A little disappointing vs. the rest. Hints of red fruit (strawberry), licorice, mint, chocolate. Very smooth in the palate, slight hint of spices. I missed the structure a bit.
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20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage: Six Bordeaux titans. Each bottle exceeded our expectations, showcasing classic Bordeaux structures, bursting with freshness, tension, and an invigorating verve. The perfect harmony of tertiary aromas and a robust fruit core was mesmerizing. 1983 has produced some great wines drinking in their prime today. For me, the Latour, scoring a stellar 97 points, was the standout star. Yet, by a narrow margin, the group’s heart went to the Cheval Blanc.
TN: This had a pretty subpar cork and was hence much more evolved than it should have been. Yet that brought us a glimps into the future: it showed layered with those fine malty notes you usually only get with much older wines. Additionally, some smoke notes mixing with minerality and dried dark berries. While the structure did hold up, the wine was not 100% clean but got better and better with air.
Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption. This needed more air in the glass, but as mentioned above - not a representative bottle.
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12x Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993: All wines tasted single blind. Not decanted. As anticipated, the 1983 vintage prevailed in our comparative tasting, scoring 8 to 2 wins against the 1993 vintage, with two ties. The structured, classic ’83s exhibited greater depth and harmony compared to the ‘93s, which tended to be simpler, sometimes slightly green and dry, or at their best, fresh and light. However, in both vintages, aside from a few notable labels, many wines were evidently beyond their peak. The standout was, unsurprisingly, the Margaux (94pts). Tasting the some of the same ’83s a second time a few days later with decanting showed a marked improvement, highlighting the need of aeration.
TN: Vibrant on the nose with a medium intensity of dark berries, laced with a smoky, ripe charm and a touch of minerality. On the palate, it starts with a bold smokiness, gradually mellowing as the fruit emerges. The structure is elegant, with smooth tannins and a fresh feel, though it retains a slightly green, ashy note. Nose scores a handsome 93pts, with the overall experience at 91pts and better than the 1993 (84pts) which is past peak.
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The cork came out impeccably by Jascha Baraness, head sommelier at Le Select (Toronto). Poured into a decanter for 30 minutes to rest, then drank over a meal. The color is rusty iron red letting in layers of light through the glass. The initial bouquet is heavy on wood, forest floor, moist mushrooms. Some coaxing brings forward beautiful aromas of unripe cassis, leather, blood, green pepper, graphite, coffee and spices. The palate is smooth, with barely perceptible tannins. Medium bodied but long on the finish. Green pepper is foremost on the palate, followed by maraschino cherries, crushed black pepper, and a complex array of very subtle red fruit in the background. At 40 years old, this is in its peak and well worth the experience.
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1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist.
Tasting note: Double-decanted. Intense nose of tobacco, malt and caramel, well-defined dark cherry fruit. Nicely structured, light palate with more tobacco, albeit slightly thin and no longer able to perfectly balance the tannin. In this direct comparison, LMHB came in a notch better.
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Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993 face-off: A nice bouquet of varied aging notes with mushrooms, truffles, wet leaves and intense tobacco aromas. A splash of Cognac. The blueberry and blackberry fruit was consequently overshadowed a bit. On the palate more tobacco, lingering throughout the finish and a slightly more present fruit. Tannin still quite grippy, a bit dry even. Somewhat thin with an acidity overhang, but gracefully aged and elegant. Had another bottle shortly thereafter which felt even more advanced, but with comparable features. But in any case more alive than the 1993.
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Judgement of Eagan (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Slow-O for 2.5 hrs. Drank a glass over 90 minutes. Classic dried earth notes, scorched earth, orange peel, cigar, tobacco, medium bodied and elegant, Burg-like in style and structure at this point; grainy tannins, plenty of dark fruits yet, tart cherry, blood orange, firmish tannins, leather and wood notes. Very good, got better with air, but not as impressive as another recent bottle. Vastly different but the nod goes to the '97 Insignia. Group vote 5-3 for Insignia. 92+ to 93pts.
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P: Dark but elegant red fruits, still going strong! Wooden pencil shavings, crushed savory minerals, and awesome wet forest floor. The fruits and tertiary notes work together like a double helix, such a thing of beauty. Not once does the tertiary notes become too much (thank goodness).
I gotta admit, I might be an Haut-Brion fan boy. Kinda surprised this delivered so much better than the Insignia for me. There’s a nuance and intensity I really enjoyed about this. Great complexity with such class.
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Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): Slo-O for about 2.5 hours....This was pitted against a 1997 Insignia. This was the best red flight of the night for my palate and featured two outstanding wines that finished a nose apart in a photo-finish, as far as the group was concerned, with the Insignia barely edging this wine out! Of course, for my palate, the Insignia was the clear winner! Still, this wine was a joy to drink, and how often do you get to drink an outstanding 40 year old First Growth Bordeaux!?
Nuts and bolts: The nose was slightly floral and perfumed (purple flowers) with earth, leather spice, cedar and tobacco. On the palate, this was classic Haut Brion showing plenty of gravelly notes, earth, leather, sweet tobacco and, of course, an equal amount of dark and red fruit! Haut Brion is always fun and pleasurable to drink! 94+ to 95 for me!
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Very pretty, perfumed nose. Floral, with lots of earth, aged balsamic, aged leather and just a bit of iron. The palate is elegant and deep, with plums, red fruit, tobacco. This bottle had about 2.5 hours of slow O in the bottle and the wine got even better over the course of 30 minutes or so in my glass. I loved this.
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A celebration of 1983: From 3L. Beautiful nose with an herbal character, cassis, smoke, tobacco, and pure fruit flavors. There is nice depth and overall it felt quite young. Good acidity on the palate with underwood, some tertiary flavors, cherries, and a savory note. Long finish. This was drinking perfectly and felt fully mature, although not in risk of declining anytime soon. Wow!
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Top shelf 1983 Bordeaux (Chicago, IL): Very autumnal, and not showing as expressively fruity as the La Mission. This is showing archetypal old Bordeaux notes but with a more delicate and lifted profile. I like the perfume and the minerality here; it's truly archetypal Haut-Brion.
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[Blind] High Brettanomyces at first and taking a while to blow off. A classic example with red cedar and cigar spice to the dry red fruit. Tannins still pretty grippy.
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Friday Blind Tasting $100+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Cloudy red crimson core with large brick rim; smoky, bloody, slightly weedy, corked but still has tons to be uncovered, singed herb, ash, playdough, red currant, iron, old and dried out but interesting, cork is not as apparent but still crucial component.
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This is pretty good. Drank with Gage, Julie, Blake. Cedar, mineral, and spice tells the story here. This was woody, cedar on the nose when opened. It was pretty tight, but opened up and revealed pretty HB dark red cherry and an ore car full of mineral perceptions. It was well balanced and delicious, with plenty of time left to age.
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HB is one of my two favorites in the first growths and '83 is a year that I think was under appreciated and so with that combination it seemed to make sense to give this one a try. I'll admit it didn't wow me right out of the gate. Too tight and not quite as expressive and it was competing against the '86 Ausone which might not have the critic accolades but has always been near and dear to my heart. I think though with time in the glass and as this opened it was a strong contender if not maybe the winner of the evening. Lots more spicy notes and a lot more evolution and just overall a really interesting and vibrant wine. Shame that I didn't pick up more but will keep an eye out in the future.
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Heidi's Gang: Grand Cru and First Growths (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color with a 6mm transitional edge. Opened for 2 hours then served; drank a glass plus over 2 hours. Drank this next to my lovely and more mature '70 Lafite. The Haut Brion is youthfully mature in a great way; killer nose that offers up a sublime perfume, musty forest floor with maitake mushroom, rose petals and dried violets, cassis, red berries, saddle leather and glorious wood spice. The palate is sultry and alluring, cassis and red berry fruits with mineral notes, gravel, fine tobacco, leather, truffle, funk, with silky polished tannins and a long, long finish. This is integrating nicely, but clearly has strong legs to take this much further. Loved it, thanks Candie.
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Candace's btl at St Genevieve in Minneapolis. Not sure but believe this was opened on arrival and drank couple hours later. Quite lovely at 39! Captivating Pessac cigar ash, gravel & cedar nose w/ hints of sois bois. Palate is fully resolved, placid w/a mix of semi rich red & dark fruit, more cedar, mineral and forest floor notes. I rarely get a chance to drink HB and very much enjoyed my glass of this!. Thanks Candace! Hope she has a bunch of these 83's for her looming 40th bash next year. '83 Petrus & '83 LaTache maybe?
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Chris’s 1st Growth Series — Haut Brion (La Trompette, London): Deep full garnet. Terracotta and fresh tobacco. Cool, tobacco-tinged fruit. Opening nicely, but rises and falls through the evening, being on the downslope after a couple of hours. ****
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Red currant and plum fruit followed by smoke, tobacco, dried underbrush and leather. Typical Haut Brion with a gentle and supple texture. I think it is at its plateau, but I think it will remain at this plateau for many years. Enjoying on this Valentine's Day with Beef Wellington.
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9 of 12 bought near release. Double decanted at 3:00, served at 7:00. Great fill and color, initial sour and musty nose blew off after 30 minutes in the decanter and was replaced by tobacco, smoke and cedar notes which continued to develop and integrate with the somewhat tart cherry and cassis fruited palate. Structurally this was a seamless middleweight, perfectly balanced with a complex palate mature fruit and earth elements. Good acidity, energy and finish. Impressively the nose just kept growing and going throughout the entire evening. A wonderful HB and that would appeal Burgundy lovers as well
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Drank from a bottle that's been recorked and rebottled at the chateau in 2019. Thought this would be off its prime but in reality it's drinking beautifully now. Outstanding color - does not look its age at all! Velvety with pepper and herbal notes.
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Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Now we're down to the last two so this is single blind for me and as a result i know what it is because HB and Margaux are diff wines. This is almost a bit herbal and more old bordeaux and drinking very well. Glad to see the wine holding up so well esp at the end of a multiweek journey around the country. Very enjoyable and could easily have been a contender for WOTN if the '93 wasn't just so shocking.
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Popped and poured. This is even better than the bottle I had a few years back which just shows that it still has a lot of life left. Fully mature nose of cedar, forest floor, black currant, herbs, pencil lead, honey and a touch of high pitched strawberry. Despite what that last note indicates, this wine is decidedly dark and savory. Upon opening the wine was still vigorous with big hard fruit wrapped in these mature Bordeaux flavors. The wine is persistent not only on the palate but on the nose as well. It gets into you. After about two to three hours of being opened, the wine became more integrated and aromatic. There is a ton of nuance to this and a nose you can get lost in. I would definitely recommend letting it breath in bottle for a few hours and feel decanting might over oxidize it. This is tremendous. A very refined, savory, and elegant Haut Brion at full maturity.
