Château la Mission Haut-Brion

The vineyards of Château La Mission Haut-Brion, straddling the communes of Talence and Pessac, owe their name, origin and long-standing reputation to a congregation known as the “Congrégation de La Mission” or “Lazaristes”, founded in the 17th century by Saint Vincent de Paul. The estate was bequeathed to them by the heirs of Mme Olive de Lestonnac. The Fathers of La Mission were highly skilled in the art of choosing land and selecting vines. They were the true founders of the wine estate as we know it today. Their meticulous care and attention to detail soon bore fruit. From that time onwards, the Mission gained a worldwide reputation. These wines were destined for the tables of the princes of the Church. History also tells us that it was the favourite vintage of Marshal de Richelieu, who played a brilliant role during the Regency. He was fond of saying: “If God forbade drinking, would He have made this wine so good? The monks were dispossessed by the Revolution, and their vineyard was sold on 14 November 1792 as national property to Martial-Victor Vaillant, for the sum of 302,000 livres, a high price for the time, but one that could be explained by the excellent development of the land. In 1821, the estate passed into the hands of a wealthy settler, Mr Célestin Chiapella, who professed a true love of winegrowing. Thanks to the remarkable success of his harvests, the appellation of the cru spread, became authoritative and was applied for as a trademark. At the time, the capsule bore the round words “Haut-Brion-La Mission” and the owner’s initials in the middle. Carrying on his father’s tradition, Mr Jérôme Chiapella continued to run the estate in the most successful way. The harmony of the grape varieties and the soil, as well as the remarkable gravelly exposure of this terroir, contribute to producing wines that are very sappy, very tannic and very typical of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. In 1862, the jury at the Universal Exhibition in London gave the wines of Château La Mission Haut-Brion a very fair assessment and awarded them the gold medal, a very high distinction at the time. In recent years, the 1982, 1985 and 1990 wines have caused a sensation, and their universal reputation will be remembered for a long time to come. Since 1983, La Mission Haut-Brion has been one of the jewels in the crown of the Clarence Dillon estate, which has completely renovated the château and built state-of-the-art technical facilities. Before entering the cellar, a veritable “cathedral of wine”, visitors are now welcomed in a cloister next to the small chapel of Notre-Dame d’Aubrion, built at the end of the 17th century. Today, many critics consider the wine of Château La Mission Haut-Brion to be one of the finest in Bordeaux. It should be noted that from the 2009 vintage, the white vineyard of Château Laville Haut-Brion, an adjoining property of Domaine Clarence Dillon S.A.S., has been attached to that of Château La Mission Haut-Brion. As a result, the white wine of Château La Mission Haut-Brion, the last vintage of which dates back to 1930, has been reborn. In August 2008, Prince Robert de Luxembourg succeeded his mother, Madame la Duchesse de Mouchy, at the head of Domaine Clarence Dillon, owner of Château La Mission Haut-Brion.