Opened at Octavium in HK. Slow-oxed and served blind.
This completely blindsided me, as I guessed Left Bank Bordeaux from the late 80s or early 90s. Still fresh, with decent (if admittedly fading) fruit and still some tannins to back it up. Wow, what a wonderful condition for this bottle! Just shows that if provenance and storage are right, then wines really can last a long time.
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Second time of tasting, but from a different source, my previous reservations about the finish dissipated. With the right bottle this is up there with the 1955 and 1982. Beef blood and smoked sausage dominate the nose, and it is a tertiary beast on the palate with old leather and plum, and with everything integrated and multilayered. The depth end palate and on the finish is other wordly. It's all about bottles at this age, but one of my greatest drinking experiences. This was decanted and filtered an hour before, but with a stopper to prevent oxidation. However, drink efficiently as it starts to fade after an hour.
Still standing rock solid after 35 years. Classic Bordeaux and archetypical MHB all the same. Beautifully balancing in between 2nd and 3rd stage. Tobacco, dirt road, gravel, roses (hint of Barolo), beef, blood, barbecue. Opening up inn the glass even further after one hour. Hardly any further development after I drank my first two bottles 13 years ago.
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Perfect bottle of this showing great richness and intensity given the age and vintage. Fabulously complex with very classic aged La Miss notes of tobacco road, campfire char and dark primary forest. This is why La Mission is a first growth as they easily made the wine of the vintage.
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This is the gentle and elegant version of this normally robust Graves. Lightly smoky. Lovely clean and fresh blackberry fruit, well integrated tannins and well judged acidity. Perfectly preserved. Nothing more to give yet very fine for current drinking. Still, I yearned more a bit more concentration.
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A tertiary beast packed with beef blood and leather with robust tannin, this could almost transport you back in time to an Edwardian club. Emotionally this is a 100 point wine , but cold logic dictates the assessment. The nose is packed with smoky notes of well hung beef and German sausage, and is overwhelming and a memorable experience. Likewise the palate is loaded with mature notes and an exceptional depth. However, just as I was about to put a 3 digit rating, a harshness and imbalance end palate and on the finish appeared. That said, what a privilege to experience this wine. However, I would give a word of warning. This was from a very trusted source with no provenance issues, but was showing the first signs of potential decline. Drink now whilst it is still a spiritual experience.
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Super soil nose overlaid with a refreshing green note; it conspicuously lacked the intensity and the high-wired drama of it 1961 flight mate; by contrast it had a much more laid back persona but this is a beautifully resolved La Mission with really complex smoky and earthy volcanic mineral overtones
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Reconditioned at La Miss but amazing tertiary nevertheless. Color does not show the age but the elegance does show decades of integration. If all reconditioned are like this, happy to purchase reconditioned wine.
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Annual BYO Pre-Dinner (mostly mature Bordeauxs): Tasted double blind. I guessed it to be a bit older. Right out of the gates this showed intense, laden with fruit and tertiary aromas, all embedded in a powerful structural frame. Easily drinking on a 95/96 pts level, missing probably a touch of roundness and elegance for a higher rating. After some time in the glass, it slightly fell apart (not considered for the rating). One to drink today, without much air.
TN: Intense dark berried notes, loads of power and intensity, some smoke and minerality, hints of malty notes. Superb on the nose. Fresh and precise yet mature. On the palate the wine has so much verve and tension, lively with lots of substance. Red berries, herbs, smoke, tobacco, intense and round. Malty and sensual. Complete wine with a fairly long and sweet and malty finish.
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Intense, bold and full of character. Dark fruit profile of bramble berry, but note without brighter red berry elements. Dried herbs complexity and a nice, dusty minerality of ground rocks and iron oxide. Comes across younger with only fine notes of earth, leather and barnyard. Palate is amazingly intact for the vintage (my opinion), but leans towards a slightly thin texture.
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very similar to my last note in 7/12/2020 - medium dark red, orange-brick rim - effusive nose of back fruit (raspberries, cassis), gravel, smoke and oak - moderately full mouth of mature cabernet fruit, tannins resolved, acidity predominates - smooth 15-20 second finish - fruit is on the lighter side, but still drinking beautifully as an elegant mature Graves
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CLT Wine Dinner (Mini-LMHB vertical, Aged 20+ yr Napa, and Aged 10+ yr Pinot) (Charlotte, NC): Perfect provenance. Slo-ox 3 hours before sampling. Color: Medium ruby with tinge of orange-brick rim Nose: Lively truffle, tobacco, and cedar Palate: Concentrated dark fruits: raspberries, cassis, and cherries. Notes of smoke, cinder, soft leather, cola, and gravel. A delightfully well-integrated wine drinking beautifully. Finish: Medium length finish showing delightful notes of earthy cherries, tobacco, and cedar. A joy of a wine that pales only relative to the two stunning wines ('70 LMHB and '75 LMHB) that preceded it. Provenance matters.
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drinking with 1979 Haut-Brion. This bottle is less mature and relatively fuller body. More purple fruits and purple flower. Little bit sweetness. more intense and more pronounced flavor compare to the 79 HB. But after opening the bottle, this one passed the peak more quickly than the 79HB.
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Served next to 79 HB, group prefers this. Touch woody, attractive hue of dark fruit, luring it all in, lots of volume. Rather classic expression. 94-95
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Good bottles of this always make me a little weak in the knees as the '78 shows this great terroir so well. Silky and fully mature with wonderful flavors of grilled nuts, smoked meats, graphite minerals and a hint of char. This bottle showed just a bit more green than others lowering the score a bit.
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Wow! One word describes the experience of drinking this. High shoulder fill and a cork soaked through - but as soon as it was poured into the decanter the nose was incredible and improved as it sat over 1 hour. It’s as if I’d walked into a humidor with complementary scents of truffle, cajun spice and cedar. It’s an unmistakable aroma that I will long remember. And that palate - it didn’t disappoint! Muscular yet harmonious with a sweetness in the fruit that was absolutely remarkable for such an old wine. Its a stunning example of how good Bordeaux can get when all the components coalesce over a 40 year period - even as a result of a good but not classically great vintage. This was tasted next to a 71 Petrus and a 78 Palmer - and as a wine tasting it will be very hard to beat. The Petrus won by a nose and the Palmer was just behind this LMHB - just stunning wine.
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Very difficult cork extraction, I have been faced with this a lot lately on older wines. If you have any tip it would be highly appreciated. Just had a first sip but the wine needs a lot more air to open up. Cigar and truffle on the nose so far.
A 1978 Retrospective (Mostly Barbaresco & Bordeaux) (Sta. Rita Hills, CA): A difficult cork extraction, but there never was any doubt that this wine was in very fine form. Signature notes of cigar ash, truffle and black fruit on the nose. More secondary than tertiary, as compared with the only other encounter I've had with this. Plenty of acid to complement its blackberry and fig-driven flavor profile, along with some gravel, leather and a touch of licorice. Very good concentration. All in all, another excellent showing, though it fell a bit short of the previous bottle's lofty heights.
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Bottle breathe for 2 hours. It evolved positively with gradual recovery of some strength and fruit. Fully matured with integrated tannin with some hint in fruit. Earthy and mineral with medium finishing. Last for another hour in the glass
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medium dark red, orange-brick rim - effusive nose of back fruit (raspberries, cassis), gravel, smoke and oak - moderately full mouth of rich mature cabernet fruit, tannins resolved, acidity predominates - smooth 15-20 second finish - drinking beautifully now as an elegant mature Graves - will likely last for another 3-5 years, but doubt it will get much better than it is now (I would be happy to be proven wrong!)
