Wine Advisor
La Mission Haut Brion, Blanc 2003
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Brilliant pale straw-yellow color. Exotic aromas of peach and honeysuckle. Huge, thick and fat; less racy and aromatic than the 2004 but wonderfully dense and full and extremely long. Finishes with an almost tannic impression and surprising dryness. The 2004 and 2003 are like two different styles of white Burgundy, notes Jean-Philippe Delmas: 2004 is the minerally side of chardonnay while 2003 is the opulent side. Both of these young wines are splendid.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(a blend of 52% semillon and 48% sauvignon blanc) Pale yellow. Highly nuanced nose combines honeysuckle, lime peel, grapefruit, mint and lemon verbena; shows near-miraculous lift considering the extreme heat at the start of the harvest. Bright, aromatic and penetrating on entry, with citrus and spice flavors. Then impossibly silky and rich on the back half, expanding in volume through a remarkably long finish without losing its freshness or grip. Wonderfully rich and complex, with no undue sweetness. The estate loved the sauvignon and included almost all of it in the blend. Of the 2003 white Graves I tasted this spring, the Haut Brion towered above the rest of the pack.
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.
1953(1)1985(1)1988(1)1996(1)2000(2)2001(2)
Package Size
