Ten Vintages Haut Bailly vs Mission HB

Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.

Some findings:
1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission can eclipse Haut Bailly thanks to a much higher complexity, but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting) most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).

Vintages:
1994 – Not much charm and rather hollow
1995 – Angular, will there be any fruit left when the tannins finally melt?
2002 – Not great, and drying towards the finish
2005 – Strong vintage which still needs another decade
2008 – A right bank vintage
2009 – Seductive & ripe but some went too far
2010 – Superb delineation, ripe, high octane but good acidity
2011 – Well crafted, mediocre vintage without any excess
2014 – Classic proportions, medium substance
2015 – Very good, ripeness better handled than in 09

• 1994 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Good, expressive nose with an elegant fruit core, some burnt sugar notes, hints of tobacco, some meaty notes. Quite inviting. On the palate this has fairly round tannins, a high but well-integrated acidity and fine texture. It is a bit hollow with not much substance from mid palate onwards. Same dark fruits and tobacco notes but not much more. Overall a fine wine but nothing too exciting.
  
  Decanting: Doesn’t seem to need an extended decanting.

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• 1995 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Lots of green bell pepper, tobacco, and some old leather. Very classic Pessac nose dominated by the tertiary and earthy aromas with the fruit core only faintly in the background. On the palate there is a blue and black fruit core, with the right amount of sweetness, and well balanced by tobacco, earthy and minerality notes, some hints of burnt sugar add a touch of seductiveness. Fine, round structure with half-melted tannins. Good tension and acidity. A quite long finish. This will need a few more years to fully melt. While it’s overall elegant, it doesn’t have the finesse of great vintages. While it’s drinking good today, also thanks to a quite nice and long finish, it won’t reach the heights the Haut Brion in the next glass should achieve once mature as it doesn’t have the fruit and overall substance to compete. In fact, I’m not sure if there will be enough fruit left, once the structure has melted.
  
  Decanting: Two+ hours in the decanter should help.

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• 2002 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Fine blue and black fruits on the nose, some hints of coffee to complement the picture. Quite good, medium expressive nose. On the palate there is some fresh fruit and minerality but it remains a bit hollow. Overall missing a bit of sweetness to make it balanced and harmonious. Still a pleasant wine and quite layered and worth 91/92pts. The finish did show a bit acidic, though.
  
  Decanting: 1-2 hours in a decanter.

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• 2005 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Beautiful round, fruit-driven, ripe nose. Seductive and inviting. On the attack beautiful toasty aromas, ripe and fresh red and dark berries, minerality, earthy notes, seductive oak notes, some hints of nutty aromas. High precision in every aroma. It is quite ripe but in no way over-ripe. Very charming and with an elegant structural frame. Round, satin-like tannins, high and well-rounded acidity. Very fresh and despite the ripeness it feels very pure. Harmonious from the start to the medium+ long finish. This is a winner which should turn into a mind-blowingly good wine in 15+ years. It certainly needs these years to develop all the tertiary complexity.
  
  Decanting: 2-3 hours should be fine.

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• 2008 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: This felt very disjointed and very extracted. Underneath there was lots of dark fruit, ripe but not too ripe, some earthy aromas high freshness, a bit drying tannins and not a good balance. Tasting and scoring it blind, I was surprised to see the Mission label. I went back to check for obvious faults but didn’t find them, hence I sticked with the 85pts, despite a high likelihood of this not being a representative bottle. Anyway, 2008 doesn’t seem to be a winning vintage for Pessac wines.

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• 2009 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: This was a mess from start to finish. Really alcoholic on the nose and through the palate. There is ripe fruit, a good minerality backbone, an herbal component. The tannins are of good quality and there is a nice acidity. But overall this didn’t show well at all with all that alcohol bordering on nail polish. A bottle a few years ago showed much better (rated 95pts) without that alcohol. Bad bottle?