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This was decanted a couple of hours before we got to it, which I think was likely the wrong move. Quiet (flagging?) nose, but with a reasonably big, roasted, smoky palate and a core of rustic black cherry fruit, there's still plenty to like. Reasonably long. 93-94ish but not formally scored given the preparation.
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Nose: sweet cherry and candied red fruit notes with chocolate, smoke and confected notes. Palate: Sweet and slighy reductive. Silky tonight with red fruit, cola and dried apricot. Finish: more exotic than others in this flight. For some the WOTN, but others thought it may have been better as a PNP.
Same bottle as EC
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The wine level was mid neck. The cork came out intact. Decanted just before drinking. Dark with virtually no tile color even on the edge. The core is deep fresh red. The nose is earth and tobacco. Leather too. Clean and classic with no funk. On the palate, the tannins are soft. Rich and lush wine of medium-plus body. The taste is of a little dust but otherwise consistent with the bouquet offering leather, earth and tobacco. Black fruit also. So well balanced between body, alcohol and acid. The wine is virtually perfect. While offering a full package, it is still relatively youthful. I don’t suspect it will improve simply because it is so good now but I have no fear that this wine would decline much for the next five to ten years. Wonderful with a beef tenderloin roast with a simple sauce of capers, pan juice and a little cream. As good as tasting it a few years ago, may be better.
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A joyous wine, absolutely it best self, and such a treat. The firm cork was easily extracted, fully intact, with maybe a centimeter max of seepage. A forceful nose evidenced signature notes of cigar ash, truffle and black fruit. In the mouth, the wine had an elusive quality in the sense that it varied from light- to medium-bodied, and was a touch viscous. Plenty of acid to complement the depth of flavors, with the blackberry notes being complemented by fig, gravel, leather, some salinity and a touch of licorice (which surprised me a bit). Tertiary notes dominate, but the concentration was impressive. This wine should last for decades, and didn't really budge in the glass over the three or so hours we monitored it.
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Dinner at Nico Osteria: Corked. Right after someone commented on the streak of good bottles and said "we're due for a bad one" and this is why you never mention a no-hitter/perfect game while it's in progress.
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Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): What the heck! OK, wine geeks know that certain 1978s can be truly superb. Anyone try a Château Palmer 1978? You should ... And you should get yourself a LMHB 1978, too. I had tried this a few years ago, loved it and love it yet again. What elegance! The crushed tobacco is vivid, the wine is bright and alive! And yet it is mainly all tertiary. But what refinement and smooth texture to match. The finish goes on and on. It could not match the weight of a 1982, to be sure, but the price is also not matching the 1982, to be sure.
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Achim's Magnum Tasting 2018; 12/24/2018-12/26/2018 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): From Magnum, not blind For many drinkers together with Martha's Vineyard 1978 200 points. I was not that "high". The 1978 is the bigger wine compared to the LMHB 1971 but for me the older one brought more fun at that day. Anyway from Mg not at his peak. 98(99)
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Unusual for LMHB, the smoke was faint, the embers low. From a bottle in amazing condition, mid neck ullage and great color (from Wine Watch). Very youthful with resolved tannins and good acidity, perfectly mature. I liked it a lot for its beautiful red berry and red licorice fruit, fine balance and persistence. K did not enjoy it, though. Not up the the level of the ferocious craggy ‘75 or the superbly concentrated ‘82 but much better than the ‘66 or ‘70 for example.
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This was what classic Bordeaux is about, with all its leafy notes, cedar wood, cassis and spicy red fruits. But the tannins are tough, almost austere and the tartness, coupled with the greenery in the finish detract from the wonderful, aromatics and length.
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Per the person bringing it, in the cellar since release. Neck fill
The youngest tasting wine of the night. Graves earth, dark and stony. With licorice, tobacco, and a hint of green pepper. Structured and powerful, almost posing, especially next to the 53 and 82 Cheval. Imposing and at least with similarly stored bottles, I suspect this would be better in 5+ years. As someone who loves the stern and also with a soft spot for LMHB, I loved this. At least this bottle was early peak. Was brilliant with the meat course. 95
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Intense nose of smoky gravel, black raspberries and sweet wood. This bottle was really showing well with great intensity for a '78 with flavors of old dark fruits, gravel, tobacco and roasted nuts. Finishes smooth and complex with notes of minerals and allspice. The tannins are so smooth and resolved and this bottle showed incredibly well and ready to drink. It did also benefit from being decanted for an hour prior to consumption.
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The nose is clearly stunning, with its Cuban cigar, tobacco, smoke, earth and cassis character. But the fruit is starting to fade, as the sweetness is no longer evident. There is a rusticity to the tannins in the tapenade, tobacco and cassis finish that lacks elegance. This is a good example of an old school, Bordeaux with its best days having already gone by.
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Cab & Cow Dinner (Vidalia - Washington DC): Light smoke on the nose with a mellow and smooth finish. The classic french merlot shows through but this is drinking beautifully.
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In 1978 this majestic terroir produced a classic La Mission Haut Brion, with all the signature notes of volcanic soil, hot bricks, camphor, cigar ash and sweet blackcurrant fruit. The tannins have largely melted away, and this wine is drinking beautifully, with a lovely core of crunchy fruit and juicy acidity, and a very long, complex and refined palate impression.
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Deep dark color, perfect btl from an OWC. Black fruits, wet tobacco, earth, cedar, has a rust iron note, forest floor, not as aromatic as the 66 but a classic La Mish. really deveoped over time becoming more savory 96 pts
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Drunk from Magnum on Christmas Day 2014 at the Koala Bar - we tasted a collection of '78s in large formats for Christmas (and why wouldn't you!). The '78 La Mission Haut Brion was definitely the big, muscular beast of a wine that I come to expect of this Chateau. In great years they manage to harness this power and produce a balance that makes you think the wine will last forever. Sadly this is not that wine. Make no mistake, it was extremely enjoyable and gave the Lafite and the Latour (eventually) a run for their money, but it couldn't overcome the characteristics of the vintage.
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1978 Big Boys + friends (Riverpark, NYC): This was served alongside a 1978 Diamond Creek that I loved so much I probably didn't pay the LMHB sufficient attention, so as a disclaimer I have low confidence in this note. Really distinctive in the combination of a very prominent green/bell pepper note while still offering a fleshy, generous texture. Dark fruit, a hint of chocolate, the Graves smoke comes out with air. This didn't pull at my heartstrings, so I may be underrating it--I was mainly impressed by how its combination of size and aromatic profile seemed to defy logic.
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1978s + others at Riverpark: There's plenty of red fruit in there somewhere, but what you notice right away is all the other stuff: green peppercorn, scorched earth, smoke, cigar, BBQ, a hint of caramel and walnut. Not a big wine, on a smaller frame than the Diamond Creek, but there's still plenty of smokey red fruit in the midpalate and the comparison with the Diamond Creek makes it seem lighter than it actually is. Really excellent with beef, which cuts the acid and allows the fruit to show more. Lovely.
