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Wine Description
The Story
La Mission Haut Brion is situated in Bordeaux' southern suburb, Talence. From 1919 and until 1983, it was Woltner family, who had owned this property. Under Woltner's reign, La Mission Haut Brion experienced one of its greatest period with string of fine vintages and was considered then as fully on the level with First Growths and sometimes even better than these. In 1983, owners of Haut Brion purchased La Mission Haut Brion and today its Jean Philippe Delmas, who's responsible for this property.
La Mission-Haut-Brion's vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Merlot 45%, Cabernet Franc 7%) lie on a large (up to 18 metres deep in places) gravel bank interspersed with clay. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and then matured in oak barriques (100% new) for 18 months. The wines of La Mission Haut Brion are rich, oaky and powerful and need at least 10 years of bottle ageing before they should be broached.
Vintage 2022
The rainy months of November and December 2021 en able water reserves in the soils to be replenished, before making way for a dry month of January. From February and March, mild temperatures, above seasonal averages, bring about an early start to the vine’s growth cycle. An incidence of frost marks the early part of April, but although it is widespread, its severity is moderate and the vine, whose growth has progressed far less than in 2021, is only slightly affected. Warm temperatures during the month of May cause the vine to develop rapidly and flowering takes place without a hitch. Starting in June, three long heat waves of high temperatures mark the summer. Green work in the vineyard is very restricted in order to protect the vine. Alongside the heat, the water deficit intensifies, but the grapes continue to ripen without any halt. Rain during the night of August 13th saves the situation and perfects the grapes’ balance by moderating the sugar content.
The harvests begin on August 16th at Château La Mission Haut-Brion for the white grape varieties. The perfect health of the grapes requires very little sorting and the harvest is gathered in just 9 days for the Sauvignons and Sémillons. For the red varieties, harvests begin on August 29th with the young vines and the Merlots. Quite unusually, picking of the Cabernet Sauvignons follows swiftly at the beginning of September: the grapes are indeed ready, in terms of both analysis and taste. The berries are smaller than in previous years and less abundant in juice, but the substance and range of aromas and flavours are fabulous. Each year is different and adapting to the grapes is key to making a great wine: to achieve this, tasting the berries and then the vatted juices is crucial and makes it possible to modify the parameters of winemaking. Ultimately, 2022 is an exceptional year, but it confirms that we must never despair of the vine and its ability to adjust.
