Full-bodied with more blackish fruits and lots of depth and coiled power. Shows some beautiful smoky complexity developing but sitting in the glass between the '90 & '00, two magnificent vintages of La Miss, I could see that the tannins are not nearly as fine in the '98 and are a bit rustic in comparison. Still, this improved a lot in the glass and knowing this great estate, the '98 will have it's moment but it's probably close to a decade away. 93+
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Denver Mondiale does Left Bank. This was not previously decanted so upon opening it was rather muted but as the evening progressed this morphed into a beautiful elegant wine. The primary fruit notes were red/ cranberry and the secondary ones of slight cedar with a kiss of herbs and forest leafs slight smoky notes as well. All around great balance and silky mouth feel, this kept improving the longer the bottle was open and my last taste was the finest at the 3 hr mark at which point the bottle was drained. My WOTN and a shame it wasn't decanted as I suspect my score would have been even higher.
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this is drinking quite beautifully now even though the nose remains a little reticent - quite a subtle wine and all the more lovely for it - will be sensational in ten years
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If you are a fan of La Mission Haut Brion, with some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, this is the wine to buy. It has all the power, layers of perfectly ripe, earthy, smoky, leafy, tobacco covered fruits, balanced, poised and graceful, with the ability to age and evolve for decades. Drink from 2024-2050.
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Drank this in a blind drinking party, it was the last one after 99 Latour, 98 Haut Brion, 99 Mouton, 99 Lafite and 99 Margaux. A decent wine when drinking alone. But when compared with others of similar vintage and from the same region, it was the weakest performer.
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This particular bottle showed a bit more mature than recent tastings but it was a beautiful wine nonetheless. There are deep flavors of black fruits, charred earth and sweet tobacco with a silky texture and a lovely layered, supple finish.
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I made a note on another birth year wine - the 1998 Domaine de Chevalier - that talks about how, when it comes to my birth vintage, my preference for left bank Bordeaux shifts south towards Margaux and Pessac-Léognan. I’ve never had a wine prove a point more than the 1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. This wine is truly ethereal. It’s everything we love about Graves and more. The nose was alluring, leveling out the quintessentially Graves smokiness with a good amount of leather, black cherries, blackcurrant and a hint of licorice. The palate, though, was enthralling. A journey that has spices and herbaceousness across each phase, the upfront brought us in with its rich blackcurrant and tart red cherry medley prior to cedar wood and a hint of minerality coming in during the mid-palate and finish. The wine was both silky and mouth coating, amplified by the bottle’s amazing acidity and intensity. I have zero doubts in the longevity of this wine. 30 years, 40 years - you name it. This was singing. WOTN.
Tasted double blind. Two 1998s side-by-side. The Canon La Gaffeliere (97pts) showed at its peak, highly complex, ultra-high precision lots of fruit left but so well balanced by all the tertiary aromas. The Mission Haut-Brion (96pts) was just a notch behind, displaying wonderful maturity, superb fruit, fine, elegant structure just missing a layer or two more to match the Canon La Gaffeliere. The 1998 vintage is singing today.
TN: Quite expressive, intense bouquet displaying ripe dark fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco. On the palate equally expressive with loads of minerality, tobacco at the core, ripe red fruit, some herbs. Medium complex but wonderfully mature and quite precise. Fine structure, lots of tension and poise, good freshness.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.
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Deep crimson, with cassis and leather on the slightly evolved nose. Silky yet with powdery tannins. Nice lifted acidity. Something slightly meaty on the midpalate that fades. Really classical profile. Revisiting my glass at the end of the dinner, I wrote "Holding up superbly - great sense of quiet self confidence". Lovely and my WOTL.
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1998 Bordeaux Horizontal - London (Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street, London): Perfumed nose with a little grated dark milk chocolate accompanying some peonies. There are some gorgeous small dark berries and a lovely and counterbalancing umami hoisin character. Palate outstanding, mouth-coating and long. Tannins almost fully resolved but early in its window for me. Some say not quite there but either way I sense a long future ahead. My second favourite wine of the night.
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Very smoky at first -- all tobacco and charred cedar. The smokiness never disappeared, but the wine evolved over the course of the evening, with emerging flavors of plum and soy sauce, backed by more rich fruit. The tannins are fully integrated and the wine has moderate- to low acidity, with no sourness. It's a mature wine, but it still has a long way to go.
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Perhaps the biggest and certainly most brooding wine of the night but the depth here is crazy as is the balance. Yet to show much in the way of tertiaries, I believe this will one day takes it's place among the very top vintages of La Miss but it needs 5-10 more years to start to open up. 95+
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Decanted one hour. Some bricking in the wine, but not as much sediment as expected. By far the dominant profile in the nose and mouth was pipe tobacco, I’ve never had a wine like it before. Layered, intense, cerebral, very unique. Unexpectedly began to shut down after being open only 2 hours. Special wine but be sure to check in on it early in case other bottles perform this way.
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Still tightly coiled and tannic but showing great potential. Classic depth of dark fruits with a smoky edge developing. The texture is thickening some as it ages but this is still a decade away from full maturity. At Commanderie Candidate's dinner at the University Club, NYC. 94+
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The last 5 years have really added a lot to this wine. Now, you find more weight density and softness, as well as more nuances. Packed with smoke, cigar box, tobacco leaf, and spicy currants, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and rich, the mouth-filling layers of fruit, build and expand, only leaving you after a long finish. If you are seeking an LMHB that is just about ready to go, this is the wine to buy! Drink from 2023-2045.
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Dinner with the wine group (Cindy's Place): Lighter color than the Figeac; aromatic, a bit of minerality; black fruited with some red currant, young, youthful tannins, medium alcohol; medium finish. Lovely but still young. 91 Retasted: good, but not quite as good as the other Bordeaux on the table.
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This is such a pleasure to drink now. Youthful for a 24 year-old wine, with nose of humus, gravel, minerals, tobacco, black cherries, and black truffles. Next to the flamboyant and more floral nose of the 2006 Haut Brion, the La Mission felt more reserved, but every bit as complex. A bit tight at first, the palate is layered with spices, cigar, leather, minerality, and a lingering finish. Complex, refined, and lively for its age, this wine has more to give with time.
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First bottle from a case purchased back in the day, and it has finally entered its prime drinking window, and is starting to match the plaudits given on release. Showing early bricking the nose is showing maturity with blackberry, raspberry and gravel aromas. The tannin is still evolving, but already is perfectly balanced with the fruit. The depth on the palate and finish displays its first growth credentials. The latter creeps towards 60 seconds. This is undoubtedly going to keep improving end palate and on the finish as the tannin continues to sweeten, but it is already a very special wine. I will probably wait a couple of years until the next bottle. At this stage do decant for a few hours.
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Aristocratic. Opened at 5, drank from 6, peaked at 7pm and held. Lovely old school charm. Medium bodied, sour notes, quite fresh and lively, almost saline notes, obscuring the somewhat faded fruit. Could have been Pauillac. Quite sharp acids, some unresolved tannins.
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Decanted 4 hours; had with a very simple roast lamb and winter vegetables. The experience was good not great. I have had so many other wines I enjoyed more it is really hard to quantify this bottle. Clearly aged and well kept, it was at once very simple with an obvious nod to Aussie cab, and simultaneously it's a wine with hints of burgundy and lighter French country wines. ( or does Aussie cab nod to Bordeaux like the good old days?)
Not obviously aristocratic; light graphite notes , diminishing black fruit over time , and a cassis sensation that is present but meh.....Without food ( ie support) it could easily be dismissed as generic Bordeaux. The high scores for this wine on cellar tracker make me wish that I had a similar experience. In short ,bang average. Am I allowed to say disappointed ? And lastly, as an added very personal thought, I really can't see the "98 getting any better. I am hugely interested in subsequent reviews for this wine because right now I feel like a bit of an outlier.
tasted blind, somewhat astringent. even alexander the great wasn't having it. not bad, but nothing remarkable, and overall somewhat tough. to think we were poo-poo'ing the '98 LMHB. Wow. that's why you blind, I guess. perhaps a suboptimal bottle?..
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Simple beautiful. Consumed spur-of-the-moment from the bottle so no decant or breathing time. Immediately gorgeous, rich fruit, balance, finish. No question of its merlot predominance. No hurry but not sure it has the length to go beyond 2030.
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decanted for more than 2 hours prior to serving. Classic claret, with more smoke and leaner palate, higher acidity, and not so tannic. Showed more dusty and dirty notes after 3 hours in decanter, perhaps too much aeration? Poured back into bottle and brought over to Caprice Bar, then improved and showed coffee notes.
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SLDS New Year (Quay, Sydney): Classic - cedar, briar, tobacco and raspberry on the nose. Beautifully balanced with composure and class. Fresh on the palate, flows well with great focus and depth. Loved it.
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This is a very structured vintage of La Miss with a high level of acidity but there are lovely flavors underneath of dark red fruits, smoky gravel and tobacco. Thickly-textured with exceptional depth and plenty of power but the finish is clamped down under a wall of strict tannins. I have no doubt this will emerge one day as a great vintage but it's a waste to open well-stored bottles before 2030 at least. 93+
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The highly rated 1998 La Mission Haut Brion is still tightly wound and tannic today, though it most likely will evolve into something majestic in another decade, but today it was stern. A densely packed profile of mixed berries, expresso, glossy oak spices. Full bodied, good phenolic ripeness and tannic chocolate bitter on the finish. Drink from 2024. (89-90/100)
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2020 Athens Wine Event (Tartare, Athens): Tasted blind and the nose was one to launch 1000 ships even though it was sort of decanted and served rather than a long decant. We went straight to Bordeaux but right bank with a wine with more Merlot than anything else as the herby side was very much pronounced and actually went for top vintage Figeac. The wine is simply superb now and most likely at peak. The nose is excellent and so elegant without anything spoiling the symphony or being overdone. The palate is in tension, full on vibrant and elegant with silky yet vibrant tannin and a huge length. A masterclass of a wine 96-97
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Dark ruby-purple with some light fading; ripe, forward with dark brooding fruit, leather, sous-bois; great balance and structure, still a baby, doing really well. But unbelievably, the '64 La Mission blew this away and was the WOTN for me. Maybe the '98 will get there some day! Yarom group outside at Locanda Veneta.
