This was very young as you would expect and hasn’t shed much of its baby fat yet. The fruit is classy yet polished and still has that youthful flesh to it. Profile is deep darker fruits (cassis, blackberry) with intensity and weight you would expect from LMHB. Plenty of structure to balance the fruit to keep this going for decades. Wasn’t as approachable as some of the other 2014 Bordeaux I’ve had but this also showed a ton of potential and should be a stunning wine in 20+ years.
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14.5% ABV. Deep ruby appearance with slight garnet at the rim. Decanted 1.5 hrs and followed over 3 hours after.
Nose was reticent at first but this opened up and evolved nicely throughout the night. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, cassis, dried florals, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, and tilled earth. Medium density on the palate which was lifted by a vibrant acidity with a persistent length of finish. Tannins are present but round and approachable. Alcohol was well-integrated and undetectable.
Really loved the purity of fruit and underlying minerality that this expressed. A very classic claret that may be lacking the depth and complexity of better vintages to make this a true home run, but regardless, a fantastic drinking experience. Ready for business with a healthy decant but a hold for those looking for more tertiary development.
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Decanted 1 hour. Amazing nose. Gorgeously fragrant aromas of lavender, dark rose, hibiscus flowers, whiffs of red fruits like red currant, raspberry and cigar wrapper. On the palate, soft, sleek, fresh, velvet texture, medium-bodied, polished tannins with a long and sweet tobacco & spice finish. Absolutely a long runway for development but drinking pleasantly today as welll. This is a well-refined, exquisite and elegant wine. Very delicious. Drank at Batard HK, fantastic food with excellent wine selection.
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Came from behind for the win tonight, as this gained incredible complexity and flow. Perfect medium-weight with sneaky intensity. Bright and savory with black-cherry and eucalyptus. Fresh cigar with hints of game; hints of tar. An exciting wine with upside. 2026-2050
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The nose on this LMHB is striking, like walking into to a cigar wrapper, tobacco smoke box with dark black fruit, cedar and a hint of licorice. A brooding palate, not elegant yet but with chewy young tannins, dark fruit, crisp acidity and a long young finish. Needs a few years for palate to balance but certainly a very good LMHB behind the top vintages. Upside ahead
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More depth and vigor with firmer tannins than the '14 HB drunk alongside. Already layered and complex and drinking fabulously for a young LMHB with deep dark fruits and wonderful notes of cigar tobacco and road tar. Plenty more to come here and not an off-vintage at all. Out of magnum. 94+
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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 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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Out of Double Magnum. Ranch dinner with axis venison. 2 hour decant. Like drinking a cigar smoothie - less chewy tannins than some other LMHB vintages but so very primal and rich. I don’t think this needs too much more time to enjoy - it’s got a lot of layers and intrigue already.
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from 375ml. Dark, placid garnet color. Deep, delicious ripe blackberries with a little spice on the nose. Ligonberries on the attack followed by delicious spiced mulberries. Nuanced yet powerful plum skin follows. Touches of vanilla and a sourness that has a faint basalmic note. Amazingly delicious and long finish. The other bottles had a high cork taint ratio but this one is drinking beautifully.
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What is Better Than a By-the-Glass Lunch at Wally's? (Wally's - Beverly Hills CA): Bottle had been Coravin'ed a few days earlier. Enticing aromas of black plum, berry and cassis with cedar and roasted game sausage. Similar flavors are slightly behind the wine's structure, which seems firm but not dominating. Everything is nearly in balance, albeit still just hinting at the wine's potential, but those hints are not subtle. So much here, very exciting already, better, 2024-2044.
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Don’t know what to make out of this wine, typical bordeaux notes, cassis, fruity. Good but nothing special. Maybe time helps and transforms this into what Mission is for me...
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Found this to be very classic with rose petals, tar, and dark berry fruit. Yes it’s lighter weighted than 15, but I think has some amazing stuffing for the cellar. It’s a buy for me, particularly in proportion to the prices neighboring vintages command
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Drunk this over several hours. Very beautiful nose, but on the palate rather thin. (some people might call it elegant) I am just missing a bit pressure. This is very young and might gain a point or two with more storage, but I’m not sure. In my opinion, there are better alternatives for the money anyway. But maybe I might be wrong and sorry I didn’t buy this....anyway, this is very delicate.....
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Nose: beautiful rich red fruit and a bit of smoked meat and hot stones. Palate: enters broad and fans out in a slightly blocky manner. Blackberry, cherry preserves. Sweet tobacco and bricky smoke notes. Finish: Wood notes that impart a creamy texture and more red berries and cherry notes.
Arrivals tasting and this was showing great. Needs time to come together however.
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Fleshy, bright, exciting and sweet, this full-bodied, tannic, rich and structured wine delivers a multifaceted finish of cassis, tobacco and dark berry but demands at least a decade to rise to its riches. The wine was made from a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon with a pH of 3.67. 94-95 Pts
10/27/2023 - godx wrote:
This was very young as you would expect and hasn’t shed much of its baby fat yet. The fruit is classy yet polished and still has that youthful flesh to it. Profile is deep darker fruits (cassis, blackberry) with intensity and weight you would expect from LMHB. Plenty of structure to balance the fruit to keep this going for decades. Wasn’t as approachable as some of the other 2014 Bordeaux I’ve had but this also showed a ton of potential and should be a stunning wine in 20+ years.
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7/30/2023 - iBurg1229 Likes this wine: 94 Points
14.5% ABV. Deep ruby appearance with slight garnet at the rim. Decanted 1.5 hrs and followed over 3 hours after.
