CHATEAU LA MISSION HAUT-BRION

Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

mission-haut-brion.com

Cru Classé de Graves

Château La Mission Haut-Brion is widely regarded as one of Bordeaux’s greatest estates and is often described as the unofficial “sixth first growth”. Located in Pessac-Léognan, directly beside Château Haut-Brion, it has earned an exceptional reputation for producing powerful, long-lived wines of remarkable depth and complexity.

The estate has been owned by the Dillon family, through Domaine Clarence Dillon, since 1983. The family had already acquired Château Haut-Brion in 1935, bringing two of Bordeaux’s most celebrated properties under the same ownership. Following the purchase of La Mission Haut-Brion, substantial investment was made in both the vineyards and winery, with extensive replanting and a careful matching of grape varieties to individual plots.

The vineyard is planted with approximately 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. The vines lie on a remarkable gravel bank, reaching depths of up to 18 metres in places, interspersed with clay. These deep gravel soils provide excellent drainage and contribute to the concentration, structure and aromatic complexity that define the estate’s wines.

La Mission Haut-Brion is also notable for its high vine density of around 10,000 vines per hectare. The vines are positioned largely on a north-south axis, increasing sun exposure and helping to produce wines of impressive intensity and ripeness. Compared with neighbouring Haut-Brion, La Mission is generally richer, fuller and more fruit-driven, while Haut-Brion is often considered more restrained, savoury and refined.

Following harvest, the red wine is vinified in large, 180-hectolitre, temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. It is then matured for approximately 16 months in French oak barrels, around 70% of which are new, with Seguin Moreau traditionally among the principal barrel suppliers. Annual production is relatively limited, averaging approximately 6,000 to 7,000 cases.

Since the 1991 vintage, the estate has also produced a second red wine, La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion. Its quality was further enhanced in 2006 when the vineyard of Château La Tour Haut-Brion was incorporated into La Mission.

Rich, structured and built for long ageing, La Mission Haut-Brion has received numerous perfect scores from leading critics and remains one of Bordeaux’s most sought-after wines. Despite sharing ownership, winemaking expertise, it retains a distinctive identity: muscular, opulent and intense, yet unmistakably rooted in the gravel soils of Pessac-Léognan.