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Quintessential crushed gravel notes. Secondary and still lively, even with four hours of air. The color shows some age. The tannins have a few more years to even out. The finish is a little short for the pedigree. If I had more bottles, I would hold them for at least three years before opening another.
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This comes across as a particularly Merlot-heavy nose for La Mission, with lots of black cherry, ganache, and woodsmoke. Polished, deep, and long, both on the nose and palate. This should really blossom beautifully and is very much in keeping with a magnum tasted last year. 94-95+
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Nose: blackberry, graphite, cherry, woodsmoke and camphor. Palate: excellent depth on entry, but shows it still retains tannin at this point. Black cherry, ganache and some brick notes. Finish: layered black fruit and graphite. Still has a lot to show.
Same bottle as EC.
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Beautiful classic Bordeaux nose. Black fruit on the initial palate. Tannins fully integrated. Nice freshness. Incredible length. Leather and cedar on the finish. Truly amazing wine.
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Nice deep fruit. Tannins are evolving but certainly still present. Some dirt/gravel, hints of leather and cedar. Nice acidity and length. Better several hours after opening.
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Drank with friends at Piccolo Paradiso. Decanted for about 20 minutes. A little funk on the nose to open but it blew off in about 15 minutes and added weight and complexity over the hour we drank it. Last sip was the best. Great older Bordeaux notes. Hot rock and forest floor with good linear fruit and nice long finish. Tannins were evident but very soft. Good to go but I don’t think any hurry either.
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From magnum, this is not quite ready yet but with some time in the decanter and even more time in the glass, it does show off a conservative but potent black cherry, smoke, mineral nose with lots of depth and swagger. Big on the palate but not unbalanced at all. Best to wait on these, despite the cepage - 65% Merlot this year.
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Enjoyed this wine with a 2005 Herb Lamb EII from a friend's cellar. What a great wine evening. The LMHB was wonderfully developed with nice tannins and great dark fruits on both the nose and the palette. There was plenty of typical Bordeaux in this bottle in both the aroma and palette. I especially enjoy the tannins because I love the big bold tannin wines. I am glad I have one left because this wine will last for awhile yet.
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This bottle came from a cool cellar where it had been since purchase. Drunk with Sunday lunch to celebrate a birthday and from nephew's birth year. Decanted about 1 1/2 hours before lunch. Classic Bordeaux, very well balanced and persistent on opening. Not quite as much concentration as I expected, especially mid-palate. With time (2 hours or so) the structure became more apparent with civilised but firm tannins appearing in the finish. I suspect this bottle had more to give and I will leave the others for 3-4 years or so or until temptation takes me. If it does what I expect the score will rise by 2-3 points. A real pleasure in case this is not apparent.
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Twenty years in and still youthful. A very nice wine with classic Bordeaux elements, good structure and balance. Lots of runway ahead, see you in another 10 years or so.
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P & P, would probably have been even better with 2 hours in a decanter. Ready to go, but seems likely to improve further. Fine savoury flavours, fully integrated and unobtrusive tannins, very satisfying. But not quite as impressive as the '98 HB, and certainly not as aggressive as that wine is (for the present).
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Gary’s bottle, Others tasting. Really fine and for me just edged out the ‘85 Haut-Brion for Wine of the Night. Great character of LMHB is a slightly subdued package.
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Clearly a youngster, but evolving quite nicely. Double decanted for roughly 3 hours, this continued to improve in the glass. This wine has enough of everything to age for decades and should be hitting higher notes in 5 or so years. Tasted next to 1990 La Miss - preferred the 98.
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Amali BYO Dinner (Amali Restaurant - NY, NY): Tasted side by side with the '95. In contrast, I thought this was a bit less expressive on the nose and the palate. Dark fruits and leather, some spice but the acidity was a bit more prominent.
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Another Amali BYO dinner (Amali in NYC): Back to back with the '95. This one was a bit more open and ready for business. Lots of library and crackling pages. Fruit a touch faded and maybe just poking through here or there. Nice and tasty though. Good aged Bordeaux.
Still youthful, but everything is definitely headed in the right direction. The wine is full bodied, concentrated, long and intense. The dark ripe, tobacco and smoke infused fruits take up a lot of room in your mouth and cover your palate. The tannins are ripe, but remain present. GAive this another 5-10 years if well stored and this will rock you.
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Needed a ton of time in a decanter even from a half bottle. Then reluctantly showing a classic La Miss nose of campfire, warm bricks, road tar and smoky blackberries. So smooth on the palate and filled with flavors of tobacco, road tar and black fruits. Very finely delineated and so Graves that its like walking down tobacco road chewing on licorice. Finishes finely complex with structured tannins and just a hint of the complexity to come. This reminds me of the brilliant ‘78 but with more polish and power and it really should be locked away in the cellar for more than a decade. 94+
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not ready to drink with the tannins overwhelming everything - the fruit is there and this will undoubtedly be quite delicious in due course - leave five years or more! - not rated
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This is a future stunner in the making. It is full bodied, concentrated, long, intense and complex. It has the stuffing to age for decades along with the length, complexity and character to be worth the wait. If you have the patience, this is going to reward cellaring.
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Tasted side by side with the '98 Haut Brion (unblinded). Both bottles have been stored in the same cellar at the same temperature since release. I preferred the HB slightly over the LM as the HB had a much longer finish and purity of fruit. The La Mission was more evolved throwing more tobacco and leather notes. Nevertheless, this is an amazing wine. In my opinion, this is ready to drink and may not get any better other than potentially lose some of its fruit. Decanted for 90 minutes and consumed over a 3 hour period.
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This wine keeps getting better and better with age, which is the mark of all great wines. With richness and intensity, the wine builds and expands on your palate. The fruit is dark, smoky, earthy and regal. Time in the decanter added more soft, velvet to the long, powerful, refined finish. Another 5-10 years will make this an even better experience, but there is no denying its greatness, even today, as it straddles adolesence and potential maturity.
Somewhat disappointing. A funky awkward nose. The wine was very disjointed. Maybe this just needs another 10 years (plenty of tannins) but today it was not that enjoyable. It got a little bit better after 3 hours in the decanter but still not where it needed to be.
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Nice nose with mature Bordeaux flavors and notes of graphite. Didn't have the right food pairing, though, (didn't get to it until dessert) which made the wine overly tart. A shame since the potential was recognizable.
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Maison Bras (Roederer, Lafon, Mission, Barral...) (Aubrac, Laguiole, France): La star de la soirée... Carafé durant une vingtaine de minutes, le vin s'est encore épanoui dans les verres. Nez caractéristique sur des notes d'âtre froid, de tabac blond, l'attaque en bouche précise, le milieu tout bonnement épatant et une longueur quai infinie, ce vin décline toutes ses qualités à chaque étape de la dégustation. Servi avec le bœuf d'Aubrac, top!
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Out of half-bottle. Incredible nose of smoky black cherry fruit, tobacco and road tar. After a 2-hr decant, this is awesome and a big-boned La Miss (just like the '98 HB) but with fabulous refinement and delineation. Solid acidity here and still strong tannins but the sweet smoky fruit and fine texture are really becoming apparent now. Finishes crunchy with great intensity and very complex notes of minerals, spices, licorice and whatever else you find in heaven. Best in 10 years + and a great, great La Miss in the making. 95+
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Leather, smoke and green pepper on the nose. Fresh redcurrant acidity. Quite grippy tannins but very refined. Taught palate with pencil lead. Quite a dry finish - brick dust? A very compelling wine - drinking well now (with air time) but will keep.
[Blind tasted in Singapre; decanted 30 min]
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A truly excellent vintage from La Mission. And while still a baby, this is very approachable. It leads with its dark fruit, though there is nice smoky tobacco and espresso in the background. Rich and lush on the palate, this is quite smooth and nicely balanced at this stage. I still think this could use five more years to gain more matured complexity.
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Tight and still holding a lot in reserve, the wine is powerful, tannic, young, fresh and not ready for prime time. But the potential is clearly there. Give it at least another 5 years and this could be even better, as La Mission tends to do, as it matures.
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First Growths at Capital Grille (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple/red color. Same bottle as Chablis28. Three hours double decant and some slow O time to boot. Also youthful, this is really impressive too. Love that LMHB/Graves profile. Great smokiness, creosote, black currants, black raspberry, tobacco, cedarbox, earth, black licorice and firm round tannins. Nose and palate are both stellar. I want to see this again in 4 or 5 years.
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Just 20 months since my last btl I really didn't intend to open another btl this soon but I certainly wasn't disappointed and I think the wine has already improved some again since January last year. I decanted this for 3 hours, poured back into the blt for a trip to Capital Grill and then left the cork out of it for another 2 hours prior to drinking it. This had a stunning nose loaded with tobacco, dark fruit creosote. The tobacco carries over to the palate along with; raspberry, cherry, minerality and dark chocolate. There is still plenty of structure but the tannins are largely in check and this is a pleasure now. All that said, there is still tons of upside and I'll do my best not to touch my last btl till at least 2020. This likely is drinking perfectly between 2020 and 2030. One left and I wish I had more but this is deservedly now a $350 plus wine. My overall WOTN as this really was overall the most intriguing BDX for me tonight.
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Har kvar fin mörk primärfrukt, läder, kaffe och en väldigt fin syra som möter upp. Silkiga fina tanniner. Känns väldigt balanserad, homogen och klassisk.
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Oh F word; last year a bottle of this rocked the second the cork came out, but this bottle was primary-ish and tightly wound and needed another day to open up fully (where it showed well for the friends I left it with). Has years to go.
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Really smooth out of the gate. I did not decant rather pulled the cork after standing the bottle for the day. We allowed about two hours for the wine to andouze and this was sufficient. There was plenty of fruit and fine tannin while dinner progressed. However, by the time we finished dessert, the strength of the wine was fading. I will drink my remaining Bottles this decade as I cannot see them lasting to the 2029 date noted on the ct drinking window.
