1996 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Community Tasting Notes (109) Avg Score: 92.5 points

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  4/2/2024 - rc@ughey wrote: 93 Points

  I was disappointed by my previous bottle a decade ago. Not so with this one, which is really quite classic with deep brambly fruit and cassis, with a shaving of graphite and minerals. On the precipice of maturity with room to improve further.

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  1/27/2024 - Volleyball Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Enjoyable and fairly powerful wine but more interesting than wow. Decanted for 2 hours then back into the bottle (had a glass each and then took upstate). Second day the character had really faded so this was perhaps a mistake.
  
  The nose was medium plus on the first day with sharp black fruit and a bramble, herbaceous note. Carried through on the flavor, with both of those characteristics prominent, plus some menthol and leathery tertiary characteristics. Acid wasn’t overpowering but clearly present and tannins still reasonably firm. Tasted like a younger wine and still clearly has some life left. Long finish and fairly full body. On the second day the classic Bdx pencil shaving flavors had emerged but the rest died down, including the aroma.

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  12/6/2023 - essenceofreal wrote: 96 Points

  Incredible wine.
  
  Agree w the other tasters here, in the beginning this was monolithic and one dimensional, not bad just restrained and not interesting, I was thinking 91 points.
  
  BUT after 6 hours in the decanter the fireworks started.
  
  Truffle, forest floor, tobacco, cedar, lovely dark fruit. Amazing.
  
  Poor saps that don't allow this to breath long enough miss all the fun and excitement.

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  11/26/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points

  Burning wood, smoked herbs, leafy tobacco, and sharp red currants with a peppery edge shape the perfume. Crisp, firm, and slanting towards austere in the palate, this is an old-school-styled wine that some tasters will appreciate more than I did. Drink from 2023-2045.

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  10/25/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points

  This shows a beautifully mature nose with notes of grilled nuts and smoky gravel. On the palate, the wine is lovely but doesn't quite deliver on the promise of the nose due to that touch of green when a '96 was picked too early. A bit lean but the texture is silky-fine making it easy to drink. The bottle I had earlier this year was much better even though this one didn't really have any flaws. Mmmm...

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