Tasting Notes
Neal Martin 92-94
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion has a very cohesive bouquet, well-defined with minerally red and black fruit, hints of white flowers and a distant tang of black olive. The almost “estuarine” element becomes more prominent with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite fresh though not a complex or deep La Mission. It is lifted by the salinity and sustain on the finish-also its typicite. Whilst not a wine from the top drawer, it is a fascinating, engaging Pessac that will drink over the next 20 or 30 years.
Anticipated maturity: 2027-2055
Antonio Galloni 92
The 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion comes across as delicate and soft. It is a wine that is very strongly marked by the year there is no doubt about that. Floral and spice notes open first, as the 2021 shows off its restrained personality. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and tobacco develop in the glass, but this very clearly offers only modest definition, mid-palate pliancy and persistence. Even so, there are no hard edges. Overall, it’s a very good wine in a year that was obviously extremely challenging.
Anticipated maturity: 2031-2046