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This was an outstanding wine that is just at the early phase of its ideal drinking window. It had great structure and continued to open up with more time in the glass. It was served blind to me and my first guess was 1996 HB and my second guess was 1998 HB. I would recommend to wait another 5 years for optimal drinking or a very lengthy decant. This surely will last till 2030+.
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We didn't let this bottle open enough, although I'm not convinced it would have given much more. Tight and tannic, didn't show that well, but you could appreciate the pedigree. Will try another bottle later this year...
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Quite dark and dense, more so than the Haut Bailly. Very dense on the nose too; plum, damp earth, tobacco and something spicier. Lido rice too with more air. Denser and more savoury than the HB. Densely velvet but with a good mineral edge too. Plush but with a slightly stern edge — serious rather than severe. Lots here. Surprisingly approachable now but only at the very start of its life. Really lovely and very serious. ****(*)
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2nd bottle from a case and again left me slightly disappointed. It was still youthful so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it should improve. I'll revisit in 2020.
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November 2015 - This bottle was release from Mission around 2007-08. And is a perfect excample of what this terroir ia able to make, in a good but not great vintage, it is one of the best of the 98's and more easier to taste than the Haut brion 98. This is classic Pessac, tobaco, ceder, cassis, mure, noble tannins, but with power, all is in balance, it has a mid palate which ever time reminds me of Vega and Las Cases .... Great wine !!!!
(Had a bad excample of this in April 15, drinkable but very very mature and on the lighter side) and another perfect bottle in Denmark at Sölleröd Kro December 2012)
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Brilliant medium ruby color. Took over an hour for the nose to open up, with cassis, blackberry, smoke, cedar, cigar box, and espresso. Silky smooth and lush on the palate. A wine with excellent balance, which will improve with time. Tannins are soft but still prominent. Long finish, with just the right level of acidity. When I first tasted this, my first thought was that this seemed like a mid-90s Right Bank wine. Interestingly, this was a Merlot vintage (65%). This is one of those wines that is drinking well now, but will reward you with patience. This wine has a wonderful future ahead of it.
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During a CdB tasting dinner. Medium garnet. Nose of pine, forest floor a touch of barnyard, some smoke. Well structured with present tannins but not drying. Very good, CabSav dominated wine. Drik now but can also age further.
Wow. Palate shows small red currants, very balanced, tight palate, not tannic but not entirely open. Has yet to relax and unwind. Needs time. La Sirène with the guys.
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Smoke, truffle, tobacco, blackberry and black cherry aromas get your attention, although it takes a bit of effort and air. Rich, concentrated, long and built to age, another 5 years will help soften the wine while adding additional complexities.
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Incredibly youthful for a 17 year-old, the wine took a couple hours in the decanter and couple more back in bottle before it started to open. Unmistakable Gravesian nose, with a heavy aroma of warm earth and pipe tobacco. Warm, glossy, blackish fruit on the palate but graceful and balanced just the same. Tannins are very present but nicely rounded off, and this (unsurprisingly) went perfectly with the tenderloin. Really tremendous, with plenty of upside.
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The first between a LMHB and HB comparison of the same vintage. The wine is popped and decanted for a full hour before drinking. It pours a dark inky purple with a garnet core and thick, long legs. On the nose, the wine is very restrained and feminine, yielding a delicate bouquet of potpourri, salted caramel, leather, preserved salted plums, cassis, tar, scorched stones and smoke. On the palate, the wine flexes its class and strength through a robust structure supported by silky tannins and copious minerality. Preserved plums, tobacco and leather dominate the palate, supported by tertiary hints of smoke and spice. Acidity is minimal but the finish is very very long and complex, with the minerality there in the background maintaining the balance. An insane wine, and when comped against the Haut Brion, very feminine with much guile, finesse and sexiness.
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Drink alongside with Margux 86' and the score may be underestimated. Exuberant floral and fruity aroma was the 1st impression. Medium length of palate with moderate amount of tannin. Hope it's not its peak.
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Another stellar btl and a great anniversary wine with steaks at the St Paul Grill. I just love this stuff! Its amazingly youthful too at age 15+. This is really not at its peak yet and suspect it will be incredible at age 20+. Next btl in 2020 if I can be patient? One of the best buys I ever made and I'm not even a BDX guy. This is sublime! Double decanted an hour before going to the restaurant and then immediately poured a couple glasses in my Reidels and let it sit while we sipped a glass of champagne and ate some crab cakes. Might have benefited from a couple more hours but quite lovely. The cork was tight and only showed soak up about a 1/16" of an inch. Basically in original release minty condition.
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Dinner at Ron's home in Chappaqua, with some of the WWS boys. I brought this 1998, along with a 1982 for comparison. I bought the 82 several years ago at auction and had not had that wine in some 4-5 years (&, as I recall, loved the wine then too). Decanted both for 90 minutes appx &, as I ran low on time & had to rush, I accidentally poured each wine into the wrong bottle (cleaned of all sediment, etc. so no harm to either wine). But this also allowed us to drink the wines somewhat blindly. Pouring each wine, it was clear to almost all of us which was the 82. Color was still a deep ruby in the middle of the glass, but not as solid in color as the 98. Nose on the 98 was a bit reticent at first, but as it sat in glass, notes of tobacco, earth & lots of fruit became more and more apparent. Medium bodied, the wine still is mostly primary with loads of black fruit (blackberries). After a long while, i began picking up some tobacco & leather but this wine remains very much in the fruit family. Still fairly tannic too. On its own, this is a wonderful wine (though it was clearly overshadowed by the spectacular 1982). Needs time--I wouldn't touch this wine again for at least another 5 years which will give it enough time to become more integrated and balanced.
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What Salil said: "This is spectacular. Still rather youthful, but showing incredible aromatic complexity and depth. A core of rich dark fruited flavours framed by tobacco, gravel, smoke and other savoury earthy and cedary flavours, conveyed with power and intensity, yet with a sense of elegance and textural polish that makes this incredibly appealing to drink even now."
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Atlanta Commanderie de Bordeaux - Spring parlement (Capital City Club Brookhaven): My WOTN. Equally as interesting and expressive on he nose as on the palate. Surprised how mature is tasted. Black fruits, cigar box, mellowed tannins and a slight black pepper note. Didn't love the cheese pairing, but who needs it with a wine like this in the glass.
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Since last tasted, this seems bigger, denser, more tannic and even younger than I remember it. With 3 hours of decanting, the smoky, blackberry, boysenberry, earthy, forest floor and campfire aromas are in full force. But it took another 90 minutes before the tannins softened and the fruit filled finish fleshed out. There is a lot of purity, depth and length in this wine. The moral of the story, if you cannot wait another 5-10 years, this wine is not for you. If you have the patience and a cold cellar, this will improve, expand and develop a lot more complexity in time.
This is spectacular. Still rather youthful, but showing incredible aromatic complexity and depth. A core of rich dark fruited flavours framed by tobacco, gravel, smoke and other savoury earthy and cedary flavours, conveyed with power and intensity, yet with a sense of elegance and textural polish that makes this incredibly appealing to drink even now. Air and time bring the savoury smoky/earthy/gravelly aspects to the front as the fruit takes a small step back, and it remains absolutely compelling from first sip to last.
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Decanted three hours. Dark almost black, beautiful nose of plum, wet stones, spices. Full and rich with tar, plums and dark fruits; mouthfilling and balanced; long finish, surprisingly tannic after 15 years of age.
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Picture a lit Cuban Cigar, cherry pipe tobacco, tar, cassis, spice, leather, gravel and earth scents get you hooked. Powerful, concentrated, tannic and a little rustic. There is a slight drying sensation to the tannins. Coming up to its 14th birthday, this Pessac Leognan wine demands another 5 years before it begins to soften up. Very classic La Mission Haut Brion in style. This bottle was decanted 2 hours and enjoyed over another 2 hours. The wine clearly benefited from the air. But its always going to be a little rustic.
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Decanted for two hours. The colour of purple and garnet, with a crystalline and ruby rim. Such riveting aromas of gravel pit, prune, tar, white orchid, blackberry, tobacco leaf and Chinese five-spice. Long, and reverberating, showing fineness through out in a meticulous manner. Precise in approach with a familiar '89 feel. Quite ready and designed to last at least two score. Drink now - 2035.
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Bordeaux is not my fav region but I love, love...love this wine! About as good as I can imagine BDX can be. Opened, decanted immediately and didn't start drinking till 90 minutes in. Fairly closed at first but smelled great after an hour. This gets better and better with air so I suggest at least a 2 hour decant before drinking. The nose really opens up after an hour in the decantor/glass. Beautiful almost black garnet color. Leafy tobacco and smokey nose. Caressing velvety mouthfeel. Currant, dark cherries,black raspberry, tea, chocolate, mineral flavors. Perfect marriage of power and finesse. Has a suggestion of Cab Franc herbal notes in a very good way but I don't think the grape was used. Hold for at least 3 more years on my next blt. In perfect shape heading towards perfection in 3-10yrs. Classic Pessac that should be a bucket list wine for any wine lover.
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Deep ruby color with no fading. A very primary nose of black currants with hints of tobacco and allspice. On the palate it is thickly-textured and showing very young (even out of half-bottle) with strong black fruit notes. With a little coaxing I can discern the tobacco-tinged, scorched earth, dusty gravel of the terroir. This is a fine medium-to-full bodied La Miss that shows some rusticity (but LMHB does rustic like Victor Cruz does the salsa!) and needs another 5 years, at least.
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Some great wines: Alcohol :: 13% Decanted for 60mins. It was tight and not showing at first, but after 60mins of decanting, it started to open up and showed better and better. Similar to the previous bottle, this is a stunning LMHB with finesse and great purity. The nose is complex and powerful, gravel, cedar, cigar box, tobacco with savory meatiness, leather and spicy sweet dark fruits that sum up the attractive aromas profile. Very fresh and intense, with tons of juicy sweet plum and currant fruits on the entry that continue to bring out deeper layer of savory, mineral, gravel and spice box. This is not as voluptuous as the previous bottle but still very powerful and deep. The tannin is high but well polished and integrated that provide so much grip to the palate. I especially like the liquid like mineral at the back end along with the powerful, intensely long finish that linger with spices with great focus and finesse. Lovely. 94-95+
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Double decanted at 5, poured at 7. The wine revealed two different profiles withing 5 minutes , one before food and another after. What a difference a slow cooked short rib makes! I strongly recommend some hearty food with this one. Still on the younger side, reveals certain sweetness on the finish, chalk notes and this is the wine you wanna sip and sip and sip. This one will be monumental in 7+ years. Votes for WOTN - 0, my #2, shared with 1998 Petrus
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Blackberry, leather, spice, tobacco, cigar box and smoke filled aromatics fill your glass. In the mouth, a big, powerful, juicy mouthful of black fruit, cassis, truffle and spice. Tannic and masculine, this big wine requires another 8-10 years before it's completely civilized.
