowly emerging scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and forest floor, leading to suggestions of violets, baker's chocolate and cardamom with wafts of dusty soil and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with impactful, fresh red, black and blue fruit layers, supported by impressive freshness and fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. A stunning expression of this vintage!

Anthocyanes

95-97 / 100

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Très frais, très mentholé, gourmand et dominé par les fruits noirs, le bouquet de La Mission Haut-Brion offre un éclat et une énergie émotionnelle. A l'aération, des notes de poivre, d'épices et une pointe fumée apparaissent. Le toucher de bouche est splendide, délicat, tannique sans être astringent et parfaitement ciselé. On ressent certes quelques tanins de bois mais l'ensemble est équilibré et très long. C'est un vin plutôt certes dense et massif mais possédant une tension en son milieu qui tend l'ensemble. Bâti pour une longue garde et très en rapport avec le millésime, notamment au niveau des tanins. Un vin charmeur et droit. Sur des rails pour 20 à 40 ans.

Bernard Burtschy

97-98 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe5/10/2021

Falstaff

95-97 / 100

the5/10/2021

Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit Gewürznuancen wie Kardamom und Zimt unterlegte schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Lakritze und Cassis, feiner Nougat, Tabak, kandierte Orangenzesten. Stoffig, feine Fruchtsüße, reife Kirschen, elegant, frisch strukturiert, präsente, gut eingebundene Tannine, schokoladig, etwas Kakao im Nachhall, sehr gute Länge, sicheres Reifepotenzial.

My Bettane + Desseauve

97 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe5/4/2021

This really builds on the palate. Loads of blackberry and iodine with asphalt undertones. It’s full-bodied with tannins that steamroll at the end and keep going. Classic blend.