CHÂTEAU LA MISSION HAUT BRION BLANC
2018 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
57% Sauvignon Blanc, 43% Semillon. Serious nose. Oak, cream, citrus and pineapple. The flavour is vivid and impressive. Good weight. Lots of juicy flow and round texture. Drinking range: 2021 - 2028L&S (Apr 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Dried green mango, kiwi, citrus and green apple on the nose. Essence of grapes. Some stone and flint undertones, too. It’s full-bodied and very tight with layers of fruit and phenolics, yet so integrated and polished. It spreads across the palate. Elegance with power. Drinking range: 2025 - Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Intense, with a very vibrant mix of tangerine, white peach, acacia, Meyer lemon, thyme and verbena notes all getting a turn as they race through. Long, salted butter note underscores the finish. A wine that marries brightness and purity with richness and opulence. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drinking range: 2022 - 2034 Rating: 97 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2021)
A blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon, the 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has a classic, balanced, yet richer style as well as impressive notes of white flowers, citrus blossom, and honeyed limes. This was a slightly more difficult vintage for whites in comparison to the reds, but this has a beautiful sense of freshness and elegance as well as a deep, layered mid-palate, and a great finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s a thrilling white. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
The La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 Blanc is made of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon, harvested August 27 to September 5. It reveals intense lemon curd, lime leaves, yuzu and green mango scents with hints of chalk dust, orange blossoms, pie crust and coriander seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate explodes with vibrant citrus and tropical fruit layers, with a satiny texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and layered. Rating: 92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
Less aromatic than the Clarence and a little more spicy. But more impressive on the palate – clean-cut, bright, herby lemon, so fresh for this vintage but with some opulence. Juicy and long and mouth-watering. Much more intense than the Clarence just tasted. Almost a savoury quality from the lees on the finish. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
This is a dense and lively La Mission white with lemon, lime and cream character and a light mineral and salty undertone. White pepper and salt at the finish. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This is a blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Semillon, picked between August 27th and September 5th. It has a slightly dusty white peach character, fragrant and fresh. A rather quiet presence at the very start, with subtle flavours of crushed white peach and apricot stone from the Semillon, swirling with fresh energy, lovely grip and perfumed pêche des vignes. There is plenty of phenolic substance here, but with a rather subtle acidity, the acidity showing well at the very start, but seeming to fade a little through the middle. Fresh, charming, and a good effort for the vintage. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
A knockout white wine full of character and grip. It's the second time it's had a majority of Sauvignon Blanc (along with the 2016), because they really benefitted from the freshness that it provided. Harvested 27 August to 5 September. 3.27pH. Drinking range: 2021 - 2035Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château la Mission Haut Brion
Surrounded by the urban sprawl of Bordeaux, facing each other across the street are Châteaus Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion. In the 16th Century Arnaut de Roustaing, who had bought what is today La Mission, married Marie de Pontac, sister of Haut Brion owner Jean de Pontac, but, despite being immediate neighbours, this is as close as the two estates got to common history until the modern era. The "Haut Brion" portion of the name appears to, simply, to be a little commercial plagiarisation of the sort that Haut Brion has suffered more than most. Arnaut's grand-daughter left the estate to the Congregation of the Mission in 1654, who built a small chapel in the vineyards called Notre Dame de la Mission. Church ownership seems to have been good for La Mission Haut Brion and the fame of the wines grew. Cardinal Richelieu appears to have been a fan. But Chuch ownership could not survive the French Revolution and the various private owners that followed oversaw a fall in quality and reputation. The modern history, and revival of La Mission Haut Brion, dates from 1919 when Frédéric Woltner bought the estate. Together with his sons, he revitalised La Mission, installing the, then, cutting edge technology of temperature-controlled fermentation and restructuring the vineyards. The next generation of Woltners, however, fell into discord and sold La Mission Haut Brion to Domaine Clarence Dillon SA, owners of Château Haut Brion in 1983, bringing the two neighbours under the same ownership. Since then, La Mission Haut Brion has grown considerably in reputation and ranks among the best château, not only in Pessac-Léognan, but in Bordeaux as a whole. There are 21ha of vines, planted to 45% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the balance being Cabernet Franc. Red wines are aged in 100% new oak for just under 2 years. If remembering the differences between Haut Brion proper and La Mission Haut Brion wasn't enough, the two estates are also responsible for a confusing array of other "Haut Brions". The Woltner family were bequeathed Château La Tour Haut Brion in 1933 and this was produced as seperate wine by La Mission until the 2005 vintage, since when the grapes from La Tour Haut Brion have been used in the blend for La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion, La Mission's second wine. The Woltners also purchased the near-by property of Château Laville Haut Brion and produced a very successful white wine there. This has now been re-named Château la Mission Haut Brion Blanc. Châteaus Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion also produce a joint white second wine called La Clarté de Haut Brion.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.