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Amazingly youthful for a 36 year-old wine! Slight brown at the edges, but brick-garnet otherwise, still almost completely opaque. It was still going strong six hours later! Very pronounced and classic La Mission aromas of cedar, leather, roasted meat, tobacco blended with dark fruits, nuanced and complex. Thick, full-bodied and rich on the palate, maybe slightly less fruit than a few years ago, but wonderful dark fruit flavors with prominent anise. Very long aftertaste, with the dark fruits and licorice lingering for a minute. Too bad this is the only bottle I have (had...). An excellent example of La Mission producing an outstanding wine in a vintage not considered great. It has been our favorite of all Bordeaux for forty years.Tasting this wine was a rare treat. Ric
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Beautiful, fully aged bordeaux. Sweet red fruit, a touch of nuttiness or caramel, hint of tobacco, all nicely integrated. Fine tannins, smooth texture.
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LMHB (The Ledbury): Very creamy lactic on the nose. Lifted to that classic slightly green pepper 78 character. Very savoury and attractive, richness combined with a savoury edge. Lots of interest here. A sweetness on the nose now. Almost a touch of caramel. Violet floral (oh no, that's the woman across the restaurant just back for the loos and the soap; several minutes for the air to clear). This must be as good as 78 gets? Bare *****
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Beautiful nutty Bordeaux nose with smoky gravel and dark spices. Silky smooth on the palate with lovely flavors of dark red fruits, tobacco and warm bricks. Finishes with a lovely funky complexity with notes of smoky minerals, dark red spices and earthy minerals. Drinking beautifully now and should hold for some time.
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Dark, brooding color. Classic Graves nose of warm asphalt, tobacco and char. This wine still has strong acidity and so needs to breathe for quite some time. Then beautiful black fruits emerge with flavors of dark forest floor, sweet tobacco and road tar. Fairly thick in the middle with a gorgeously complex finish with notes of dark spices and tobacco. A superb La Miss that will continue to age well.
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A fabulous, mature La Miss with excellent dark fruit flavors and it's very terroir-driven with notes of smoke, road tar and char. So silky and smooth with a fine, complex finish with dark spices, charcoal and sweet ash. I just can't say enough about how drinkable this is tonight with the right food (black truffle ravioli) and from a relatively weak vintage. Really a great Bordeaux for drinking now!
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Very dark red in color, nose of licorice, cigar box and leather, after 2 hours still pretty tight and a little harsh and lean. Still quite young for a 78 wine with lots of energy and punch. It did mellowed down a bit after 4 hours which turned into something more pleasant, good but not great.
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Very different obviously from all the burgs. Green bell pepper nose and some leather. Black fruited with nice structure. A nice drink but hard to appreciate tonight amongst the burgs.
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Killing baby Burgundies at the Playground (Playground , Santa Ana, CA): popped and poured into a decanter. Initially the wine was throwing off all kinds of leather, meat, tobacco on the palate and there was that fruit just lurking at the bottom waiting to come out. I had a lot of hope for the wine as we put it into the decanter as I knew it just needed time for that fruit to come in and integrate with everything else. Unfortunately it never did over the course of the four hour dinner, it was always lurking there but never popped up. Definitely wasn't "tired", much potential in this wine.
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Ahhhh, La Mission. To me, the world's greatest, most consistent wine to age and the '78 is further proof. Close to maturity but still quite fresh with classic La Miss flavors of scorched earth, charcoal, black currants, black truffles and gravel minerals. Sweet and flowing on the palate with fully resolved tannins and perfect balance. Medium-bodied with a black minerally character and a lovely long, complex finish. Just stunning in the context of the vintage.
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First older first growth I've had and was just delighted. Cork did break but was able to extract the lower half with no problems. No signs of seepage at all. Popped and poured and followed over about 2 hours. The nose was very sweet and noticeable upon opening. On the palate I got quite a bit of darker fruits flavors up front. Was honestly surprised at how fruity it still is. As the night progressed the sweet fruits started to get a bit smoky (cherry maybe) and a good bit of creme de cassis on the finish. Would of been interesting to let it sit for awhile longer but it was just too good! All in all a great first experience for me.
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At Paul's new place with Madeline, Vuthy and Karen. Wow. We drank some pretty good wines, Salon 96, Corton 2001, Rousseau 98, etc... and then the monster la Mission 78! Amazing evolved color with the orange rim. On the nose, strong smell of blackcurrant and blueberries, forest floor / earthy. On the palate it's very light and elegant but with good smokiness. On the finish, like the end of smoking a ciggy with long after taste. Great finish. Really enjoyed this and worth looking to buy some!
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Cigar box, ash, tobacco, smoke, tar and creme de cassis are easy to find in the aromatics. Full bodied and with rustic tannins, this old school style of Pessac Leognan shows some green flavors in the cassis filled finish. Drink up as this is not going to improve.
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First Growth Dinner (plus some La Mission) (Ruths Chris - Washington, DC): Incredible wine that I didn't give enough time in the glass to evolve. Had a really interesting meatiness compared to the more subtle, floral driven 78 Haut Brion that was drank alongside. The palate of this wine was masculine and powerful - and probably could have benefitted from a couple hours of decanting. Nevertheless, this was an impressive effort. Palate was decidedly more rustic than the 78 Haut Brion drank alongside with a very sexy chocolate component woven throughout. Luckily, Faryan saved some of this wine to be sampled ~2+ hours after its first pour and the nose only deepened and showed more complex notes of herbs and minerals. Could easily have spent the entire night on this wine.
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1978 La Mission Haut Brion is stuffed with smoky cherries, tobacco, minerality, truffle, tar, blackberry and earthy scents. But the wine is not as good as it was 2 years ago, and at that time, it was not as good as it was a few years before that. Ther is still ample pleasure to be found in this fully mature wine, but it’s not a wine to hold for further evolution as its slowly drying out. 92 Pts
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Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep garnet. Clear and bright, clean. Black fruit nose with some green herb and this profile is repeated on the palate with a green edge to the tannins which add a welcome savoury note especially, as this is, with food. Mid - weight, mid + acid this is edged out by the 1990 tonight but a great bottle any other time with food.
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Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Marked by the characteristic 1978 stalkiness, which on this occasion lifted the wine and made it stand out from the others - silky black fruit and the first appearance tonight of the tobacco quality that usually marks out LMHB and HB
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Smooth, velvety texture with gravel and smoky scents and flavors. A very fine wine but somewhat overshadowed by the exotic nature of the wines surrounding it (Rayas, Jayer, La Chapelle!)
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Second bottle after the wonderful experience on May 29th (see previous note for details). Identical level, appearance and cork and - most importantly - identical nose and taste. This is a fabulous wine and we enjoyed every sip of it. Similar development. This time opened four hours before tasting. I don't think this wine will get any better, but it will last for quite some time.
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Popped and poured directly from the cellar (12 degrees Celsius). Into neck., cork in very good shape. I know I abused the bottle; this wine certainly deserves more care and preparation, but after a while it came up, gained color and weight. Classic Bordeaux nose; at first brett, but after a few minutes secondary notes: vanilla, rotten wood, overripe prunes, leather, sweet bread. Medium bodied, ripe, velvety. Dusty Graves notes, pencil, graphite, cedar, but also minerals, iron, blood, meat and a medicinal tone. I have doubts about the remaining life: still quite some tannines left, but I fear not the fruit to match it for a very long time. I think I should drink my remaining bottles in the next 2-4 years. I can't wait! TWO HOURS LATER: MHB 78 is now open for 2 hours and it is geting better and better. Fuller, almost full bodied now. Well balanced, complex and layered: hints of tobacco, licorice, white chocolate, coffee, Syrah-like peppers, dark fruit. Forget about the 2-4 years; well stored bottles like this one will last for at least 10+ years, though I do not think significant improvements will appear. This is an awfull wine, especially when you consider the vintage. Much better that the Latour 1978!