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Def fully mature, but so beautiful. Earthy perfume: cigar, amaro, honey, graphite, dried flowers, tar, cured meat, white pepper, cedar, blackcurrant and cherry... smooth, a little tangy, smooth melted tannins. Lots of tobacco and earthiness on the finish, a little white pepper too. Long, complex, fresh, and surprisingly delicate. Gains weight and fruit with a few hours of air. This is magnificent!
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For its age a very appealing nose. For its pedigree it was probably disappointing. Not sure how to rate overall but was found wanting by the lady of the house
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Pronounced nose intensity with mint, black and red fruits, spices. The nose < the palate. No decant of wine or slow ox. Previously had 1983 where slow ox of > 3 hours help the wine get rid of funky smell. I tasted it after 2 hours and black tea, savoury notes appear.
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My bottled recently purchased from Fine Wines International from single bottle available, I’m guessing from a private collection. High shoulder fill and cork looked pristine on top, I thought maybe it had been recorked an Chateau. Nope, soft cork that amazingly came out intact with corkscrew was soaked 99% through.
Popped at 4:00. Tasted. Garnet, acidic, sweet cherry. Decided not to decant, perhaps a mistake.
7:00 first glass. Opened nicely with slight barnyard aroma, taste now fuller, more complex, sour cherry. Second glass at 7:30 got just a little, pleasant tannin pucker first sip.
Finished bottle at 9:45. Thinking might have decanted to let this open and evolve more, or saved last two glasses suction-stopped for today.
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Medium garnet in colour. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of truffle, mushroom, cooked red/black fruits. Dry, medium+ acidity and tannin, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. Slow ox for 5 hours, still fresh and certainly does not taste like 1983. The slow ox of 5 hours had removed away from the old musky smell which is typically for old Bordeaux wine.
Did a Bordeaux 1980s theme blinded with 5 friends + 2 host. Total 7 due to COVID restrictions. The flight was mixed and not arranged so that all don't have a clue. () = my own score.
For my own scores vs the final result, the only difference was that I prefer 1988 Cos d'Estournel more than 1982 Pichon Baron. For more notes, please refer to my other individual bottles.
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Not rating this because it was the dodgiest bottle ever. Don’t take this TN too seriously. Depressed cork but no seepage. Nose of burnt wood, cassis?, root beer , spearmint. Sour cherry and something like burnt truffle on the palate. Dusty mouthfeel. Not much HB tobacco leaf or cigar. Tannins faded. I think a bottle in better shape would be quite excellent. This one seemed more elderly than a 1983 first growth should be. That said, still quite enjoyable. Was this even HB at all? Well, it sure tasted like an ancient Graves, so.....
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Coronavirus Denial; 3/1/2020-5/31/2020: Light garnet, a bit cloudy, with a lovely ruby glint in the glass. Persistent vegetal and oxidized metal notes on the nose, mostly hiding a faint but charming undertone of rose petal, tart red fruit, talc and spice. Less interesting on the palate, just a little tart berry, otherwise muted, warm, and short, with no structure remaining. Probably not a representative bottle, fully saturated cork and a tiny bit of dried seepage. Just drinkable, not scored. I'd like to try a pristine bottle.
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First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield): Served blind. Old bordeaux...or not...leathery, brett, earthy, slight damp cellar, sour red fruit, star anise. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying talc textured, leathery, slight alcohol heat. It's all a bit tired and flat. I guessed Bordeaux right bank.
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Used my new Durand wine opener that was offered for Christmas and it was needed to delicately remove the cork that was fraying at the bottom.
Rich secondary flavors from the aroma to taste. Tobacco cigar cedar box and ash in the most lovely way possible to taste. Tertiary of leather. All these male attributes softened over time to a more velvety feel while being nothing like St Emilions. Difficult to describe well. Most surprisingly, long finish and flavours that lasted throughout our Christmas meal. From beginning to end, an amazing wine.
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Dinner with Friends (Osteria Langhe): A pristine looking bottle. This was all about the ethereal, magical nose. Aromas of mature fruit loaded with aged cedar, wet tobacco leaf, smoke, old leather and bell pepper. The nose just kept going on and on. On the palate it was a bit lighter in concentration, as you might expect for the vintage, but totally complete with a seductive quality. Long finish.
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Fully mature wine. There is indeed a fair amount of fruit remaining but the secondary nuances have taken over. Dusty raspberry, black currant preserve, old worn leather, cedar, a bit of red cherry pulp, and loads of red meat iodine. All the elements are in glorious harmony on the nose, though a bit more muted than I would have liked. The palate is subtle but still with some darker fruits revealing fully resolved tannins and impeccably framed by its acidity. Wonderful wine.
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This wine was lovely - right out of the bottle. Sadly, the beauty did not last. It quickly developed a slight bitter/burnt character on the palate. To say the least, that was off-putting. Given our past experience with this wine, this was simply a bottle variation .... thankfully for the sake of our friend who graciously brought the bottle to dinner.
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This had a lovely nose but quite muted on the palate - perhaps it should have been given more air to help development.
Nose delivered savory meaty, tobacco and dusty dry leaves. Really great. With some delicious strawberries and plums. However the palate was very closed down with still very active tannins but the meat and tobacco was superintense and good.
give at least 5-10 more years
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Aromatic straight from the bottle but deserves 3 hours in decanter. Lots of cigar ash on the nose, along with currant, green pepper, and cedar. Currant, tobacco, and bitter chocolate on the palate. A little dried violet. Velvety but with high acidity. Some lingering but quite sweet tannin. Very well balanced. Slightly dry but long finish. Probably not much potential to improve from here. Feels like the fruit may die out before the tannins are fully resolved.
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Another good one. Lots of sous bois here in addition to the spicy red cedar, cigar box, leather, and tobaccos. Such a showy and expressive nose plus the flavourful and rich palate that follows.
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11th of 12, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, previous notes fine or better, darkish garnet, glossy, amber on rim; very smokey bacon and road tar with hint of violet, chocolate and hot brick; medium full, long and very complex, idiosyncratic, fabulous structure and breed, W's WOTN, mine was Margaux and probably the Palmer was fractionally more pleasurable with greater glossy fruit notes, though the HB was more intellectual and had more to it, it should continue evolving for many years, wish I had more! VF (18.5).
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Bordeaux 1983 Horizontal; 8/4/2014-6/11/2019: Part of a very slow first growth horizontal of 1983 which at this rate will be finished in about 50 years. Each wine has been so memorable though that it's as if I drank them yesterday.
Decanted for an hour and a half or so. Nice fill and a perfect cork. Color neither especially youthful nor especially advanced by comparison with others of this vintage.
The nose absolutely explodes out of the bottle, and gets even more potent with air. Signature Pessac burnt ash and tar profile. Some dark fruit and orange zest. Notes of chocolate and tobacco.
Medium bodied with a fairly sweet mouthfeel; a little drier in flavor on the finish. Nice balance and structure, and surprisingly robust tannins for the vintage. Everything's in nice harmony, and it's hard to point to a weakness, unlike the Lafite and the Mouton. Doesn't have the sheer power of the Latour or the all around brilliance of the Margaux in this vintage though.
Nonetheless, this is one of the best HBs I have had, and it's in the perfect place for drinking right now.
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Italian food at Pasta Maker and a 1983 Haut Brion. What a wonderful match. The Haut Brion (despite its 30+ years) was still fresh and vibrant and clearly out shined a 1992 La Fleur Petrus which was dry and uninspired. It showed rich dark fruit with touches of cedar and graphite. Wonderful in the mouth, balanced and with a lovely finish.
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Allowed to breathe in bottle 30 minutes, then decanted and served. Clear deep garnet-blood-brick red color. Initial bouquet of cigar box and faded red currants. My companion was reminded of cognac. But after 30 minutes in the glass, the bouquet freshened and bloomed considerably, with lots of juicy ripe red fruit (currants, raspberries, plums) moving to the foreground, accompanied by rose petals, dry hot sauna rocks, and more tobacco and cedar. On the palate this was beautifully balanced, smooth, mellow, sophisticated, with silky mouthfeel, medium-full body without being heavy. We were afraid it would fade or maderize in the glass; but instead, it improved steadily over two hours.
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Château Haut-Brion Vertical (Bouley): This is a great nose as well with pronounced leather and tobacco over ripe strawberry. Plenty of red cedar spice and cigar box. Some chai teas. A bit of energy and zip. Very enjoyable on the palate right now. Big and immensely flavourful with structure that suggests this will go for a long while. Strong.
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1983 Bordeaux horizontal tasting and Allison's birthday dinner (Vienna Cafe & Wine Bar): Medium ruby color, with some bricking at the edges. Dark and red fruits, licorice, cinnamon, a bit of Brett, and cigar box. Rustic but with ripe fruits. Really smooth on the palate. Prominent tannins that leveled out after a couple of hours. High acidity. This wine grew on everyone throughout the evening. My #3, the group's #4 (of 5 wines).
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Rubinrød med vanndig oransje kant. Fantastisk kompleks moden nese. Trang i åpning, utvikler seg positivt i dekanter 1-2 timer. Drukket sammen med Ch. Margaux 83 (98p) og Las Cases 83 (95p). Deilig kompleks utviklet i munnen med svært lang avslutning. Perfekt flaske.
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Blind Tasting of 13 reds, 1 white and 1 Champagne at Behrens am Kai in Dusseldorf
5th Flight together with La Mission Haut Brion 1983
mediterraen herbs, spicy, tobacco, extract sweetness, a lot of minerality, crispy acidity, feels much younger than the LMHB, still a lot of ripe tannins, very long finish, I wouldn't guess 1983,more around 1995.
For me both equal with 98 points, If I had to choice I would prefer the LMHB with of the complexity and elegance
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Dinner with Mrs L, Becky and Rob (Neighborhood, Hong Kong): The elegant smoky, gravelly nose is always hard to miss, even when understated as it was in this charming bottle of 1983 HB (sadly, my last). Medium bodied, with finely crafted layers of fruit that almost remind me of an intricate stone carving, this is a wine that is easy to enjoy yet complex enough to reward closer inspection. I've been fortunate that all three bottles purchased last year from Farr turned out to be excellent. For those lucky folk who still have a few bottles squirreled away, I recommend popping the corks within the next 5 years. Good health!
