2016 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion - Graves Cru Classe

Decanter.com – 96 pts – AH: *In 2016 La Mission has produced another stunning first-growth ‘lookalike’ which rivals Haut-Brion across the road. Deep, intense in colour, flavour and nose, there are intriguing exotic notes here, allied to a meaty character and pronounced toasty oak. The fruit is sweet and ripe, whilst Asian spices add further intrigue to the mineral-driven finish. No hurry to drink this.* - 12/2021

Falstaff Magazin – 98 pts - PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, zart tabakig-balsamisch unterlegtes schwarzes Waldbeerkonfit, süßes Edelholz, Gewürze, feine Exotik. Stoffig, elegant, straffe Textur, präsente, gut eingebundene Tannine, extraktsüßer Touch im Abgang, sehr gute Länge, feine Holzwürze im Nachhall, vielversprechendes Potenzial.* - 05/2017

Vinum Magazin – 17/20pts: *Volle, dichte, herbe Textur, fleischig auch, sehr verschlossen, muss lange reifen.* - 06/2017

Weinwisser - 18.5/20pts - GL: *Dichtes Purpur. Was für eine feminine Delikatesse! Duftige Heidelbeere und Nougatschokonoten, dahinter Schattenmorellen, Lakritze und dunkles Edelholz. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit stützendem Tannin, im Nachhall Mokka und Baumnuss, endet im langen Finale mit feiner Adstringenz. Hier braucht es Geduld – kann noch zulegen!*

JancisRobinson.com - 18.5+/20pts - JR: *57.5% Merlot. Tasted blind. Slightly sweaty nose and then lovely zest and interest. Thick with masses of exotic fruit over massive tannins. Most unusual. Very long. Sweet and spicy! Masses of interest.* - 01/2020

JamesSuckling.com - (96-97)pts - JS: *The texture to this is very beautiful with chewy yet very polished tannins. Full-bodied, tight and mouth-filling. Starts very slowly and then takes off. Love the energy in this.* - 04/2017

Vinous.com - (94-97)pts - AG: *The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is a total knockout. Vertical and powerful, but not at all austere, it exudes class. Fine-grained tannins support the fruit, but they are barely felt, as the wine's balance is so extraordinary. Lifted floral notes and a host of red fruits give the 2016 energy and verve. I can't wait to see how it ages.* - 04/2017
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Vinous.com – 97+ pts - AG: *The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is flat out gorgeous. Today, La Mission is incredibly primary, with stunning purity in its red/purplish berry fruit. Readers will have to cellar the 2016 for the better part of a decade at a minimum before the telltale aromatics of this fabled château start to blossom in bottle. I adore the 2016 for its gracious personality, fine tannin and remarkable freshness, not to mention that it is absolutely delicious and the kind of wine that is so suggestive of a very bright future.* - 01/2019

Vinous.com – 99 pts – NM: *The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion was stunning from barrel, and now in bottle. It has a sublime bouquet of blackberries, briar and hints of dark chocolate and rose petals that gain intensity with aeration while maintaining ethereal delineation. It never steps on the accelerator too hard. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still a veneer of new oak that will need to be assimilated over the coming years. This is a deep La Mission that caresses the mouth. Touches of graphite lingering on a finish that fans out gloriously. Is the 2016 up there with the 1955 or 1989? Nearly.* - 01/2019

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 99 pts – JL: *This massive wall of fruit, rocks, stone, tannin and scorched earth hits you in all the right places. Dense, intense and concentrated, the fruit on the palate and in the nose comes with this fabulous campfire ember note. This is a long term hold. So be prepared to wait for as long as 2 decades for the wine to really show off its greatness. It will be worth the wait if you are either young enough, rich enough, or both.* - 09/2019