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A superb wine, still hanging together wonderfully and delivering big power and taste. Slight musty smell but big tobacco and earth. On the palate the fruit came flooding in - black berries. Good vegetal smell (which I love for its distinctiveness) and it continued as a bean taste. Big mouth feel and finish that went on forever. Mmmm, mmmmh.
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The cork on this was entirely soaked and crumbled coming out of the bottle, which I never take as a good sign. Decanted to remove sediment and cork, let sit for 30 minutes before drinking. In the glass this showed a healthy purple color still, although the edges were turning brick red. Drinking, it showed no signs of oxidation or stewed fruit consistent with poor storage. Shows as medium bodied, smooth tannins, and good balance. Notes of asphalt and smokiness, with a hint of raspberry and dark chocolate lingering on the medium-short finish. This is still holding together, but I wouldn't push my luck any further if I had more bottles. It's always exciting when you run across good bottles of old Bordeaux.
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Decanted 2 hrs Garnet red; big nose of wine cave, loam, brambles and dark berries; full body flavors of blackberries, tart black plums, med tannins, integrated fruit/tannins/ acidity, nice balance, long finish
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This wine has elegance, complexity and breed but it is just past its peak and will not last much longer or improve to any meaningful degree. The nose is classic and filled with scents of wildcherries, blackcherries and rose with a hint of cigar box. The taste is somewhat angular with flavors of red and black cherries, currants and earth.
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1978 La Mission Haut Brion, while good, suffered when showed with the other, mature vintages. Mature color with aromas of chocolate, herbs, spices and strawberry. Fully mature with good concentration, but the plum filled, finish showed a hint of greenness, ending on a pleasant, earthy, tobacco note. Fully mature, there is no reason to hold this wine hoping for further development. 92 Pts
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1978 Red Bordeaux (IoD London): Woody spice and berries, cinnamon, again a little dusty and aged, a nice density and sweetness before slightly frictional tannins, nice wine.
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IWFSC 736th Dinner (The Racquet Club): This was an interesting wine as it started out just screaming green (stems, peppers) along with black olive hints on the nose. After some time in the glass (surprising again because the wine had been double decanted a couple hours earlier) the nose rounded out and showed more classic signs of iron and iodine along with black fruit. On the palate, it also opened up and revealed good dustry black fruit with plenty of structure remaing. Definitely in the window, but probably no rush. 93-94 pts.
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LMHB Vertical (Jean Georges): Simply a beautiful wine. Classic old Graves with cassis, cedar, tobacco leaf, herbs...really, you could go on and on. It was surprisingly spritely but intensely focused on the palate it showed both great breadth and length. Nothing out of place. This is why we drink Bordeaux.
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What a beauty this wine was. My father used to take me to the tobacco store on Sat. afternoons to pick up some cigars and the nose could not be more reminiscent of those childhood experiences. Massive Graves nose of cigar box and tobacco leads into a very rich palate. The only slight could possibly be the slightly dry finish and this is why the nod probably goes to the '89. I would say this is fully in it's plateau with a safe 5-10 years of life remaining.
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1978 La Mission Haut-Brion. Opened for 40th during dinner at the Inn at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Was decanted and poured, full flavored but enormous breadth and length, requiring time to appreciate all its charm. Notes of brick dust and soft ripe fruit. The color was dark plum, silky smooth tannins with a surprising short finish.
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It took an hour for the mustiness to blow off and then it was really excellent. Flavor of Haut Brion with great elegance and balance. Reminded me of the ’85 Haut Brion. Will hold for some more years.
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This wine was brought to the tasting by Joakim Råhberg (aka Melchior). Red brownish colour. The bouquet revealed notes of vanilla, yoghurt and leather. Nicely structured with great intensity of fruit. Seemed a bit backwards and probably in need of more cellaring, yet there is no denying the greatness of this wine. As it stood in the glass, the wine took on a slightly "grassy" character and more mature nuances began to emerge, such as a nice scent of tea leaves. Elegant and very good, but in need of 5+ years of cellaring. Thank you very much, Joakim!!
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1/12/2024 - Melli Likes this wine: 94 Points
Suffered in comparison to the 1982 but still enjoyable. Needed some time in glass to open up.
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12/9/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened at Octavium in HK. Slow-oxed and served blind.
This completely blindsided me, as I guessed Left Bank Bordeaux from the late 80s or early 90s. Still fresh, with decent (if admittedly fading) fruit and still some tannins to back it up. Wow, what a wonderful condition for this bottle! Just shows that if provenance and storage are right, then wines really can last a long time.
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8/26/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 100 Points
Second time of tasting, but from a different source, my previous reservations about the finish dissipated. With the right bottle this is up there with the 1955 and 1982. Beef blood and smoked sausage dominate the nose, and it is a tertiary beast on the palate with old leather and plum, and with everything integrated and multilayered. The depth end palate and on the finish is other wordly. It's all about bottles at this age, but one of my greatest drinking experiences. This was decanted and filtered an hour before, but with a stopper to prevent oxidation. However, drink efficiently as it starts to fade after an hour.
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6/19/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Tasting and Dinner (Winefield's Auctioneers, Amsterdam, NL): Fabulous colour for age. Marvellous, spicy and meaty nose, deep and masculine, an essence of Mission; unusual power on the palate, great tannic structure, bolt upright, excellent length. Incredible quality for vintage and age.
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6/19/2023 - svdheijden wrote: 97 Points
Still standing rock solid after 35 years. Classic Bordeaux and archetypical MHB all the same. Beautifully balancing in between 2nd and 3rd stage. Tobacco, dirt road, gravel, roses (hint of Barolo), beef, blood, barbecue. Opening up inn the glass even further after one hour. Hardly any further development after I drank my first two bottles 13 years ago.
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6/1/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Perfect bottle of this showing great richness and intensity given the age and vintage. Fabulously complex with very classic aged La Miss notes of tobacco road, campfire char and dark primary forest. This is why La Mission is a first growth as they easily made the wine of the vintage.
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1/14/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the gentle and elegant version of this normally robust Graves. Lightly smoky. Lovely clean and fresh blackberry fruit, well integrated tannins and well judged acidity. Perfectly preserved. Nothing more to give yet very fine for current drinking. Still, I yearned more a bit more concentration.
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11/27/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
A tertiary beast packed with beef blood and leather with robust tannin, this could almost transport you back in time to an Edwardian club. Emotionally this is a 100 point wine , but cold logic dictates the assessment. The nose is packed with smoky notes of well hung beef and German sausage, and is overwhelming and a memorable experience. Likewise the palate is loaded with mature notes and an exceptional depth. However, just as I was about to put a 3 digit rating, a harshness and imbalance end palate and on the finish appeared. That said, what a privilege to experience this wine. However, I would give a word of warning. This was from a very trusted source with no provenance issues, but was showing the first signs of potential decline. Drink now whilst it is still a spiritual experience.