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Paul Visit (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): 60-90mins in the decanter. Similar to the L'evangile 98, this is such a powerful wine that build for long haul. However, this is very refine, polished and finesse with great sense of harmonious and integration that make it a real juicy, sexy wine to drink compare to the super power, structure L'evangile. Complex, broad and deep nose that display gravel, scorched earth, leather intermixed with beautiful aromas of creme de cassis, black fruits and cigar box. Sexy, voluptuous palate profile that made this wine real seductive. It has loads of power, but well in check with layers of superb pure dark fruits and spice box, liquorice, little touch of meatiness. Still possess high level of tannin, but it is so refine and polish that it added additional dimension to the palate but not at all distractive. Remarkably fresh and vibrant with juicy, sexy finish that's linger with spices and mineral aftertaste. All about finesse here. Great wine. Buy - Yes.
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Nose: wonderful, complex combination of cigar box (cedar and tobacco), lead pencil, cassis and cherry. Quite rich in tanins - 2 hours of decanting did it well. Coarse velvet in terms of texture. Taste of wood, graphite and almond, some green leaves as well Long complex aftertaste. Rich and intriguing. Could keep for another 3-4 years before riching it's prime.
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My second bottle of this amazing wine. Same notes! Perhaps a hint of gun smoke on the nose. Seems more mature and ready to drink, but it is still a baby. To taste again in 10 years.
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From a decanter at Providence. Good earthy Graves but not spectacular. Lacks a bit of verve and concentration. A little tart on the finish with chalky texture. Bad sample? In any case i was rather disappointed.
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1998 La Mission Haut Brion pops with a complex perfume of cigar box, cedar, leather, smoke, tobacco leaf and cherry. Full bodied and filled with ripe dark fruit, this still tannic wine requires a few more years before its ready for prime time drinking. 95 Pts
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Beautiful and lively purple color. Perfect nose, complex, fruits over spices and then fruits again. Black fruits, sweet spices, round, firm tannins ends in a medium to long juicy aftertaste. This is a very good vintage, matured and will stay gorgeous for a long time.
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Drank with a lovely Flannery Rib Cap. Both were outstanding. Rich, black fruit. Great length and depth. Definitely first growth quality. Wish I had more. This wine will go easily another 10 years without a problem.
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Dinner with Todd & Mina (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Black-red opaque colour just opening to translucent. Nose is...bam!...First Growth purity and precision of pencil lead with furled but very concentrated cassis, cedar and blackcurrant. Palate has a rush of fresh acid and tannin....blackcurrants, very intense but austere and aloof. Inky and still very young but a nice sweetness and velvet mouthfeel on the back end from the high Merlot content. Rich and very concentrated but not over-extracted back end. Good length....the length has yet to unfurl and should extend with more bottle age. Resonant. Poised. Taut. Needs at least 3-5 more years to show its full potential. May have benefited from longer decanting than the 2 hours we gave it....if you are going to drink it now I'd go for a 4-hour decant. Really very good indeed and will improve.
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Leo's Blind Tasting Group - May '10 edition (Ben's): Starts out with beautiful understated flavours of cassis, red fruits and smoky accents with the oak subtle and nicely integrated in the background - then with some air this becomes wilder and shows more of a Cab Franc-like character, taking on beautiful forestal and herbal notes that combine seamlessly with the fruit and smokiness. Very polished, silken-textured and finessed in the mouth, power with restraint and a lightness of touch. Wonderful.
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Not much to add to the other comments. Graves at its expressive best. Sensational, but still very young -- WAIT. Get a half dozen if you can and enjoy over the next 20 years.
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Profound nose of well defined cassis and a whiff of stony minerals - beautiful; Lovely texture. Considerable power held in superb balance. Huge length.
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1998 La Mission Haut Brion, another vintage considered a Merlot year (65% Merlot) is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness and light pinking around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, cassis, tobacco and Asian spice. The texture is all about sex! Very opulent and silky. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Very opulent and concentrated. Tannins are elegant. Still young, but no longer asleep, this will develop into a great wine over the years. 95 Pts
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Dinner with Todd & Mina (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Deep opaque blood red colour, translucent purple at the edges. Heavens!.......a really great pencil lead initial nose which quickly reveals deep rich blackcurrant of fantastic purity and precision. Touches of both Cedar and of fresh-sawn boxwood emerge. The palate is initially dry, austere and tannic but balanced by great purity and precision of blackcurrants and blackberries. There is a touch of greeneness/dryness on the back end remniscent of Juniper berries but that should resolve with age. There is also Japanese green tea on the back end. Overall, an austere and haughty but lovely palate. Huge length and good "in the head" resonance on the finish. Still very young but this is very impressive indeed, despite the generally unremarkable year.
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This is a lovely, jammy, well-crafted wine that will likely continue to improve for the next several years. When I first opened the bottle, the wine was tight and closed, and it was hard to distinguish any specific flavors. We've now been drinking this wine over 2 days, and it has opened up and evolved so much. The aroma is one of ripe blackberries, with the flavor integrating black currants and black cherries. The finish is long, with a very slight hint of acidity at the end. This is truly a great wine, and one I'd like to buy more of for our cellar.
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Brought by Emery to the brown bag tasting. Classy and still on the younger side with a great future ahead of it. Folks who bring bottles like this to the brown bag tastings will always be in my prayers.
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Drank alongside 1998 Pichon-Lalande and was the belle-of-the-ball. Took some time to open up, but when it did the nose was borderline explosive. Classic Graves character: smoky, tobacco-box & cedar with a core of dark fruit. Tannins were supple but always present. Should continue to improve--although it was a real treat with our Christmas prime rib.
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Decanted for 2 hours. The nose remains mute. After some aeration into the glass reveals aromas of black cherries, charcoal, scorched earth, wood and some hints of black olives. This almost black in color wine is totaly full - bodied with a perfect balance and flavors of black cherries, cedar, tar, wood, violets and bluberries. Well integrated but still vibrant tannins. Realy a blockbuster. Alongside the Haut - Brion 1999 was the WOTN. Needs some 15 more years to improve. Excellent!!!
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1998, according to the estate is considered a Merlot year. The blend includes 65% Merlot is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, tobacco and Asian spice. Very concentrated, opulent and silky with elegant tannins. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Still young, but no longer asleep, this wine will develop more complexity wine with time and will probably merit a higher score.
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A beautiful, pure dark red color. The nose is dominated by dark fruit with hints of tar and mineral peaking through. The taste is pure and direct giving predominately dark fruit complimented by oak. Not too expansive, but good intensity and perfect balance. Still tannic. Satisfying finish. This can be consumed now with pleasure, but isn't giving a true LMHB experience yet. Will probably be a mid 90-point wine at peak and I would definitely recommend holding off on drinking these if possible.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Similar to the bottle I tasted a few weeks ago. Very impressive. Youthful purple/ruby color. Fresh dark fruit, blueberries, and flowers, framed by smoky scorched earth. Finishes with a wall of ripe tannin. Delicious but very young.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux (Fugaise, Minneapolis): Compared with the '96 Ducru tasted side-by-side (see TN), this was paradoxically both more open and younger-tasting. Initial nose of blueberries that reminded me of Quilceda Creek. Fantastically ripe, delicious black fruit, accented by smoke, cresote, and scorched earth flavors. Silky and lacy. Ripe, supple tannins. Super-long finish. This added complexity in the glass and was at its best at the end of dinner. Fantastic stuff.
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BSW - Tasted alongside 98, 99, 00 and 03 - Unbelievably consistent nose across the board - Tobacco, cedar, espresso, perfectly balanced on a long complex finish. Very young.
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Bordeaux on the Hudson Part Deux (Peter Pratt's): A young buck of a LMBH with lots of potential. A bit out of place with its older neighbors, it nonetheless showed tons of personality and was quite wide open and expressive. The fruit is really quiet primary, but is beginning to show some classic Graves elements as it jumps from the glass with opulent black fruit, tar, wet earth and charred wood. It is quite substantial in the mouth, although not heavy, with plush, luxurious black fruit buffeted by silky sweet tannins. The finish is pretty much fruit driven at this point with the ample fruit overwhelming the structure. Overall a bit simple today, but I'd say on revisiting in 5 to 10 years, one will find a profound LMHB.
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Splash decanted for 30 minutes: A beautiful La Mission that will provide years of drinking pleasure! Smooth, opulent with a full palate and expression of earth, tobacco and mint. This is a wine to own for the long haul--sadly only 5 left!
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Very Classy, not as brute as La Mission often is, this got more of finesse, than sheer power. Would give it a few more year before having the next bottle.
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Decanted at the restaurant about 1 hour before serving. Still deep purple this wine offers up a glorious nose of black fruits, mineral, cedar and sandlewood. Just spectacular as it screams classy Bourdeaux. The tannins still have a slight edge on them but they are ripe and well handled by the copious fruit. My wife said it was a happy place wine which means it must be pretty damn good. With a long finish this wine is drinking great now and I suspect for many years to come.
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this was a gift to us from Mike J. - about 3 years ago. WOW this excellent - this is still a baby (from .375!!) lovely silky texture, loads of lactic and plum aromas, some green pepper on the mouth (cab franc content?) - loong smooth finish. this is bdx at its best.. Keep.
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The wine steward at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon informed us that they were opening a double magnum of 1998 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion for €26/glass. We jumped all over that. Of course, it is years away from its prime drinking window, but the wine’s herbal/earthy components showed quite well with some of the courses.
