1978 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac

1978 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion traces its roots to the sixteenth century, when the land was first planted under Jean de Pontac, the same family behind neighboring Chateau Haut-Brion. This 1978 bottle was produced under the Woltner family, who owned and shaped the estate for over sixty years before selling to the Dillon family in 1983. Many consider La Mission a worthy sixth addition to the 1855 First Growths, and it holds Cru Classé status in the 1959 Graves classification.

The vineyard sits on the same gravel ridge as Haut-Brion, just across the road in Talence and Pessac, with deep gravel over clay and sand that drains well and holds daytime heat. The blend leans on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, rounded out by a smaller share of Cabernet Franc. 1978 was a warm, later-ripening vintage that rewarded patient winemakers, and wines from this era were typically aged in oak for around eighteen months before bottling.

Nearly five decades on, this bottle shows real freshness, with layered cherry, plum and strawberry fruit meeting smoke, cedar and a stony, mineral edge. Present tannins give it grip through a long finish. Serve it with roasted game birds, mushroom risotto or aged Comté.