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• 2010 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Not as bad as the 2009 (rated 84pts) but the well-structured, fine wine with quite fresh fruit is overshadowed by lots of unintegrated oak and a with alcohol showing. It might be a phase or the bottle isn’t good enough but this bottle was a clear miss.

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• 2011 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Very discrete nose. On the palate more open and round, with a fine streak of acidity. Not enough fruit or substance to excite but only with time there comes fine blue and red fresh fruit forward, rendering it fine and round. Good but without exceptionalism. All 3 2011s showed well but do not have the depth of better vintages as well as probably a touch too pronounced acidity.
  
  Decanting: Two hours should help here.

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• 2014 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Slightly alcoholic nose, fine dark fruit, minerality, quite layered and well-delinated. Certainly with a bit more substance and depth compared to the other two wines in this flight. The negative point, however, is the alcohol showing on the nose and towards the finish.
  
  Decanting: An hour or two should help.

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• 2015 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Medium+ expressive nose, ripe dark fruit, some blue fruit. On the palate this is very inviting, very round and velvety but with lots of tension and luxurious tannins. The whole spectrum blue, black and some dark red fruit, quite ripe but not too ripe. This is lots of fun to drink with some sweet layers of sugar powder, and then coffee and toffee. Some herbs and a nice minerality backbone shining through. Very complex and highly precise But overall this is so round and easy to drink from start to the long finish. One of the starts of the tasting and compared to the 09/10 no alcohol showing.
  
  Decanting: Showed quite well from the go. Maybe no extensive decanting is needed.

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• 1994 Château Haut-Bailly 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Green bell pepper, minerality, undernath some hints of dark fruit but overall a bit muted and less expressive than the Mission. On the palate, the attack shows some sweet dark and red berries mixed with some minerality and herbs but also here from mid palate on the wine thins out quite quickly. But overall this is quite round, fine and complete with well-rounded tannins and high but well-integrated acidity but the lack of substance prevents a higher rating.
  
  Decanting: No extended decanting necessary.

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• 1995 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Quite intense, slightly funky nose with some green notes, stems, green bell pepper. Quite round but not fully harmonious, missing a bit of fruit. The palate shows green bell pepper, dark berries, crushed rocks, some ashy notes. A bit more interesting and balanced. The substance is there but the structure remains quite angular with an elevated, not very well integrated acidity. Medium length. This needs more time to mellow further.
  
  Decanting: I would go for two hours in the decanter.

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• 2002 Château Haut-Bailly 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: A bit muted nose with hints of dark fruit, blue fruit and some pleasant tobacco. Not overly exciting but much more expressive on the palate. It is round and elegant, fresh and light, displaying fine dark berries, red berries, blue berries, minerality, herbs. Generous sweetness balanced by lots of earthiness. Some first hints of tobacco. The most substance of the 3 2002 and hence the winner of this flight.
  
  Decanting: Good from the go but would certainly benefit from 1-2 hours in the decanter.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Bailly 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Medium- expressive nose with dark, ripe fruit, quite dense and slightly locked. Some forest berries shine through but not much more. On the palate there is a beautiful blue and black forest berry fruit mix, some minerality and some earthy notes. Medium depth but I like the freshness of the fruit. The tannins are fairly round, high but fairly well integrated acidity, medium length. Overall quite balanced. This showed quite promising and once the structure has melted nicely and unlocked more aromatic layers, it might climb a point or two.
  
  Decanting: 2+ hours are certainly needed.

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• 2008 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Herbal, dark fruited nose, medium intense but not overly complex. On the palate this is dark fruit driven with lots of minerality but not much complexity. Fairly fine tannins, good acidity and hence overall round. A solid, easy drinking wine worth 91/92 pts, quite pure but without much complexity. 2008 doesn’t seem to be a winning vintage for Pessac wines.
  
  Decanting: Not much decanting needed here.

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• 2009 Château Haut-Bailly 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Expressive nose with ripe dark berries, some toast and coffee notes too. Very inviting. On the palate this is round and seductive, toasted and full of ripe dark fruits, cassis, dark red fruit, coffee and burnt sugar. Some minerality and herbs to complement. Round, superb tannin quality, fine acidity to keep it quite fresh. Overall a fantastic, balanced wine although it is quite ripe.
  
