According to the last Liv-ex Classification – which attempted to mimic the Bordeaux 1855 classification by ranking chateaux based purely on price – Mission Haut Brion is something of an unofficial First Growth. Prices have reached new summits in recent years and 2010 is expected to be no exception, having earned itself a place amongst Parker's potentially perfect wines. But it isn't just the latest vintage that is garnering attention.
Over the past year, post-millennial vintages from 2000-2008 have moved in price by an average of 43 per cent. Among the top performers is the 2001, which has almost doubled in value in this time. Even so, the 91-point wine seems relatively undervalued at £1,700 per case – a third of the price of the 2009 and around half of the price of the cheapest available First Growth (Haut Brion 2007). The 2003 (RP 94) has also seen spectacular price appreciation and is up 67 per cent year on year. Still, cases can be had for just over £1,820.
But how do prices compare with those of Haut Brion, the chateau's neighbour and the most affordable of the Premiers Crus? The last ten vintages of Mission are currently trading at an average of 62 per cent of the price of their Haut Brion equivalents (as shown in the chart). This figure falls to 43 per cent if we include the rest of the First Growths in the calculation.
The table below shows the current value and year-on-year price movement of Mission 2000-2009. Though it has not seen the same price acceleration as its siblings, the 95-point 2006 stands out as strong value, and may look even better if the 2010 is released at the same price level as the '09. Liv-ex trading members can view live markets here.
Scores from erobertparker.com
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