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10/20/2022 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 96 Points
Super soil nose overlaid with a refreshing green note; it conspicuously lacked the intensity and the high-wired drama of it 1961 flight mate; by contrast it had a much more laid back persona but this is a beautifully resolved La Mission with really complex smoky and earthy volcanic mineral overtones
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9/10/2022 - stepchoihk wrote:
Reconditioned at La Miss but amazing tertiary nevertheless. Color does not show the age but the elegance does show decades of integration. If all reconditioned are like this, happy to purchase reconditioned wine.
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7/17/2022 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Annual BYO Pre-Dinner (mostly mature Bordeauxs): Tasted double blind. I guessed it to be a bit older. Right out of the gates this showed intense, laden with fruit and tertiary aromas, all embedded in a powerful structural frame. Easily drinking on a 95/96 pts level, missing probably a touch of roundness and elegance for a higher rating. After some time in the glass, it slightly fell apart (not considered for the rating). One to drink today, without much air.
TN: Intense dark berried notes, loads of power and intensity, some smoke and minerality, hints of malty notes. Superb on the nose. Fresh and precise yet mature. On the palate the wine has so much verve and tension, lively with lots of substance. Red berries, herbs, smoke, tobacco, intense and round. Malty and sensual. Complete wine with a fairly long and sweet and malty finish.
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7/1/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Intense, bold and full of character. Dark fruit profile of bramble berry, but note without brighter red berry elements. Dried herbs complexity and a nice, dusty minerality of ground rocks and iron oxide. Comes across younger with only fine notes of earth, leather and barnyard. Palate is amazingly intact for the vintage (my opinion), but leans towards a slightly thin texture.
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2/7/2022 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
very similar to my last note in 7/12/2020 - medium dark red, orange-brick rim - effusive nose of back fruit (raspberries, cassis), gravel, smoke and oak - moderately full mouth of mature cabernet fruit, tannins resolved, acidity predominates - smooth 15-20 second finish - fruit is on the lighter side, but still drinking beautifully as an elegant mature Graves
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8/24/2021 - kevinpatrick Likes this wine: 94 Points
CLT Wine Dinner (Mini-LMHB vertical, Aged 20+ yr Napa, and Aged 10+ yr Pinot) (Charlotte, NC): Perfect provenance. Slo-ox 3 hours before sampling.
Color: Medium ruby with tinge of orange-brick rim
Nose: Lively truffle, tobacco, and cedar
Palate: Concentrated dark fruits: raspberries, cassis, and cherries. Notes of smoke, cinder, soft leather, cola, and gravel. A delightfully well-integrated wine drinking beautifully.
Finish: Medium length finish showing delightful notes of earthy cherries, tobacco, and cedar.
A joy of a wine that pales only relative to the two stunning wines ('70 LMHB and '75 LMHB) that preceded it. Provenance matters.
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7/31/2021 - vetty wrote: 94 Points
drinking with 1979 Haut-Brion. This bottle is less mature and relatively fuller body. More purple fruits and purple flower. Little bit sweetness. more intense and more pronounced flavor compare to the 79 HB. But after opening the bottle, this one passed the peak more quickly than the 79HB.
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7/29/2021 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
Served next to 79 HB, group prefers this. Touch woody, attractive hue of dark fruit, luring it all in, lots of volume. Rather classic expression. 94-95
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5/21/2021 - merlotsmile wrote: 95 Points
Grand Hotel Lund
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5/15/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good bottles of this always make me a little weak in the knees as the '78 shows this great terroir so well. Silky and fully mature with wonderful flavors of grilled nuts, smoked meats, graphite minerals and a hint of char. This bottle showed just a bit more green than others lowering the score a bit.
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5/7/2021 - Paco55 wrote: 97 Points
Wow! One word describes the experience of drinking this. High shoulder fill and a cork soaked through - but as soon as it was poured into the decanter the nose was incredible and improved as it sat over 1 hour. It’s as if I’d walked into a humidor with complementary scents of truffle, cajun spice and cedar. It’s an unmistakable aroma that I will long remember. And that palate - it didn’t disappoint! Muscular yet harmonious with a sweetness in the fruit that was absolutely remarkable for such an old wine. Its a stunning example of how good Bordeaux can get when all the components coalesce over a 40 year period - even as a result of a good but not classically great vintage. This was tasted next to a 71 Petrus and a 78 Palmer - and as a wine tasting it will be very hard to beat. The Petrus won by a nose and the Palmer was just behind this LMHB - just stunning wine.
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4/2/2021 - Dnordh wrote: 91 Points
Very difficult cork extraction, I have been faced with this a lot lately on older wines. If you have any tip it would be highly appreciated.
Just had a first sip but the wine needs a lot more air to open up. Cigar and truffle on the nose so far.
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12/1/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 96 Points
A 1978 Retrospective (Mostly Barbaresco & Bordeaux) (Sta. Rita Hills, CA): A difficult cork extraction, but there never was any doubt that this wine was in very fine form. Signature notes of cigar ash, truffle and black fruit on the nose. More secondary than tertiary, as compared with the only other encounter I've had with this. Plenty of acid to complement its blackberry and fig-driven flavor profile, along with some gravel, leather and a touch of licorice. Very good concentration. All in all, another excellent showing, though it fell a bit short of the previous bottle's lofty heights.
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9/30/2020 - schan109 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle breathe for 2 hours. It evolved positively with gradual recovery of some strength and fruit. Fully matured with integrated tannin with some hint in fruit. Earthy and mineral with medium finishing. Last for another hour in the glass
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7/12/2020 - Verb wrote: 94 Points
medium dark red, orange-brick rim - effusive nose of back fruit (raspberries, cassis), gravel, smoke and oak - moderately full mouth of rich mature cabernet fruit, tannins resolved, acidity predominates - smooth 15-20 second finish - drinking beautifully now as an elegant mature Graves - will likely last for another 3-5 years, but doubt it will get much better than it is now (I would be happy to be proven wrong!)
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2/15/2020 - englishman's claret wrote:
This was decanted a couple of hours before we got to it, which I think was likely the wrong move. Quiet (flagging?) nose, but with a reasonably big, roasted, smoky palate and a core of rustic black cherry fruit, there's still plenty to like. Reasonably long. 93-94ish but not formally scored given the preparation.
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2/13/2020 - RockinCabs wrote: 88 Points
Nose: sweet cherry and candied red fruit notes with chocolate, smoke and confected notes. Palate: Sweet and slighy reductive. Silky tonight with red fruit, cola and dried apricot. Finish: more exotic than others in this flight. For some the WOTN, but others thought it may have been better as a PNP.
Same bottle as EC
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2/7/2020 - Wineteacher Likes this wine: 97 Points
The wine level was mid neck. The cork came out intact. Decanted just before drinking. Dark with virtually no tile color even on the edge. The core is deep fresh red. The nose is earth and tobacco. Leather too. Clean and classic with no funk. On the palate, the tannins are soft. Rich and lush wine of medium-plus body. The taste is of a little dust but otherwise consistent with the bouquet offering leather, earth and tobacco. Black fruit also. So well balanced between body, alcohol and acid. The wine is virtually perfect. While offering a full package, it is still relatively youthful. I don’t suspect it will improve simply because it is so good now but I have no fear that this wine would decline much for the next five to ten years. Wonderful with a beef tenderloin roast with a simple sauce of capers, pan juice and a little cream. As good as tasting it a few years ago, may be better.
