Throughout the past years, one way I have kept blogging is through the help of friends, those in the joint blogging groups I am part of: #Winophiles, #WinePW, #Italian FWT, and #WorldWineTravel. With the changes in Twitter/X and for a host of other reasons, the groups began to be less active, and so did I. This year, the far-sighted members of the groups decided to combine them and we will do one topic a month rather than 4. This is the first of 2024 and is hosted for the #Winophiles group by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. The theme is a fun one, French Wines We Were Gifted. The chat later is going to be on Threads which is also something new.

My topic is a wine from Bordeaux which came to my Mom from her Brother when he passed away. My Uncle Tony Berman was an avid wine collector but his bigger collection ended up not being given to his family because of a sad turn of events in his life which I do not want to focus on. Somehow, there was a collection of his wine that ended up in a wine fridge in a closest and was basically forgotten about. Bottles from that collection went to my Mom who helped her brother immensely the last years of his life to navigate his troubles. They were not stored properly and every year at Christmas or New Year’s or a big birthday, I try to bring one out and toast to him. His birthday was December 31st so sharing a bottle on Christma always seems appropriate if not on New Year’s Eve itself.

This year I opened this bottle from 1979 from Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. It’s the second time I opened a bottle from this estate.

Some History:

The estate had its beginnings in 1540 when a merchant, Arnaud de Lestonnac, put together two properties to create the Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. He also married into a family that was involved in Haut Brion by marrying Marie, the sister of Jean de Pontac. Their son ran the estate but it was actually his daughter Olive who had a wider impact. She dedicated her life to the Church and Philanthropy and brought a religious order on the grounds who ended up cultivating the vines. In 1698 they build a chapel on the property as well. The estate went through many trials and tribulations in the next years be it the French Revolution, confiscation of the property, and eventually in 1821 it was sold to an American family from New Orleans. Fast forward another 100 years and the estate is in the hands of a Bordeaux Mercant in 1919 named Frédéric Otto Woltner. With his two sons he brought the Chateau into the Modern Age with technological changes, additions to the cellar, a new white wine, and other modifications.

In 1983, the winery was purchased by the Domaine Clarence Dillion. Many consider the estate to be the 6th Premier Cru. It even trades as such on Liv-Ex since 2009. I had no idea about any of this when I chose this bottle.

Terroir/Area:

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is located in Pessac-Léognan in the North of the Graves appellation. The soils are gravel, just like at Haut Brion which is directly across the street, more of less. The gravel sits on a varied subsoil that contains clay, sand, limestone and shelly sand. The soils are also quite ancient. The estate has 29 hectares (72 acres), 25 hectares of red grapes and 4 hectares of white grapes.

Vineyard Practices:

The estates uses sexual confusion diffusers instead of insecticides and maintains the biodiversity of the area thanks to their management of their woods and plantings between the rows of vines of cover crops.

Tasting Note:

When I opened the wine is was very dark in color with a garnet rim, as one would expect at 44 years of age. On the nose, the bouquet was a bit muted when first opened but after a bit black and blue fruit – cassis, blueberries, plums came through along with some earth, cedar, and lather notes. On the palate, the wine was an explosion of flavor with smoke, coffee, leather, mint, and herbs. The tannins were still present as was some acidity which was such a surprise. I wonderful experience both this year and in 2021 when I opened another bottle.

Despite the way it was kept and the vintage which was a good one but not similar to a 1982, I was thrilled with this elegant and ethereal wine both times I have tried it. I don’t drink a lot of Old Bordeaux so I don’t have many experiences to compare it to but we do still have a few bottles to open that I look forward to.

Pairing:

I paired this wine with Roast Beef on Christmas prepared by my Mom. I love Roast Beef and particularly on that holiday. I had opened up many other wines before this one to satisfy the different palates at the table and parts of the day. By the time we got to the Bordeaux, most of my family had just a bit. I got to drink most of the bottle myself over the course of two days from a decanter. The wine was beautiful day two as well. Even though the critics said the wine was at its peak in 2005, I found it amazing 18 years later and I am sure its because of its amazing terroir and the knowledge of its winemakers.

Here is the January #Winophiles line-up.

• Camilla of Culinary Cam shares A Red Blend from the Slopes of ‘The Giant of Provence’, Slow-Braised Venison Stew, and ‘Merci.’ (you’re here)
• Terri of Our Good Life says Thank You for the Bordeaux! Plus the cassoulet we paired with it.
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is Celebrating a New Wine Collaboration with a Bottle of Cahors gifted to me from Family visiting from France.
• Jeff of Food Wine Click! tells How to Gift a Wine for Your Wine Geek Friend.
• Linda of My Full Wine Glass tells of A Gift to the Planet: Biodynamic Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley.
• Susannah of Avvinare is Drinking Aged Bordeaux from Chateau La Mission Haut Brion.
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley is doing double duty with Birthday Wishes, Gifts: Cassoulet with Cotes du Rhone from Domaine du Pegau, Maison Sinnae, Famille Ravoir and The Gift of Wine and A Gift of Wine: 2019 Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve with Cassoulet.