Deep garnet colored, the 2010 La Mission Haut-Brion has a commanding, profound nose of baked blackberries, boysenberries and warm cassis plus suggestions of candied violets, red roses, chocolate box, cedar chest and smoked meats with a waft of iron ore. Full-bodied, powerful and hedonic, the palate bursts with expressive black fruits and floral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing with epic length. A real head-turner, this beauty is already very impressive, but for that full WOW experience I would give it another 3-5 years in bottle to blossom. (LPB)

While the 2010 Château La Mission Haut-Brion started out slightly closed, it just about explodes with air and has an incredible perfume of sweet cigar, tobacco, scorched earth, graphite, and minty herbs with that classic, smoky dark core of currant-like fruits. Beautifully textured, seamless, and full-bodied, it brings remarkable intensity, a concentrated, layered mid-palate, and one hell of a gorgeous finish. I’d probably have rated this one point higher had I not tasted it beside the 2010 Château Haut-Brion. This absolutely sensational La Mission will evolve for another 40-50 years.

fragrant violet notes on the nose, a smoothness to the tannins and supple oak which indicate many years of drinking pleasure ahead. A very dry year, 2010 was the driest since 1949 between April and late-September. Vines were dehydrated and concentrated, but very cool nights encouraged freshness and accumulation of anthcyanins in the grapes. Despite the lack of rainfall, and the initial monolithic character of many 2010's, La Mission has matured beautifully. (AH)