Château La Mission Haut Brion er efterhånden blevet en af de mest eftertragtede Bordeaux-vine. Siden familien Dillon overtog driften af slottet tilbage i 1983 og igangsatte en stor restaurering af både slottet og ikke mindst vinmarkerne, er kvaliteten nu på 1. Cru-niveau. Det startede med årgang 1989, som modtog de magiske 100 point af Robert Parker. Og siden da er La Mission Haut Brion flere gange blevet belønnet med den prefekte score.

På trods af den fremragende kvalitet er La Mission Haut Brion dog langt fra lige så kendt som naboejendommen (1. Cru'en Château Haut-Brion, som familien Dillon også står bag), hvilket til dels hænger sammen med ejendommens beskedne størrelse. Men i den grad også det faktum, at slottet slet ikke er en del af 1855-klassifikationen. Selvom "La Mission" har status som lillebror mht. kendisgraden, fremstår vinen typisk mere maskulin og koncentreret end Château Haut Brion. 

La Mission Haut Brion har 26 ha vinmarker, som er tilplantet med en næsten lige andel af Cabernet Sauvignon og Merlot samt en mindre andel Cabernet Franc. Jordbunden består af et toplag med sand og kalk og et dybt lag underliggende og veldrænende grus. 

Vinen vinificeres i store, temperaturkontrollerede stålfade, hvorefter den lagrer på 100% nye franske fade i 22 måneder.

97-99 point | The Wine Advocate:
"Composed of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.7%. It needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal slowly emerging scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and forest floor, leading to suggestions of violets, baker's chocolate and cardamom with wafts of dusty soil and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with impactful, fresh red, black and blue fruit layers, supported by impressive freshness and fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. A stunning expression of this vintage!"

98 point | Decanter:
"A kick of black fruit and confident spice right from the first nose, this is an intense and concentrated La Mission, tightly in control, not letting up from beginning to end. The pencil lead and bitter dark chocolate is layered in between the cassis notes in a way that makes you see the Cabernet influence although this is majority Merlot (once again - this is a character of the year, low yields of Cabernet mean Merlot is more featured in the blend than usual; but the intensity of the Cabernets mean that it still has an outsized influence on flavour profile). Grilled coffee beans overtake on the close of play, this is seductive and switches beautifully between the tannins pressing in on the palate and the juice expanding things outwards. This is the wine to go for in the Domaines Clarence Dillon stable this year. Harvest from 7th to 29th September."

96-98 point | Jeb Dunnuck:
"Another sensational wine, the 2020 Château La Mission Haut-Brion boasts a deep ruby/purple color to go with a rocking perfume of ripe black cherries, tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and exotic spices. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, it has a ripe, expansive texture, building tannins, and just an opulent texture. The vintage doesn't get any sexier than this beauty."

Druesammensætning:

48.6% Merlot
43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon
8.2% Cabernet Franc