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Sat night dinner at home with JL, VK, PH and Cath (At home): Finely etched mineral and black fruit nose. Medium bodied with good freshness and balance. Not a heavyweight, but there is more than enough fruit and complexity to make this a fine and very enjoyable HB.
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Took long time to open up (3hrs). I would say my bottle a year ago was better - more expressive. Obviously need to be careful with making too many conclusions with old bottles but I would suggest this is now on its way down. Overall, very complex. Well balanced, with much more meaty and savoury flavours. Fruit came through with time in the glass. Mainly raspberry. Long finish. Good.
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Less opulent and perfumed on the nose in comparison to the 1985. Notes of tobacco again, graphite, undergrowth. Fully mature on the palate, fresh, mineral, slightly lighter with a lovely detailed and long finish. A great bottle, drink up. 93-95
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5 Decades of Haut Brion, with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): A lot better than when we tried it last 3yrs ago ( Papies rated 92) and definitely a beautiful wine. Earthy, forest floor, mushroom on the nose, well aged, graceful wine. just a touch of green at times to spoil the fun a bit but a minor point really. Still has a decent rich core of fruit, well aged wine, and this is for the lovers of classic, well aged claret. If you are one like us then you will find this a superb experience. 94-95. We would drink this sooner than later.
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Clean ruby color with minimal clouding or bricking. Enchanting Graves nose of rocks, mint, fresh cut hay, ripe summer berries. On the palate, clean pure and expressive layers of red fruit wrapped in gentle, almost ethereal tannins. Neat long finish. Mature and open knit, but with a vibrancy that belies it age, this wine was superb. A delightful surprise. Really good value too. Bought 3 bottles of this wine after checking on CT, such useful and positive comments, totally spot on -- my thanks to all of you!
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Chateau Haut-Brion Vertical (Litteraturhuset, Oslo): Fairly similar to the '82, but not as expressive. More cool fruits and a more fresh style. There is however something off on the nose here, a bit muted. Not sure.
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Haut Brion Tasting 1918-1999 (Oslo): Slightly bretty? Although the wine itself is very clean, fresh and elegant, there was an unclean note on the side. Tannic finish. Very good and youthful bottle, otherwise.
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Wow, this wine was amazing! The wine was in pristine condition, not like the other bottle I tasted 2 years ago. It still had a vibrant deep garnet color with no signs of aging. I opened the bottle in the morning to remove deposits and put it back in, waited 10 hours and decanted the wine 1 hour prior to tasting. Typical nose of Pessac, my friends knew what it was right from the start (it was a blind tasting), but since the wine was so good, it was hard to guess it was from '83. They were calling 15 years old, one even said 2009. Deep and enjoyable moment for a great wine!
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Powerful, immediate and characteristic nose of smoke, cigarre, and tobacco. Then dark, damp fruit, some barnyard and well integrated oak. Very Pessac. Lacks some complexity and depth. Fullish, smoky palate. Ripe tannins a bit bitter. Actually quiet austere. Majestic and determined. Good back-bone. Very much tobacco and smoky gravel in the long finish. Gravelly and austere. This is very much a question if you like the style. Tasted half-blind with 4 other PC-83, this was easiest to guess. And I think a wine with such a personality deserves a good marking. Fully mauture, not for further cellaring - lacks a bit of fruit.
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A private dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Paired with Haut-Brion 1975. Good level, 2 cm below the cork. Fully mature, sweet fruit and beefstock, very gentle, feminine and generous, really delicious, soft but clean and fresh, starts to dry out after a little while in the glass.
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What I love about bordeaux. Perfectly balanced and seamless. Velvety texture. Long. Acidity perfectly into place. Just enough sugar. A tiny bit of eucalyptus and goysenberries. A tiny green touch. Something of an introvert but with real substance once you've gotten to know him.
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Velvety. Thick, viscous on the palate. Amazing nose. Powerful. Complex. Palma violet. Bit musty on the palate. Very Openned up with time. Rhubarb on the palate. I would say this wine has still got a long life ahead of it. It was still getting more expressive a good 90 mins after being decanted.
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A lovely, mature HB that's rather fuller than I expected and really showing the flavors of the terroir. Dark red fruits intermingle with notes of warm bricks and road tar along with a nice mineral/menthol note. Finishes quite concentrated and complex with fully resolved tannins and wonderful spices on the back-end.
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1983 tasting. All wines opened immediately before serving. At opening this knocked me out. I loved it but it could not persist in the bottle. Drink up now. And this was the loser of the flight next tot the Margaux and Mouton.
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Slightly past fully mature, this elegant, medium bodied, finesse styled wine delivers sweet cherries, smoke, tar, tobacco and forest floor scents. Soft and refined, this lighter vintage requires drinking, as there is not enough stuffing to allow for further development. It was nice seeing this wine after so many years as it was the first vintage of Haut Brion I ever tasted.
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Earhy, slightly medicinal, tree moss nose. Iodine, green walnuts, a touch of red fruit, cedar, cigar box. Tight and focused body, persistent tannins leading to dry finish. Iodine, cedar and green walnuts. Fading fruit.
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Dinner with friends. Roast duck, butternut squash risoto, and white bean and kale soup. Wonderful meal, good wines. Cork came out whole and was 3/4 permeated. Wine was clear, lite, with evident bricking. Nose was pleasantly complex, still some fruit but notes of cinnamon and spice show the age. Palate was a nice complement to the duck. Nice complexity that didn't rise to the level of greatness I was hoping for. The finish was medium length. This was a nicely aged wine. No flaws but just didn't quite hit the high notes I was hoping for.
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Base neck fill with seepage 3/4 into the cork. Decanted one hour, consumed the following 3. Some bricking at the rim, negligible browning. Lovely aromatics of mint, eucalyptus, thyme, cassis and graphite. Reminiscent of the 1988 I had a few weeks back. Similar notes on the medium bodied palate with more black fruit in the forefront. Long elegant finish. No noticeable heat like some other tasters. Drank beautifully all evening.
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Had this wine several times over the past 10 years. It was very good almost in the middle of that time. This bottle had an incredible high filling level, the typical Haut Brion aromatics, but took very long time in the decanter to open up. Maybe we missed the best (as always) as the last siüp was the best. Probably when served right a lower 90 wine, but even though I love Haut-Brion, it by no means deserves the prices that are currently asked for. There are so many better wines in the world at a fraction of the price. They may have different aromatics, but maybe you buy the tar from a Barolo (50 $), the earthy feeling from a lesser chateau (maybe gruaud 83 at 70 $) and then you had two nice bottles as good as the Haut Brion and still 100$ left. Any better ideas welcome!
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Wow, herregud va gott det är med mogen Bordeaux. Underbar doft av vinbär, läder, våt piptobak, mull och mogen frukt. Fantastisk balans och mognad i smaken. Ännu bättre än den flaska jag drack i september.
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Dark brown color, unfiltered? Great secondary & tertiary aroma of spicy jamon. Thin body, tannic, low bitterness, spicy flavors, long after taste, still enjoyable.
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Nice on the nose, smoky, herby tones. Old school. Well rounded and drinks very nicely at the moment. Some bitter notes on the end ruin some of the magic though. Enjoyable but not sure it will justify the current price tag.
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Very good Haut Brion earth and smoke qualities, drinking well now. Tannins fully resolved. Fruit is slowly receding but it is not showing any indications of rapid decline. Should be good drinking for several more years. Very classy.
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Excellent! Earth, smoke and leather and a slight medicinal touch. A bit of heat on the finish but barely noticeable. Long. Kept improving in the glass. Drinking very nicely now but no hurry to drink up...
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High fill, ruby-red with some bricking at the rim. Eucalyptus, band-aid, tobacco on the nose. The fruit is fading somewhat but its clinging on doggedly. Nothing long or profound about this, but a lovely graceful drink from a relatively under-appreciated vintage.
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Smoky dark fruit, great silky texture. I thought that this was going to be over the top, but it was still drinking well, and needed time in the glass to show at its best.
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Première expérience avec ce premier. La robe est d'un rubis quelque peu tuilé, assez profonde et les larmes sur les parois sont très fines, elle est assez dense (nettement plus que celle du SHL 1983). Au nez, c'est très aromatique, des notes d'épices fins, présence de torréfaction en arrière-plan, présences florales également, et il y a encore une belle masse de petits fruits rouges. Le nez est très en forme. Ce dernier est racé et des plus distingués. Notes de cuir, tabac, petits fruits. On sent le raffinement. L'attaque est franche, le vin possède encore une bonne masse tannique, cette dernière est même encore asséchante en finale. Quelle matière! Je ne ressens pas de sensation d'alcool en bouche, c'est très souple en milieu de bouche et L'équilibre est au rendez-vous. La persistance aromatique est superbe pour un vin que j'aurais cru davantage essouflé. Contrairement au Mouton 1978, le Haut-Brion pourra se garder encore un bon 5 ans pour que les tannins et la matière puissent se fondrent. Ce millésime n'est pas censé être à la hauteur des grands Haut-Brion, mais ce qui était dans ma coupe hier soir était grandiose et j'ai bien hâte de goûter les grands millésimes du Château. Le vin a été décanté et a gagné en complexité dans la carafe.
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Showing age - a faded garnet core leads to a considerable brick rim; Dried thyme and herbs on nose. Really beautiful - notes of leather, cedar, cigar box, graphite and sweet nuances of tobacco leaf and dried cherry/raisins; Medium weight with a thick texture. Not massive concentration but very nice nonetheless. Evolved leather and dried tobacco fruits. Alcohol is a bit hot - probably the age. Good persistence on the finish.
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Very Smooth with cork in perfect condition. My first Haut Brion and definitely seemed more silky than some of the other First Growths I have tasted. Lots of coffee and earthy flavors that turned to a cigar taste on the finish. Very impressed!!!
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Gorgeous bottle of wine. Long, balanced, and elegant. I poured the first glass right from the bottle, and decided to decant the rest. In retrospect, that probably wan't necessary, but the decanted wine is holding up marvelously after more than two hours now. Based on others' experience, and even my own, I certainly won't count on this kind of enjoyment from the other bottle that I was able to procure. But this one was a stunner.
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Dark, deep velvety garnet colour. Complex nose; initially shows stony minerality, graphite and a hint of cooked meat. Over time revealed a lovely soft blackcurrant leaf aroma. Silky texture with great acidity; sweet grippy tannins. Intense, powerful flavours; mouthfilling blackcurrant with notes of coffee and tobacco. A beautifully balanced wine. Long, long, long.
