Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2019

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is Merlot-dominated, checking in as 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a more opulent wine compared to Haut-Brion, and the Merlot is front and center here, with ripe, sexy black cherry and redcurrant fruits as well as licorice, scorched earth, cedar pencil, and graphite aromas and flavors. Rich, exuberant, and straight up sexy on the palate, it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a heavenly finish. Just a prodigious, powerful, off-the-charts expression of this terroir, it actually reminds me slightly of the 2005 (or 1998?) with its mix of sexiness and opulence. This is one of the few 2019s that will make your eyes roll back in your head. It will need 10-15 years of cellaring, but it’s a sensational wine on every level and will have 40+ years of prime drinking."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion unwinds in the glass with aromas of inky berry fruit, wild plums and cherries mingled with notions of warm spices, burning embers and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Powerful and tightly wound, this is less sumptuous and demonstrative out of the gates than its sibling Haut-Brion, but I suspect it possesses even greater potential."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blackcurrants and crushed stones with violets and roses. Earthy and black truffle notes, too. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins that are layered and attractive, in a muscular and toned fashion. Iodine, ink, earth and bark with wet-vine undertones to the fruit at the end. Reserved and impressive. Best after 2025."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "A serious, age-worthy vintage of La Mission Haut Brion here. With a deep, dark, rich hue, the wine pops from the glass with its smoky essence made even better by its layers of black currants, black plums, tar, herbs, cigar box, and tobacco accents. The palate is full-bodied, powerful, rich, intense, mouth-filling, and long. Everything is in balance, meshing power with precision, purity, freshness, length, and complexity. Like all the great vintages of La Mission Haut Brion, this is going to demand time in the cellar before it unfurls and displays all it has to offer. Drink from 2036-2060."

DECANTER: "Wonderful sweet fruit and floral aromatics. Great freshness and life here, tannins are present, chalky and consuming but in a great way. The mouthfeel is excellent and really stands out - the deep cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit pulsing underneath the tannins with a cooling menthol, mouthwatering freshness on top so you get power and lift! One of the more open wines at this point with so much charm. Approachable and showing off but still a lot more to give in time. A brilliant wine. 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2027 - 2047"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Suave textures and great richness give an impressively typical wine from this estate. It is ripe, full of black fruits and dense tannins. Set for aging, the wine will age at least until 2027. "

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, tiefer Farbkern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Schwarze Beerenfrucht, dunkle Kirschen, tabakige Würze, zart nach Lakritze, mineralischer Touch. Saftige Kirschfrucht, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, präsente Tannine, salzige Mineralik, frisch und gut anhaftend, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "A thoroughbred tugging at the reins. Deep colour. Lifted and racy on the nose with a hint of cassis. Ripe and mouth-filling then a charge of fine but firm tannin. Sleek but substantial with any excess stripped away. Super length and persistence."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Captures the essence of the vintage as well as possible, with a lovely swath of cassis, plum puree and cherry compote flavors that glides along, showing just enough buried spine in the form of alder and iron notes to give this form. Features alluring red tea and savory details that add range on the lengthy finish. Approachable already, but there's no rush here. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2038."

WEINWISSER: "48 % Merlot, 46 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 % Cabernet Franc, 13.5 Vol.-%. Komplexes Bouquet mit Herzkirsche, edler Cassiswürze und exotischen Hölzern, dahinter getrocknete Rosenblätter und heller Tabak. Am dichten Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, herrlicher Extraktfülle, bleibt schlank wie ein Pfeil, vibrierende Rasse, die den mittleren Körper perfekt stützt. Im konzentrierten Finale Wildkirsche, Schlehensaft und mehlige Adstringenz."