Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2022 Pessac-Léognan Cru Classé

James Suckling
98-99/100 punten
This has real al dente fruit character on the palate with lemon rind and blackcurrants with blueberries. Lead pencil and stone, too. Full-bodied with chewy and juicy tannins that are primary and growing quickly on the palate as you taste it. Reminds me of the 1978, but brighter and more precise. 51.7% cabernet sauvignon, 43.2% merlot and 5.1% cabernet franc.

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(97-99)/100 punten
The 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is matured in 70% new oak. It has a very refined bouquet with mineral-driven dark berry fruit, hints of Earl Grey and freshly-rolled tobacco, focused with exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins that still provide the backbone to what is the most elegant La Missions that I have tasted at this stage. It is harmonious and silky toward its extremely persistent finish. At the moment, it has got its nose just in front of its First Growth sibling...at least at the moment. For sure, it's going to be one of the standouts of the 2022 vintage.

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(97-99)/100 punten
The 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is composed of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot, and 5.1% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.2% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles out of the glass with gregarious notes of plum preserves, creme de cassis, and blueberry compote, followed by hints of sandalwood, violets, and licorice. The full-bodied palate is charged with energetic black fruits, featuring impressive tension and firm, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and opulent. Typically the more flamboyant sibling to Haut-Brion, it will be hard to keep your paws off this even after only 5-6 years in bottle.

Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
(97-99)/100 punten
The 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Dark, powerful and imposing, with compelling inner sweetness, La Mission is positively striking. The purity of the flavors is striking, but the wine's statuesque personality might be even more impressive. Time in the glass brings out all sorts of savory and mineral notes that add complexity. The balance here is just mind-blowing. What a wine! 

Decanter
97/100 punten
Gorgeous intensity on the nose, really fragrant and perfumed, richly scented with black fruits and bramble berries. Round, full, persistent and thrilling on the palate, a perfect balance between rich, concentrated and intense fruit and lively acidity. There is density and crispness while remaining quite pure and focussed, no overt over ripeness or heaviness. Precise and elegant, juicy and alive. This has supreme charm.

Falstaff
99/100 punten
Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. A very seductive nose, with delicate tobacco spice, a touch of fine oak, black forest berries and a hint of liquorice, underpinned with orange zest. The palate is complex, juicy, round and immensely harmonious, with integrated, supporting tannins, mineral and very long lasting, with notes of dark chocolate on the finish. This wine has the potential to age for many years, but only if you have enough of this seductive wine in the cellar.

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
(96-98)/100 punten
Deep purple in color, and the fruits are equally deep. You find blackberries, black currants, and black cherries before its nuances of smoke, cigar box, barbecue, smoked meat and roses. On the palate, there is intensity, depth of flavor, concentration, and layers of fruit. But the wine is also lifted, fresh and energetic. It is easy to taste. The finish is rich, long, vivacious, and palate-filling. The wine blends 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot, and 5.1% Cabernet Franc, 14.15% ABV, 3.95 pH. Harvesting took place, August 29 - September 19. Yields were 28 hectoliters per hectare, making this the lowest yields since 1991 with 50% of the harvest going into the grand Vin.

Jeb Dunnuck
(95-97)/100 punten
While I don't see the 2022 Château La Mission Haut-Brion matching the legendary wines from this address at this early stage, it's nevertheless a gorgeous wine in the making. Based on 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, it has a pure, elegant, lengthy style as well as classic cassis and darker cherry fruits, some smoky, tobacco, scorched earth nuances, medium to full body, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great finish. I love its tannins, and it's a forward, seamless, balanced beauty that will shine with just short-term cellaring.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate
94-96+/100 punten
A rich and muscular wine that reflects the warmth of the vintage, the 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals aromas of dark berries, cherries and crème de cassis mingled with licorice, spices, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, broad and concentrated, it's surprisingly lively despite an elevated pH of 4.0, exhibiting a seamless, broad-shouldered profile with an ample core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannin. It's a blend of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc.

Weinwisser
18,5/20 punten
Verführerisches Bouquet, reife Wildkirsche, Brasiltabak, vielschichtige Cassiswürze, Flieder und geröstete Himbeerkerne. Am komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und mächtigem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale schwarze kleine Beeren, Wacholder, Estragon und mehlige Adstringenz. Starke Persönlichkeit, die mit ihrer unnahbaren Art verblüfft

Jancis Robinson
17,5/20 punten
Elegant and complex, fresh and alluring, the texture seductive and suave. Cassis and cedar notes with a hint of mint. Powerful but creamy tannins. Plenty of drive with length and grip on the finish. Clearly has potential.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
97/100 punten
One of the most intense Missions that I can remember in terms of colour, but the density in the phenolics is beautifully balanced on the palate by red roses and peony aromatics, edges of violet, incense, cigar box, black pepper spice, with clear grip and fierce concentration. Delivers an exceptional feeling of walking the line between excess and restraint, hard to resist. Yields a little higher on Cabernet Sauvignon than in Haut-Brion, so higher percentage here.