James Suckling

Rose petals, sandalwood and currants with some plums and fruit tea. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Incredibly straight and minerally. Toned muscles here. Tannic. Traditional and unwavering. Try in 2024.

(02/2018)

Jeb Dunnuck

More opulent, sexy and concentrated, the 2015 La Mission Haut Brion is a tour de force that has everything you could want from Bordeaux. A huge nose of smoke tobacco, gravelly earth, graphite, cassis, and blackcurrants gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated, perfectly balanced beauty that has incredible depth of flavor and intensity, yet with no weight. While the overall impression is upfront and in your face, it has incredible elegance and length on the finish (as well as ripe tannin), and will keep for three decades.

(11/2017)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 58% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. Youthfully mute with bright, youthful red currants, black raspberries, cassis and freshly crushed blackberries notions, it slowly unfurls to reveal an earthy/minerally undercurrent of damp soil, charcoal, iron ore and truffles plus a waft of violets. Medium to full-bodied, decadently fruited and yet wonderfully elegant with very ripe, very silky tannins, freshness that sits well in the background and an almost electric intensity of vibrant red and black fruit flavors, it finishes long and minerally. Just. Beautiful. Consider giving it 6-7 years in bottle before broaching and drink it over the next 30+. (LPB)

(02/2018)

Decanter

Taut and tense from the off: coffee, smoky almond and pulsing with vibrancy and energy. Reservations over the high alcohol at 15.1%abv but 3.74pH means you barely feel it. Such beautiful tannic grip and sense of forward motion, showing great ageing potential. Beautiful length of damson and loganberry fruits and fragrant heather and garden herbs. Lovely texture, structured and tannic hold. 78% new oak. (JA)

Vinous

The 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion is every bit the wine I had hoped it would be. Rich, dramatic and powerful, it exudes intensity in all of its many dimensions. Naturally, the aromatics that make La Mission so compelling have not even begun to develop. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2015 for at least a decade, although I suspect the wine won't be ready to drink before age 20, as it clearly needs to shed some baby fat. A heady mélange of black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and tobacco builds into the dramatic, deeply expressive finish. (AG) 96+

(02/2018)

Wine Enthusiast

This wine, rich and opulent, defines the terroir of this estate. It has a rich, dense character, powerful and concentrated. The juicy black fruits enhance the impression of generosity as well as concentration. Drink from 2027. *Cellar Selection* (RV)

(04/2018)

Wine Spectator

Alluring, with steeped plum, blackberry and açaí berry fruit imparting a distinctive edge. Slightly burly tannins roam underneath but the fruit is so fleshy and broad they are easily absorbed, while dark pudding, warm tar, licorice snap and roasted alder notes flow in on the lengthy finish. Reveals a gorgeous Turkish coffee accent at the very end. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2040. (JM)

(03/2018)