Last Chance to See 1959 La Mission Haut-Brion

If you have an appetite for 100-pointer Bordeaux and money to spare, a look at the global prices and availability of 1959 La Mission Haut-Brion suggests it might just be the ultimate rare wine with which to celebrate turning 60 in 2019.

As a product of the 1971 vintage I've relied on Germany and Barolo for birthday wines, though I have been recommended Haut-Brion in the past. But those wine lovers hitting the big six-o in 2019 can, if his or her accountant agrees, look at the big Bordeaux names with confidence.

To serious collectors the 1959s often represent even more of a Holy Grail than the 1961s. The former wines were generally described as being more approachable in their youth, lacking in acidity and not built for the long term. This early assessment contributed to their subsequent rarity, since many buyers drank them while they waited for the 61s to come to hand. Something similar befell the 1982s.

La Mission Haut-Brion stands out not just because of its quality, but because it appears to be harder to find than the five First Growths. Of these, Mouton Rothschild is the rarest with 44 global offers on Wine-Searcher's database, and Latour the most common with 62. Haut-Brion has 51 offers, while there are just 19 for La Mission Haut-Brion. The former has 48 hectares (118 acres) planted to red varieties while the latter has 27ha (66 acres) which provides at least part of the reason for this. Nowadays around 6000 to 7000 cases are produced per annum, against 10,000 to 12,000 for Haut-Brion.

Today, red plantings at la Mission Haut-Brion are roughly 46 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 44 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. However, the Merlot component has increased greatly in the last couple of decades and the 1959 would have been more reliant on Cabernet Sauvignon.

Unlike its neighbour, Château La Mission Haut-Brion was not included in the 1855 rankings, and so is "merely" a Grand Cru Classé of the 1953 Graves classification. Renowned Bordeaux authority David Peppercorn MW is one of many advocates who feel the property could have been added to the First Growths in 1973 alongside Mouton Rothschild. In 2009 the Liv-ex Bordeaux Classification placed the property at First Growth potential quality. Jancis Robinson has called La Mission Haut-Brion "the quintessential insider's wine".

The 1959 La Mission Haut-Brion in particular has a stellar reputation for quality. Robert Parker (who has given six perfect scores to various vintages of this property) awarded a 100 to this wine in 1994, predicting that this "young, broodingly backward, formidably-endowed wine" should still drink well until 2020 or 2025. Jancis Robinson marked the wine at 19.5/20 in 2008, finding it richer and sweeter than the 1961, and calling it "[v]ery powerful and dense. Luscious, long and tense. Sweet, very rich, rather medicinal. Wonderful stuff".

The wine is still attracting perfect and high-nineties scores among critics and wine forums today. With an Aggregated Critic Score of 95/100 on Wine-Searcher, it matches the efforts from Latour and Lafite, and is only one point behind Mouton and Haut-Brion. Margaux lags behind somewhat on 91/100.

Given the comparable critics' scores and even greater rarity, it is not a shock that La Mission Haut-Brion is no bargain compared with the First Growths. At the time of writing its average global price of $3047 ex-tax is far in excess of its neigbor, Haut-Brion ($2237). Latour averages $2834, while the less-favored Margaux lags behind at "only" $1610 plus sales tax. Only Mouton (barely, at $3082) and Lafite, at $3813, exceed it. (All prices in US Dollars.)

La Mission Haut-Brion's 19 listings include a couple of single bottles at auction priced or estimated at sub $2000 figures. Retail shoppers will find price tags across Europe ranging from around $2257 to $5150 per bottle, not including sales tax. Buyers in the USA, state regulations permitting, have a trio of options from $2700 to $3800 ex-tax. Unusually for our Last Chance to See series, there is just one Asian opportunity, in Hong Kong, at $4072.

But as with other pieces in this series, a caveat emptor must be included for those seeking out this or other 1959s. Wines of this age can vary widely in terms of fill level and general condition, and their sought-after nature means that forgeries are a possibility.