At first I wondered if this was corked, as I was picking up an odd, high-pitched scent. However, over the course of an evening I convinced myself that it was not. This was a deeply tannic wine that was very different from my only other La Mission experiences (1981 and 1990). Very spicy with clove and roasted nuts on the nose, the palate was black, forbidding and tannic. On its own it was not very enjoyable at first. However, with steak and 2 hours of air it did open up a bit more and provide good drinking.

This was my wine of the night (and my bottle). The nose showed loads of cedar and cigar box with a hint of barnyard. The palate was surprisingly sweet and sultry with very ripe fruit on the attack and then a finish that was very medicinal, black, complex and long. This is a lovely bottle. 95+ points and drinking exceptionally well right now.

This is a bottle which Jason recently picked from Esquin as part of a private cellar sale. Upon decanting the aromatics were faint, but I loved what I smelled with nice earthy notes of peat moss and tobacco. When we got to the restaurant this had gone somewhat mute and took quite a while to wake up in the glass. At first it was quite resinous with notes of black fruit. The palate also wasn't very giving at first showing a lot of tannin and astringency. I was worried that the wine was cooked, but in fact it was just quite closed. With steak and another three hours of air this slowly woke up and got better and better as the night wore on. The hallmark aspect of this wine was truly amazing and gripping structure that just stuck your front teeth to your lips. A real hammer of a wine with a LOOOONG time ahead of it to come to maturity. 92 points for now, but this clearly has a bright future and a lot of depth waiting to come out.

Tasted from 375ml. I have a hard time understanding how the Wine Spectator could rate this at 83 points and compare it to blanched almonds. The nose is quite volatile with a candied edge and some obvious heat. On the palate however, this explodes with honey, roasted nuts and amazing length and complexity. It reminded me of a sherry without the saltiness. Very long, very enjoyable, terrific stuff!