Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Tasting and Dinner

Winefield's Auctioneers, Amsterdam, NL
Tasted Monday, June 19, 2023 by Xavier Auerbach with 249 views

Introduction

An amazing BYO tasting themed around Pessac-Léognan's two greatest growths.

Flight 1 - Aperitif and a second wine (3 Notes)

  • 2011 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Open and expressive nose, citrus and toast, coconut and flowers, very recognisable; generous and supple palate, light structure typical for 2011, soft and accessible but elegant and stylish, ripe citrus fruit; salty minerality, excellent length. A pretty Comtes.

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  • 1996 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    Medium golden colour with amber reflections; attractive tertiary evolution on the nose, nuts and candied fruit, paired with tart lemon fruit and deep minerality; rich flavours on the palate, sustained by very typical firm 1996 acidity, ripe citrus fruit; gentle bitters on the finish, very good persistence. A successful marriage of energy and evolution.

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  • 2019 La Clarté de Haut-Brion Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Silky and stylish, accessible already, extremely floral and lifted, honeysuckle, soft and generous, creamy texture, subtle Sauvignon notes, beautifully integrated new oak covered in flesh, well balanced, very good resonance and length.

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Flight 2 - Laville Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion Blanc (6 Notes)

  • 1981 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Intense but lively buttercup yellow, youthful green reflections; marvellous nose, fresh as a daisy, citrus and minerals, hints of cream and honey, touch of spicy depth; elegant and stylish palate, mature but completely upright, bright and still well integrated; hints of toasty oak on the finish, with ripe citrus fruit.

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  • 2006 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Deeper colour, tired, oxydative, no fruit left.

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  • 2008 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Deep colour but the oxydation is not as bad as the 2006, lovage, but there is also some freshness and tropical fruit left. Salty finish. Actually improves a bit with aeration but clearly faulty.

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  • 1990 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Beautifully evolved, rich colour; immense aromatic richness reflecting the warm vintage but still understated and almost shy, creamy lemon; in spite of weight and age, the palate retains all its freshness and unmistakeable harmony, like a dry Sauternes; salty oak on the rich and flowing finish.

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  • 1993 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    From my own cellar, purchased at auction in 2019, pristine condition, level 1.5cm below the cork. Incredibly youthful appearance for a thirty year old wine; marvellous depth on the nose, opens up beautifully in the glass, rich and subtle, perfectly harmonious, beautiful clarity of expression; the palate has a dreamy quality, all silky elegance, a panoply of subtle flavours, gentle oak, perfect harmony again; long and flowing finish, great persistence. Seemingly ageless.

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  • 1994 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Purchased en primeur by the contributing participant and kept in perfect storage ever since. Slightly deeper colour than the 1993, but perfect for age; marvellous freshness and energy, not as precise as the 1993 but richer in style and more energetic, wonderfully harmonious and flowing, hint of spicy oak; finishes with an almost Burgundian touch of lemon curd. Takes to oxygen like a duck takes to water.

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Flight 3 - La Mission and Haut-Brion (8 Notes)

  • 1921 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Magnum. Low shoulder level but excellent provenance. Mature but lively appearance; smoky and cedary nose, rosehip, deep and warm, slightly nutty, completely healthy and intact; sweet and full and rounded palate without any sense of decay, harmonious, remarkably vibrant acidity, fully resolved tannins; smoky finish with a hint of orange zest. The last glass, with all the depot, shows the huge concentration which this wine once had. An incredible survivor.

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  • 1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Fabulous colour for age. Marvellous, spicy and meaty nose, deep and masculine, an essence of Mission; unusual power on the palate, great tannic structure, bolt upright, excellent length. Incredible quality for vintage and age.

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  • 1987 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Light body but with a nice mature sweetness, fresh and lively, lovely aroma, acidity is just starting to separate, lovely cedary and sweet finish.

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  • 2000 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    The stylistic unity with the 1978 is clear, mature but lively, elegant but potent, powerful and concentrated, good fruit but slightly drying, long finish with a hint of cold tea. I'm deducting two points for the dry finish. Maybe a less than perfect bottle?

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  • 2015 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Ripe and glossy fruit, monolithic and compact, great quality of fruit but otherwise not showing much, deep and masculine, spicy and deep. Score based on potential.

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  • 2002 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    From my own cellar. Purchased at auction in 2009. Pristine condition, perfect level and cork. Much fresher than the Ausone 2002 which accompanied it, marvellous aromas, light body but so fresh and lively, tobacco and warm red bricks, transparent and elegant, sandy tannins, excellent resonance and length. A great surprise, good future.

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  • 2015 Château Haut-Brion 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Very youthful but already starting to show its quality and Haut-Brion identity. Tobacco, cedar, crushed red fruit and spices, flowing elegance, firm but super refined tannins, long finish with great drive. Needs ten years at least.

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  • 2016 Château Haut-Brion 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Beautifully precise and fresh, perfumed and exciting, diaphanous and refined, flowers and red berries, wonderful tension and harmony, firm but papery tannins, minty, perfect weight, elegant and layered, just a whiff of oak, long finish with great drive. Stunning wine, effortless elegance, great future.

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Flight 4 - One ringer and three bonus bottles (4 Notes)

  • 2014 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée 95 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    A ringer in this tasting. A blend of 66% Sémillon, 32% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle from Sonoma, 14.8% ABV. Youthful appearance, rich and generous style, beautifully harmonious, broad with ripe acidity, clear touch of warmth but the alcohol is well integrated, tropical edge to the fruit, youthful for age, very good length. I can't help admiring it, but I don't get Parker's perfect score.

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  • 2006 Château Mouton Rothschild 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Showing beautifully, rich Pauillac fruit, firmly structured but with inimitable Mouton richness, starting to show some tertiary evolution, precise and transparent, excellent resonance and length.

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  • 2002 Château Ausone 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Mature and quite full bodied for its vintage, showing quite a lot of evolution on the nose, tannins are a bit sticky, good weight, mouthfilling, good concentration, good length.

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  • 2001 Château Guiraud 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Sweet and rich and oaky, tropical fruit and honey, black tea on the finish. Lacks elegance.

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