Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2014

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is one of Bordeaux's greatest wines, revered for its extraordinary power, elegance, and longevity. Aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, graphite, cedar, cigar box, violet, and exotic spice unfold into a concentrated palate with velvety tannins, exceptional depth, and a remarkably persistent finish.

Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, roast lamb, venison, duck breast, truffle dishes, or aged Comte for an unforgettable Bordeaux experience.

96 Points - James Suckling

The typicity of La Mission is really here. Aromas of iodine, oyster shell, currants and orange peel are evident. Full-bodied, tight and tannic with a muscular and toned texture that holds the wine down at the moment, but it’s waiting to release its joy and true nature. Fine-grained. Give it until 2023.

95 Points - Decanter

Medium-bodied, fresh attack, dominated by late summer fruits, suggesting perfectly but not overly ripe fruit with great integrity. A floating, gossamer quality to the structure, the tannins are deceptively fine, yet they hold the wine together very tightly. You feel it on the finish, where blackberry and raspberry fruits are kept firmly in check. A lovely wine with medium- to long-term potential and great capacity to provide pleasure.

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2014 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is slightly more elegant and pretty compared to the richer, slightly more masculine Haut-Brion. A blend of 54% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Cabernet Franc, it shows a kiss of red fruits in its core of darker currants, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, vanilla bean and spice-driven aromas and flavors. With medium- to full-bodied richness, impeccable balance, fine tannins and a great finish, it’s a downright classy La Mission that will benefit from 4–5 years of bottle age and keep for 20+ years.

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2014 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 54% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between September 15 and October 8 and raised in 55% new oak. It has retained that engagingly fresh and vibrant bouquet, the bashful nature that it showed in barrel replaced by a more outgoing personality. This is an exquisite bouquet with pure black fruit, cold stone, a touch of black olive and later a suggestion of boysenberry preserve. The palate is still structured and, considering that a majority is Merlot, quite masculine. There remains some new oak to be fully assimilated, although there is clearly the fruit to soak that up. It comes more alive on the second half with a lovely spiciness and impressive persistence. It will have more to give down the line, and the strictness implies that this La Mission Haut-Brion should be afforded a decade in the cellar before it will show what it can do.

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast

Richly endowed, the wine is beautifully concentrated. Still young, it has considerable potential with its rich fruits and firm tannins. There is a strongly juicy aftertaste that brings in the freshness of the year. The wine will age well and should not be drunk before 2026.

94 Points - Wine Spectator

Fleshy and very compact, with layers of dark fig, black currant paste and blackberry reduction still sorting themselves out. Sports a serious spine of tar while a well-roasted apple wood element forms the backdrop on the dense finish. The range and density set this apart. Should be rather long-lived for the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2030.