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La Mission Haut-Brion Vertical (Bentley Hotel, London): Lighter purple, less dense, much more restrained than the 2000, shows the same level of acidity on the attack, an interesting rusty note on the midpalate, quite closed though. Tannins have softened, a medium bodied wine. I detected just a hint of heat on the finish. Less showy than the 2000, and still in need of much time.
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Dark red/purple. Notes of marcipan and liquer, and also bark. Wonderful vanilla sweetness. Nothing gross or vulgar, but a very palate-pleasing, soft and round flavour. Very seductive, long aftertaste.
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A bit more ponderous next to the agile 1998 Lafite. Still, it cranks out intense Graves character with leafy tobacco and minerals in a powerful package. This bottle seemed more tannic than the other two I've had, but time will resolve it. Both Bordeaux have long, exciting futures ahead of them, and are in the league of the best ‘96s.
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5/11/2024 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full-bodied with more blackish fruits and lots of depth and coiled power. Shows some beautiful smoky complexity developing but sitting in the glass between the '90 & '00, two magnificent vintages of La Miss, I could see that the tannins are not nearly as fine in the '98 and are a bit rustic in comparison. Still, this improved a lot in the glass and knowing this great estate, the '98 will have it's moment but it's probably close to a decade away. 93+
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4/26/2024 - bon vivant wrote: 95 Points
Denver Mondiale does Left Bank. This was not previously decanted so upon opening it was rather muted but as the evening progressed this morphed into a beautiful elegant wine. The primary fruit notes were red/ cranberry and the secondary ones of slight cedar with a kiss of herbs and forest leafs slight smoky notes as well. All around great balance and silky mouth feel, this kept improving the longer the bottle was open and my last taste was the finest at the 3 hr mark at which point the bottle was drained. My WOTN and a shame it wasn't decanted as I suspect my score would have been even higher.
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4/14/2024 - hargy Likes this wine: 93 Points
this is drinking quite beautifully now even though the nose remains a little reticent - quite a subtle wine and all the more lovely for it - will be sensational in ten years
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4/2/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
If you are a fan of La Mission Haut Brion, with some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, this is the wine to buy. It has all the power, layers of perfectly ripe, earthy, smoky, leafy, tobacco covered fruits, balanced, poised and graceful, with the ability to age and evolve for decades. Drink from 2024-2050.
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2/9/2024 - d.f.c Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this in a blind drinking party, it was the last one after 99 Latour, 98 Haut Brion, 99 Mouton, 99 Lafite and 99 Margaux. A decent wine when drinking alone. But when compared with others of similar vintage and from the same region, it was the weakest performer.
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12/21/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
This particular bottle showed a bit more mature than recent tastings but it was a beautiful wine nonetheless. There are deep flavors of black fruits, charred earth and sweet tobacco with a silky texture and a lovely layered, supple finish.
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12/14/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 98 Points
I made a note on another birth year wine - the 1998 Domaine de Chevalier - that talks about how, when it comes to my birth vintage, my preference for left bank Bordeaux shifts south towards Margaux and Pessac-Léognan. I’ve never had a wine prove a point more than the 1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. This wine is truly ethereal. It’s everything we love about Graves and more. The nose was alluring, leveling out the quintessentially Graves smokiness with a good amount of leather, black cherries, blackcurrant and a hint of licorice. The palate, though, was enthralling. A journey that has spices and herbaceousness across each phase, the upfront brought us in with its rich blackcurrant and tart red cherry medley prior to cedar wood and a hint of minerality coming in during the mid-palate and finish. The wine was both silky and mouth coating, amplified by the bottle’s amazing acidity and intensity. I have zero doubts in the longevity of this wine. 30 years, 40 years - you name it. This was singing. WOTN.
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
Tasted double blind. Two 1998s side-by-side. The Canon La Gaffeliere (97pts) showed at its peak, highly complex, ultra-high precision lots of fruit left but so well balanced by all the tertiary aromas. The Mission Haut-Brion (96pts) was just a notch behind, displaying wonderful maturity, superb fruit, fine, elegant structure just missing a layer or two more to match the Canon La Gaffeliere. The 1998 vintage is singing today.
TN: Quite expressive, intense bouquet displaying ripe dark fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco. On the palate equally expressive with loads of minerality, tobacco at the core, ripe red fruit, some herbs. Medium complex but wonderfully mature and quite precise. Fine structure, lots of tension and poise, good freshness.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.
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11/11/2023 - Sticks62 wrote:
Drink it 11 1023. It was OK a little sweet for me and not young enough. I would give it a 90 to 93.
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6/30/2023 - fussyeater Likes this wine:
Deep crimson, with cassis and leather on the slightly evolved nose. Silky yet with powdery tannins. Nice lifted acidity. Something slightly meaty on the midpalate that fades. Really classical profile. Revisiting my glass at the end of the dinner, I wrote "Holding up superbly - great sense of quiet self confidence". Lovely and my WOTL.
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6/22/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 93 Points
1998 Bordeaux Horizontal - London (Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street, London): Perfumed nose with a little grated dark milk chocolate accompanying some peonies. There are some gorgeous small dark berries and a lovely and counterbalancing umami hoisin character. Palate outstanding, mouth-coating and long. Tannins almost fully resolved but early in its window for me. Some say not quite there but either way I sense a long future ahead. My second favourite wine of the night.
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6/19/2023 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very smoky at first -- all tobacco and charred cedar. The smokiness never disappeared, but the wine evolved over the course of the evening, with emerging flavors of plum and soy sauce, backed by more rich fruit. The tannins are fully integrated and the wine has moderate- to low acidity, with no sourness. It's a mature wine, but it still has a long way to go.
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6/1/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perhaps the biggest and certainly most brooding wine of the night but the depth here is crazy as is the balance. Yet to show much in the way of tertiaries, I believe this will one day takes it's place among the very top vintages of La Miss but it needs 5-10 more years to start to open up. 95+
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5/17/2023 - Redrum Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted one hour. Some bricking in the wine, but not as much sediment as expected. By far the dominant profile in the nose and mouth was pipe tobacco, I’ve never had a wine like it before. Layered, intense, cerebral, very unique. Unexpectedly began to shut down after being open only 2 hours. Special wine but be sure to check in on it early in case other bottles perform this way.
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5/16/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still tightly coiled and tannic but showing great potential. Classic depth of dark fruits with a smoky edge developing. The texture is thickening some as it ages but this is still a decade away from full maturity. At Commanderie Candidate's dinner at the University Club, NYC. 94+
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12/17/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
The last 5 years have really added a lot to this wine. Now, you find more weight density and softness, as well as more nuances. Packed with smoke, cigar box, tobacco leaf, and spicy currants, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and rich, the mouth-filling layers of fruit, build and expand, only leaving you after a long finish. If you are seeking an LMHB that is just about ready to go, this is the wine to buy! Drink from 2023-2045.
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11/21/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Cindy's Place): Lighter color than the Figeac; aromatic, a bit of minerality; black fruited with some red currant, young, youthful tannins, medium alcohol; medium finish. Lovely but still young. 91
Retasted: good, but not quite as good as the other Bordeaux on the table.
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7/30/2022 - Dark Horse Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is such a pleasure to drink now. Youthful for a 24 year-old wine, with nose of humus, gravel, minerals, tobacco, black cherries, and black truffles. Next to the flamboyant and more floral nose of the 2006 Haut Brion, the La Mission felt more reserved, but every bit as complex. A bit tight at first, the palate is layered with spices, cigar, leather, minerality, and a lingering finish. Complex, refined, and lively for its age, this wine has more to give with time.
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7/30/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
First bottle from a case purchased back in the day, and it has finally entered its prime drinking window, and is starting to match the plaudits given on release. Showing early bricking the nose is showing maturity with blackberry, raspberry and gravel aromas. The tannin is still evolving, but already is perfectly balanced with the fruit. The depth on the palate and finish displays its first growth credentials. The latter creeps towards 60 seconds. This is undoubtedly going to keep improving end palate and on the finish as the tannin continues to sweeten, but it is already a very special wine. I will probably wait a couple of years until the next bottle. At this stage do decant for a few hours.
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5/28/2022 - jmoon wrote: 93 Points
Aristocratic. Opened at 5, drank from 6, peaked at 7pm and held. Lovely old school charm. Medium bodied, sour notes, quite fresh and lively, almost saline notes, obscuring the somewhat faded fruit. Could have been Pauillac. Quite sharp acids, some unresolved tannins.
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2/15/2022 - ESCO wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 4 hours; had with a very simple roast lamb and winter vegetables. The experience was good not great. I have had so many other wines I enjoyed more it is really hard to quantify this bottle. Clearly aged and well kept, it was at once very simple with an obvious nod to Aussie cab, and simultaneously it's a wine with hints of burgundy and lighter French country wines. ( or does Aussie cab nod to Bordeaux like the good old days?)
Not obviously aristocratic; light graphite notes , diminishing black fruit over time , and a cassis sensation that is present but meh.....Without food ( ie support) it could easily be dismissed as generic Bordeaux. The high scores for this wine on cellar tracker make me wish that I had a similar experience. In short ,bang average. Am I allowed to say disappointed ?
And lastly, as an added very personal thought, I really can't see the "98 getting any better. I am hugely interested in subsequent reviews for this wine because right now I feel like a bit of an outlier.
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1/29/2022 - soyhead wrote:
tasted blind, somewhat astringent. even alexander the great wasn't having it. not bad, but nothing remarkable, and overall somewhat tough. to think we were poo-poo'ing the '98 LMHB. Wow. that's why you blind, I guess. perhaps a suboptimal bottle?..
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12/5/2021 - WrightCru Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simple beautiful. Consumed spur-of-the-moment from the bottle so no decant or breathing time. Immediately gorgeous, rich fruit, balance, finish. No question of its merlot predominance. No hurry but not sure it has the length to go beyond 2030.
