94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2016 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion is blended of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot and 21.5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it absolutely sings of red roses, black tea and tilled black soil with a core of crushed blackberries, Morello cherries and cassis plus a hint of cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great intensity of ripe black berries and floral layers, framed by soft, silken tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. 

94pts James Suckling

Attractive, earthy and cedary aromas across ripe, mixed berries, leading to a deep-set palate with succulent and approachable tannins that deliver a very long, succulent and flavorful finish. Holds bright, fresh and long. Second wine of Château La Mission-Haut-Brion. Try from 2023

93pts Jeb Dunnuck

Looking first at the second wine of the estate, the 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion is 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It’s a head turner of a second wine and has plenty of grand vin character, yet it’s more front end-loaded, with beautiful tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, graphite, and earthy red and black fruits all emerging from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, deep, balanced, with a sexy yet also elegant texture, it’s a winner to enjoy over the coming 2+ decades.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

This perfumed wine offers fine tannins and rich fruit. The second wine of Château la Mission Haut-Brion, it is densely structured while still glorying in ripe black fruit. Dense and complex it still shows an open, generous character. Drink from 2024. (RV)

93pts Wine Spectator

Vivid, with sleek cassis and crushed plum flavors stretching out nicely as this airs in the glass, carried by a racy, tarry edge and backed by ample sweet spice and tobacco notes. The late echo of roasted apple wood is pleasant and the finish has an electric feel.

92pts Decanter

A toasted oak note adds a layer of richness and depth to the fruit expression, this is silky, full of supple black fruits. There's a touch of heat but it's appetising and appealing. The texture and the richness is clear. Great quality. Bottled in mid May 2018, 25% of production went into La Chapelle. Drinking Window 2021 - 2034 (JA)

92pts Vinous

The 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion is just as captivating from bottle as it was from barrel. Fresh, silky and inviting, the Chapelle is all class. Floral notes lead into a core of expressive red cherry and plum fruit. Medium in body, silky and exquisite in its balance, the 2016 has so much to recommend it. I would prefer to give the wine a few years in bottle to allow a broader range of aromas and flavors to develop, but even today, the Chapelle is gorgeous. The 21% Cabernet Franc in the blend adds striking brightness and perfume throughout.

Winery Notes

In 1664, Madame de Lestonnac bequeathed the domaine of La Mission Haut-Brion to the Peres Lazaristes, a congregation founded by Saint Vincent de Paul. The "good fathers" worked to restore their property to its rightful worth. After them, the Chiapella family (owners in the 19th century) and Woltner family (owners between 1919 and 1983) never stopped improving the vineyard and modernizing the cellars. Since 1983, the Dillon family, already owner of Chateau Haut-Brion, continues the same policy under the presidency of H.R.H. Prince Robert of Luxembourg.