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95 By Robert Parker
95 By Robert Parker
Like a lot of wines in this underrated vintage, the 2008 La Mission was one of the great bargains of recent vintages. Its healthy blue/purple color is followed by aromas of blueberries, black raspberries, licorice, truffles, underbrush and forest floor. The scorched earthy/smoky character of this estate’s terroir has not yet emerged. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated with good acidity, freshness and delineation, this is a big wine for the vintage, but also very classic in its balance of tannin, acidity and extract. It will benefit from another 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for three decades. The final blend was 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.
Producer
Château La Mission Haut Brion
Similarly owned by the Dillon family, Château La Mission Haut-Brion is certainly the second best producer in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, after its neighbor and Graves greatest producer, Château Haut-Brion. With a history beginning in the early 16th century, La Mission Haut-Brion now justly rivals its sister winery in more than just select vintages, the estate has actually been raised to a comparable First Growth rank in 2009. While the Pessac-Léognan Cru Classé’s La Tour Haut-Brion, used to be La Mission’s second wine, it is now a separately owned brand, however still managed by the Dillon family. The 29-hectare property is planted primarily to the production of their first-rate reds. Their La Mission Haut-Brion is the flagship wine, it is exemplary of their house style - rich, barrel-fermented, dense, and powerful. The château also produces La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, a second wine that is riper but nonetheless arousing.