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9/20/2021 - Vicchangus Likes this wine: 97 Points
Definitely in its prime. Gravel, pencil lead. Blackberry and wonderfully polished. Delicious
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7/27/2021 - Cadby wrote: flawed
Sadly TCA euthanized this beauty. Down the drain.. :-(
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3/6/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 93 Points
decanted for more than 2 hours prior to serving. Classic claret, with more smoke and leaner palate, higher acidity, and not so tannic. Showed more dusty and dirty notes after 3 hours in decanter, perhaps too much aeration? Poured back into bottle and brought over to Caprice Bar, then improved and showed coffee notes.
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1/8/2021 - CamWheeler wrote: 95 Points
SLDS New Year (Quay, Sydney): Classic - cedar, briar, tobacco and raspberry on the nose. Beautifully balanced with composure and class. Fresh on the palate, flows well with great focus and depth. Loved it.
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11/19/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a very structured vintage of La Miss with a high level of acidity but there are lovely flavors underneath of dark red fruits, smoky gravel and tobacco. Thickly-textured with exceptional depth and plenty of power but the finish is clamped down under a wall of strict tannins. I have no doubt this will emerge one day as a great vintage but it's a waste to open well-stored bottles before 2030 at least. 93+
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11/8/2020 - Jammy Wine wrote: 90 Points
The highly rated 1998 La Mission Haut Brion is still tightly wound and tannic today, though it most likely will evolve into something majestic in another decade, but today it was stern. A densely packed profile of mixed berries, expresso, glossy oak spices. Full bodied, good phenolic ripeness and tannic chocolate bitter on the finish. Drink from 2024. (89-90/100)
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9/5/2020 - Papies wrote: 97 Points
2020 Athens Wine Event (Tartare, Athens): Tasted blind and the nose was one to launch 1000 ships even though it was sort of decanted and served rather than a long decant.
We went straight to Bordeaux but right bank with a wine with more Merlot than anything else as the herby side was very much pronounced and actually went for top vintage Figeac.
The wine is simply superb now and most likely at peak. The nose is excellent and so elegant without anything spoiling the symphony or being overdone. The palate is in tension, full on vibrant and elegant with silky yet vibrant tannin and a huge length. A masterclass of a wine 96-97
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6/4/2020 - peternelson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby-purple with some light fading; ripe, forward with dark brooding fruit, leather, sous-bois; great balance and structure, still a baby, doing really well. But unbelievably, the '64 La Mission blew this away and was the WOTN for me. Maybe the '98 will get there some day! Yarom group outside at Locanda Veneta.
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5/25/2020 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
Quintessential crushed gravel notes. Secondary and still lively, even with four hours of air. The color shows some age. The tannins have a few more years to even out. The finish is a little short for the pedigree. If I had more bottles, I would hold them for at least three years before opening another.
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4/14/2020 - TylerRBoyd Likes this wine: 98 Points
Black cherry, light leather , cedar... finishes well, good blend on front of palet
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4/2/2020 - willthethrill Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Everything I don’t like in old Bordeaux.
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2/15/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
This comes across as a particularly Merlot-heavy nose for La Mission, with lots of black cherry, ganache, and woodsmoke. Polished, deep, and long, both on the nose and palate. This should really blossom beautifully and is very much in keeping with a magnum tasted last year. 94-95+
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2/13/2020 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: blackberry, graphite, cherry, woodsmoke and camphor. Palate: excellent depth on entry, but shows it still retains tannin at this point. Black cherry, ganache and some brick notes. Finish: layered black fruit and graphite. Still has a lot to show.
Same bottle as EC.
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1/28/2020 - wine@laffam.com wrote:
Sent via FedEx to Tom Nelson.
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1/28/2020 - wine@laffam.com wrote:
Sent via FedEx to Tom Nelson
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11/10/2019 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark in color with nose of lead pencil, stone and dark fruit. 21 year old Bordeaux still drinking young.
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11/1/2019 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful classic Bordeaux nose. Black fruit on the initial palate. Tannins fully integrated. Nice freshness. Incredible length. Leather and cedar on the finish. Truly amazing wine.
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10/5/2019 - popopdrops wrote: 89 Points
Dekantert. Noe medisinskap, ikke helt, tøff, usikker på om denne er der den skal være, bedre etter hvert, men i tvil.
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9/29/2019 - asteff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nice deep fruit. Tannins are evolving but certainly still present. Some dirt/gravel, hints of leather and cedar. Nice acidity and length. Better several hours after opening.
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9/7/2019 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Inky and tannic. Monolithic.
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8/25/2019 - Fid Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank with friends at Piccolo Paradiso. Decanted for about 20 minutes. A little funk on the nose to open but it blew off in about 15 minutes and added weight and complexity over the hour we drank it. Last sip was the best. Great older Bordeaux notes. Hot rock and forest floor with good linear fruit and nice long finish. Tannins were evident but very soft. Good to go but I don’t think any hurry either.
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8/24/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
From magnum, this is not quite ready yet but with some time in the decanter and even more time in the glass, it does show off a conservative but potent black cherry, smoke, mineral nose with lots of depth and swagger. Big on the palate but not unbalanced at all. Best to wait on these, despite the cepage - 65% Merlot this year.
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7/27/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fine Wines SG - Pomerol and Graves Grand Cru Tasting (Fine Wines SG): Big herbs and meat stew on the nose. Spicy and warm, with redcurrants and cherries, with dark smoke and tar as well as red peppers. Quite soft at the end, and pleasant
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4/9/2019 - vfccpa123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Enjoyed this wine with a 2005 Herb Lamb EII from a friend's cellar. What a great wine evening. The LMHB was wonderfully developed with nice tannins and great dark fruits on both the nose and the palette. There was plenty of typical Bordeaux in this bottle in both the aroma and palette. I especially enjoy the tannins because I love the big bold tannin wines. I am glad I have one left because this wine will last for awhile yet.
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3/6/2019 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Haut Brion vs La Mission Haut Brion dinner with Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Intense inky nose, 60/40 red and black fruit. A hint of ash and wet tobacco hinting the terroir. Really impressive wine but a bit one dimensional especially compare to the refined and pure 98 HB. Can improve for another two decades or more.
Dominant Fruit: Crème de cassis, plum and red currant
Balance: 8
Expressiveness: 9
Complexity: 8
Ripeness: 9
Purity: 8
Intensity: 10
Silkiness: 9
Precision: 8
Tannins: 7
Acidity: 9
Concentration: 10
Maturity: 6
Modern (Oak): 0
Over ripeness: 0
Condition: 10
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2/5/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
La Mission Haut Brion with Jean-Philippe Delmas (Vaucluse Townhouse, New York): This was drinking beautifully tonight. Really fragrant dark fruit. Very fine tannins. Hard to put down.
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12/2/2018 - PeterFrancis Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle came from a cool cellar where it had been since purchase. Drunk with Sunday lunch to celebrate a birthday and from nephew's birth year. Decanted about 1 1/2 hours before lunch. Classic Bordeaux, very well balanced and persistent on opening. Not quite as much concentration as I expected, especially mid-palate. With time (2 hours or so) the structure became more apparent with civilised but firm tannins appearing in the finish. I suspect this bottle had more to give and I will leave the others for 3-4 years or so or until temptation takes me. If it does what I expect the score will rise by 2-3 points. A real pleasure in case this is not apparent.
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10/24/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
I am again unlucky here - this time corked
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10/12/2018 - fredshouse Likes this wine: 94 Points
Twenty years in and still youthful. A very nice wine with classic Bordeaux elements, good structure and balance. Lots of runway ahead, see you in another 10 years or so.
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8/31/2018 - Remony wrote: 94 Points
P & P, would probably have been even better with 2 hours in a decanter. Ready to go, but seems likely to improve further. Fine savoury flavours, fully integrated and unobtrusive tannins, very satisfying. But not quite as impressive as the '98 HB, and certainly not as aggressive as that wine is (for the present).
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8/21/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gary’s bottle, Others tasting. Really fine and for me just edged out the ‘85 Haut-Brion for Wine of the Night. Great character of LMHB is a slightly subdued package.
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7/21/2018 - Kwlharvey wrote:
Decant 30min. Medium bodied. Spicy taste and oakish. Did not really like
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6/23/2018 - Parrish02 wrote: 97 Points
Clearly a youngster, but evolving quite nicely. Double decanted for roughly 3 hours, this continued to improve in the glass. This wine has enough of everything to age for decades and should be hitting higher notes in 5 or so years. Tasted next to 1990 La Miss - preferred the 98.
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6/15/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Amali BYO Dinner (Amali Restaurant - NY, NY): Tasted side by side with the '95. In contrast, I thought this was a bit less expressive on the nose and the palate. Dark fruits and leather, some spice but the acidity was a bit more prominent.
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6/15/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Another Amali BYO dinner (Amali in NYC): Back to back with the '95. This one was a bit more open and ready for business. Lots of library and crackling pages. Fruit a touch faded and maybe just poking through here or there. Nice and tasty though. Good aged Bordeaux.
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6/5/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Still youthful, but everything is definitely headed in the right direction. The wine is full bodied, concentrated, long and intense. The dark ripe, tobacco and smoke infused fruits take up a lot of room in your mouth and cover your palate. The tannins are ripe, but remain present. GAive this another 5-10 years if well stored and this will rock you.
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5/28/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needed a ton of time in a decanter even from a half bottle. Then reluctantly showing a classic La Miss nose of campfire, warm bricks, road tar and smoky blackberries. So smooth on the palate and filled with flavors of tobacco, road tar and black fruits. Very finely delineated and so Graves that its like walking down tobacco road chewing on licorice. Finishes finely complex with structured tannins and just a hint of the complexity to come. This reminds me of the brilliant ‘78 but with more polish and power and it really should be locked away in the cellar for more than a decade. 94+
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4/30/2018 - hargy Likes this wine:
not ready to drink with the tannins overwhelming everything - the fruit is there and this will undoubtedly be quite delicious in due course - leave five years or more! - not rated
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3/25/2018 - Tree512 wrote: 97 Points
Insane. Just beginning to resolve, but will improve for the next 10-20 years. Long, complex, needs lots of time.
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3/23/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
This is a future stunner in the making. It is full bodied, concentrated, long, intense and complex. It has the stuffing to age for decades along with the length, complexity and character to be worth the wait. If you have the patience, this is going to reward cellaring.
