Château La Mission Haut Brion

The history of Château La Mission Haut-Brion and the neighboring estate Château Haut-Brion are intertwined since 1540. 

Château La Mission Haut-Brion - Wine in the name of God

At that time, the Bordelais merchant Arnaud de Lestonnac married Marie, the sister of the founding father of Haut-Brion, Jean de Pontac. Through his connection to the Pontac family, he was able to grow wine at a high level very quickly at Château La Mission Haut-Brion, whose terroir is similar to the neighboring estate.

Arnaud's granddaughter Olive put her life at the service of charity. After a lifetime of work in the service of charity, she donated in her will 200000 pounds to various religious organizations, an unimaginable sum at that time. This connection was to lead, after some back and forth, to the conversion of Château La Mission Haut-Brion by the Catholic Church. The estate then existed as a Lazarist monastery until the French Revolution.

Path to modernity of Château La Mission Haut-Brion

After the expropriation of the church it was sold to one merchant, in the following years Château La Mission Haut-Brion was to change hands many more times. Another prominent role in history is played by the Woltner family, which in the 1920s modernized viticulture at Château La Mission Haut-Brion and used cellar technology such as steel tanks for the first time.

The latest chapter so far was opened with the Dillon family, which reunited Château La Mission Haut-Brion with the neighboring winery in one company. They bought them new cellar technology and erected new buildings. In keeping with history, the new reception area and tasting room are designed in the style of a cathedral.

Vineyard and cellar of Château La Mission Haut-Brion

The vineyards of Château La Mission Haut-Brion are located in the communes of Pessac and Talence, northwest of the city of Bordeaux. The elevated, gravelly soils with rootstocks of

• Clay
• Sand and
• Lime

it shares with Château Haut-Brion and give the same excellent foundation to its wines. Drainage takes place through a delicate network of small watercourses that run through the vineyards.

With its long history, the estate can draw on a wealth of experience to develop its wines, which are aged in barrel for 20 to 24 months. Jean-Philippe Masclef, who also oversees the cellar of Château Haut-Brion, looks after the wines of Château La Mission Haut-Brion.