Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 2000

One of Bordeaux's most iconic wines, Château La Mission Haut-Brion reveals profound aromas of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, graphite, cigar box, cedar, smoked earth, and exotic spice. Powerful yet impeccably refined, it offers velvety tannins, remarkable complexity, and extraordinary aging potential.

Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, roast lamb, venison, duck breast, truffle dishes, aged Comté, or wild mushroom risotto.

100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Off the charts in every way (if I had to pick a desert island wine, this would be in the top handful), the 2000 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is deep, rich, layered, multi-dimensional, and full-bodied, with a sensational perfume of currants, tobacco, roasted herbs, graphite, and some iron nuances. Powerful and concentrated on the palate, it's nevertheless weightless, with silky, pure, graceful tannins and not a hard edge to be found. Just absolutely sensational, and if this doesn't do it for you, nothing will. Count yourself lucky if you have bottles in the cellar.

100 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.

95 Points - James Suckling

This is tight and beautiful, with a firm tannin structure and a beautiful silky texture. Full and concentrated, with a destiny. In the glass it keeps evolving; notes of iodine, spices, cedar and earth tempt the senses. This still needs some time to come together. Don’t touch it until 2015.

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast

Sometimes it seems as if La Mission is as good as Haut-Brion—that was certainly the case in 2001. But in 2000, La Mission fitted more comfortably into its usual good neighbor slot. That is not to suggest it is not a great wine—the score indicates that. At the moment, it is closed, solid and chunky, but all the right hints are there, and it will develop slowly and in a sustained way over many years.