Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2025 Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé - OWC3

The Wine Cellar Insider
98-100 punten
Burning campfire embers, smoke, flowers, black cherries, blackberries, and licorice are on display in the aromatics. Texturally, you find a creamy-freshness that hits all the right notes. Concentrated, long, deep, and voluptuous, the wine is almost palate staining in its delivery, coating your palate, yet, somehow it remains energetic, and vibrant. Packed with ripe, powerful fruits, the finish builds as it lingers, and expands seamlessly on your palate. For La Mission Haut Brion, this should start drinking well with just 5-7 years of age, yet, it promises to age for decades. The wine blends 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3.4% Cabernet Franc, 13.6% ABV, 3.73 pH. Harvesting took place, September 1-September 18. Yields were low at 23 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2030-2075

Wine Advocate
97-99 punten
A blend of 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.4% Cabernet Franc, the 2025 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals a refined bouquet of smoky cassis, dark berries, spices and lead pencil, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, it’s built around a multidimensional core of fruit underpinned by fine, velvety tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed and precise finish. Combining depth with energy, it delivers a textural yet controlled expression of power, with a real sense of freshness. The result is a particularly faithful, charming rendition of La Mission, defined by its elegance and overall precision.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown
97-99 punten
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 La Tour Carnet rolls out of the glass with notes of juicy raspberries, fresh strawberries, and blackberries, followed by hints of violets, dark chocolate, and mint tea. The medium-bodied palate is soft and racy with bright red berry flavors and a minty kick to the finish. The blend is 69% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.5%.

Jeb Dunnuck
96-98 punten
A Merlot-heavy blend of 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that's being raised in 60% new French oak, the 2025 Château La Mission Haut-Brion sports a dense ruby/purple hue as well as juicy black raspberries, currants, smoky tobacco, freshly sharpened pencils, and liquid violet nuances on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, focusing tannins, and beautiful overall balance and length. It's a slightly more inward, focused expression of this cuvée, but that's the vintage, and this has tons to love. I suspect the cellar will be your friend.

Falstaff
97 punten
Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Fine precious wood nuances, some undergrowth, floral touch, dark berry fruit, cherries and plums. Complex, juicy, dark fruit, ripe, finely spiced tannins, mineral, good freshness, subtle extract sweetness, salty finish, shows length and ageing potential.

James Suckling 
96-97 punten
A red with lots of muscular tannins that are polished and velvety. It's full-bodied with a chewy mouthfeel and a long and intense finish. Crushed stones, dark fruit and bark at the end. 58.3% merlot, 38.3% cabernet sauvignon and 3.4% cabernet franc.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
96 punten
Signature finesse coupled with clear intensity and concentration, muscular with a juicy frame and crushed red rose petals on the finish. Huge ageing potential, this stretches out through the palate and delivers finesse and hidden power. 69% 1st wine. 27hl/ha yield. Harvest August 27 to September 19. 59% new oak. 3.73ph.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous
97-99 punten
The 2025 La Mission Haut-Brion is one of my early favorites in this vintage. Aromatic and vibrant, with striking purity, the Grand Vin is magnificent. Red-toned fruit, blood orange, pomegranate, mint and cinnamon soar from the glass. Beams of supporting tannin lend energy and shape. In a word: compelling. One of the wines of the vintage.

Decanter
96 punten
Gorgeous floral fragrance on the nose, perfumed with blackcurrants and black cherries, delicate but with real purity. Supple, round and generous, filling the mouth - chewy and grippy yet with fleshy and ripe red fruit, nothing drying, underpinned by liquorice and salty stones giving a chalky grip on the finish. Structured and intensely concentrated with energy, focus, depth and layering of texture. Full of mass, vibrancy and character. Not pristinely perfect but fun, plump and hedonistic.

Jancis Robinson
18/20 punten
Unusually fragrant and floral at this early stage. Lovely texture, the tannins smooth and refined, cushioned by the ripe fruit. Plenty of power behind, though, and a mouth-watering freshness to the long, powerful finish. Focused and spot-on.