A tight, solid red with crushed-berry, sandalwood, stone and cement flavors. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and compact with excellent depth and intensity. Closed and austere, but there’s both energy and levity to it at the same time. Try after 2025.

The aromatics here are incredible, and there is the most gorgeous density of black brambly fruit on display. It's graceful but intense, and utterly delicious . It doesn't have the same intensity through the palate as the wonderful 2016, but it really does stand out in the vintage as being extremely good quality. It's going to take its time to come round, so settle in for the long haul. 51% of overall crop. 3.86pH.

Subterranean ruby in color, this wine opens with lilies and night blooming Jasmine, black plum, cassis, a puff of smoke and a stroke of oak. Full-bodied and energetic but not frenetic, there is freshness, ripeness, assertive tannins and a succulent black currant hit in the finish. The vintage will require over a decade of aging. Created from a blend of 56% Merlot, 39.6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.4% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.1% ABV with a pH of 3.86. The harvest took place September 4 through September 29 and represents 51% of the Grand Vin.

(96+ points) Composed of 56% Merlot, 4.4% Cabernet Franc and 39.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion is a little reticent on the nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal notes of crushed blackcurrants, Black Forest cake and Morello cherries with suggestions of cigar box, pencil shavings, charcoal and fertile loam. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic intensity with loads of mineral layers and a rock-solid line of firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and with great energy.- LPB

Composed of 56% Merlot, 39.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4.4% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet in color. The nose begins with faint hints of cinnamon stick and clove oil before uncoiling to reveal a fragrant core of baked plums, kirsch, and cassis, plus a touch of Oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate is dense and profound, featuring very plush, rounded tannins and fantastic tension, finishing with a fragrant lift. "We did a lot of selection between the 2nd label and the grand vin this year," said Jean-Philippe Delmas. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

A positively stunning wine, the 2017 La Mission Haut-Brion is all class. Sweet floral notes give the 2017 striking freshness, nuance and energy. Rose petal, mint, blood orange, red cherry, pomegranate and mocha are all laced together. In 2017, La Mission plays very much in the red fruit and floral end of the spectrum. Effortless, gracious and wonderfully nuanced, the 2017 simply has it all. What a wine! -- Antonio Galloni

This rich, structured wine has bold tannins and generous blackberry flavors. It is firm, showing its dry, tannic side at the moment, hinting at the black fruits to come. It will be a very open, opulent wine as it matures. Drink from 2024. - ROGER VOSS

Checking in as a blend of 56% Merlot, 39.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc brought up in 68% new French oak, the 2017 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion sports a vivid ruby color to go with a beautifully round, textured, opulent style on the palate that's hard to find in the vintage. Classic notes of unsmoked tobacco, incense, spiced currants, and chocolate all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, has silky tannins, a fresh, classic, balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish.

Solidly built, with a roasted alder frame around a mix of steeped red and black currant, bitter plum and blackberry compote flavors. Lots of sweet tobacco and dried anise notes fill in on the finish, along with a chewy, tarry edge that should meld into the fruit with time. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2038. — JM