Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2010 red

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2010 red

The Estate

A few kilometres south-west of Bordeaux, Château La Mission Haut-Brion occupies a historic terroir of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, in the communes of Talence and Pessac. Facing Château Haut-Brion, the estate lies on the vast gravel terrace once known as Haut-Brion on old maps and charters. The Dillon family acquired the estate in 1983 and immediately set about reviving it, introducing new technical tools while taking care to preserve the aura, charm and spirituality that characterise La Mission. The vineyard covers 29 hectares. Nearly 25 hectares are planted with red varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc), while just over 4 hectares are planted with white varieties (Sémillon and Sauvignon). The singularity of the terroir lies in its gravel, made up of small pebbles of different types of quartz. These deposits, ranging in thickness from about twenty centimetres to more than three metres, lie on a subsoil of mixed clay, sand, limestone and faluns. They form well-exposed ridges whose slopes ensure natural drainage, enhanced by a network of small streams, notably the Peugue and the Serpent, tributaries of the Garonne. After vinification, the best wines are selected for the blend of Château La Mission Haut-Brion red. The wine is aged in barrels for eighteen to twenty months. The choice of new oak is adapted each year to the wine and the characteristics of the vintage, so that the oak supports the wine without dominating it. The first racking takes place three months after the wine is put into barrel, and racking is then carried out roughly every three months. Performed “à l’esquive”, a traditional technique specific to the estate, these rackings gradually remove the lees while following the evolution of the wine. Human judgement remains decisive: the wine is observed by candlelight during racking to detect any cloudiness and decide the precise moment to stop. Complex, full-bodied and rich, Château La Mission Haut-Brion red has a great intensity that remains its signature from vintage to vintage, even as the blend changes. The wine thus combines breadth and depth with an immediately recognisable identity, closely bound to its terroir and to the singular history of the estate. Red and white alike, the wines of La Mission Haut-Brion bear the particular aura of the estate, that almost mystical dimension handed down by its history. It is this combination of intensity, character and singularity that gives La Mission Haut-Brion a unique place among the great Bordeaux estates.