LA CHAPELLE DE LA MISSION
2017 Pessac-Léognan
This opened up the tasting here - and was a very charming start. A silky soft attack ;leads to great weight of plum and cherry fruit and tannins, that although very fine-grained, build in the mouth nicely. There is some undergrowth, some gravelly notes - but the purity and svelte fruit core hums along nicely - with finer more precise lines framing this well. Rating: 89 L&S (Apr 2018)
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The 2017 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion was picked from 4 to 29 September and matured in 18% new oak. It has a slightly subdued bouquet at first, tarry black fruit, a little gravel with more red fruit emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, crisp black fruit, touches of graphite with a linear, pencil-lead finish that contains fine precision, especially for a deuxième vin. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 87-89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
The 2017 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 49.2% Merlot, 41.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.9% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with spice-laced notions of warm plums, mulberries and cassis with touches of tree bark, cloves, pencil lead and yeast extract. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm frame of chewy tannins and refreshing acid supporting the spicy black and red fruits, finishing a little grippy. Rating: 88-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)
The second wine of the estate is the 2017 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion (49.2% Merlot, 41.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc brought in between the 4th and 29th of September). It has beautiful sweetness in its black cherry and black raspberry fruits as well as ample tobacco and gravelly earth-like aromas and flavors. With medium body, polished tannin, and integrated acidity as well as a good finish, it’s a classic Grave to drink over the coming decade or so. Rating: 90-92 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
49.2% Merlot, 8.9% Cabernet Franc, 41.9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deepest healthy crimson. Very fine graphite nose over scented – violets? – black fruit. Super-creamy richness, moderate intensity but real precision. Bright, juicy and with great purity of fruit, lingering and full-fruited finish with moderated tannins. Mouth-watering freshness. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
Quite tannic but in a very attractive way with blueberries, currants and spices. Medium-bodied, tight and chewy. Show tension and texture. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
The second wine of La Mission Haut-Brion shows a broadly similar blend to the grand vin, dominated by 49.2% Merlot, with 8.9% Cabernet Franc and 41.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between September 4th and the 29th. This has an elegant and expressive nose, pure and focused, showing dark cherry fruits with a little dark chocolate, lightly granular and desiccated, suggesting both ripeness and concentration. It has a very pretty poise at the very start of the palate, then it shows more confident structural energy through the middle, with dark-chocolate-coated cherries wrapped in a very taut texture, plus a pile of tightly grained but very prominent tannins. It is fresh, pure, focused, wrapped in oak, with a finish marked by a ripe and confident grip. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)