  Decanting: Like with many 2009s, a short decant should be sufficient.

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• 2010 Château Haut-Bailly 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Medium- expressive, ripe, fresh blue, red and black fruit on the nose. The palate is superb with a potpurri of fresh fruit, floral aromas, herbs and minerality, just a touch of well-dosed, luxurious oak. Superb sweetness with the right amount of candied fruit complementing all the fresh fruit and earthy notes. Superb overall with fine tannins, good, well-integrated high acidity. Overall very, very good and one of the stars of the tasting.
  
  Decanting: Good from the go but I think one to two hours will help.

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• 2011 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Medium+ intense, green bell pepper, lot of freshness but not enough substance to excite on the nose. On the palate this is a bit astringent with not enough fruit and substance to excite, not enough fruit to create a good balance. With time a bit better but never really good. Others rated it higher but I don‘t see it. All 3 2011s showed well but do not have the depth of better vintages as well as probably a touch too pronounced acidity.
  
  Decanting: Two hours should help here.

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• 2014 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: On par with the Domaine de Chevalier which is slightly more round and charming vs the more astringent appearance of the Haut Bailly. With time the wine opened up a bit and some fruit came forward. But overall, this wine remains a bit charmless with not enough sweetness to balance the earthiness and astringency at this point in its life. Haut Bailly seems to be a wine for warmer vintages.
  
  Decanting: Maybe a long decanting would have helped to open the wine up.

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• 2015 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: This wine showed the weakest among the three 2015s. It is more muted with not much expression on the nose and not enough fruit showing on the palate. You can sense that there is much more substance underneath with a beautiful mineral spine but this is currently definitely not open for business. The structural frame, though, seems impeccable with a good acidic backbone which not all 2015s achieve. 91/92 pts today but with more potential.
  
  Decanting: Not very open, this would have probably needed a few hours in the decanter.

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• 1994 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: As usual, Smith Haut Lafitte shows quite hedonistic on the nose with a beautiful mix of coffee, tobacco and some ripe dark berries. This is the best nose in the series. On the palate much less exciting with dark and blue fruit, a bit bitter herbs and just hints of tobacco. Very light and hollow from mid palate on. The structure is quite fine but overall nothing to get excited about.
  
  Decanting: No extended decanting necessary.

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• 1995 Château Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Intense, intriguing nose with dark and dark red fruit, strong fruit core, some candied and burnt sugar notes with an overall muscular impression. On the palate this shows a lot of tension with not yet fully round tannins. The wine is mainly driven by minerality, some stems, green bell pepper, ashes and smoke. Some first tertiarty tobacco notes are emerging. High acidity but well integrated. Overall good but missing a touch of roundness. This has certainly the substance to develop into a very good wine. While good today, this could become a 95+ pts wine in another 5 to 10 years with a more melted structure and more tertiary complexity. The Mission in the next glass reached the same 93pts level today as it showed more mature and round but it doesn’t have the same life expectancy and will not reach the same heights.
  
  Decanting: Two+ hours should certainly help.

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• 2002 Château Haut-Brion 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Dark fruited, slightly sweet and ripe nose with some leather and tobacco. Not fully expressive. On the palate the attack is intense with ripe dark fruit and blue fruit, herbs and minerality but not much more. The tannins are quite round but the acidity is too high and the wine is drying out a bit towards the end. Overall missing a bit of sweetness to make it balanced and harmonious. No surprise when revealed, as Haut Brion seldomly performs without decanting. Still, probably not a winning vintage for this wine.
  
  Decanting: This would certainly have needed a few hours.

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• 2005 Château Branon 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Medium expressive nose, green bell pepper, minerality but no charm, not enough fruit. Better on the palate with red and dark red fruit, some coffee notes, some blue fruit, herbs and minerality. Overall a bit light and quite short but with fairly fine tannins, high but well-integrated acidity and good finesse and balance. This is a very solid wine with a beautiful aromatic expression on the attack as the highlight. In this flight it could not compete with the fabolous Mission.
  