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Tasted blind. Light ruby in color. Scent of spice, mineral, licorice. Fruits hold up very well. light-medium bodied wine and will surely be singing for another 5 years at least
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This bottle is on it's way out, in my opinion. Color is a beautiful English brick. Nose was musty, leather, some vegetal which overtook the red fruits behind it. Taste was INSANELY smoky. A great experience, not necessarily the most food-friendly wine since the tannin is very light and acidity is low, so I ate it with a lean filet mignon.
Beautiful wine. Such a unique experience to drink old Bordeaux.
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Surprisingly, the robe hasn't evolved as much as you might expect from an 83 demi; there is bricking at the edge but the color is dark through the body of the wine. Quite musty on opening but cultivated a rose-petal, black cherry nose. Forest floor and mushroom notes underpinned the whole thing. Similar on the nose and palate, fading finish. Drink now if this is representative, but I'm not sure it is - I think this was kept poorly for most of its life.
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Shared this bottle at Thursday Lunch. A lovely example of a mature bordeaux. After breathing about 30 minutes it was first tasted. The nose was light black fruit, smoke and tobacco. The finish on this wine crept back up from the mouth with a push of roasted herbs and cedar that lasted at least 30 seconds. The wine was forward, ripe and soft. Thanks to Michael Sussman.
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Dirk's 50th Birthday. Decanted for sediment, open for half hour. Medium garnet color with bricking at rim. Outstanding nose of dirt, violets, cedar, manure, meat, smoke and tobacco leaves. This has the most beautiful secondary and tertiary aroma profile at present. Absolutely stunning nose. On the palate this has a soft attack of black currant with minerals and tobacco leaves as well. Others found the fruit a bit lacking, but I loved this wine. Great mouthfeel and balance, a very elegant wine. Terrific.
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Textbook Haut Brion with leather, tobacco, red fruit and a little smoke. As you would expect the mouthfeel/texture was gentle, supple and soft. Seamless from beginning to end. In a very good drinking window now. It did lack that little extra dimension that would qualify it as a super duper wine, but I'm nitpicking.
Anniversary at La Mer.
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Just a lovely bottle, great acidic backbone, resolved tannins, youthful fruit. Black plum and currant with herbs and smoke, earth. Excellent length, purity, focus. Gets pleasantly cedary after a bit. Others said they had tried recently, not shown near as well (no great wines, just great bottles, blah blah blah). Easily WOTN for me, though I was happy with almost all of the wines. A/A-
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This bottle was very good. The conventional wisdom is that this wine should have been drunk by several years ago, and I wouldn't disagree with that. It's a softer, gentler version of the great vintages, but there's still plenty of Haut-Brion goodness left, even after a couple of hours sitting in an open bottle. As a non-Bordeaux-drinker, I kind of appreciated the absence of tannins and the muted quality of the earthy and smokey flavors. I felt it made the wine's complexities, such as they are, somewhat easier to study. I'd enjoy drinking a few more bottles, if I had some in my cellar. I'd drink them within a year or two.
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Superb. Against 1990 Calon and 1985 Cheval-Blanc it was the wines of the day. Lovely seet fruit and the classic purity and expression of Graves. Some earthy, smoke and undergrowth character and a touch of salami/dried meat character. Length was impressive as was the balance and purity.
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Medium ruby. The wine has a complex nose with floral aromas, griotte cherry, licorice and leather. On the palate the fruit is still rich and sweet but the drying tannins are rather evident and the wine may be starting to decline. Drink this one up if you own it.
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Tasted on a very warm summers day. Firm, almost austere even at twenty years of age. Has enough weight/structure but lacks a little flesh through the middle. A very good wine, well balanced probably better under different circumstances. Has class.
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Engaging cedary fragrance, seemed light bodied after the Jamet, lively, complex, tobacco and some sweetness. A really lovely mature claret, showing no signs of tiring.
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Dirty ruby color, browing at the rim. Notes of damp forest floor, roasted meat, tobacco and spice. Faint tar-like aroma follows through on the palate, along with roasted plum and baking spices. Nicely balanced, medium length finish. Seamless and balanced. Drink up.
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I purchased this lone bottle about 10 years ago. Standard HB perfume, but not as pronounced as I would have expected, cigar box was there. After an hour and a half it did start to fade. This bottle worked very well with Prime Rib and Black Truffle mashed potatoes for Christmas Day. Not exceptional, but it fit very well with the menu. If you own some, it is time.
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Nice old rusty color. Classic Haut Brion nose still present. Tea leaves. Finish was round and most of the tanin gone. Lack of depth against a good vintage and the fruit has begun to fade. Definitely needs to be drunk now.
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With MPL at Singer & Foy survey of '83 Bordeaux. Decent ruby color, though starting to fade ever so slightly. There's some good fruit in the nose, but it is hardly a blockbuster. On the palate, chocolatey, chunky, chewy. Also oaky and fairly coarse. Very round and elegant. Tannin in the finish. Decent, but would never justify the price. 4-10-15-7: 86/100.
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4/11/2024 - unreal Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little disappointing vs. the rest. Hints of red fruit (strawberry), licorice, mint, chocolate. Very smooth in the palate, slight hint of spices. I missed the structure a bit.
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12/31/2023 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage: Six Bordeaux titans. Each bottle exceeded our expectations, showcasing classic Bordeaux structures, bursting with freshness, tension, and an invigorating verve. The perfect harmony of tertiary aromas and a robust fruit core was mesmerizing. 1983 has produced some great wines drinking in their prime today. For me, the Latour, scoring a stellar 97 points, was the standout star. Yet, by a narrow margin, the group’s heart went to the Cheval Blanc.
TN: This had a pretty subpar cork and was hence much more evolved than it should have been. Yet that brought us a glimps into the future: it showed layered with those fine malty notes you usually only get with much older wines. Additionally, some smoke notes mixing with minerality and dried dark berries. While the structure did hold up, the wine was not 100% clean but got better and better with air.
Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption. This needed more air in the glass, but as mentioned above - not a representative bottle.
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12/28/2023 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
12x Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993: All wines tasted single blind. Not decanted. As anticipated, the 1983 vintage prevailed in our comparative tasting, scoring 8 to 2 wins against the 1993 vintage, with two ties. The structured, classic ’83s exhibited greater depth and harmony compared to the ‘93s, which tended to be simpler, sometimes slightly green and dry, or at their best, fresh and light. However, in both vintages, aside from a few notable labels, many wines were evidently beyond their peak. The standout was, unsurprisingly, the Margaux (94pts). Tasting the some of the same ’83s a second time a few days later with decanting showed a marked improvement, highlighting the need of aeration.
TN: Vibrant on the nose with a medium intensity of dark berries, laced with a smoky, ripe charm and a touch of minerality. On the palate, it starts with a bold smokiness, gradually mellowing as the fruit emerges. The structure is elegant, with smooth tannins and a fresh feel, though it retains a slightly green, ashy note. Nose scores a handsome 93pts, with the overall experience at 91pts and better than the 1993 (84pts) which is past peak.
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12/9/2023 - Waël Likes this wine: 95 Points
The cork came out impeccably by Jascha Baraness, head sommelier at Le Select (Toronto). Poured into a decanter for 30 minutes to rest, then drank over a meal. The color is rusty iron red letting in layers of light through the glass. The initial bouquet is heavy on wood, forest floor, moist mushrooms. Some coaxing brings forward beautiful aromas of unripe cassis, leather, blood, green pepper, graphite, coffee and spices. The palate is smooth, with barely perceptible tannins. Medium bodied but long on the finish. Green pepper is foremost on the palate, followed by maraschino cherries, crushed black pepper, and a complex array of very subtle red fruit in the background. At 40 years old, this is in its peak and well worth the experience.
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11/25/2023 - G_H wrote: 97 Points
40 years on: A global 1983 retrospective: Malt, cocoa, espresso, caramel, medicine cabinet, wonderfully creamy and long. LOVE IT!
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11/25/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist.
Tasting note:
Double-decanted. Intense nose of tobacco, malt and caramel, well-defined dark cherry fruit. Nicely structured, light palate with more tobacco, albeit slightly thin and no longer able to perfectly balance the tannin. In this direct comparison, LMHB came in a notch better.
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11/24/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Friendsgiving Dinner (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Walkaround tasting. A wine that has never thrilled me, this lived up to that standard.
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11/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993 face-off: A nice bouquet of varied aging notes with mushrooms, truffles, wet leaves and intense tobacco aromas. A splash of Cognac. The blueberry and blackberry fruit was consequently overshadowed a bit. On the palate more tobacco, lingering throughout the finish and a slightly more present fruit. Tannin still quite grippy, a bit dry even. Somewhat thin with an acidity overhang, but gracefully aged and elegant. Had another bottle shortly thereafter which felt even more advanced, but with comparable features. But in any case more alive than the 1993.
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10/19/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Judgement of Eagan (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Slow-O for 2.5 hrs. Drank a glass over 90 minutes. Classic dried earth notes, scorched earth, orange peel, cigar, tobacco, medium bodied and elegant, Burg-like in style and structure at this point; grainy tannins, plenty of dark fruits yet, tart cherry, blood orange, firmish tannins, leather and wood notes. Very good, got better with air, but not as impressive as another recent bottle. Vastly different but the nod goes to the '97 Insignia. Group vote 5-3 for Insignia. 92+ to 93pts.
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10/19/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 96 Points
Cracking the whip; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Eagan, MN): N: Tertiary, fermented notes, light leather with some mushrooms, and rotting bark on wet earth.
P: Dark but elegant red fruits, still going strong! Wooden pencil shavings, crushed savory minerals, and awesome wet forest floor. The fruits and tertiary notes work together like a double helix, such a thing of beauty. Not once does the tertiary notes become too much (thank goodness).
I gotta admit, I might be an Haut-Brion fan boy. Kinda surprised this delivered so much better than the Insignia for me. There’s a nuance and intensity I really enjoyed about this. Great complexity with such class.
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10/19/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): Slo-O for about 2.5 hours....This was pitted against a 1997 Insignia. This was the best red flight of the night for my palate and featured two outstanding wines that finished a nose apart in a photo-finish, as far as the group was concerned, with the Insignia barely edging this wine out! Of course, for my palate, the Insignia was the clear winner! Still, this wine was a joy to drink, and how often do you get to drink an outstanding 40 year old First Growth Bordeaux!?