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3/6/2018 - MWiking wrote: 95 Points
som sist, en väldigt bra vin
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2/28/2018 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted side by side with the '98 Haut Brion (unblinded). Both bottles have been stored in the same cellar at the same temperature since release. I preferred the HB slightly over the LM as the HB had a much longer finish and purity of fruit. The La Mission was more evolved throwing more tobacco and leather notes. Nevertheless, this is an amazing wine. In my opinion, this is ready to drink and may not get any better other than potentially lose some of its fruit. Decanted for 90 minutes and consumed over a 3 hour period.
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12/17/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
This wine keeps getting better and better with age, which is the mark of all great wines. With richness and intensity, the wine builds and expands on your palate. The fruit is dark, smoky, earthy and regal. Time in the decanter added more soft, velvet to the long, powerful, refined finish. Another 5-10 years will make this an even better experience, but there is no denying its greatness, even today, as it straddles adolesence and potential maturity.
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11/2/2017 - MWiking wrote: 95 Points
mycket frukt kvar trots åldern, men tanninerna har rundats av rejält och gjort detta till ett riktigt snyggt vin som just nu är i en perfekt ålder.
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9/2/2017 - nywine68 wrote: 90 Points
Somewhat disappointing. A funky awkward nose. The wine was very disjointed. Maybe this just needs another 10 years (plenty of tannins) but today it was not that enjoyable. It got a little bit better after 3 hours in the decanter but still not where it needed to be.
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8/18/2017 - nywine68 wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose with mature Bordeaux flavors and notes of graphite. Didn't have the right food pairing, though, (didn't get to it until dessert) which made the wine overly tart. A shame since the potential was recognizable.
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7/13/2017 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Maison Bras (Roederer, Lafon, Mission, Barral...) (Aubrac, Laguiole, France): La star de la soirée... Carafé durant une vingtaine de minutes, le vin s'est encore épanoui dans les verres.
Nez caractéristique sur des notes d'âtre froid, de tabac blond, l'attaque en bouche précise, le milieu tout bonnement épatant et une longueur quai infinie, ce vin décline toutes ses qualités à chaque étape de la dégustation.
Servi avec le bœuf d'Aubrac, top!
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7/2/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Out of half-bottle. Incredible nose of smoky black cherry fruit, tobacco and road tar. After a 2-hr decant, this is awesome and a big-boned La Miss (just like the '98 HB) but with fabulous refinement and delineation. Solid acidity here and still strong tannins but the sweet smoky fruit and fine texture are really becoming apparent now. Finishes crunchy with great intensity and very complex notes of minerals, spices, licorice and whatever else you find in heaven. Best in 10 years + and a great, great La Miss in the making. 95+
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6/11/2017 - Mr Barsac Likes this wine: 97 Points
Leather, smoke and green pepper on the nose. Fresh redcurrant acidity. Quite grippy tannins but very refined. Taught palate with pencil lead. Quite a dry finish - brick dust?
A very compelling wine - drinking well now (with air time) but will keep.
[Blind tasted in Singapre; decanted 30 min]
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5/26/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Château La Mission Haut-Brion vertical tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Quite approachable for such a young wine. It's still showing very young, and is far from maturity. There is rich, ripe fruit. The tannins are serious and firm. Give this time or a lot of aeration.
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5/26/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
La Mission Haut-Brion Vertical (Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Hard to read at this almost embryonic stage. It's dense and intense, powerful and impressive. There's a rock solid core of fruit which bodes well for the future. Wait at least 5 more years. Promising.
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2/17/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
A truly excellent vintage from La Mission. And while still a baby, this is very approachable. It leads with its dark fruit, though there is nice smoky tobacco and espresso in the background. Rich and lush on the palate, this is quite smooth and nicely balanced at this stage. I still think this could use five more years to gain more matured complexity.
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12/24/2016 - WGP_77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours and kept improving throughout dinner. It's a powerful and tannic wine. Could easily go years more before drinking
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10/7/2016 - Tavastgatan wrote: 95 Points
Prestine bottle. Sheer joy to drink. Elegance and purety level expert. Dark lovely deep fruit.
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9/14/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Tight and still holding a lot in reserve, the wine is powerful, tannic, young, fresh and not ready for prime time. But the potential is clearly there. Give it at least another 5 years and this could be even better, as La Mission tends to do, as it matures.
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9/11/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
First Growths at Capital Grille (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark purple/red color. Same bottle as Chablis28. Three hours double decant and some slow O time to boot. Also youthful, this is really impressive too. Love that LMHB/Graves profile. Great smokiness, creosote, black currants, black raspberry, tobacco, cedarbox, earth, black licorice and firm round tannins. Nose and palate are both stellar. I want to see this again in 4 or 5 years.
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9/11/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Just 20 months since my last btl I really didn't intend to open another btl this soon but I certainly wasn't disappointed and I think the wine has already improved some again since January last year. I decanted this for 3 hours, poured back into the blt for a trip to Capital Grill and then left the cork out of it for another 2 hours prior to drinking it. This had a stunning nose loaded with tobacco, dark fruit creosote. The tobacco carries over to the palate along with; raspberry, cherry, minerality and dark chocolate. There is still plenty of structure but the tannins are largely in check and this is a pleasure now. All that said, there is still tons of upside and I'll do my best not to touch my last btl till at least 2020. This likely is drinking perfectly between 2020 and 2030. One left and I wish I had more but this is deservedly now a $350 plus wine. My overall WOTN as this really was overall the most intriguing BDX for me tonight.
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8/19/2016 - Sundbyberg wrote: 95 Points
Needed 10-15 minutes in the glass to open up. After that quite attractive cabernet fruit, cool, smooth, harmonius, balanced and so on. Very oldschool.
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8/18/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 94 Points
Har kvar fin mörk primärfrukt, läder, kaffe och en väldigt fin syra som möter upp. Silkiga fina tanniner. Känns väldigt balanserad, homogen och klassisk.
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8/7/2016 - spillwine wrote: 93 Points
Maturité
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7/16/2016 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Oh F word; last year a bottle of this rocked the second the cork came out, but this bottle was primary-ish and tightly wound and needed another day to open up fully (where it showed well for the friends I left it with). Has years to go.
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5/9/2016 - BradA wrote: 93 Points
Really smooth out of the gate. I did not decant rather pulled the cork after standing the bottle for the day. We allowed about two hours for the wine to andouze and this was sufficient.
There was plenty of fruit and fine tannin while dinner progressed.
However, by the time we finished dessert, the strength of the wine was fading. I will drink my remaining Bottles this decade as I cannot see them lasting to the 2029 date noted on the ct drinking window.
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4/21/2016 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was an outstanding wine that is just at the early phase of its ideal drinking window. It had great structure and continued to open up with more time in the glass. It was served blind to me and my first guess was 1996 HB and my second guess was 1998 HB. I would recommend to wait another 5 years for optimal drinking or a very lengthy decant. This surely will last till 2030+.
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3/3/2016 - RJ Gordon wrote: 92 Points
We didn't let this bottle open enough, although I'm not convinced it would have given much more. Tight and tannic, didn't show that well, but you could appreciate the pedigree. Will try another bottle later this year...
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2/2/2016 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
Quite dark and dense, more so than the Haut Bailly. Very dense on the nose too; plum, damp earth, tobacco and something spicier. Lido rice too with more air. Denser and more savoury than the HB. Densely velvet but with a good mineral edge too. Plush but with a slightly stern edge — serious rather than severe. Lots here. Surprisingly approachable now but only at the very start of its life. Really lovely and very serious. ****(*)
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12/29/2015 - jamie24 Likes this wine: 91 Points
2nd bottle from a case and again left me slightly disappointed. It was still youthful so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it should improve. I'll revisit in 2020.
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11/30/2015 - In2wines Likes this wine: 97 Points
November 2015 - This bottle was release from Mission around 2007-08. And is a perfect excample of what this terroir ia able to make, in a good but not great vintage, it is one of the best of the 98's and more easier to taste than the Haut brion 98.
This is classic Pessac, tobaco, ceder, cassis, mure, noble tannins, but with power, all is in balance, it has a mid palate which ever time reminds me of Vega and Las Cases .... Great wine !!!!
(Had a bad excample of this in April 15, drinkable but very very mature and on the lighter side) and another perfect bottle in Denmark at Sölleröd Kro December 2012)
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11/21/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
Brilliant medium ruby color. Took over an hour for the nose to open up, with cassis, blackberry, smoke, cedar, cigar box, and espresso. Silky smooth and lush on the palate. A wine with excellent balance, which will improve with time. Tannins are soft but still prominent. Long finish, with just the right level of acidity. When I first tasted this, my first thought was that this seemed like a mid-90s Right Bank wine. Interestingly, this was a Merlot vintage (65%). This is one of those wines that is drinking well now, but will reward you with patience. This wine has a wonderful future ahead of it.
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11/17/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
During a CdB tasting dinner. Medium garnet. Nose of pine, forest floor a touch of barnyard, some smoke. Well structured with present tannins but not drying. Very good, CabSav dominated wine. Drik now but can also age further.
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11/10/2015 - Pknut wrote:
Wow. Palate shows small red currants, very balanced, tight palate, not tannic but not entirely open. Has yet to relax and unwind. Needs time. La Sirène with the guys.
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9/24/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Smoke, truffle, tobacco, blackberry and black cherry aromas get your attention, although it takes a bit of effort and air. Rich, concentrated, long and built to age, another 5 years will help soften the wine while adding additional complexities.
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8/1/2015 - Billigan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Incredibly youthful for a 17 year-old, the wine took a couple hours in the decanter and couple more back in bottle before it started to open. Unmistakable Gravesian nose, with a heavy aroma of warm earth and pipe tobacco. Warm, glossy, blackish fruit on the palate but graceful and balanced just the same. Tannins are very present but nicely rounded off, and this (unsurprisingly) went perfectly with the tenderloin. Really tremendous, with plenty of upside.
