Wine Advisor
La Mission Haut Brion 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion stood out as one of the most exceptional young wines I had ever tasted from barrel, and its greatness has been confirmed in the bottle. A remarkable effort from the Dillon family, this is another large-scaled La Mission that tips the scales at 15% alcohol. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (47% of each) and the rest Cabernet Franc, it exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a magnificent bouquet of truffles, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, subtle smoke and spring flowers. The wine's remarkable concentration offers up an unctuous/viscous texture, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, sweet, sumptuous, nearly over-the-top flavors and massive density. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime La Mission-Haut-Brion, the 2009 will take its place alongside the many great wines made here since the early 1920s. The good news is that there are nearly 6,000 cases of the 2009. It should last for 50-75+ years. Given the wine's unctuosity and sweetness of the tannin, I would have no problem drinking it in about 5-6 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau. Delivering a hefty 14.7% alcohol and a pH of 3.84, the ’09 La Mission has a beautiful bouquet with wonderful definition, quite feminine with pure blackberry, raspberry, orange-blossom and a touch of pencil lead. Very focused and lifted. The palate is full-bodied with fine tannins, very good structure but extraordinarily tightly coiled, ready to spring into life in 10-15 years. Hints of tobacco and espresso towards the finish that has a gentle but insistent tannic grip. Saline finish. Excellent. Tasted April 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Farr Vintner's La Mission dinner. The 2009 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion continues to impress. Here it has a sweet and generous bouquet than is just as generous and as opulent as back in January: billowing aromas of liquorice, blackberry and iodine. The palate is full-bodied and feels very plush in the mouth, perhaps just a touch more savory than I was expecting but still utterly compelling. Watch this flex its muscles in years to come. Tasted November 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
La Mission Haut-Brion has made so many great wines over the last 100 years, it would be stupid to say the 2009 somehow exceeds this estate's great classics, such as 1929, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, or 2005. Certainly it will take its place in the pantheon of all the great La Mission Haut-Brions ever made. There are 6,000 cases of it, made from a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. The natural alcohol hit 14.7%, which far exceeds the perfect wines of 1982, 1989 and 1990. Opaque purple in color, with an extraordinary nose of blueberry liqueur intermixed with camphor, charcoal, hints of burning embers and truffles, and loads of black berry and black currant fruit, the wine has sublime concentration and purity, a finish that goes well past 60 seconds, and not a hard edge to be found in this sumptuous, almost over-the-top, full-bodied wine of enormous power and massive density and richness. An immortal effort, it should drink well for 50-100 years! (Tasted once.) Harvest started around September 9 at La Mission Haut-Brion, and finished almost a month later, on October 6. To get an idea of just how extraordinary all the wines from the Dillon family are in 2009, just consider how phenomenal the second wines are.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2009 was not part of this vertical tasting, so I am repeating the tasting note published in issue #199 of The Wine Advocate from a tasting done in January, 2012. A candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2009 La Mission-Haut-Brion stood out as one of the most exceptional young wines I had ever tasted from barrel, and its greatness has been confirmed in the bottle. A remarkable effort from the Dillon family, this is another large-scaled La Mission that tips the scales at 15% alcohol. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (47% of each) and the rest Cabernet Franc, it exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a magnificent bouquet of truffles, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, subtle smoke and spring flowers. The wine’s remarkable concentration offers up an unctuous/viscous texture, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, sweet, sumptuous, nearly over-the-top flavors and massive density. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime La Mission-Haut-Brion, the 2009 will take its place alongside the many great wines made here since the early 1920s. The good news is that there are nearly 6,000 cases of the 2009. It should last for 50-75+ years. Given the wine’s unctuosity and sweetness of the tannin, I would have no problem drinking it in about 5-6 years. The final blend was 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Comparing the Grand Vin with La Chapelle, I must say at this premature stage the aromatics are very similar, perhaps with a little more precision on the La Mission but certainly there is not much to distinguish between them. But give this two or three minutes in the glass and begins to blossom, offering pure dark cherry, cassis and blackberry fruits, crushed stone, cola and a touch of graphite. The palate is superb and disguising the 14.7% alcohol well, the tannins strident and arching over the wine. There is a saline/spicy notes just on the finish that leaves the mouth tingling. Tasted September 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The La Mission Haut-Brion ‘09 has an opulent bouquet, a lot of glycerine - opulent and sensual. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins. Good concentration here with fine depth, a lot of sweet black spicy fruit with a tingling, umami like pepperiness towards the rounded, generous finish. This is voluptuous and irresistible. Tasted January 2013.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The deep garnet colored 2009 La Mission Haut-Brion absolutely sings of warm red and black currants, chocolate-covered cherries, liquid licorice, sassafras and espresso with hint of lilacs, pencil shavings and truffles. Full-bodied, rich, bold and oh-so-decadent in the mouth, the palate is completely packed with black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by wonderfully velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing epically long. Wow!
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(Leognan (47% merlot, 47% cabernet sauvignon and 6% cabernet franc; a selection of 50% of the crop; 14.7% alcohol; pH 3.84; 78 IPT)) Deep ruby. Captivating aromas of strawberry and raspberry complicated by strong mineral and tobacco nuances. Remarkably graceful-almost weightless-in the mouth, with very nice depth to the pure red fruit, cedar and mineral flavors. The perfumed, very long finish features some assertive, youthful tannins that will require at least six or seven years of patience after release. This La Mission is closer in style to the La Chapelle than I recall in recent years (perhaps due to the similar blends), though a noticeable step up in precision and concentration. A great if understated wine, it's also completely different from the '05 La Mission, which contained a whopping 69% merlot.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Mission Haut-Brion has a very harmonious bouquet with detailed blackberry, raspberry, warm gravel and hints of leather, gaining intensity with aeration. The warmth of the summer comes through, although it does not impede upon the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, not quite as finessed as the nose suggest. Hints of juniper and bay leaf infuse the melted red fruit towards the persistent finish, though it does not deliver the killer knockout blow. Very seductive though. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Mission Haut-Brion has a wonderful, extravagant bouquet with a slight medicinal note (not apparent on the bottle poured blind the following week) infusing the precocious red fruit, all beautifully defined with star anise and bayleaf developing. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well judged acidity, precocious in style with a long finish that maintains that medicinal leitmotif. Wonderful. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, deep ruby. Brooding, complex cabernet sauvignon-dominated nose of uncommon depth, offering notes of cassis, cigar box, minerals, cedar and dry herbs. Extremely pure and fresh, with massive but still totally unevolved flavors of blackcurrant, dark plum and minerals. I love this wine's impeccable balance and smooth, tactile finish. A monumental La Mission with outstanding persistence. (ID)
About the Producer
25 hectares of red grape varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, are planted in the traditional vineyard of the winery; the Werner family's vineyard also has 4 hectares of white grape varieties, including Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, used for Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc at different times during the Werner family's reign And the production of the original Chateau Laville Haut-Brion Blanc (Chateau Laville Haut-Brion Blanc). The Werner family's original Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion ceased production after 2005, and the 5 hectares of vineyards it owns are mainly used for the blending of the second red wine of Chateau Meixun. In terms of wine production, the winery will set up screening stations on trucks in the vineyard to screen the manually picked grapes for the first time. Fermentation is then carried out in a stainless steel wine tank equipped with a computer-controlled system that monitors the homogenization and temperature of the wine after measuring the temperature of the pressed grape juice and residue. Clarified with fresh egg whites before bottling, but not filtered.
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Package Size
1 x 6L1 x 75cl