  Decanting: 1-2 hours should help to open it up.

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• 2008 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Fairly discree nose with a bit of dark fruit and herbs. On the palate this is a bit astringent, not enough fruit to be truly balanced. But with time this opens up a bit showing fresh fruit and some minerality. Overall medium balance, not much substance. 2008 doesn’t seem to be a winning vintage for Pessac wines.
  
  Decanting: 1-2 hours should be enough.

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• 2009 Château Pape Clément 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Intense, fruity nose with green bell pepper and herbs. Quite balanced and fresh. On the palate there is a beautiful blue, black and red fruit potpurri. Herbs, minerality, some smoky notes complement the picture.. Overall round, fine and fresh. Very good overall, very balanced. Consistent with previous bottles.
  
  Decanting: Like with many 2009s, a short decant should be sufficient.

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• 2010 Château Luchey-Halde 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Fresh, dark fruited nose, pure dark and blue berries, hints of candied fruit underneath. Intriguing, restrained but still revealing its potential. On the palate this is very fresh, high acid but with round tannins. Probably a touch too acidic. The fruit is quite fresh. . Superb freshness but not much complexity shining through yet. Overall fine but nothing too exciting.
  
  Decanting: An hour or two should do the job.

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• 2011 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Inviting, round nose with ripe dark fruit, some blue notes, some cola notes, hints of herbs. Quite inviting and clean. The palate is fine, round, fresh, probably a touch acidic or are there some green notes? But a nice lot of blue and dark fruits, and even some candied notes which go well with the herbal, minerality tones. Fairly fine structural frame and pleasurable to drink. All 3 2011s showed well but do not have the depth of better vintages as well as probably a touch too pronounced acidity.
  
  Decanting: 1-2 hours should do the job.

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• 2014 Domaine de Chevalier 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: On the nose a bit timid but the palate shows a good dark fruit core, minerailty. This is a fine, relatively harmonious and round wine but not overly complex. Good but nothing to write home about.
  
  Decanting: This needed a bit of swirling to open up. Decanting would certainly help.

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• 2015 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Preamble: All wines tasted blind in 10 vintage flights (1994-2015). To every flight one random third wine from Pessac Leognan added (2x Haut Brion, 2x Smith, 2x Pape Clement, 1x Branon, 1x Luchy Halde, 1x Carmes, 1x Chevalier). All wines opened a few hours before consumption but no decanting.
  
  Some findings:
  1) Haut Bailly outperformed Mission (5 vs 4 wins, 92.5 vs 90.5 average). 2) Haut Bailly is a rather structured wine which seems to shine bright in ripe and warm vintages, without any form of excess ripeness or extraction. 3) When done right (05/15), Mission eclipses Haut Bailly with its depth and delineation , but several vintages showed a bit too ripe but especially with the alcohol not well masked (09/10). 4) Pessac wines usually need quite some air to open up. In this setting (no decanting), most wines needed a lot of swirling to fully open up and will need more cellar time. 5) The best wines today were Haut Bailly 09 (96pts) & 10 (95pts) and Mission 05 & 15 (95pts).
  
  TN: Expressive and well-defined, classically shaped bouquet. Lots of fine blue fruit, red fruits and then lots of green bell pepper and smoky notes, curshed rocks. On the palate that herbal, smoky and bell pepper notes lends a lot of freshness and lifts the wine with its blue and dark fruit core even more. Very fine but not as luxurious tannins as in the Mission 2015 in the next glass. Overall, this is a very fine, elegant, classic Bordeaux which is very fresh and blue-fruit driven which is not easy to achieve in the hot year. It probably misses a bit of the immediate charm of other 2015 (and the Mission 2015) but is nevertheless a very good wine.
  
  Decanting: Good from the go, a short decant should be sufficient.

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