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1/27/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 98 Points
A joyous wine, absolutely it best self, and such a treat. The firm cork was easily extracted, fully intact, with maybe a centimeter max of seepage. A forceful nose evidenced signature notes of cigar ash, truffle and black fruit. In the mouth, the wine had an elusive quality in the sense that it varied from light- to medium-bodied, and was a touch viscous. Plenty of acid to complement the depth of flavors, with the blackberry notes being complemented by fig, gravel, leather, some salinity and a touch of licorice (which surprised me a bit). Tertiary notes dominate, but the concentration was impressive. This wine should last for decades, and didn't really budge in the glass over the three or so hours we monitored it.
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9/19/2019 - salil wrote: flawed
Dinner at Nico Osteria: Corked. Right after someone commented on the streak of good bottles and said "we're due for a bad one" and this is why you never mention a no-hitter/perfect game while it's in progress.
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9/19/2019 - acyso wrote: flawed
Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL): Corked.
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1/11/2019 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): What the heck! OK, wine geeks know that certain 1978s can be truly superb. Anyone try a Château Palmer 1978? You should ... And you should get yourself a LMHB 1978, too. I had tried this a few years ago, loved it and love it yet again. What elegance! The crushed tobacco is vivid, the wine is bright and alive! And yet it is mainly all tertiary. But what refinement and smooth texture to match. The finish goes on and on. It could not match the weight of a 1982, to be sure, but the price is also not matching the 1982, to be sure.
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12/24/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Achim's Magnum Tasting 2018; 12/24/2018-12/26/2018 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): From Magnum, not blind
For many drinkers together with Martha's Vineyard 1978 200 points. I was not that "high". The 1978 is the bigger wine compared to the LMHB 1971 but for me the older one brought more fun at that day. Anyway from Mg not at his peak. 98(99)
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11/18/2018 - Burgnick wrote:
Not the best condition. Earthy, funky and plummy but showing the depth and power on the palate of this potentially wine of the vintage.
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6/29/2018 - Aglenardi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Short note: Beautiful and complex with great depth of flavors. Decant for 1 hour.
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6/16/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unusual for LMHB, the smoke was faint, the embers low. From a bottle in amazing condition, mid neck ullage and great color (from Wine Watch). Very youthful with resolved tannins and good acidity, perfectly mature. I liked it a lot for its beautiful red berry and red licorice fruit, fine balance and persistence. K did not enjoy it, though. Not up the the level of the ferocious craggy ‘75 or the superbly concentrated ‘82 but much better than the ‘66 or ‘70 for example.
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11/16/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
This was what classic Bordeaux is about, with all its leafy notes, cedar wood, cassis and spicy red fruits. But the tannins are tough, almost austere and the tartness, coupled with the greenery in the finish detract from the wonderful, aromatics and length.
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11/13/2017 - cct wrote: 95 Points
Per the person bringing it, in the cellar since release. Neck fill
The youngest tasting wine of the night. Graves earth, dark and stony. With licorice, tobacco, and a hint of green pepper. Structured and powerful, almost posing, especially next to the 53 and 82 Cheval. Imposing and at least with similarly stored bottles, I suspect this would be better in 5+ years. As someone who loves the stern and also with a soft spot for LMHB, I loved this. At least this bottle was early peak. Was brilliant with the meat course. 95
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3/28/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: 88 Points
Still a very hard wine, albeit without significant tannin or fine acids. Limited depth. Not the best bottle?
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8/15/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Intense nose of smoky gravel, black raspberries and sweet wood. This bottle was really showing well with great intensity for a '78 with flavors of old dark fruits, gravel, tobacco and roasted nuts. Finishes smooth and complex with notes of minerals and allspice. The tannins are so smooth and resolved and this bottle showed incredibly well and ready to drink. It did also benefit from being decanted for an hour prior to consumption.
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7/10/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
The nose is clearly stunning, with its Cuban cigar, tobacco, smoke, earth and cassis character. But the fruit is starting to fade, as the sweetness is no longer evident. There is a rusticity to the tannins in the tapenade, tobacco and cassis finish that lacks elegance. This is a good example of an old school, Bordeaux with its best days having already gone by.
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4/16/2015 - cab blends Likes this wine: 96 Points
Cab & Cow Dinner (Vidalia - Washington DC): Light smoke on the nose with a mellow and smooth finish. The classic french merlot shows through but this is drinking beautifully.
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4/8/2015 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 95 Points
In 1978 this majestic terroir produced a classic La Mission Haut Brion, with all the signature notes of volcanic soil, hot bricks, camphor, cigar ash and sweet blackcurrant fruit. The tannins have largely melted away, and this wine is drinking beautifully, with a lovely core of crunchy fruit and juicy acidity, and a very long, complex and refined palate impression.
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2/7/2015 - Petrusrs wrote:
Deep dark color, perfect btl from an OWC. Black fruits, wet tobacco, earth, cedar, has a rust iron note, forest floor, not as aromatic as the 66 but a classic La Mish. really deveoped over time becoming more savory
96 pts
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12/25/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk from Magnum on Christmas Day 2014 at the Koala Bar - we tasted a collection of '78s in large formats for Christmas (and why wouldn't you!). The '78 La Mission Haut Brion was definitely the big, muscular beast of a wine that I come to expect of this Chateau. In great years they manage to harness this power and produce a balance that makes you think the wine will last forever. Sadly this is not that wine. Make no mistake, it was extremely enjoyable and gave the Lafite and the Latour (eventually) a run for their money, but it couldn't overcome the characteristics of the vintage.
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8/16/2014 - cooberp Likes this wine: 91 Points
1978 Big Boys + friends (Riverpark, NYC): This was served alongside a 1978 Diamond Creek that I loved so much I probably didn't pay the LMHB sufficient attention, so as a disclaimer I have low confidence in this note. Really distinctive in the combination of a very prominent green/bell pepper note while still offering a fleshy, generous texture. Dark fruit, a hint of chocolate, the Graves smoke comes out with air. This didn't pull at my heartstrings, so I may be underrating it--I was mainly impressed by how its combination of size and aromatic profile seemed to defy logic.
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8/4/2014 - coremill wrote: 93 Points
1978s + others at Riverpark: There's plenty of red fruit in there somewhere, but what you notice right away is all the other stuff: green peppercorn, scorched earth, smoke, cigar, BBQ, a hint of caramel and walnut. Not a big wine, on a smaller frame than the Diamond Creek, but there's still plenty of smokey red fruit in the midpalate and the comparison with the Diamond Creek makes it seem lighter than it actually is. Really excellent with beef, which cuts the acid and allows the fruit to show more. Lovely.
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7/15/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 96 Points
Amazingly youthful for a 36 year-old wine! Slight brown at the edges, but brick-garnet otherwise, still almost completely opaque. It was still going strong six hours later! Very pronounced and classic La Mission aromas of cedar, leather, roasted meat, tobacco blended with dark fruits, nuanced and complex. Thick, full-bodied and rich on the palate, maybe slightly less fruit than a few years ago, but wonderful dark fruit flavors with prominent anise. Very long aftertaste, with the dark fruits and licorice lingering for a minute. Too bad this is the only bottle I have (had...). An excellent example of La Mission producing an outstanding wine in a vintage not considered great. It has been our favorite of all Bordeaux for forty years.Tasting this wine was a rare treat.
