Wine Advisor
La Mission Haut Brion, Blanc 2009
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
An exquisite blend of 84% Semillon and 16% Sauvignon Blanc, this wine possesses a zesty crushed rock component intermixed with lemon butter, fig, white currant, quince and melons. Its steely backbone of acidity gives precision and zestiness to what is a full-bodied, powerful, concentrated dry white that should evolve for 20 or more years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau. A blend of 84% Semillon and 16% Sauvignon Blanc, this has quite a tight nose of apple-blossom, pear skin and honeysuckle. Moderate definition, just lacking a little lift. The palate is taut on the entry, with touches of green apple, linden, a hint of gooseberry, good acidity towards the citric finish but perhaps without the exuberance of a great vintage such as the 2007. Tasted March 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Christies' Boardroom dinner from an ex-chateau bottle. Now with three of four years in bottle, the 2009 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc serves up a delightful white Pessac-Leognan. It has a slightly paler colour compared to the Haut-Brion Blanc served alongside. The bouquet is complex with attractive lime flower, lemon curd and heightened marine influences (cockle shell and seaweed.) The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity, spicier than I recollect with a twist of ginger towards the sensual finish. This is a superb, long-term white Pessac-Leognan. Tasted November 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Because of both time and space constraints, I am not able to provide tasting notes for the 2009 dry white Bordeaux, but it is an extremely strong vintage. Most châteaux equaled the dazzling quality of the 2007 dry whites. That said, the 2009s tend to be less classic than 2007, but more exotic, honeyed, and higher in alcohol, with compelling richness. The 2009s will probably have a shorter evolutionary curve, but these wines tend to last a long time, even in a vintage such as this. They are fascinating dry white wines.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Just to remind viewers, this is the old Laville HB (I wish that had kept the old name...I was rather attached to it.) Anyhow, the 2009 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion has a lifted nose of grapefruit, minerals, lemon curd and prominent leesy aromas all with fine definition. The palate is well balanced with good acidity with notes of dried apricot, honey, just a faint hint of toffee apple and superb crispness on the finish. This is a lovely La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, but something tells me this might not be as long-term as the Haut-Brion Blanc. We will see. Tasted September 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. At last, this has a decent bouquet with light smoky notes, touches of lime and minerals. It is initially a little dumb but it opens beautifully in the glass to reveal almost Chablis inspired aromatics. The palate is nicely balanced with green apple, lime and touch of mushroom. This has character and Bordeaux typicite and yet it is holding everything back. I was initially parsimonious with my score but returning at the end of the flight, it is really motoring. Tasted January 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
You could argue that the 2009 Haut-Brion Blanc is not a subtle wine. It has an explosive bouquet loaded with more glycerine than the example that I encountered back in 2013. This feels richer and more decadent, laden with apricot, crème brûlée and yellow plums. What it might lack in definition it makes up for in sheer gung-ho. The palate follows suit. It is powerful and deep, a Haut-Brion Blanc firing on all cylinders with a sense of lusciousness and decadence – yet there is balance here. There is nothing excessive and there remains that tang of lemongrass on the finish. Those who like hedonism could broach this now. Alternatively give it 10 years in bottle because it will evolve into a fascinating wine. Tasted at a white Bordeaux-themed private dinner in London.
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)2003(1)2005(1)2006(1)2007(1)2008(1)
Package Size