Nuts and bolts: The nose was slightly floral and perfumed (purple flowers) with earth, leather spice, cedar and tobacco. On the palate, this was classic Haut Brion showing plenty of gravelly notes, earth, leather, sweet tobacco and, of course, an equal amount of dark and red fruit! Haut Brion is always fun and pleasurable to drink! 94+ to 95 for me!
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10/19/2023 - JCGuthrie wrote: 95 Points
Very pretty, perfumed nose. Floral, with lots of earth, aged balsamic, aged leather and just a bit of iron. The palate is elegant and deep, with plums, red fruit, tobacco. This bottle had about 2.5 hours of slow O in the bottle and the wine got even better over the course of 30 minutes or so in my glass. I loved this.
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8/19/2023 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 96 Points
A celebration of 1983: From 3L. Beautiful nose with an herbal character, cassis, smoke, tobacco, and pure fruit flavors. There is nice depth and overall it felt quite young. Good acidity on the palate with underwood, some tertiary flavors, cherries, and a savory note. Long finish. This was drinking perfectly and felt fully mature, although not in risk of declining anytime soon. Wow!
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6/12/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Top shelf 1983 Bordeaux (Chicago, IL): Very autumnal, and not showing as expressively fruity as the La Mission. This is showing archetypal old Bordeaux notes but with a more delicate and lifted profile. I like the perfume and the minerality here; it's truly archetypal Haut-Brion.
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5/19/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
[Blind] High Brettanomyces at first and taking a while to blow off. A classic example with red cedar and cigar spice to the dry red fruit. Tannins still pretty grippy.
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12/30/2022 - Rezy13 wrote: flawed
Friday Blind Tasting $100+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Cloudy red crimson core with large brick rim; smoky, bloody, slightly weedy, corked but still has tons to be uncovered, singed herb, ash, playdough, red currant, iron, old and dried out but interesting, cork is not as apparent but still crucial component.
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12/16/2022 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 94 Points
This is pretty good. Drank with Gage, Julie, Blake. Cedar, mineral, and spice tells the story here. This was woody, cedar on the nose when opened. It was pretty tight, but opened up and revealed pretty HB dark red cherry and an ore car full of mineral perceptions. It was well balanced and delicious, with plenty of time left to age.
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10/15/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
HB is one of my two favorites in the first growths and '83 is a year that I think was under appreciated and so with that combination it seemed to make sense to give this one a try. I'll admit it didn't wow me right out of the gate. Too tight and not quite as expressive and it was competing against the '86 Ausone which might not have the critic accolades but has always been near and dear to my heart. I think though with time in the glass and as this opened it was a strong contender if not maybe the winner of the evening. Lots more spicy notes and a lot more evolution and just overall a really interesting and vibrant wine. Shame that I didn't pick up more but will keep an eye out in the future.
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3/17/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Heidi's Gang: Grand Cru and First Growths (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color with a 6mm transitional edge. Opened for 2 hours then served; drank a glass plus over 2 hours. Drank this next to my lovely and more mature '70 Lafite. The Haut Brion is youthfully mature in a great way; killer nose that offers up a sublime perfume, musty forest floor with maitake mushroom, rose petals and dried violets, cassis, red berries, saddle leather and glorious wood spice. The palate is sultry and alluring, cassis and red berry fruits with mineral notes, gravel, fine tobacco, leather, truffle, funk, with silky polished tannins and a long, long finish. This is integrating nicely, but clearly has strong legs to take this much further. Loved it, thanks Candie.
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3/17/2022 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Candace's btl at St Genevieve in Minneapolis. Not sure but believe this was opened on arrival and drank couple hours later. Quite lovely at 39! Captivating Pessac cigar ash, gravel & cedar nose w/ hints of sois bois. Palate is fully resolved, placid w/a mix of semi rich red & dark fruit, more cedar, mineral and forest floor notes. I rarely get a chance to drink HB and very much enjoyed my glass of this!. Thanks Candace! Hope she has a bunch of these 83's for her looming 40th bash next year. '83 Petrus & '83 LaTache maybe?
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3/17/2022 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Chris’s 1st Growth Series — Haut Brion (La Trompette, London): Deep full garnet. Terracotta and fresh tobacco. Cool, tobacco-tinged fruit. Opening nicely, but rises and falls through the evening, being on the downslope after a couple of hours. ****
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2/14/2022 - Jay A wrote: 93 Points
Red currant and plum fruit followed by smoke, tobacco, dried underbrush and leather. Typical Haut Brion with a gentle and supple texture. I think it is at its plateau, but I think it will remain at this plateau for many years. Enjoying on this Valentine's Day with Beef Wellington.
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2/4/2022 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
9 of 12 bought near release. Double decanted at 3:00, served at 7:00. Great fill and color, initial sour and musty nose blew off after 30 minutes in the decanter and was replaced by tobacco, smoke and cedar notes which continued to develop and integrate with the somewhat tart cherry and cassis fruited palate. Structurally this was a seamless middleweight, perfectly balanced with a complex palate mature fruit and earth elements. Good acidity, energy and finish. Impressively the nose just kept growing and going throughout the entire evening. A wonderful HB and that would appeal Burgundy lovers as well
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11/9/2021 - WaiCellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank from a bottle that's been recorked and rebottled at the chateau in 2019. Thought this would be off its prime but in reality it's drinking beautifully now. Outstanding color - does not look its age at all! Velvety with pepper and herbal notes.
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10/23/2021 - Smithc1214 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent wine that is currently drinking beautifully, and can still go a few more years
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9/11/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Epic Bordeaux for an Epic Birthday!; 9/1/2021-9/12/2021 (Paris & Bordeaux): Now we're down to the last two so this is single blind for me and as a result i know what it is because HB and Margaux are diff wines. This is almost a bit herbal and more old bordeaux and drinking very well. Glad to see the wine holding up so well esp at the end of a multiweek journey around the country. Very enjoyable and could easily have been a contender for WOTN if the '93 wasn't just so shocking.
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9/5/2021 - Rabaja wrote: 97 Points
Popped and poured. This is even better than the bottle I had a few years back which just shows that it still has a lot of life left. Fully mature nose of cedar, forest floor, black currant, herbs, pencil lead, honey and a touch of high pitched strawberry. Despite what that last note indicates, this wine is decidedly dark and savory. Upon opening the wine was still vigorous with big hard fruit wrapped in these mature Bordeaux flavors. The wine is persistent not only on the palate but on the nose as well. It gets into you. After about two to three hours of being opened, the wine became more integrated and aromatic. There is a ton of nuance to this and a nose you can get lost in. I would definitely recommend letting it breath in bottle for a few hours and feel decanting might over oxidize it. This is tremendous. A very refined, savory, and elegant Haut Brion at full maturity.
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9/5/2021 - viniferatu Likes this wine:
Def fully mature, but so beautiful. Earthy perfume: cigar, amaro, honey, graphite, dried flowers, tar, cured meat, white pepper, cedar, blackcurrant and cherry... smooth, a little tangy, smooth melted tannins. Lots of tobacco and earthiness on the finish, a little white pepper too. Long, complex, fresh, and surprisingly delicate. Gains weight and fruit with a few hours of air. This is magnificent!
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4/7/2021 - ajburgess88 wrote: 89 Points
For its age a very appealing nose. For its pedigree it was probably disappointing. Not sure how to rate overall but was found wanting by the lady of the house
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3/4/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with mint, black and red fruits, spices. The nose < the palate. No decant of wine or slow ox. Previously had 1983 where slow ox of > 3 hours help the wine get rid of funky smell. I tasted it after 2 hours and black tea, savoury notes appear.
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12/24/2020 - Sacramento Geezer Likes this wine: 90 Points
My bottled recently purchased from Fine Wines International from single bottle available, I’m guessing from a private collection. High shoulder fill and cork looked pristine on top, I thought maybe it had been recorked an Chateau. Nope, soft cork that amazingly came out intact with corkscrew was soaked 99% through.
Popped at 4:00. Tasted. Garnet, acidic, sweet cherry. Decided not to decant, perhaps a mistake.
7:00 first glass. Opened nicely with slight barnyard aroma, taste now fuller, more complex, sour cherry. Second glass at 7:30 got just a little, pleasant tannin pucker first sip.
Finished bottle at 9:45. Thinking might have decanted to let this open and evolve more, or saved last two glasses suction-stopped for today.
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12/11/2020 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Autumn leave, charcoal, tobacco, earth and sweet dark fruit. Sublime and resolved palate with fresh acidity. Very pleasurable.
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11/21/2020 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 98 Points
Medium garnet in colour. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of truffle, mushroom, cooked red/black fruits. Dry, medium+ acidity and tannin, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. Slow ox for 5 hours, still fresh and certainly does not taste like 1983. The slow ox of 5 hours had removed away from the old musky smell which is typically for old Bordeaux wine.
Did a Bordeaux 1980s theme blinded with 5 friends + 2 host. Total 7 due to COVID restrictions. The flight was mixed and not arranged so that all don't have a clue. () = my own score.
Blind Flight 1: 1988 Chateau Margaux (92 points), 1988 Cos d'Estournel (97points)
Blind Flight 2: 1983 Trotanoy (95 points), 1982 Pichon Baron (93 points), 1986 Lynch Bages (96 points)
Blind Flight 3: 1983 Haut Brion (98 points), 1985 Chateau Margaux Pavilion (94 points)
The result was mixed with 2 clear distinctive winners and loser. 1983 Haut Brion distinct winner while 1988 Chateau Margaux ranked last.
The final results were based on their own individual preference and palate as follow: () = my own ranking
#1 1983 Haut Brion (1)
#2 Joint 1982 Pichon Baron (6) and 1986 Lynch Bages (3)
#3 1985 Chateau Margaux Pavilion (5)
#4 1983 Trotanoy (4)
#5 1988 Cos d'Estournel (2)
#6 1988 Chateau Margaux (7)
For my own scores vs the final result, the only difference was that I prefer 1988 Cos d'Estournel more than 1982 Pichon Baron. For more notes, please refer to my other individual bottles.
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11/3/2020 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:
Not rating this because it was the dodgiest bottle ever. Don’t take this TN too seriously. Depressed cork but no seepage. Nose of burnt wood, cassis?, root beer , spearmint. Sour cherry and something like burnt truffle on the palate. Dusty mouthfeel. Not much HB tobacco leaf or cigar. Tannins faded. I think a bottle in better shape would be quite excellent. This one seemed more elderly than a 1983 first growth should be. That said, still quite enjoyable. Was this even HB at all? Well, it sure tasted like an ancient Graves, so.....
