La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2019

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is Merlot-dominated, checking in as 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a more opulent wine compared to Haut-Brion, and the Merlot is front and center here, with ripe, sexy black cherry and redcurrant fruits as well as licorice, scorched earth, cedar pencil, and graphite aromas and flavors. Rich, exuberant, and straight up sexy on the palate, it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a heavenly finish. Just a prodigious, powerful, off-the-charts expression of this terroir, it actually reminds me slightly of the 2005 (or 1998?) with its mix of sexiness and opulence. This is one of the few 2019s that will make your eyes roll back in your head. It will need 10-15 years of cellaring, but it’s a sensational wine on every level and will have 40+ years of prime drinking. Drink: 2032-2062. (4/11/22)"

99 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion unwinds in the glass with aromas of inky berry fruit, wild plums and cherries mingled with notions of warm spices, burning embers and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Powerful and tightly wound, this is less sumptuous and demonstrative out of the gates than its sibling Haut-Brion, but I suspect it possesses even greater potential. Drink: 2033-2070. (Apr 2022)"

98 points James Suckling: "Blackcurrants and crushed stones with violets and roses. Earthy and black truffle notes, too. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins that are layered and attractive, in a muscular and toned fashion. Iodine, ink, earth and bark with wet-vine undertones to the fruit at the end. Reserved and impressive. Best after 2025. (3/3/22)"

96-98 points Wine Enthusiast: "Showing a stylish face to the world, this wine has a wonderful combination of dark fruits and rich tannins. It is full, with ripe Merlot revealing a dense structure and opulent potential. The wine is set for a long, slow aging."

97+ points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion is fabulous. There's no doubt about that. When it might actually be ready to drink is another matter! Soaring aromatics are so alluring. On the palate, though, the 2019 is incredibly reticent. Readers should be in no rush. Today, La Mission is a wine of huge potential. Dark red cherry, rose petal, incense, iron and gravel hint at what is to come. Drink: 2034-2069. (Jan 2022)"

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion was picked from September 11 until October 2, and matured in 78% new oak. This has a fragrant nose, very well defined and neatly disguising the 14.6° alcohol. It comes across just a little closed compared to other vintages, perhaps due to tasting in December. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fresh and vibrant. This has a gorgeous texture and real tension toward the finish. Intense rather than powerful, it fans out wonderfully, gaining depth with aeration. An audacious La Mission Haut-Brion, but perhaps not quite within the very top rank of this estate. Drink: 2029-2065. (Feb 2022)"

97 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "Wonderful sweet fruit and floral aromatics. Great freshness and life here, tannins are present, chalky and consuming but in a great way. The mouthfeel is excellent and really stands out - the deep cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit pulsing underneath the tannins with a cooling menthol, mouthwatering freshness on top so you get power and lift! One of the more open wines at this point with so much charm. Approachable and showing off but still a lot more to give in time. A brilliant wine. 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window: 2027-2047. (Jan 2022)"

97 points Rod Smith, MW (TimAtkin.com): "(53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauignon, 7% Cabernet Franc; 14.5%). Super concentrated sweet oak aromas with roasted coffee, cocoa powder and ripe plum and fig fruit. Complex, and inviting. Sweet creamy blackberry flavours. Powerful tannins and lush, sweet fruit flavours flood the palate. Apart from the pronounced tannins, this is pleasurable even now, but it has the structure to hold for decades, and needs probably 10 years before it will taste of its best. Already the oak and fruit are well integrated and married together. Very long palate-flooding, if youthfully tannic, finish. Exceptional. (2022)"