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Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2018
WhiteFrance2018
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2024-10-06 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.3 average · world avg price US$747 · The white of a house that began as a Lazarist mission's vineyard, competed for years with Haut-Brion across the road, and came under the same owner in 1983.
Wine-Searcher aggregates 94 across 17 critic reviews. Vivino lists three critic scores: (92–94) and 97–98 from barrel tastings in Apr 2019, and 96 (Mar 2021), without publication names.
Market note: World average US$747 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). Single bottles: US$578 in Washington DC, US$620.20 in bond in the UK, US$649.95 in Chicago, US$771.54 in Hong Kong. Cases of three or six start at US$463.90 per 750ml (UK in bond). The house's red averages US$384 across vintages (96), so the white costs more.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“진짜 고급진 절제된 산미의 쇼비뇽블랑을 다채로운 열대과일 향들과 함께 만난 뒤, 세미뇽의 앞으로 숙성될 푸릇한 그 느낌을 느낄 수 있다. 디캔팅하며 먹어서 어려도 좋지만 좀 더 숙성 후 먹는다면 진가를 다시 만날 듯 하다. 하지만 최근 버건디 화이트를 많이 먹다 보니 시야가 많이 좁아졌었는데 다시 와인의 시야를 넓혀준 와인. 멋지다.”
Show original
“진짜 고급진 절재된 산미의 쇼비뇽블랑을 다채로운 열대과일 향들과 함께 만난뒤, 세미뇽의 앞으로 숙성될 푸릇한 그느낌을 느낄 수 있다. 디캔팅하며 먹어서 어려도 좋지만 좀 더 숙성 후 먹는다면 진가를 다시 만날 듯 하다. 하지만 최근 버건디 화이트를 많이 먹다 보니 시야가 많이 좁아졌었는데 다시 와인의 시야를 넓혀준 와인. 멋지다.”
In the scent column: 'grapefruit, gooseberry, pineapple, passion fruit, white pepper, grass, honey — atlas paper beside it.' I should fold a corner somewhere other than the Burgundy pages too.
Tuesday. It was early and there were no customers. Master Seo took a thick book from under the counter and opened it: an old wine atlas with worn corners. A breath of paper dust rose from it. Beside it, a glass of white wine. 'Tonight, forget Burgundy and smell.'
Grapefruit, lemon, gooseberry, and yellow tropical fruit like pineapple and passion fruit. White pepper brushed past once, and beneath it a green smell like fresh-cut grass, honey, a little vanilla. The acidity was clear but had no edge. When I set the glass down, the smell of old paper rose again beside it. The moment tropical fruit and paper overlapped, the living room on an October night when I was twenty-six opened.
Twenty-six, the first Sunday in October, past midnight. I came out of my room for water and found the living-room lamp on. Dad was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa with a big atlas open on his knees. The Burgundy pages were full of folded corners, but he turned past them, a long way forward. Bordeaux. He put his finger just below the city and laughed: lately I've only looked at one neighbourhood. A white wine tonight had opened one more window, he said. Full of tropical fruit, with a well-mannered acidity and something like grass underneath — give it a few more years and it would show another face. I wasn't there, and I never saw the bottle. I don't know its name. I only remember the smell of the atlas pages and Dad's back as he sat on the floor.
The third line of that day in the notebook. The hallway of page fifty-five, the dressing table of page fifty-four, and now this living room. One night, split across three pages. He'd met a Sauvignon Blanc of refined, restrained acidity with tropical fruit, and felt the green of the Sémillon that would age. Good now, but after more ageing it would show its true worth again. And this sentence: 'A wine that widened my view of wine again.' Four stars. The bottle was Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Probably Dad took the atlas out in the middle of the night because he wanted to press that spot with his finger before his widened view closed again.
As I was finishing the glass, Minjae came in. Master Seo poured him a glass and set a quiz. Instead of answering, Minjae emptied his glass first. Master Seo gave the answer himself: two houses that competed for a long time across a single road ended up with one owner.
After closing, page fifty-six of the new notebook. In the scent column: 'grapefruit, gooseberry, pineapple, passion fruit, white pepper, grass, honey — atlas paper beside it.' I should fold a corner somewhere other than the Burgundy pages too.
What this wine is
In Pessac, just south of the city of Bordeaux, two châteaux face each other across a single road: Haut-Brion, a first growth in the 1855 classification, and La Mission Haut-Brion. La Mission's first recorded owner was Arnaut de Lestonnac, in 1540. In 1664 Madame de Lestonnac left the land to the Lazarist fathers, and the name 'Mission' comes from them (Decanter).
In 1919 Frédéric Woltner bought the château and modernised it. It ranked below Haut-Brion, but Decanter writes that in many vintages La Mission rivalled its neighbour and in some surpassed it. The long rivalry ended in 1983, when Domaine Clarence Dillon, owner of Haut-Brion, bought La Mission from the Woltner family (Decanter, Vinfolio).
