96-98

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

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. 05/2021

98

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has a detailed bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, black olive, terracotta and a light wet clayey scent (I sometimes think of a potter's wheel.) It gains complexity in the glass and becomes increasingly refined. The palate is beautifully balanced and caters for the 14.7% alcohol with ease. Very fine tannins, perfectly matched with the acidity, beguiling in terms of its cohesive and velvety smooth finish that lingers long in the mouth. The greatest La Missions are the effortless ones and the 2020 is just that. Beautiful. 12/2022

100

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion is a brilliant effort that exhibits a level of balance and integration that are impressive in such a powerful young Bordeaux. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with burning embers, pencil shavings, violets and smoked black tea, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered, elegantly muscular profile, its brooding core of fruit framed by a generous endowment of powdery tannin that tempers the ripeness of the vintage. Checking in at 14.7% alcohol, it's nonetheless more classically styled than the more flamboyant 2019 vintage or even the slowly maturing 2010 which I re-tasted alongside for context. 04/2023

97

Jean-Marc Quarin

Jean-Marc Quarin

Couleur sombre, intense et pourpre. Grand nez complexe, intense, profond, noble et suave. Ouh là là, quel plaisir ! Immédiatement minutieux dans sa texture, le vin se pâme en milieu de bouche, il caresse le palais, fond, puis sa stimulation s’accélère. Il s‘achève puissant, long, complexe, sur des arômes de fruits noirs avec un retour de nuances fumées dans la persistance et un grain de tannin très fin. Assemblage : 48,6 % merlot, 43,2 % cabernet sauvignon, 8,2 % cabernet franc. Degré d’alcool : 14°7 – pH : 3,85 (moyenne +) – IPT : 74. Rendement : 42,4 hl/ha. Production : 50,2 % de la récolte.

99

James Suckling

James Suckling

Perfectly ripe black and blue berries on the nose with blackcurrants, too. Crushed fruit. Complex and perfect. Full and intense. You feel the intensity of the tannins, yet it is not overpowering. They are in a sophisticated and elegant state. Muscular and formed finish. Gorgeous in every sense of the word. Strength with finesse. Drink after 2030. 11/2023