La Mission Haut Brion 2012

62% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromatic and a little lean but very sophisticated. Lots of energy here. Extremely ramrod straight with lots of fine tannin. A very long-term wine. Super demanding with its heavy charge of tannins. Still quite inky and ambitious in the extreme. One of the more youthful wines of the vintage. At the moment just a little stringy. Neat and certainly no blockbuster. 14.95% Drink 2023-2040

There are a lot of concentrated flavours on the nose and a mix of mainly black fruits on the palate. The tannins feel ripe firm but not holding back the fruit and towards the back it is lighter with a stylish long fragrant finish. 2020-35.

La Mission is even more impressive than its neighbour and stable mate, Haut-Brion, in2012. The wine has the second highest proportion of Merlot ever (after 2005) reflecting thevintage conditions. You don't notice the high alcohol here because of the underlying acidity.Leafy, perfumed and complex with structured tannins, cassis, plum and blackberry fruit andremarkable freshness and length. One of the two best Left Bank reds in 2012.Drink: 2020-45

The 2012 La Mission Haut-Brion, which represents 41% of the total production, is a blend of 62% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Lots of tobacco leaf, forest floor, underbrush and red as well as black fruit aromas jump from this aromatic, seductive, open-knit La Mission. Medium to full-bodied, round, generous, lush and flattering to taste, even at this young age, it is built along the stylistic lines of the 2001 or 1999. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. Like its bigger sibling, the second wine, the 2012 La Chapelle de la Mission, was the result of a harvest that occurred between September 17 and October 9. (Keep in mind that the micro-climate of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion is essentially within a highly developed suburb of Bordeaux.)

The Grand Vin was picked between 19th September until 9th October and it is a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon raised in 75% new oak. There is no Cabernet Franc this year since it did not achieve full ripeness. This blend is actually the inverse of the 2010. It has an alluring bouquet which given the blend, has a Right Bank personality as La Mission. Hints of cedar and bay leaf emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and good structure. This is a very focused, very harmonious La Mission, very controlled with a sense of confidence on the finish that will need a couple of years to absorb the wood. It disguises the 14.9% alcohol well, perhaps more than recent vintages. This is a great success. Tasted April 2013.

This is delicate for La Mission with bright and pretty fruit with blueberries and minerals on the nose and palate. Full body, with velvety tannins and a very pretty finish. Earth and bark undertones.

A wine that vibrates with life, generous, juicy, full of momentrum and pulsing minerality, ripe red and black fruits, with orange peel, saffron, clove, sage, complex and studded with succulent appeal. Interesting to note the high alcohols, showing even as far back as 2012 its location in the thermal corridor of urban Bordeaux was having an impact, but they are well balanced, adding flesh to the texture rather than heat. 75% new oak.