Nose was reticent at first but this opened up and evolved nicely throughout the night. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, cassis, dried florals, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, and tilled earth. Medium density on the palate which was lifted by a vibrant acidity with a persistent length of finish. Tannins are present but round and approachable. Alcohol was well-integrated and undetectable.
Really loved the purity of fruit and underlying minerality that this expressed. A very classic claret that may be lacking the depth and complexity of better vintages to make this a true home run, but regardless, a fantastic drinking experience. Ready for business with a healthy decant but a hold for those looking for more tertiary development.
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7/28/2023 - Winsip Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Amazing nose. Gorgeously fragrant aromas of lavender, dark rose, hibiscus flowers, whiffs of red fruits like red currant, raspberry and cigar wrapper.
On the palate, soft, sleek, fresh, velvet texture, medium-bodied, polished tannins with a long and sweet tobacco & spice finish. Absolutely a long runway for development but drinking pleasantly today as welll. This is a well-refined, exquisite and elegant wine. Very delicious.
Drank at Batard HK, fantastic food with excellent wine selection.
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7/6/2023 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Came from behind for the win tonight, as this gained incredible complexity and flow. Perfect medium-weight with sneaky intensity. Bright and savory with black-cherry and eucalyptus. Fresh cigar with hints of game; hints of tar. An exciting wine with upside. 2026-2050
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5/20/2023 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fruits, earthy, bdx style. So balance. Finish for day. This wine is incredible. Really love it. In a blind tasting, this is the wine of the night.!
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4/15/2023 - mchern02 wrote: 93 Points
4 hour decant
The nose on this LMHB is striking, like walking into to a cigar wrapper, tobacco smoke box with dark black fruit, cedar and a hint of licorice. A brooding palate, not elegant yet but with chewy young tannins, dark fruit, crisp acidity and a long young finish. Needs a few years for palate to balance but certainly a very good LMHB behind the top vintages. Upside ahead
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2/16/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
More depth and vigor with firmer tannins than the '14 HB drunk alongside. Already layered and complex and drinking fabulously for a young LMHB with deep dark fruits and wonderful notes of cigar tobacco and road tar. Plenty more to come here and not an off-vintage at all. Out of magnum. 94+
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11/23/2022 - Cailles wrote: 89 Points
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 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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11/15/2022 - wxs2102 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Out of Double Magnum. Ranch dinner with axis venison. 2 hour decant. Like drinking a cigar smoothie - less chewy tannins than some other LMHB vintages but so very primal and rich. I don’t think this needs too much more time to enjoy - it’s got a lot of layers and intrigue already.
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6/17/2022 - ayalao3 wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful aromatics, taste too powerful and closed. Needs 3-5 years at least.
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5/10/2022 - chatters wrote:
Cru Wines Trade Tasting (Bentley Bar & Restaurant, Sydney): Polished oak, blackcurrant, cream, plum, sweet spice. Juicy, medium plus acidity, fruity, savoury, silky tannins travel long, clean. It’s nice but it’s very expensive for just nice
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2/13/2022 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 95 Points
from 375ml. Dark, placid garnet color. Deep, delicious ripe blackberries with a little spice on the nose. Ligonberries on the attack followed by delicious spiced mulberries. Nuanced yet powerful plum skin follows. Touches of vanilla and a sourness that has a faint basalmic note. Amazingly delicious and long finish. The other bottles had a high cork taint ratio but this one is drinking beautifully.
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10/15/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
What is Better Than a By-the-Glass Lunch at Wally's? (Wally's - Beverly Hills CA): Bottle had been Coravin'ed a few days earlier. Enticing aromas of black plum, berry and cassis with cedar and roasted game sausage. Similar flavors are slightly behind the wine's structure, which seems firm but not dominating. Everything is nearly in balance, albeit still just hinting at the wine's potential, but those hints are not subtle. So much here, very exciting already, better, 2024-2044.
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9/18/2020 - G_H wrote:
Don’t know what to make out of this wine, typical bordeaux notes, cassis, fruity. Good but nothing special.
Maybe time helps and transforms this into what Mission is for me...
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2/8/2020 - BillyT wrote: 92 Points
Primal. Needs decanting for 1+ hours. Pieces and parts are there but needs a lot of maturing. Definitely a wine for tomorrow.
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12/13/2019 - Kim Gerner wrote: 79 Points
20 Old Bordeaux grand cru classe - vertical and horizontal semi blind Wine tasting dinner (DK-Frederiksberg): Below average, too little tannin
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6/1/2019 - jviz wrote: 95 Points
Found this to be very classic with rose petals, tar, and dark berry fruit. Yes it’s lighter weighted than 15, but I think has some amazing stuffing for the cellar. It’s a buy for me, particularly in proportion to the prices neighboring vintages command
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3/23/2018 - MarcelloW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drunk this over several hours. Very beautiful nose, but on the palate rather thin. (some people might call it elegant) I am just missing a bit pressure. This is very young and might gain a point or two with more storage, but I’m not sure. In my opinion, there are better alternatives for the money anyway. But maybe I might be wrong and sorry I didn’t buy this....anyway, this is very delicate.....
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6/15/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: beautiful rich red fruit and a bit of smoked meat and hot stones. Palate: enters broad and fans out in a slightly blocky manner. Blackberry, cherry preserves. Sweet tobacco and bricky smoke notes. Finish: Wood notes that impart a creamy texture and more red berries and cherry notes.
Arrivals tasting and this was showing great. Needs time to come together however.
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4/24/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Fleshy, bright, exciting and sweet, this full-bodied, tannic, rich and structured wine delivers a multifaceted finish of cassis, tobacco and dark berry but demands at least a decade to rise to its riches. The wine was made from a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon with a pH of 3.67. 94-95 Pts
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