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3/16/2020 - petitblanc wrote:
Coronavirus Denial; 3/1/2020-5/31/2020: Light garnet, a bit cloudy, with a lovely ruby glint in the glass. Persistent vegetal and oxidized metal notes on the nose, mostly hiding a faint but charming undertone of rose petal, tart red fruit, talc and spice. Less interesting on the palate, just a little tart berry, otherwise muted, warm, and short, with no structure remaining. Probably not a representative bottle, fully saturated cork and a tiny bit of dried seepage. Just drinkable, not scored. I'd like to try a pristine bottle.
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12/4/2019 - chatters wrote:
First Wednesday Wine Club (Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield): Served blind. Old bordeaux...or not...leathery, brett, earthy, slight damp cellar, sour red fruit, star anise. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying talc textured, leathery, slight alcohol heat. It's all a bit tired and flat. I guessed Bordeaux right bank.
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10/30/2019 - AM2PM Likes this wine: 93 Points
Elegant and smooth
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8/9/2019 - Labrador Likes this wine: 88 Points
This was a very pleasant wine that, sadly, had lost some character and depth and some of its fruit. It was pleasing to the nose and on the palate.
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12/26/2018 - christ80 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Used my new Durand wine opener that was offered for Christmas and it was needed to delicately remove the cork that was fraying at the bottom.
Rich secondary flavors from the aroma to taste. Tobacco cigar cedar box and ash in the most lovely way possible to taste. Tertiary of leather. All these male attributes softened over time to a more velvety feel while being nothing like St Emilions. Difficult to describe well.
Most surprisingly, long finish and flavours that lasted throughout our Christmas meal. From beginning to end, an amazing wine.
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12/19/2018 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Friends (Osteria Langhe): A pristine looking bottle. This was all about the ethereal, magical nose. Aromas of mature fruit loaded with aged cedar, wet tobacco leaf, smoke, old leather and bell pepper. The nose just kept going on and on. On the palate it was a bit lighter in concentration, as you might expect for the vintage, but totally complete with a seductive quality. Long finish.
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11/27/2018 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
Haut Brion/Mission Dinner: Porcini, camomile , cedar, humidor, tobacco, slightly drying in the mouth. Definitely developed nicely with air
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11/22/2018 - Dehrmann Likes this wine: 93 Points
TG dinner - two consistent - wonderful color/robe - little nose - cherries - very boise and short finish - very haut-bryon but no comparison to ‘95
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9/24/2018 - Rabaja Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fully mature wine. There is indeed a fair amount of fruit remaining but the secondary nuances have taken over. Dusty raspberry, black currant preserve, old worn leather, cedar, a bit of red cherry pulp, and loads of red meat iodine. All the elements are in glorious harmony on the nose, though a bit more muted than I would have liked. The palate is subtle but still with some darker fruits revealing fully resolved tannins and impeccably framed by its acidity. Wonderful wine.
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7/13/2018 - Labrador wrote: flawed
This wine was lovely - right out of the bottle. Sadly, the beauty did not last. It quickly developed a slight bitter/burnt character on the palate. To say the least, that was off-putting. Given our past experience with this wine, this was simply a bottle variation .... thankfully for the sake of our friend who graciously brought the bottle to dinner.
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4/29/2018 - Fred_Bo Likes this wine: 92 Points
This had a lovely nose but quite muted on the palate - perhaps it should have been given more air to help development.
Nose delivered savory meaty, tobacco and dusty dry leaves. Really great. With some delicious strawberries and plums. However the palate was very closed down with still very active tannins but the meat and tobacco was superintense and good.
give at least 5-10 more years
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3/9/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: A- Palate: B+/B++
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11/20/2017 - MaxSiegel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromatic straight from the bottle but deserves 3 hours in decanter. Lots of cigar ash on the nose, along with currant, green pepper, and cedar. Currant, tobacco, and bitter chocolate on the palate. A little dried violet. Velvety but with high acidity. Some lingering but quite sweet tannin. Very well balanced. Slightly dry but long finish. Probably not much potential to improve from here. Feels like the fruit may die out before the tannins are fully resolved.
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10/1/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Another good one. Lots of sous bois here in addition to the spicy red cedar, cigar box, leather, and tobaccos. Such a showy and expressive nose plus the flavourful and rich palate that follows.
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9/8/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
11th of 12, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, previous notes fine or better, darkish garnet, glossy, amber on rim; very smokey bacon and road tar with hint of violet, chocolate and hot brick; medium full, long and very complex, idiosyncratic, fabulous structure and breed, W's WOTN, mine was Margaux and probably the Palmer was fractionally more pleasurable with greater glossy fruit notes, though the HB was more intellectual and had more to it, it should continue evolving for many years, wish I had more! VF (18.5).
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8/11/2017 - Labrador wrote: 92 Points
This took some time to open but when it did, it was lovely - fresh and vibrant with a long finish.
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6/9/2017 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1983 Horizontal; 8/4/2014-6/11/2019: Part of a very slow first growth horizontal of 1983 which at this rate will be finished in about 50 years. Each wine has been so memorable though that it's as if I drank them yesterday.
Decanted for an hour and a half or so. Nice fill and a perfect cork. Color neither especially youthful nor especially advanced by comparison with others of this vintage.
The nose absolutely explodes out of the bottle, and gets even more potent with air. Signature Pessac burnt ash and tar profile. Some dark fruit and orange zest. Notes of chocolate and tobacco.
Medium bodied with a fairly sweet mouthfeel; a little drier in flavor on the finish. Nice balance and structure, and surprisingly robust tannins for the vintage. Everything's in nice harmony, and it's hard to point to a weakness, unlike the Lafite and the Mouton. Doesn't have the sheer power of the Latour or the all around brilliance of the Margaux in this vintage though.
Nonetheless, this is one of the best HBs I have had, and it's in the perfect place for drinking right now.
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6/2/2017 - Labrador Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle showed even better than the one we enjoyed in May. It exhibited more youthfulness and freshness.
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5/12/2017 - Labrador Likes this wine: 91 Points
Italian food at Pasta Maker and a 1983 Haut Brion. What a wonderful match.
The Haut Brion (despite its 30+ years) was still fresh and vibrant and clearly out shined a 1992 La Fleur Petrus which was dry and uninspired. It showed rich dark fruit with touches of cedar and graphite. Wonderful in the mouth, balanced and with a lovely finish.
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1/26/2017 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decent nose and palette but not a great HB, leather earth, metallic nose strange, good but lacking complexity and substance
92
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12/20/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
The Best Vintages of LMHB vs HB plus some extras (Restaurant Hohenzollern in Bad Neuenahr/Ahrweiler): HB 1983
Ähnlich ätherische Noten wie der Nachbar. Er wirkt am Gaumen jünger und frischer, aber auch „unbalancierter“. Man hat den Eindruck, er ist noch etwas „grün“, hat noch viel Zeit, 96P
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11/25/2016 - Doncasto wrote:
Kelly
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11/24/2016 - Javachip wrote: 94 Points
Allowed to breathe in bottle 30 minutes, then decanted and served. Clear deep garnet-blood-brick red color. Initial bouquet of cigar box and faded red currants. My companion was reminded of cognac. But after 30 minutes in the glass, the bouquet freshened and bloomed considerably, with lots of juicy ripe red fruit (currants, raspberries, plums) moving to the foreground, accompanied by rose petals, dry hot sauna rocks, and more tobacco and cedar. On the palate this was beautifully balanced, smooth, mellow, sophisticated, with silky mouthfeel, medium-full body without being heavy. We were afraid it would fade or maderize in the glass; but instead, it improved steadily over two hours.
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11/3/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Château Haut-Brion Vertical (Bouley): This is a great nose as well with pronounced leather and tobacco over ripe strawberry. Plenty of red cedar spice and cigar box. Some chai teas. A bit of energy and zip. Very enjoyable on the palate right now. Big and immensely flavourful with structure that suggests this will go for a long while. Strong.
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6/11/2016 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
From the Chateau. Smoky, earthy, beautiful nose. Rich, balanced and polished on the palate. Medium length.
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6/10/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
1983 Bordeaux horizontal tasting and Allison's birthday dinner (Vienna Cafe & Wine Bar): Medium ruby color, with some bricking at the edges. Dark and red fruits, licorice, cinnamon, a bit of Brett, and cigar box. Rustic but with ripe fruits. Really smooth on the palate. Prominent tannins that leveled out after a couple of hours. High acidity. This wine grew on everyone throughout the evening. My #3, the group's #4 (of 5 wines).
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4/25/2016 - hvoslef wrote: 96 Points
Rubinrød med vanndig oransje kant. Fantastisk kompleks moden nese. Trang i åpning, utvikler seg positivt i dekanter 1-2 timer. Drukket sammen med Ch. Margaux 83 (98p) og Las Cases 83 (95p). Deilig kompleks utviklet i munnen med svært lang avslutning. Perfekt flaske.
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3/26/2016 - Spargel Likes this wine: 96 Points
Complex texture, earthy, leather, smoke, very long finish.
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7/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blind Tasting of 13 reds, 1 white and 1 Champagne at Behrens am Kai in Dusseldorf
5th Flight together with La Mission Haut Brion 1983
mediterraen herbs, spicy, tobacco, extract sweetness, a lot of minerality, crispy acidity, feels much younger than the LMHB, still a lot of ripe tannins, very long finish, I wouldn't guess 1983,more around 1995.
For me both equal with 98 points, If I had to choice I would prefer the LMHB with of the complexity and elegance
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3/13/2015 - ilee Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dinner with Mrs L, Becky and Rob (Neighborhood, Hong Kong): The elegant smoky, gravelly nose is always hard to miss, even when understated as it was in this charming bottle of 1983 HB (sadly, my last). Medium bodied, with finely crafted layers of fruit that almost remind me of an intricate stone carving, this is a wine that is easy to enjoy yet complex enough to reward closer inspection. I've been fortunate that all three bottles purchased last year from Farr turned out to be excellent. For those lucky folk who still have a few bottles squirreled away, I recommend popping the corks within the next 5 years. Good health!
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1/24/2015 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sat night dinner at home with JL, VK, PH and Cath (At home): Finely etched mineral and black fruit nose. Medium bodied with good freshness and balance. Not a heavyweight, but there is more than enough fruit and complexity to make this a fine and very enjoyable HB.
