Chateau La Mission Haut Brion

The birth

It was in 1540 that Arnaud de Lestonnac began his work on the Château La Mission Haut Brion estate. He planted plant by plant, plot by plot in order to produce exceptional wines. The place remained in the family until his granddaughter, who followed the religious tradition of the Company of Mary Our Lady. The priests took care of the vines throughout the 18th century.

During the French Revolution, the wine estate was confiscated. It was then sold at auction as “national property”. Initially valued at 100,000 pounds, the estate was sold for 302,000 pounds to a Bordeaux industrialist.

Export

In 1821, Celestin Coudrin Chiapella bought the property. He was the first American owner of the estate. He was born in New Orleans but wanted to retire in Bordeaux, where he was already working as a merchant and manager of several properties such as Château Cos d’Estournel. With his ties to New Orleans, Célestin developed trade between Bordeaux and his hometown. He also continued to develop the vineyard and improve the quality of the wine. Thanks to his efforts, Château la Mission Haut Brion won the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1862.

In 1884, Jérome Chiapella sold the estate to the Duval establishments in Paris. During this period, the château was renowned in France, England and the United States.

Modernization

It was Frédéric Otto Woltner who bought the property in 1919. Although its popularity was still high, the château operated with old techniques. In 1926, Woltner began modernizing the castle. He installed enameled steel vats to control the temperature during fermentation. He also offered a white wine from 1927.

It was the Clarence Dillon estate that bought it in 1983. A new bottling line was installed as well as a new tasting room. In addition, new buildings were constructed, the restoration and modernization of the operation were given priority over the years. Finally, the roads and paths around the property were widened, some even paved. The “French-style” gardens were somewhat simplified and the gate and iron arches were restored. This 19th century gate is listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments.

In 2000, all the rooms of the castle were redecorated by the Duchess of Mouchy.

In 2007, new cellars were created as well as a tasting room, a bottling center and a storage space.

Realization

On March 10, 2009, Liv-Ex, the world’s leading fine wine exchange, revised the 1855 classification. Château la Mission Haut Brion was ranked as a Premier Cru.

In May 2008, 26 journalists met in London to taste 51 vintages of Château la Mission Haut Brion. Prince Robert of Luxembourg invited the world’s greatest critics for a vertical tasting from 1953 to 2005 to celebrate 25 years of the Dillon family at the head of this property.

“I have in my personal collection more bottles of La Mission Haut Brion than of any other wine in the world. La Mission has long been one of the best wines, and one of the most consistent in quality.” – Robert Parker