Ric
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5/26/2014 - no leashes wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful, fully aged bordeaux. Sweet red fruit, a touch of nuttiness or caramel, hint of tobacco, all nicely integrated. Fine tannins, smooth texture.
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5/19/2014 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
LMHB (The Ledbury): Very creamy lactic on the nose. Lifted to that classic slightly green pepper 78 character. Very savoury and attractive, richness combined with a savoury edge. Lots of interest here. A sweetness on the nose now. Almost a touch of caramel. Violet floral (oh no, that's the woman across the restaurant just back for the loos and the soap; several minutes for the air to clear). This must be as good as 78 gets? Bare *****
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4/28/2014 - Spl232 wrote: flawed
Ox'ed
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9/23/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nutty Bordeaux nose with smoky gravel and dark spices. Silky smooth on the palate with lovely flavors of dark red fruits, tobacco and warm bricks. Finishes with a lovely funky complexity with notes of smoky minerals, dark red spices and earthy minerals. Drinking beautifully now and should hold for some time.
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6/29/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, brooding color. Classic Graves nose of warm asphalt, tobacco and char. This wine still has strong acidity and so needs to breathe for quite some time. Then beautiful black fruits emerge with flavors of dark forest floor, sweet tobacco and road tar. Fairly thick in the middle with a gorgeously complex finish with notes of dark spices and tobacco. A superb La Miss that will continue to age well.
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6/1/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A fabulous, mature La Miss with excellent dark fruit flavors and it's very terroir-driven with notes of smoke, road tar and char. So silky and smooth with a fine, complex finish with dark spices, charcoal and sweet ash. I just can't say enough about how drinkable this is tonight with the right food (black truffle ravioli) and from a relatively weak vintage. Really a great Bordeaux for drinking now!
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5/10/2013 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark red in color, nose of licorice, cigar box and leather, after 2 hours still pretty tight and a little harsh and lean. Still quite young for a 78 wine with lots of energy and punch. It did mellowed down a bit after 4 hours which turned into something more pleasant, good but not great.
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5/1/2013 - dcwino wrote: 90 Points
Bernard Burtschy dinner at Taberna del Alabardero (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Apparently we had a corked bottle of the 78 LMHB last year as well. This, from a different source, also wasn’t quite right. Certainly showing scorched earth and lead pencil but the palate is too lean to be correct. Still fresh and showing a glimpse of LMHB.
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4/26/2013 - FYC wrote:
Very different obviously from all the burgs. Green bell pepper nose and some leather. Black fruited with nice structure. A nice drink but hard to appreciate tonight amongst the burgs.
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4/26/2013 - clayfu wrote:
Killing baby Burgundies at the Playground (Playground , Santa Ana, CA): popped and poured into a decanter. Initially the wine was throwing off all kinds of leather, meat, tobacco on the palate and there was that fruit just lurking at the bottom waiting to come out. I had a lot of hope for the wine as we put it into the decanter as I knew it just needed time for that fruit to come in and integrate with everything else. Unfortunately it never did over the course of the four hour dinner, it was always lurking there but never popped up. Definitely wasn't "tired", much potential in this wine.
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12/22/2012 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ahhhh, La Mission. To me, the world's greatest, most consistent wine to age and the '78 is further proof. Close to maturity but still quite fresh with classic La Miss flavors of scorched earth, charcoal, black currants, black truffles and gravel minerals. Sweet and flowing on the palate with fully resolved tannins and perfect balance. Medium-bodied with a black minerally character and a lovely long, complex finish. Just stunning in the context of the vintage.
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11/10/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
Roland dinner with Doug, Bunny, Ken, Hendrick and wives (名人坊): old school claret with notes of tobacco and leather. drinking at its plateau now but still healthy with long life ahead.
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6/17/2012 - kinger0003 wrote: 94 Points
First older first growth I've had and was just delighted. Cork did break but was able to extract the lower half with no problems. No signs of seepage at all. Popped and poured and followed over about 2 hours. The nose was very sweet and noticeable upon opening. On the palate I got quite a bit of darker fruits flavors up front. Was honestly surprised at how fruity it still is. As the night progressed the sweet fruits started to get a bit smoky (cherry maybe) and a good bit of creme de cassis on the finish. Would of been interesting to let it sit for awhile longer but it was just too good! All in all a great first experience for me.
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5/28/2012 - winecowboy wrote: 93 Points
Leather saddle and cigar box. Velvety elegance.
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5/3/2012 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Bernard Burtschy dinner at Taberna del Alabardero (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Another victim of TCA but only slightly. Rich, big, sweet and ripe. Need to seek a good bottle.
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3/9/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 94 Points
La Mission Haut Brion; 3/9/2012-3/10/2012 (Burg Staufeneck): Perfect magnum. Green notes, eukalyptus, nice sweetness. Bouquet of tobacco, some cassis, licorice. Really very good if not as great as I had expected it.
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8/20/2011 - Alexis A wrote: 95 Points
At Paul's new place with Madeline, Vuthy and Karen. Wow. We drank some pretty good wines, Salon 96, Corton 2001, Rousseau 98, etc... and then the monster la Mission 78! Amazing evolved color with the orange rim. On the nose, strong smell of blackcurrant and blueberries, forest floor / earthy. On the palate it's very light and elegant but with good smokiness. On the finish, like the end of smoking a ciggy with long after taste. Great finish. Really enjoyed this and worth looking to buy some!
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7/16/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Cigar box, ash, tobacco, smoke, tar and creme de cassis are easy to find in the aromatics. Full bodied and with rustic tannins, this old school style of Pessac Leognan shows some green flavors in the cassis filled finish. Drink up as this is not going to improve.
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6/12/2011 - TEKinsider wrote: 92 Points
Decanter for 2 hours. Leather, smoke, BBQ, not much fruit left. Still drinking ok, but heading down the back side of it's drinking window.
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6/3/2011 - Rupert wrote:
8th Annual Blind Challenge (The Square, Mayfair, London): Pinched, dusty, stalky nose, a bit dull - guessed as 70s claret, but not this grand
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2/15/2011 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
First Growth Dinner (plus some La Mission) (Ruths Chris - Washington, DC): Incredible wine that I didn't give enough time in the glass to evolve. Had a really interesting meatiness compared to the more subtle, floral driven 78 Haut Brion that was drank alongside. The palate of this wine was masculine and powerful - and probably could have benefitted from a couple hours of decanting. Nevertheless, this was an impressive effort. Palate was decidedly more rustic than the 78 Haut Brion drank alongside with a very sexy chocolate component woven throughout. Luckily, Faryan saved some of this wine to be sampled ~2+ hours after its first pour and the nose only deepened and showed more complex notes of herbs and minerals. Could easily have spent the entire night on this wine.
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12/18/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
1978 La Mission Haut Brion is stuffed with smoky cherries, tobacco, minerality, truffle, tar, blackberry and earthy scents. But the wine is not as good as it was 2 years ago, and at that time, it was not as good as it was a few years before that. Ther is still ample pleasure to be found in this fully mature wine, but it’s not a wine to hold for further evolution as its slowly drying out. 92 Pts
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9/3/2010 - ispringett wrote:
Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep garnet. Clear and bright, clean. Black fruit nose with some green herb and this profile is repeated on the palate with a green edge to the tannins which add a welcome savoury note especially, as this is, with food. Mid - weight, mid + acid this is edged out by the 1990 tonight but a great bottle any other time with food.
