Professional reviews
James Suckling (97)
96-97
A precise, classic vintage showing depth of fruit, but with beautiful austerity and minerals. Mostly red fruit, with touches of dark cherries and currants. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine-etched tannins and lots of brightness. So long and refined in the finish, showing restraint. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 46.5% merlot and 2.5% cabernet franc
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
93-95
Red and black currants, cold fireplace, violets, and a beautiful tobacco and lead pencil quality all emerge from the 2024 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, a medium-bodied Pessac based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46.5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's pretty and perfumed, with good intensity and a seamless, layered mouthfeel. The tannins are fine and integrated, giving it a graceful, approachable style that still holds to the classic La Mission profile. Compared to the more inward and structured Haut-Brion, this is more open-knit and front end-loaded. It should offer plenty of early appeal yet still have the class to evolve gracefully
Decanter (94)
Blackcurrant and black cherry on the palate. Bright pink/purple rim to the glass. Smells sweet, candy floss and softly floral with rose petals. Thick and glossy, this has a great weight on the palate - slightly chewy, present tannins fill the mouth with high toned, just-ripe fruit that has a touch of tension to it. Straight and buzzy, this has detail but is still a little tangy and massy. I like the chalky, mineral-driven elements on the finish. Not as detailed and finessed as the wine can be. Less dynamic and vibrant. 3.65pH. 5.3% press. A yield of 26hl/ha.
Vinous (95)
93-95
The 2024 La Mission Haut-Brion is such a classy wine. Strong floral and savory notes meld into a core of plum, blackberry, gravel, spice, leather, tobacco and incense. Medium in body, with no hard edges, the 2024 is a delight. It offers lovely freshness and energy throughout. There is a bit of graininess in the tannin, a reminder of the challenges of the growing season
Robert Parker (95)
93-95
Notes of dark berries, spices, mulberries and discreet hints of new oak preface the 2024 La Mission Haut-Brion, a medium to full-bodied, dense and attractively seamless wine for the vintage, with a textural mid-palate that's underpinned by a firm chassis of tannins, concluding with a long, broad and rather ripe finish. Slightly austere at this stage, it is likely to flesh out with élevage, developing into a structured and serious La Mission with promising aging potential. Like its sibling Haut-Brion, the estate benefited from its intramural location in Pessac, which allowed for more complete ripening in a year that posed greater challenges for some other Pessac-Léognan properties
Falstaff (94)
Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate notes of cassis and cherries, fine tobacco savouriness, a hint of tobacco and herbs, delicate hint of nougat. Complex, juicy, fine blackberry fruit, fresh acidity, delicate extracted sweetness, mineral and well adhering, already developed, a lively style, has development and certain ageing potential.
