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2016 La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

2016 La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

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$379.99

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The Wine Palate

Reviewed October 2025
A blend of 57.5% Merlot and 42.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet-purple in color. It is uncharacteristically shy to begin, needing considerable coaxing to unlock notes of blackcurrant cordial, black cherries, and wild blueberries, plus opulent wafts of rose oil, Chinese five spice, dried lavender, and licorice. The full-bodied palate explodes with a whole array of cassis and blackberry preserves layers, followed by sparks of exotic spices and dried flowers, supported by very fine, exquisitely ripe tannins, leading to a firework display of spices and minerals on the finish of this atomic wine. (LPB)
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Professional Reviews

98

Jane Anson

Review Date: 01/2026
Love the balance and elegance, this is a superb La Mission, with length, fine but plentiful tannins, with baking spices, leather, rose bud, white truffle, lace-like tannins. Has lift and grace but also a ton of depth, heading into its drinking window and ready to wow anyone lucky enough to own it. 100% new French oak for ageing.

98

Jeb Dunnuck

Review Date: 02/2019
The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion checks in as a Merlot-heavy blend, 57.5% Merlot and 42.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. About as pure and seamless (yet sexy) as they come in the vintage, it offers awesome notes of dried flowers, sweet currants, cedarwood, forest floor, and exotic spices. With a flawless texture, medium to full body, and ultra-fine tannins, this beauty builds incrementally on the palate with terrific mid-palate depth and a stunning finish. It’s sexier and more charming compared to the more backward Haut Brion, yet I suspect it will age just as long.

97

Decanter

Review Date: 03/2026
Reserved and classy on the nose, with subtle gravelly nuances adding complexity. The palate is impeccably balanced, showing measured structure alongside incredible richness and finesse. There’s a poised elegance throughout, carrying the wine seamlessly to a long, harmonious finish. Balanced yet powerful, this wine is precise, deep and sophisticated. Sensational, with both the structure and aromatic presence to reward patience and careful cellaring. (GB)

Notes

97+ points, Antonio Galloni - Vinous: "The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is flat out gorgeous. Today, La Mission is incredibly primary, with stunning purity in its red/purplish berry fruit. Readers will have to cellar the 2016 for the better part of a decade at a minimum before the telltale aromatics of this fabled château start to blossom in bottle. I adore the 2016 for its gracious personality, fine tannin and remarkable freshness, not to mention that it is absolutely delicious and the kind of wine that is so suggestive of a very bright future." (01/2019) 98 points, Jane Anson - Decanter: "This is a wonderful wine, it’s absolutely precise, finely wrought and gorgeously balanced between richness and elegance, with notes of damson, black cherry, slate and rosemary. Silky soft tannins highlight the concentration of the fruit and the grilled oak notes that are La Mission’s signature, with a fresh core that stretches out the palate. A low pH gives tension through the palate, and is highly seductive. No Cabernet Franc this year. (12/2018)

Details

TypeRed Wine
VarietalCabernet Sauvignon and Blends
OriginPessac-Leognan/Graves, Bordeaux, France
Bottle Size750 mL
SKU1441683