Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Blanc

Château La Mission Haut-Brion is an estate in the vicinity of the city of Bordeaux, situated on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux area. It is adjacent to Château Haut-Brion and although not classified in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, it was ranked in 1959 as a “Graves Grand Cru”.

The history of Château La Mission Haut-Brion dates back to the early 16th century, when it was created by the noble Lestonnac family. Its name was derived from the “Prêcheurs de la Mission”, a branch of a missionary order known as the “Lazarites” who held the property from 1682 until the French Revolution.

In the 20th century, the domaine was sold in 1919 to Fréderic Otto Woltner and his son Henri Woltner became the manager of the château in 1921. Henri was considered a wine-maker genius and he improved the estate enormously. Unfortunately, the Woltner family had to sell Château La Mission Haut-Brion, along with La Tour Haut-Brion and Laville Haut-Brion in 1983 to Domaine Clarence Dillon which already owned Château Haut-Brion since 1935.

The total vineyard area of La Mission Haut-Brion covers 26.60 Ha and has been planted with Merlot (42.7%), Cabernet Sauvignon (47%) and Cabernet Franc (10.3%). The wines mature in 80% new oak for 18 – 22 months and the average annual production is 6000 – 7000 cases.

The second wine, “La Chapelle de la Mission” is made from the younger vines of the estate. The white wine, made from Semillon (85%), Sauvignon Blanc (14%) and Muscadelle (1%) and formerly known as “Laville Haut-Brion” has been renamed “La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc” since the 2009 vintage. Its average production is just 500 -700 cases.

Both the red and the white wine are capable of keeping for 25 years or more. Top recent vintages for the red La Mission Haut Brion are: 1928, 1929, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2015. Robert Parker has awarded the wine multiple times with the perfect score of 100.