Familial disputes in later generations led to the sale of the property in 1983 to Domaine Clarence Dillon, which has also owned Château Haut-Brion since 1935. The two estates are currently represented by Prince Robert of Luxembourg and are managed by Jean-Philippe Delmas. Together, they have continued to renovate the properties extensively with new chais completed in 1987, updating the bottling line in 1996 and recently, in 2007, unveiling new tasting rooms and cellars.

Classed as a Grand Cru under the Graves classification of 1953, the Château is close neighbours with its foremost competitor – Château Haut-Brion. Often the two properties are (wrongly) coupled in the same bracket but, with their distinctive terroirs, the wines are in fact quite different. The common factor they do share is the high quality of the wines produced. Many wine experts argue that Château La Mission Haut-Brion should actually be re-classified as a First Growth.

Viticulture and Vitification

The 21 hectares of Château La Mission Haut-Brion in the southern suburbs of Bordeaux are split into two parcels of vines, one in Pessac and the other in Talence. Situated on a gravel bank over a bed of chalk, the harvest is gathered by hand allowing for careful selection of the ripest grapes. Fermentation takes place in state-of-the-art stainless steel vats before the Grand Vin is aged in 80% new French oak barriques for 22 months. Demand for the wines is high and only 6,000 to 7,000 cases of Château La Mission Haut-Brion are released each vintage with an accompanying 500 to 700 cases of La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc. The wines of La Mission Haut-Brion are rich, complex and long-lived, with the red wines needing at least 10 years of bottle ageing to come into their full form.

Classification

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion – Cru Classé de Graves en Rouge (Graves Classification 1955)
• La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion – Appellation Graves Contrôlée
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc – Appellation Graves Contrôlée
• La Clarté de Haut-Brion – Grand Vin de Graves

Varieties

• A significant amount of the red varieties planted are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a small amount of Cabernet Franc. Sémillon is the dominant white variety, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and a miniscule amount of Muscadelle.

Wines Produced

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion – First Wine: 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc.
• Château La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion (used to be Château La Tour Haut-Brion until 2005) – Second Wine: 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc 10%.
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc (used to be Château Laville-Haut-Brion until 2009): 85% Sémillon, 14% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Muscadelle.
• Château La Clarté de Haut-Brion: Second White Wine to Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc and Château Haut-Brion Blanc; the majority of this dry white wine is Sémillon.