2020 Ch La Mission Haut Brion Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan

Composed of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.7%. It needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal slowly emerging scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and forest floor, leading to suggestions of violets, baker's chocolate and cardamom with wafts of dusty soil and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with impactful, fresh red, black and blue fruit layers, supported by impressive freshness and fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. A stunning expression of this vintage!

97-99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown robertparker.com

“First, we had to manage with the very humid spring—we had to fight against mildew,” Deputy Managing Director Jean-Philippe Delmas of Domaine Clarence Dillon informed me. “It was challenging. Regardless for whether you were using natural products or not. So, yields were already lower than in 2019. Then we had almost two months without a drop of water—mid-June to mid-August. We decided for the first time not to do the leaf thinning. It was not so much because of the heat, but it was SO dry. Not so many bunches were dropped in July. This year there was less intervention in the vineyards. When you intervene, you modify the profile of the wines. We started to harvest the whites very early. What is rare this year is that we finished the whites in August. It was a very early year for the whites. For the reds, the maceration was a bit shorter. We used more Cabernet Franc for all the grand vins. This was definitely a Cabernet Franc year! For La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion, the proportion reflects exactly the proportion we have in the fields.”

 
The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion was picked September 7–29. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, wild strawberry, wilted violet petals and hints of orange blossom. It unfolded with aeration as I examined it side-by-side against its neighbor over the course of an hour. The exquisitely balanced palate is lightly spiced on the entry and segues into a very structured midpalate that frames the weight of pixelated black fruit. That spicy theme continues and is exaggerated toward a finish that fans out wonderfully. This is a less alcoholic La Mission Haut-Brion compared to recent vintages, a bit "cooler" and streamlined, yet no less intense and satisfying. An enthralling wine in the making from Jean-Philippe Delmas and his team.

97-99 points Neal Martin vinous.com

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Silky and pliant, La Mission is all finesse. Fine tannins lend energy as the 2020 gradually opens with some coaxing. Today, the flavors are remarkably primary, and yet the 2020 is so persistent, so elegant. Hints of cedar, tobacco, gravel and dried herbs add aromatic complexity, but the 2020 is a mere infant. I can't wait to watch it grow up. There is a bit of new oak that needs to integrate, but nothing élevage can't take care of.

96-98 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

This really builds on the palate. Loads of blackberry and iodine with asphalt undertones. It’s full-bodied with tannins that steamroll at the end and keep going. Classic blend.

97-98 points jamessuckling.com

A kick of black fruit and confident spice right from the first nose, this is an intense and concentrated La Mission, tightly in control, not letting up from beginning to end. The pencil lead and bitter dark chocolate is layered in between the cassis notes in a way that makes you see the Cabernet influence although this is majority Merlot (once again - this is a character of the year, low yields of Cabernet mean Merlot is more featured in the blend than usual; but the intensity of the Cabernets mean that it still has an outsized influence on flavour profile). Grilled coffee beans overtake on the close of play, this is seductive and switches beautifully between the tannins pressing in on the palate and the juice expanding things outwards. This is the wine to go for in the Domaines Clarence Dillon stable this year. Harvest from 7th to 29th September. Drinking Window 2030 - 2050

98 points Jane Anson decanter.com

Château La Mission Haut-Brion from Pessac-Léognan is one of the great names of Bordeaux—an estate with a rich history and an unmistakable identity, known for producing wines of power, elegance, and longevity. Often considered a spiritual twin to its nearby sibling Château Haut-Brion, this Grand Cru Classé de Graves consistently delivers some of the most profound red wines of the Left Bank.

Located just across the road from Haut-Brion in the northern part of Pessac-Léognan, the vineyard lies on deep gravel soils with clay and limestone subsoils—perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc with depth and finesse. The estate dates back to the 16th century and rose to prominence under the ownership of the Lazarist missionaries in the 17th century, hence the name La Mission. It was acquired by Domaine Clarence Dillon in 1983, bringing it under the same family ownership as Haut-Brion.

The winemaking, led by the esteemed Jean-Philippe Delmas, is meticulous. Each plot is vinified separately, with fermentation in temperature-controlled vats and ageing in new French oak barrels for 18 to 22 months. The style is distinct—often darker, denser, and slightly more brooding than Haut-Brion, with an intense mineral edge and tremendous aging potential.