If you are a wine drinker, this is probably one of the best Bordeaux wines to have in your cellar. No connection with first growth Haut Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is nonetheless a mammoth of a wine. Neither a first nor a Super Second (had the 1855 classification continued to sixth growths, this is undoubtedly where it would have been placed), it is, however, a Crus classés in the Graves 1959 table. More importantly, modern classification reference Liv-ex Power 100, ranks it in 14th place, making it is one of the most powerful wines worldwide.

Wine guru Jancis Robinson refers to this as “the quintessential insider’s wine”, so whether for drinking or investing, Mission Haut Brion is certainly worth a look.

2005 saw pricing change dramatically, so vintages up to this year remain relatively affordable. It is interesting to note that this upsurge was a trend for all Bordeaux wines and there are still many opportunities available that make good commercial sense. Mission Haut Brion 2005 was given a perfect score of 100 (the only other Bordeaux wine to receive this was its namesake, first growth Chateau Haut Brion). However, at close to €700 a bottle, this is still double the average for other Bordeaux wines of the same blend from Pessac-Leognan. Current trading prices are at around €580 per bottle for La Mission Haut Brion versus €801 for Haut Brion.

Just 5,000 cases are produced from the 27-hectare vineyard, yet this is a wine that has significantly increased its quality and is now talked about in the same conversation as first growths. The low yield is due to the tremendous care that goes into the harvest; each grape is hand-picked and manually inspected prior to it being selected. The magic blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc produces a wine that is fantastically deep in colour and ages very well but needs at least 10 years before it can be truly enjoyed.