CHATEAU LA MISSION HAUT BRION

Believed by many to be worthy of Premier Cru status, Château La Mission Haut-Brion was established in 1533 by Jean de Pontac, then owner of what in time became Château Haut-Brion. The name arrived in 1664 when it was bequeathed to the Congregation of the Mission and became the property of the Roman Catholic Church.

About 30 years later, a small chapel known as Notre-Dame de La Mission was built in the vineyards, and in 1713 the Château itself was constructed. La Mission Haut-Brion was not included in the 1855 Classification, despite being sold for as much, or more than, the Second Growths. It did however receive the highest level in the 1953 Classification of Graves.

Over the years it was always the chief challenger to Haut-Brion itself, until in 1983 the Dillon family, who owned Haut-Brion, purchased La Mission as well (a case, perhaps, of ‘if you can’t beat it, buy it’). Unique stony soils with grape varieties of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, produce a fuller, more concentrated and tannic style than that of Haut-Brion.