Ratings & Tasting Notes:

100 points Vinous:

“The 1955 La Mission Haut-Brion, served from double magnum, presented quite a contrast to what had been a set of mostly delicate wines up until this point. The 1955 La Mission offered up a compelling array of cigar box, ash, smoke, earthiness and dark fruit in a deep, powerful style. There were elements of a wild, almost animalistic quality to the wine that added to its personality. This was a magnificent bottle of an iconic wine. (NM)” (12/2018)

100 points Wine Advocate:

“Even allowing for the greatness of Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild, the 1955 La Mission is the “wine of the vintage.” It possesses a sweet, cedary, clove, smoke, and black-raspberry-scented nose, and rich, full-bodied, remarkably harmonious flavors that ooze with ripe fruit, glycerin, and heady alcohol. The tannin has totally melted away, and the wine reveals considerable rust at the edge, so it is unlikely that the 1955 will improve with further cellaring. There is no indication of any fragility or decline, so this wine can be safely drunk for 10-15 more years. It is an amazing, complex, superbly well-balanced La Mission-Haut-Brion! Tasted 13 times with consistent notes. ” (10/1994)

100 points John Gilman:

“The 1955 vintage of Château La Mission Haut-Brion is one of the finest wine I have ever tasted from this property, but when I wrote my feature on the property back in 2015, I had not tasted this wine since 2006. So, I was thrilled to see it included in a recent tasting lineup of old claret, so that I could reacquaint myself with this legendary wine. The bouquet is pure, vibrant and bottomless, wafting from the glass in a very complex blend of sweet blackberries, cassis, cigar smoke, a great base of dark, gravelly soil tones, sweet leather, discreet notes of nutskin, violets and a topnote of cigar wrapper. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very elegant in profile, with a sweet core of black fruit, great soil signature and grip, melted tannins and a long, very complex and absolutely seamless finish. This wine is so perfectly balanced that it is hard not to imagine it cruising along beautifully for another half century. This bottle is even better than the last one I drank and was well worth the decade of patience between sips of this magical wine!” (10/2020)

96 points Jane Anson:

“This is a wine that has in its lifetime received a few perfect scores, and it is still delivering, if slightly more quietly than in may have done in the past. Think tobacco leaf, white truffle, embers, cold ash, redcurrant, saffran, rust… you get the picture – extremely special, fragrant and full of joy. The bottle was brought by Mark Pardoe, served in one of the Berry Bros wonderful hidden dining rooms in St James, and was originally in his father’s cellar. Just a thoroughly special wine.” (02/2023)

Cult Wines International Notes:

Château La Mission Haut-Brion, situated adjacent to its illustrious sibling Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan, is a First Growth estate with a history stretching back centuries. Renowned for its exceptional red and white wines, La Mission shares a similar terroir to Haut-Brion, producing powerful and complex Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant reds characterized by smoky, earthy notes and elegant structure. Its rare and highly regarded white wine, made primarily from Sémillon, is rich, age-worthy, and intensely aromatic. With a legacy of quality and consistently high critical acclaim, Château La Mission Haut-Brion stands as a jewel of the Left Bank, often considered on par with the Médoc First Growths.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold. Outstanding condition for its age.

This bottle comes from the days when the negociants would bottle and label the wines. This particular example was bottled by J. Vandermeulen.

J. Vandermeulen was a well-regarded Belgian wine merchant, particularly active in the mid-20th century. They specialized in sourcing and bottling prestigious wines from top Bordeaux estates, such as Petrus, Lafleur, and Haut-Brion. These “Vandermeulen bottlings” were known for their quality and were often aged in the merchant’s cellars before release. Today, they are sought after by collectors and represent a piece of wine history from a time when estate bottling was less common.

Vandermeulen established its esteemed reputation by meticulously sourcing exceptional wines from premier estates during outstanding vintages. Noteworthy examples include the celebrated 1947, 1950, and 1952 Petrus, the distinguished 1947 and 1952 Lafleur, and the iconic 1921 and 1947 Cheval Blanc, considered the two finest vintages for that château.

Founded in the port city of Ostend, the precise inception of the business remains uncertain, with the earliest documented records dating back to 1907. The name J. Vandermeulen-Decannière, a combination reflecting founder Jules Vandermeulen’s marriage to Irma de Cannière in 1892, is evident on their corks and the distinctive wax seal adorning their labels.

Their earliest known release was a Château d’Yquem from 1904, and Vandermeulen’s bottling activities concluded in the late 1950’s. This era preceded the widespread adoption of estate bottling, where prestigious estates typically sold their wine in bulk to négociants or international merchants for bottling and labeling abroad, a practice shared by notable firms like Berry Brothers & Rudd. (Estate bottling later became mandatory for all 1855 Cru Classé properties by 1967, and by 1972, AOP regulations extended this requirement to all top estates.)

Vandermeulen bottlings often exhibited a richer, sweeter, and more tannic profile compared to other releases from the same châteaux. Their process involved selecting barrels shortly after the vintage and frequently aging the wines for up to thirty-six months. Notably, they employed male ox blood for fining and added a small quantity of Port to barrels just before bottling. The use of high-quality corks contributed significantly to the longevity of their wines.

During World War II, a portion of Vandermeulen’s inventory, concealed behind a newly erected wall, was unfortunately lost to the German forces. Following the war, an increased volume of barrel purchases from wine estates necessitated a move to larger premises equipped with an expanded bottling line.