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12/1/2014 - PC73 wrote: 92 Points
Took long time to open up (3hrs). I would say my bottle a year ago was better - more expressive. Obviously need to be careful with making too many conclusions with old bottles but I would suggest this is now on its way down.
Overall, very complex. Well balanced, with much more meaty and savoury flavours.
Fruit came through with time in the glass. Mainly raspberry.
Long finish.
Good.
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11/4/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Less opulent and perfumed on the nose in comparison to the 1985. Notes of tobacco again, graphite, undergrowth. Fully mature on the palate, fresh, mineral, slightly lighter with a lovely detailed and long finish. A great bottle, drink up. 93-95
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11/4/2014 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
5 Decades of Haut Brion, with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): A lot better than when we tried it last 3yrs ago ( Papies rated 92) and definitely a beautiful wine. Earthy, forest floor, mushroom on the nose, well aged, graceful wine. just a touch of green at times to spoil the fun a bit but a minor point really. Still has a decent rich core of fruit, well aged wine, and this is for the lovers of classic, well aged claret. If you are one like us then you will find this a superb experience. 94-95. We would drink this sooner than later.
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10/16/2014 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clean ruby color with minimal clouding or bricking. Enchanting Graves nose of rocks, mint, fresh cut hay, ripe summer berries. On the palate, clean pure and expressive layers of red fruit wrapped in gentle, almost ethereal tannins. Neat long finish. Mature and open knit, but with a vibrancy that belies it age, this wine was superb. A delightful surprise. Really good value too. Bought 3 bottles of this wine after checking on CT, such useful and positive comments, totally spot on -- my thanks to all of you!
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9/11/2014 - EndreS wrote:
Chateau Haut-Brion Vertical (Litteraturhuset, Oslo): Fairly similar to the '82, but not as expressive. More cool fruits and a more fresh style. There is however something off on the nose here, a bit muted. Not sure.
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9/11/2014 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Haut Brion Tasting 1918-1999 (Oslo): Slightly bretty? Although the wine itself is very clean, fresh and elegant, there was an unclean note on the side. Tannic finish. Very good and youthful bottle, otherwise.
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9/4/2014 - Vmaster007 wrote: 96 Points
Wow, this wine was amazing! The wine was in pristine condition, not like the other bottle I tasted 2 years ago. It still had a vibrant deep garnet color with no signs of aging. I opened the bottle in the morning to remove deposits and put it back in, waited 10 hours and decanted the wine 1 hour prior to tasting.
Typical nose of Pessac, my friends knew what it was right from the start (it was a blind tasting), but since the wine was so good, it was hard to guess it was from '83. They were calling 15 years old, one even said 2009.
Deep and enjoyable moment for a great wine!
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5/31/2014 - Herb K wrote:
Smokey, velvet and tobacco in beautiful harmony. I love the '83; and for the money, so much more worth it than the '82.
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5/17/2014 - Argrath wrote: 93 Points
Powerful, immediate and characteristic nose of smoke, cigarre, and tobacco. Then dark, damp fruit, some barnyard and well integrated oak. Very Pessac. Lacks some complexity and depth.
Fullish, smoky palate. Ripe tannins a bit bitter. Actually quiet austere. Majestic and determined. Good back-bone. Very much tobacco and smoky gravel in the long finish. Gravelly and austere.
This is very much a question if you like the style. Tasted half-blind with 4 other PC-83, this was easiest to guess. And I think a wine with such a personality deserves a good marking. Fully mauture, not for further cellaring - lacks a bit of fruit.
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3/8/2014 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Paired with Haut-Brion 1975. Good level, 2 cm below the cork. Fully mature, sweet fruit and beefstock, very gentle, feminine and generous, really delicious, soft but clean and fresh, starts to dry out after a little while in the glass.
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1/9/2014 - don_quichotte Likes this wine: 94 Points
What I love about bordeaux. Perfectly balanced and seamless. Velvety texture. Long. Acidity perfectly into place. Just enough sugar. A tiny bit of eucalyptus and goysenberries. A tiny green touch. Something of an introvert but with real substance once you've gotten to know him.
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12/3/2013 - PC73 wrote: 92 Points
Velvety. Thick, viscous on the palate.
Amazing nose. Powerful. Complex. Palma violet.
Bit musty on the palate.
Very Openned up with time. Rhubarb on the palate.
I would say this wine has still got a long life ahead of it. It was still getting more expressive a good 90 mins after being decanted.
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10/31/2013 - jens.thogersen wrote: 89 Points
Brick red colour.
On the nose. Wet leafs, blackberry jam.
Palate. Black currant, soil, wet leafs.
Round tannins, good balanced acidity, medium to long length.
Seems a bit out of it's prime
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10/1/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely, mature HB that's rather fuller than I expected and really showing the flavors of the terroir. Dark red fruits intermingle with notes of warm bricks and road tar along with a nice mineral/menthol note. Finishes quite concentrated and complex with fully resolved tannins and wonderful spices on the back-end.
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9/5/2013 - Einhorn wrote: 90 Points
Still tanic, but too rispid at the end
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7/25/2013 - ricknat1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
1983 tasting. All wines opened immediately before serving. At opening this knocked me out. I loved it but it could not persist in the bottle. Drink up now. And this was the loser of the flight next tot the Margaux and Mouton.
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7/1/2013 - fourdan wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful, earthy, very open
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5/19/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Slightly past fully mature, this elegant, medium bodied, finesse styled wine delivers sweet cherries, smoke, tar, tobacco and forest floor scents. Soft and refined, this lighter vintage requires drinking, as there is not enough stuffing to allow for further development. It was nice seeing this wine after so many years as it was the first vintage of Haut Brion I ever tasted.
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4/21/2013 - MilaBuchelska Likes this wine: 89 Points
Earhy, slightly medicinal, tree moss nose.
Iodine, green walnuts, a touch of red fruit, cedar, cigar box.
Tight and focused body, persistent tannins leading to dry finish.
Iodine, cedar and green walnuts.
Fading fruit.
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1/26/2013 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Dinner with friends. Roast duck, butternut squash risoto, and white bean and kale soup. Wonderful meal, good wines.
Cork came out whole and was 3/4 permeated.
Wine was clear, lite, with evident bricking.
Nose was pleasantly complex, still some fruit but notes of cinnamon and spice show the age.
Palate was a nice complement to the duck. Nice complexity that didn't rise to the level of greatness I was hoping for.
The finish was medium length.
This was a nicely aged wine. No flaws but just didn't quite hit the high notes I was hoping for.
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1/19/2013 - DarinC Likes this wine: 95 Points
Base neck fill with seepage 3/4 into the cork. Decanted one hour, consumed the following 3. Some bricking at the rim, negligible browning. Lovely aromatics of mint, eucalyptus, thyme, cassis and graphite. Reminiscent of the 1988 I had a few weeks back. Similar notes on the medium bodied palate with more black fruit in the forefront. Long elegant finish. No noticeable heat like some other tasters. Drank beautifully all evening.
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1/10/2013 - Long Louis wrote:
Had this wine several times over the past 10 years. It was very good almost in the middle of that time. This bottle had an incredible high filling level, the typical Haut Brion aromatics, but took very long time in the decanter to open up. Maybe we missed the best (as always) as the last siüp was the best. Probably when served right a lower 90 wine, but even though I love Haut-Brion, it by no means deserves the prices that are currently asked for. There are so many better wines in the world at a fraction of the price. They may have different aromatics, but maybe you buy the tar from a Barolo (50 $), the earthy feeling from a lesser chateau (maybe gruaud 83 at 70 $) and then you had two nice bottles as good as the Haut Brion and still 100$ left. Any better ideas welcome!
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1/9/2013 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 96 Points
Wow, herregud va gott det är med mogen Bordeaux. Underbar doft av vinbär, läder, våt piptobak, mull och mogen frukt. Fantastisk balans och mognad i smaken. Ännu bättre än den flaska jag drack i september.
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9/22/2012 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 95 Points
En bra Haut Brion med doft av vinbär, tobak, läder och mull. Förvånansvärt mycket frukt kvar och väldigt fin balans med syran.
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5/22/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 96 Points
Spectacular. Nose of cassis, herbs, underwood. On the palate cassis, silky tannins, herbs, smoke, licorice.
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12/17/2011 - Aenie wrote: 94 Points
Ready to drink , start peak , little smoke cassis tobacco forest , big fruit good acid smooth balance
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7/15/2011 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Dark brown color, unfiltered?
Great secondary & tertiary aroma of spicy jamon. Thin body, tannic, low bitterness, spicy flavors, long after taste, still enjoyable.
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7/9/2011 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Nice on the nose, smoky, herby tones. Old school. Well rounded and drinks very nicely at the moment. Some bitter notes on the end ruin some of the magic though. Enjoyable but not sure it will justify the current price tag.
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5/13/2011 - burgburgburg wrote: 89 Points
the bottle is in exceptional condition; quite closed in both aroma and palate; smoke, and cigar; smooth, elegant but not very attractive
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3/11/2011 - Ho Bryan wrote: 93 Points
Very good Haut Brion earth and smoke qualities, drinking well now. Tannins fully resolved. Fruit is slowly receding but it is not showing any indications of rapid decline. Should be good drinking for several more years. Very classy.
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2/24/2011 - don_quichotte wrote: 94 Points
Excellent! Earth, smoke and leather and a slight medicinal touch. A bit of heat on the finish but barely noticeable. Long. Kept improving in the glass. Drinking very nicely now but no hurry to drink up...
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12/25/2010 - PJRONeill wrote: 92 Points
High fill, ruby-red with some bricking at the rim. Eucalyptus, band-aid, tobacco on the nose. The fruit is fading somewhat but its clinging on doggedly. Nothing long or profound about this, but a lovely graceful drink from a relatively under-appreciated vintage.
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11/27/2010 - saturnaisland wrote: 96 Points
A wonderful wine. Well integrated. Dark fruit with hints of cigar, tar and earth. Good tannins. Well integrated. Elegant and complex.
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8/1/2010 - Lordswood wrote: 90 Points
Smoky dark fruit, great silky texture. I thought that this was going to be over the top, but it was still drinking well, and needed time in the glass to show at its best.