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9/3/2010 - Rupert wrote:
Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Marked by the characteristic 1978 stalkiness, which on this occasion lifted the wine and made it stand out from the others - silky black fruit and the first appearance tonight of the tobacco quality that usually marks out LMHB and HB
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6/30/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
Smooth, velvety texture with gravel and smoky scents and flavors. A very fine wine but somewhat overshadowed by the exotic nature of the wines surrounding it (Rayas, Jayer, La Chapelle!)
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6/6/2010 - svdheijden wrote: 97 Points
Second bottle after the wonderful experience on May 29th (see previous note for details). Identical level, appearance and cork and - most importantly - identical nose and taste. This is a fabulous wine and we enjoyed every sip of it. Similar development. This time opened four hours before tasting. I don't think this wine will get any better, but it will last for quite some time.
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5/29/2010 - svdheijden wrote: 97 Points
Popped and poured directly from the cellar (12 degrees Celsius). Into neck., cork in very good shape. I know I abused the bottle; this wine certainly deserves more care and preparation, but after a while it came up, gained color and weight. Classic Bordeaux nose; at first brett, but after a few minutes secondary notes: vanilla, rotten wood, overripe prunes, leather, sweet bread. Medium bodied, ripe, velvety. Dusty Graves notes, pencil, graphite, cedar, but also minerals, iron, blood, meat and a medicinal tone. I have doubts about the remaining life: still quite some tannines left, but I fear not the fruit to match it for a very long time. I think I should drink my remaining bottles in the next 2-4 years. I can't wait!
TWO HOURS LATER: MHB 78 is now open for 2 hours and it is geting better and better. Fuller, almost full bodied now. Well balanced, complex and layered: hints of tobacco, licorice, white chocolate, coffee, Syrah-like peppers, dark fruit. Forget about the 2-4 years; well stored bottles like this one will last for at least 10+ years, though I do not think significant improvements will appear. This is an awfull wine, especially when you consider the vintage. Much better that the Latour 1978!
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12/30/2009 - Winevestor wrote: 98 Points
A superb wine, still hanging together wonderfully and delivering big power and taste. Slight musty smell but big tobacco and earth. On the palate the fruit came flooding in - black berries. Good vegetal smell (which I love for its distinctiveness) and it continued as a bean taste. Big mouth feel and finish that went on forever. Mmmm, mmmmh.
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11/26/2009 - mikecase00 wrote: 92 Points
The cork on this was entirely soaked and crumbled coming out of the bottle, which I never take as a good sign. Decanted to remove sediment and cork, let sit for 30 minutes before drinking. In the glass this showed a healthy purple color still, although the edges were turning brick red. Drinking, it showed no signs of oxidation or stewed fruit consistent with poor storage. Shows as medium bodied, smooth tannins, and good balance. Notes of asphalt and smokiness, with a hint of raspberry and dark chocolate lingering on the medium-short finish. This is still holding together, but I wouldn't push my luck any further if I had more bottles. It's always exciting when you run across good bottles of old Bordeaux.
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8/17/2009 - vinojones wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hrs
Garnet red; big nose of wine cave, loam, brambles and dark berries; full body flavors of blackberries, tart black plums, med tannins, integrated fruit/tannins/ acidity, nice balance, long finish
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3/22/2009 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Great youthful Graves nose and gorgeous fruit. Begs for food but a pretty nice drink on its own, too.
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1/28/2009 - Surfer714 wrote:
Another great showing for this wine . .....
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12/31/2008 - johnwine wrote: 92 Points
This wine has elegance, complexity and breed but it is just past its peak and will not last much longer or improve to any meaningful degree. The nose is classic and filled with scents of wildcherries, blackcherries and rose with a hint of cigar box. The taste is somewhat angular with flavors of red and black cherries, currants and earth.
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10/26/2008 - Surfer714 wrote:
Classis old LMHB Many more years to go but drinking great now.
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10/20/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
1978 La Mission Haut Brion, while good, suffered when showed with the other, mature vintages. Mature color with aromas of chocolate, herbs, spices and strawberry. Fully mature with good concentration, but the plum filled, finish showed a hint of greenness, ending on a pleasant, earthy, tobacco note. Fully mature, there is no reason to hold this wine hoping for further development. 92 Pts
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9/17/2008 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
1978 Red Bordeaux (IoD London): Woody spice and berries, cinnamon, again a little dusty and aged, a nice density and sweetness before slightly frictional tannins, nice wine.
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9/16/2008 - Rupert wrote: 89 Points
Horizontal tasting of 1978 bordeaux plus more 1978s with dinner (Institute of Directors, London): Malt 'n' milk nose, warm, earthy and grainy on the palate, cold tea (which I like) - another classic mature claret
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6/10/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
IWFSC 736th Dinner (The Racquet Club): This was an interesting wine as it started out just screaming green (stems, peppers) along with black olive hints on the nose. After some time in the glass (surprising again because the wine had been double decanted a couple hours earlier) the nose rounded out and showed more classic signs of iron and iodine along with black fruit. On the palate, it also opened up and revealed good dustry black fruit with plenty of structure remaing. Definitely in the window, but probably no rush. 93-94 pts.
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11/6/2007 - MRichman wrote:
La Mission Haut Brion vertical (Jean Georges/Nougat, NYC): Very nice, complex, herbal, sweet and full. Still quite young.
B+/A-
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11/6/2007 - bsherwin wrote:
LMHB Vertical (Jean Georges): Simply a beautiful wine. Classic old Graves with cassis, cedar, tobacco leaf, herbs...really, you could go on and on. It was surprisingly spritely but intensely focused on the palate it showed both great breadth and length. Nothing out of place. This is why we drink Bordeaux.
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3/8/2006 - MikeZ wrote:
What a beauty this wine was. My father used to take me to the tobacco store on Sat. afternoons to pick up some cigars and the nose could not be more reminiscent of those childhood experiences. Massive Graves nose of cigar box and tobacco leads into a very rich palate. The only slight could possibly be the slightly dry finish and this is why the nod probably goes to the '89. I would say this is fully in it's plateau with a safe 5-10 years of life remaining.
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12/28/2005 - RWilkinson wrote: 94 Points
1978 La Mission Haut-Brion. Opened for 40th during dinner at the Inn at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Was decanted and poured, full flavored but enormous breadth and length, requiring time to appreciate all its charm. Notes of brick dust and soft ripe fruit. The color was dark plum, silky smooth tannins with a surprising short finish.
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6/13/2005 - bdenuyl wrote: 95 Points
It took an hour for the mustiness to blow off and then it was really excellent. Flavor of Haut Brion with great elegance and balance. Reminded me of the ’85 Haut Brion. Will hold for some more years.
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5/19/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 92 Points
This wine was brought to the tasting by Joakim Råhberg (aka Melchior). Red brownish colour. The bouquet revealed notes of vanilla, yoghurt and leather. Nicely structured with great intensity of fruit. Seemed a bit backwards and probably in need of more cellaring, yet there is no denying the greatness of this wine. As it stood in the glass, the wine took on a slightly "grassy" character and more mature nuances began to emerge, such as a nice scent of tea leaves. Elegant and very good, but in need of 5+ years of cellaring. Thank you very much, Joakim!!
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9/26/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ Angelus/Palmer/La Mission Haut Brion (NYC): Gravel, earth, minerals. Nice finish. Burly, strong wine.
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