While one of the least impressive of the tasting, this was still quite enjoyable. This obviously passed its peak awhile ago. Amber color. Cherry, blackberry, anise, damp leather, and mushroom. Quite lean on the palate. Noticeably high acidity that created a tartness. Fruit faded after two hours. I would drink these up now if you have them, as they are just hanging on to life.

One of the best noses of the evening. Salmon color and quite transparent. The nose was so fresh and lively, with really fresh fruit. Black currant, black cherry, fresh flowers, truffle, leather, mint, and tobacco. A little thin on the palate, but with a nice elegant weight. Burgundian in weight. Nicely balanced, but fell a bit short on the finish. Good level of acidity. The nose was much better than the palate, but it was so addicting. This is certainly past its peak, but is still drinking well. While you can wait a bit longer on this, there's no reason not to pop the cork.

Started out strong, but really sputtered after a couple of hours. This almost deserves two scores, initial (94) and after lots of aeration (88). It had a beautiful garnet/ruby color. The nose really opened up with time, exhibiting plum, cassis, Asian spices, sous bois, and leather. Had a nice balanced mouthfeel with nice tannic structure. A little tart with high acidity on the finish that tailed off a bit. With time, this wine became very lean and fell apart, losing its charm and complexity. Not really sure what to think of this wine, but perhaps others may have better luck with other bottles.

Fairly consistent with my last experience with this wine. Perhaps not the most interesting of the wines in the tasting, but solid and fully mature. Black currant, cedar, mushroom, and earth. At times, imparted a slight medicinal funk but not too bothersome. Beautifully balanced, with silky tannins well integrated. Impressive long finish, though acid a tad high. Overall, this is a solid, consistent wine from 1961 that should continue to drink well for awhile.

While not obviously flawed, I think it would be unfair for me to score this bottle, as it was clearly not representative of a 61 Mouton. Interestingly, some were impressed with this wine, but I found the wine to be simply strange with a bit of VA. The bottle had a good fill and cork. The nose showed black currant, juniper berries, green pepper, eucalyptus, some brown spices, a bit of dark chocolate, and tobacco. The palate was equally baffling, as it was difficult to determine the stage of maturity. Fruit was a bit muted though there was good tannic structure. Certainly not a very 'Pauillac' wine. Balance was completely off.

Clearly the most impressive wine of the tasting, and the most 'true to terroir' wine. Still has a nice dark ruby color with slight lightening of the edges. Black currant, campfire smoke, fresh cedar, violets, cigar tobacco, and leather rounded out a seriously good nose. Showed off lots of complexity. The balance on the palate was impeccable, with beautifully integrated tannins. The acidity was in perfect balance. Long, lingering finish. So much freshness that it was hard to keep it in the glass. Fully mature, but should drink well for a long time. It's hard to find a better La Mission Haut-Brion than this one.

A slight disappointment. An exotic nose of dark fruit, cassis, barnyard, lots of cigar, bell pepper, tobacco, and cola. A bit gamey. Definitely showed some improvement with time. Still has a lot of tannic structure. Not a bad wine, just not a standout on this evening. There are certainly better bottles out there.

The second most impressive wine of the night. Still appears quite young, with a dark ruby color. A fantastic nose of black currant, leather, cedar, dried flowers, tobacco, and sous bois. A beautiful mouthfeel, very elegant. Really gained impressive weight in the glass. Nicely structured, with the tannins in perfect balance. Acidity was also in harmony on the finish. While fully mature, this should continue to drink at this level for a very long time.

Started out a bit funky, but opened up and leveled off with time. On the nose, there was plum, cassis, cedar, licorice, toast, and chocolate. Lush and elegant on the palate. A truly enjoyable wine with gained weight in the glass. A seamless finish full of lots of plummy fruit. Really impressive overall. Will not enjoy the same longevity of the Latour or La Mission, but it is drinking extremely well now.