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12/26/2009 - Opusone99 wrote: 95 Points
Première expérience avec ce premier. La robe est d'un rubis quelque peu tuilé, assez profonde et les larmes sur les parois sont très fines, elle est assez dense (nettement plus que celle du SHL 1983). Au nez, c'est très aromatique, des notes d'épices fins, présence de torréfaction en arrière-plan, présences florales également, et il y a encore une belle masse de petits fruits rouges. Le nez est très en forme. Ce dernier est racé et des plus distingués. Notes de cuir, tabac, petits fruits. On sent le raffinement. L'attaque est franche, le vin possède encore une bonne masse tannique, cette dernière est même encore asséchante en finale. Quelle matière! Je ne ressens pas de sensation d'alcool en bouche, c'est très souple en milieu de bouche et L'équilibre est au rendez-vous. La persistance aromatique est superbe pour un vin que j'aurais cru davantage essouflé. Contrairement au Mouton 1978, le Haut-Brion pourra se garder encore un bon 5 ans pour que les tannins et la matière puissent se fondrent. Ce millésime n'est pas censé être à la hauteur des grands Haut-Brion, mais ce qui était dans ma coupe hier soir était grandiose et j'ai bien hâte de goûter les grands millésimes du Château. Le vin a été décanté et a gagné en complexité dans la carafe.
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12/24/2009 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 92 Points
Muted, short finish. A little bit too spicy on the attack. Pleasant, but the least impressive of the bottles I've had so far.
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12/18/2009 - vespasian wrote: 92 Points
Showing age - a faded garnet core leads to a considerable brick rim; Dried thyme and herbs on nose. Really beautiful - notes of leather, cedar, cigar box, graphite and sweet nuances of tobacco leaf and dried cherry/raisins; Medium weight with a thick texture. Not massive concentration but very nice nonetheless. Evolved leather and dried tobacco fruits. Alcohol is a bit hot - probably the age. Good persistence on the finish.
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12/12/2009 - bhalljr wrote: 93 Points
Very Smooth with cork in perfect condition. My first Haut Brion and definitely seemed more silky than some of the other First Growths I have tasted. Lots of coffee and earthy flavors that turned to a cigar taste on the finish. Very impressed!!!
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11/15/2009 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 96 Points
Gorgeous bottle of wine. Long, balanced, and elegant. I poured the first glass right from the bottle, and decided to decant the rest. In retrospect, that probably wan't necessary, but the decanted wine is holding up marvelously after more than two hours now. Based on others' experience, and even my own, I certainly won't count on this kind of enjoyment from the other bottle that I was able to procure. But this one was a stunner.
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9/14/2009 - Biggsy wrote: 96 Points
Dark, deep velvety garnet colour. Complex nose; initially shows stony minerality, graphite and a hint of cooked meat. Over time revealed a lovely soft blackcurrant leaf aroma. Silky texture with great acidity; sweet grippy tannins. Intense, powerful flavours; mouthfilling blackcurrant with notes of coffee and tobacco. A beautifully balanced wine. Long, long, long.
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9/14/2009 - Paul D wrote:
Battle of the 1980's with Charles Metcalfe and Sebastian Payne (Merchant Taylors' Hall, London EC2): Strange, slightly dirty note on nose at first, cassis fruit. Better on the palate with sweet dark fruit, herbal and warm earth notes. Good quality, mature tannins, long attractive savoury finish, some dryness. Very good but out-classed by the Cheval. ****
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7/24/2009 - loverboy wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind. Light ruby in color. Scent of spice, mineral, licorice. Fruits hold up very well. light-medium bodied wine and will surely be singing for another 5 years at least
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7/16/2009 - Vindeciel wrote: 91 Points
This bottle is on it's way out, in my opinion. Color is a beautiful English brick. Nose was musty, leather, some vegetal which overtook the red fruits behind it. Taste was INSANELY smoky. A great experience, not necessarily the most food-friendly wine since the tannin is very light and acidity is low, so I ate it with a lean filet mignon.
Beautiful wine. Such a unique experience to drink old Bordeaux.
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6/28/2009 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Fruit is quite delicate at this point and the tannins are somewhat dry, but the aromatics are there and with the right food this would be great.
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6/4/2009 - kenv wrote: 92 Points
WCC First Growth Bordeaux Tasting @ Provence (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): [Decanted at 9am.] Anise and cedar nose. Very earthy, mulch, tar, mint. Excellent length.
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5/18/2009 - englishman's claret wrote:
Surprisingly, the robe hasn't evolved as much as you might expect from an 83 demi; there is bricking at the edge but the color is dark through the body of the wine. Quite musty on opening but cultivated a rose-petal, black cherry nose. Forest floor and mushroom notes underpinned the whole thing. Similar on the nose and palate, fading finish. Drink now if this is representative, but I'm not sure it is - I think this was kept poorly for most of its life.
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2/27/2009 - WineArchitect wrote: 90 Points
Shared this bottle at Thursday Lunch. A lovely example of a mature bordeaux. After breathing about 30 minutes it was first tasted. The nose was light black fruit, smoke and tobacco. The finish on this wine crept back up from the mouth with a push of roasted herbs and cedar that lasted at least 30 seconds. The wine was forward, ripe and soft. Thanks to Michael Sussman.
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12/13/2008 - cmbond wrote: 95 Points
Dirk's 50th Birthday.
Decanted for sediment, open for half hour. Medium garnet color with bricking at rim. Outstanding nose of dirt, violets, cedar, manure, meat, smoke and tobacco leaves. This has the most beautiful secondary and tertiary aroma profile at present. Absolutely stunning nose. On the palate this has a soft attack of black currant with minerals and tobacco leaves as well. Others found the fruit a bit lacking, but I loved this wine. Great mouthfeel and balance, a very elegant wine. Terrific.
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10/29/2008 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Horizontal tasting of 1983 bordeaux (Institute of Directors, London): After the Gruaud, this was narrower, a bit medicinal, but good cassis fruit, mint, vanilla, coconut - indeed still seemed to be showing new oak
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9/9/2008 - Jay A wrote: 93 Points
Textbook Haut Brion with leather, tobacco, red fruit and a little smoke. As you would expect the mouthfeel/texture was gentle, supple and soft. Seamless from beginning to end. In a very good drinking window now. It did lack that little extra dimension that would qualify it as a super duper wine, but I'm nitpicking.
Anniversary at La Mer.
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7/16/2008 - Tree512 wrote: 95 Points
Exactly what fully mature Haut Brion tastes like. Lots of tobacco and rocks, red fruits, great balance, and extremely long. Pure pleasure.
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11/6/2007 - DaleW wrote:
Just a lovely bottle, great acidic backbone, resolved tannins, youthful fruit. Black plum and currant with herbs and smoke, earth. Excellent length, purity, focus. Gets pleasantly cedary after a bit. Others said they had tried recently, not shown near as well (no great wines, just great bottles, blah blah blah). Easily WOTN for me, though I was happy with almost all of the wines. A/A-
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5/27/2007 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was very good. The conventional wisdom is that this wine should have been drunk by several years ago, and I wouldn't disagree with that. It's a softer, gentler version of the great vintages, but there's still plenty of Haut-Brion goodness left, even after a couple of hours sitting in an open bottle. As a non-Bordeaux-drinker, I kind of appreciated the absence of tannins and the muted quality of the earthy and smokey flavors. I felt it made the wine's complexities, such as they are, somewhat easier to study. I'd enjoy drinking a few more bottles, if I had some in my cellar. I'd drink them within a year or two.
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4/8/2007 - Mackenzie wrote:
drank w/ tony H. and Bill j after golf - nice bottle
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2/19/2007 - Fraserj wrote: 95 Points
Superb. Against 1990 Calon and 1985 Cheval-Blanc it was the wines of the day. Lovely seet fruit and the classic purity and expression of Graves. Some earthy, smoke and undergrowth character and a touch of salami/dried meat character. Length was impressive as was the balance and purity.
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1/27/2007 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Medium ruby. The wine has a complex nose with floral aromas, griotte cherry, licorice and leather. On the palate the fruit is still rich and sweet but the drying tannins are rather evident and the wine may be starting to decline. Drink this one up if you own it.
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12/23/2006 - AJ72 wrote: 91 Points
Tasted on a very warm summers day. Firm, almost austere even at twenty years of age. Has enough weight/structure but lacks a little flesh through the middle. A very good wine, well balanced probably better under different circumstances. Has class.
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9/2/2006 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
Engaging cedary fragrance, seemed light bodied after the Jamet, lively, complex, tobacco and some sweetness. A really lovely mature claret, showing no signs of tiring.
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7/4/2006 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Dirty ruby color, browing at the rim. Notes of damp forest floor, roasted meat, tobacco and spice. Faint tar-like aroma follows through on the palate, along with roasted plum and baking spices. Nicely balanced, medium length finish. Seamless and balanced. Drink up.
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6/20/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Older Bordeaux - First Growth and Others (onesixty blue - Chicago IL): Showing fair amount of age, this was as earthy as primary. Moderate fruit on palate with good amount of minerality.Finish showed some unintegrated tannins and lots of earth.
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6/20/2006 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock - Pre-1990 First Growth Bordeaux Tasting (onesixtyblue): Pink/red color. Roasted red game with beef blood notes and a hint of mint. Nice red fruit with earth and mineral on the palate.
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12/25/2005 - MikeZ wrote:
I purchased this lone bottle about 10 years ago. Standard HB perfume, but not as pronounced as I would have expected, cigar box was there. After an hour and a half it did start to fade. This bottle worked very well with Prime Rib and Black Truffle mashed potatoes for Christmas Day. Not exceptional, but it fit very well with the menu. If you own some, it is time.
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12/25/2004 - jdl wrote: 92 Points
Has reached its peak. Still has good nose and is somewhat tight. Decanted. Needs to be consumed.
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12/11/2004 - cortoncharlie wrote:
Nice old rusty color. Classic Haut Brion nose still present. Tea leaves. Finish was round and most of the tanin gone. Lack of depth against a good vintage and the fruit has begun to fade. Definitely needs to be drunk now.
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5/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($100) The First Big DFW Tasting, Casa Vineyard: Road tar. Aging rapidly. Soft, light. Buttery finish was interesting. DFW Tasting.
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4/26/1991 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 86 Points
With MPL at Singer & Foy survey of '83 Bordeaux. Decent ruby color, though starting to fade ever so slightly. There's some good fruit in the nose, but it is hardly a blockbuster. On the palate, chocolatey, chunky, chewy. Also oaky and fairly coarse. Very round and elegant. Tannin in the finish. Decent, but would never justify the price. 4-10-15-7: 86/100.
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2/1/1990 - sdr Does not like this wine: 77 Points
Deep center, brown edge. Not clear. Peculiar artificial sweetness on the nose. Burnt flavor, bitter tannins. Maybe poor storage.
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