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Unusually the blend is exactly the same as the Haut Brion Blanc this year (55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc). An initial attack of freshly squeezed limes, then the white floral scent, which was initially shy, comes through. A beautifully pretty La Mission, with great fragrance. The energy of the Sauvignon is balanced by the gentle volume of Semillon. A lovely, graceful style and very long.
Unusually the blend is exactly the same as the Haut Brion Blanc this year (55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc). An initial attack of freshly squeezed limes, then the white floral scent, which was initially shy, comes through. A beautifully pretty La Mission, with great fragrance. The energy of the Sauvignon is balanced by the gentle volume of Semillon. A lovely, graceful style and very long.
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has a much more nuanced bouquet than the Haut-Brion Blanc this year with scents of Japanese yuzu, crushed stone, apple blossom and a touch of elderflower. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity, taut and fresh, vibrant and focused. This is more linear than the Haut-Brion and stricter, yet the precision on the finish is a wonder to behold. Fabulous. Drink 2027 - 2060
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is another super-expressive white in this range from the Clarence Dillon properties. Effusive floral and citrus notes lend brightness to this creamy, wonderfully inviting Blanc. Deep and textured, the 2021 finishes with real substance. Its a positively gorgeous wine by any measure. The Sémillon is especially vibrant in 2021. Drink 2027-2041
Aromas of crisp orchard fruit, grapefruit oil, white flowers, pastry cream and freshly baked bread preface the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, ample and incisive wine that's satiny and chiseled, concluding with a long, mineral finish.
La Clarté was superb in 2021, but this wine possesses another level of intensity and also depth of flavour. The sensational weight of fruit is followed by epic acidity and an insanely long finish. The overall impression is of a wine that will live forever. Still, I am determined that, while it has the battery pack to do so, I want to impress on my readers that this wine ought to be drunk while it still has this prodigious spine-tingling acidity and rapier-sharp finish. This is an excellent vintage for elite dry whites, and this wine and its siblings are totally captivating.
It takes no time at all to be reeled in here, starting with the nose. Crushed rocks, lemon verbena, flowers, pears, green apples, pears and tangerine rind pack the perfume. As good as the nose is, the palate is equal to the task of keeping you focused with its 60 second plus blast of sweet, juicy, rich, creamy, fresh, vibrant, energetic waves of fruits. This is clearly in contention for one of the best vintages of La Mission Haut Brion Blanc ever produced! Made from a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon, picking took place September 3, finishing September 10. 14.1% ABV. Drink from 2023-2060.
Stretching from the rather unglamorous southern suburbs of Bordeaux, for 50 km along the left bank of the river Garonne, lies Graves. Named for its gravelly soil, a relic of Ice Age glaciers, this is the birthplace of claret, despatched from the Middle Ages onwards from the nearby quayside to England in vast quantities. It can feel as though Bordeaux is just about red wines, but some sensational white wines are produced in this area from a blend of sauvignon blanc, Semillon and, occasionally, muscadelle grapes, often fermented and aged in barrel. In particular, Domaine de Chevalier is renowned for its superbly complex whites, which continue to develop in bottle over decades. A premium appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was created in 1987 for the most prestigious terroirs within Graves. These are soils with exceptional drainage, made up of gravel terraces built up in layers over many millennia, and consequently thrive in mediocre vintages but are less likely to perform well in hotter years. These wines were appraised and graded in their own classification system in 1953 and updated in 1959, but, like the 1855 classification system, this should be regarded with caution and the wines must absolutely be assessed on their own current merits.