The white has a story too. It was first made in 1923 as 'La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc', but, judged not the equal of the red, it was called 'Château Laville Haut-Brion' from 1934. From the 2009 vintage the name went back to 'La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc' (Decanter, Vinfolio; Wine-Searcher dates Laville through the 2008 vintage). The blend is usually about 63% Sémillon and 37% Sauvignon Blanc, with more Sauvignon Blanc in warm years (Decanter).
What the world says
On Wine-Searcher it aggregates 94 across 17 critic reviews. Vivino lists three critic scores: (92–94) and 97–98 from barrel tastings in April 2019, and 96 from March 2021 (publications not named).
On Vivino, 16 people have rated the 2018. The average isn't shown; the distribution is four fives and twelve fours (4.25 when calculated). The label as a whole averages 4.3 from 1,396, and vintages with more than 30 ratings range from 4.0 to 4.5. The suggested drinking window is 2023–2028.
"Floral, gardenia, very green and pine, then white pepper comes." — Vivino review, Jun 2025, 4.6 stars
Citrus (25) and lemon (21) lead the keywords (76), followed by earthy notes such as honey (22), minerals (16) and smoke (65 in all); apricot, apple and peach (49); oak, vanilla and butter (47); and toast and hazelnut (24). Structure shows intensity 3.9, acidity 3.0 and sweetness 2.1.
The world average is US$747 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). Single bottles overseas run from US$578 in Washington DC to US$771.54 in Hong Kong — nearly double the house red's US$384 average.
How I drank it
October 6, 2024, 4 stars. I logged five lines that day: Jacques Selosse Le Bout du Clos (5), Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018 (4.5), this one, Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 2018 (4.5) and Cristal Rosé 2008 (5).
First came a Sauvignon Blanc of refined, restrained acidity, together with a range of tropical fruit. Behind it was the green feel of Sémillon that will age. We decanted it as we drank, and I wrote that it was good now but would show its true worth again after more ageing.
The note ends less with a verdict on the bottle than a confession about me. Having drunk a lot of white Burgundy lately, my view had narrowed a great deal; this bottle widened it again. The line just before it was a Meursault. At 4 stars it was the lowest score of the five that day, close to the 4.25 implied by the community's distribution. The score was lower, but what this bottle left behind was a direction.
Vivino community data
2018 vintage rating distribution (16 ratings, average 4.3)
| 5★ | 4 (25%) | |
| 4★ | 12 (75%) | |
| 3★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus | 76 | citrus 25 · lemon 21 · orange 7 · grapefruit 4 · lemon peel 4 |
| Earth & leather | 65 | honey 22 · minerals 16 · smoke 7 · stone 3 · ginger 2 |
| Tree fruit | 49 | apricot 12 · apple 9 · peach 7 · pear 7 · melon 3 |
| Oak | 47 | oak 12 · vanilla 12 · butter 7 · caramel 4 · cedar 2 |
| Bread & nuts | 24 | toast 7 · nutty 5 · hazelnut 4 · almond 3 · brioche 2 |
Structure: Acidity 3.0/5 · Intensity 3.9/5 · Sweetness 2.1/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 1396 ratings, average 4.3)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 4.3 | 38 |
| 1985 | 4.3 | 33 |
| 1993 | 4.3 | 40 |
| 1998 | 4 | 38 |
| 1999 | 4.1 | 33 |
| 2000 | 4.4 | 45 |
| 2001 | 4.4 | 50 |
| 2002 | 4.3 | 47 |
| 2003 | 4.3 | 45 |
| 2004 | 4.2 | 84 |
| 2005 | 4.2 | 68 |
| 2006 | 4.1 | 41 |
| 2007 | 4.4 | 85 |
| 2008 | 4.3 | 55 |
| 2010 | 4.5 | 30 |
| 2011 | 4.2 | 40 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc?
A white made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc by Château La Mission Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux. From 1934 through the 2008 vintage it was sold as 'Laville Haut-Brion'. The 2018 aggregates 94 across 17 critic reviews on Wine-Searcher.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$747 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Single bottles overseas: US$578 (Washington DC) to US$771.54 (Hong Kong).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests pork, vegetarian dishes, poultry, snacks and lean fish.
How are La Mission and Haut-Brion related?
They are neighbours facing each other across a road in Pessac, Bordeaux. They competed for a long time, but in 1983 Domaine Clarence Dillon, owner of Haut-Brion, bought La Mission, and both now have the same owner (Decanter).
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Decanter — Château La Mission Haut-Brion: an estate second to none
- Vinfolio — The lost wines of Haut-Brion
- Wine-Searcher — 2018 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc
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France · Burgundy★★★★☆Similar styleLucien Le Moine Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018
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