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7/9/2015 - emzee.mc wrote: 97 Points
The first between a LMHB and HB comparison of the same vintage. The wine is popped and decanted for a full hour before drinking. It pours a dark inky purple with a garnet core and thick, long legs. On the nose, the wine is very restrained and feminine, yielding a delicate bouquet of potpourri, salted caramel, leather, preserved salted plums, cassis, tar, scorched stones and smoke. On the palate, the wine flexes its class and strength through a robust structure supported by silky tannins and copious minerality. Preserved plums, tobacco and leather dominate the palate, supported by tertiary hints of smoke and spice. Acidity is minimal but the finish is very very long and complex, with the minerality there in the background maintaining the balance. An insane wine, and when comped against the Haut Brion, very feminine with much guile, finesse and sexiness.
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3/21/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Quite a welcome to the blind tasting already underway. Ripe black cherry and berry with some liqueur hints, anise, dark chocolate and tobacco. Layers of flavors, long and elegantly textured.
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3/12/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 96 Points
Stellar showing
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2/20/2015 - onboisduvin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drink alongside with Margux 86' and the score may be underestimated. Exuberant floral and fruity aroma was the 1st impression. Medium length of palate with moderate amount of tannin. Hope it's not its peak.
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1/23/2015 - soyhead wrote:
nose - blackberry
mouth - blackberry liqueur, charcoal, minerality, and somewhat closed compared to the 1998 Masseto that we had with it.
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1/13/2015 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Another stellar btl and a great anniversary wine with steaks at the St Paul Grill. I just love this stuff! Its amazingly youthful too at age 15+. This is really not at its peak yet and suspect it will be incredible at age 20+. Next btl in 2020 if I can be patient? One of the best buys I ever made and I'm not even a BDX guy. This is sublime! Double decanted an hour before going to the restaurant and then immediately poured a couple glasses in my Reidels and let it sit while we sipped a glass of champagne and ate some crab cakes. Might have benefited from a couple more hours but quite lovely. The cork was tight and only showed soak up about a 1/16" of an inch. Basically in original release minty condition.
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12/17/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner at Ron's home in Chappaqua, with some of the WWS boys. I brought this 1998, along with a 1982 for comparison. I bought the 82 several years ago at auction and had not had that wine in some 4-5 years (&, as I recall, loved the wine then too). Decanted both for 90 minutes appx &, as I ran low on time & had to rush, I accidentally poured each wine into the wrong bottle (cleaned of all sediment, etc. so no harm to either wine). But this also allowed us to drink the wines somewhat blindly. Pouring each wine, it was clear to almost all of us which was the 82. Color was still a deep ruby in the middle of the glass, but not as solid in color as the 98. Nose on the 98 was a bit reticent at first, but as it sat in glass, notes of tobacco, earth & lots of fruit became more and more apparent. Medium bodied, the wine still is mostly primary with loads of black fruit (blackberries). After a long while, i began picking up some tobacco & leather but this wine remains very much in the fruit family. Still fairly tannic too. On its own, this is a wonderful wine (though it was clearly overshadowed by the spectacular 1982). Needs time--I wouldn't touch this wine again for at least another 5 years which will give it enough time to become more integrated and balanced.
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12/6/2014 - CyroW Likes this wine: 93 Points
veyr ripe fruit, high tannins. I was expecting a little more finesse. overall a good wine, was expecting a bit more.
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5/25/2014 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
Cooked... this one hurt so much. I love La Mission but the last two bottles have been off.
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5/1/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 94 Points
What Salil said: "This is spectacular. Still rather youthful, but showing incredible aromatic complexity and depth. A core of rich dark fruited flavours framed by tobacco, gravel, smoke and other savoury earthy and cedary flavours, conveyed with power and intensity, yet with a sense of elegance and textural polish that makes this incredibly appealing to drink even now."
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4/27/2014 - Spl232 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Atlanta Commanderie de Bordeaux - Spring parlement (Capital City Club Brookhaven): My WOTN. Equally as interesting and expressive on he nose as on the palate. Surprised how mature is tasted. Black fruits, cigar box, mellowed tannins and a slight black pepper note. Didn't love the cheese pairing, but who needs it with a wine like this in the glass.
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2/15/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Since last tasted, this seems bigger, denser, more tannic and even younger than I remember it. With 3 hours of decanting, the smoky, blackberry, boysenberry, earthy, forest floor and campfire aromas are in full force. But it took another 90 minutes before the tannins softened and the fruit filled finish fleshed out. There is a lot of purity, depth and length in this wine. The moral of the story, if you cannot wait another 5-10 years, this wine is not for you. If you have the patience and a cold cellar, this will improve, expand and develop a lot more complexity in time.
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2/1/2014 - salil wrote: 95 Points
This is spectacular. Still rather youthful, but showing incredible aromatic complexity and depth. A core of rich dark fruited flavours framed by tobacco, gravel, smoke and other savoury earthy and cedary flavours, conveyed with power and intensity, yet with a sense of elegance and textural polish that makes this incredibly appealing to drink even now. Air and time bring the savoury smoky/earthy/gravelly aspects to the front as the fruit takes a small step back, and it remains absolutely compelling from first sip to last.
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11/1/2013 - patwjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 hour, then drank over 2 hours. Surprising after 15 years how young & tight this was. Great things to come; give it time.
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7/19/2013 - Psondakh wrote:
Ok
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6/12/2013 - paolonardi wrote:
grazie stefano
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3/2/2013 - BrianPA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted three hours. Dark almost black, beautiful nose of plum, wet stones, spices. Full and rich with tar, plums and dark fruits; mouthfilling and balanced; long finish, surprisingly tannic after 15 years of age.
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12/9/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Picture a lit Cuban Cigar, cherry pipe tobacco, tar, cassis, spice, leather, gravel and earth scents get you hooked. Powerful, concentrated, tannic and a little rustic. There is a slight drying sensation to the tannins. Coming up to its 14th birthday, this Pessac Leognan wine demands another 5 years before it begins to soften up. Very classic La Mission Haut Brion in style. This bottle was decanted 2 hours and enjoyed over another 2 hours. The wine clearly benefited from the air. But its always going to be a little rustic.
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12/1/2012 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for two hours. The colour of purple and garnet, with a crystalline and ruby rim. Such riveting aromas of gravel pit, prune, tar, white orchid, blackberry, tobacco leaf and Chinese five-spice. Long, and reverberating, showing fineness through out in a meticulous manner. Precise in approach with a familiar '89 feel. Quite ready and designed to last at least two score. Drink now - 2035.
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11/10/2012 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux is not my fav region but I love, love...love this wine! About as good as I can imagine BDX can be. Opened, decanted immediately and didn't start drinking till 90 minutes in. Fairly closed at first but smelled great after an hour. This gets better and better with air so I suggest at least a 2 hour decant before drinking. The nose really opens up after an hour in the decantor/glass. Beautiful almost black garnet color. Leafy tobacco and smokey nose. Caressing velvety mouthfeel. Currant, dark cherries,black raspberry, tea, chocolate, mineral flavors. Perfect marriage of power and finesse. Has a suggestion of Cab Franc herbal notes in a very good way but I don't think the grape was used. Hold for at least 3 more years on my next blt. In perfect shape heading towards perfection in 3-10yrs. Classic Pessac that should be a bucket list wine for any wine lover.
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8/23/2012 - jamie24 Likes this wine: 92 Points
a little foursquare and angular but with plenty of potential. i wont be touching another for 4 or 5 years
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7/23/2012 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Deep ruby color with no fading. A very primary nose of black currants with hints of tobacco and allspice. On the palate it is thickly-textured and showing very young (even out of half-bottle) with strong black fruit notes. With a little coaxing I can discern the tobacco-tinged, scorched earth, dusty gravel of the terroir. This is a fine medium-to-full bodied La Miss that shows some rusticity (but LMHB does rustic like Victor Cruz does the salsa!) and needs another 5 years, at least.
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3/9/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 94 Points
La Mission Haut Brion; 3/9/2012-3/10/2012 (Burg Staufeneck): A great bottle of LMHB. Forbidding and young but destined for great things. Bouquet of moccha. Quite tannic, but nice sweetness of cassis, vanilla.
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1/6/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 94 Points
Some great wines: Alcohol :: 13%
Decanted for 60mins. It was tight and not showing at first, but after 60mins of decanting, it started to open up and showed better and better. Similar to the previous bottle, this is a stunning LMHB with finesse and great purity. The nose is complex and powerful, gravel, cedar, cigar box, tobacco with savory meatiness, leather and spicy sweet dark fruits that sum up the attractive aromas profile. Very fresh and intense, with tons of juicy sweet plum and currant fruits on the entry that continue to bring out deeper layer of savory, mineral, gravel and spice box. This is not as voluptuous as the previous bottle but still very powerful and deep. The tannin is high but well polished and integrated that provide so much grip to the palate. I especially like the liquid like mineral at the back end along with the powerful, intensely long finish that linger with spices with great focus and finesse. Lovely. 94-95+
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11/19/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Double decanted at 5, poured at 7. The wine revealed two different profiles withing 5 minutes , one before food and another after. What a difference a slow cooked short rib makes! I strongly recommend some hearty food with this one.
Still on the younger side, reveals certain sweetness on the finish, chalk notes and this is the wine you wanna sip and sip and sip. This one will be monumental in 7+ years.
Votes for WOTN - 0,
my #2, shared with 1998 Petrus
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5/15/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Blackberry, leather, spice, tobacco, cigar box and smoke filled aromatics fill your glass. In the mouth, a big, powerful, juicy mouthful of black fruit, cassis, truffle and spice. Tannic and masculine, this big wine requires another 8-10 years before it's completely civilized.
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3/29/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Paul Visit (Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, The Forum Shopping Mall, Orchard Road): 60-90mins in the decanter. Similar to the L'evangile 98, this is such a powerful wine that build for long haul. However, this is very refine, polished and finesse with great sense of harmonious and integration that make it a real juicy, sexy wine to drink compare to the super power, structure L'evangile. Complex, broad and deep nose that display gravel, scorched earth, leather intermixed with beautiful aromas of creme de cassis, black fruits and cigar box. Sexy, voluptuous palate profile that made this wine real seductive. It has loads of power, but well in check with layers of superb pure dark fruits and spice box, liquorice, little touch of meatiness. Still possess high level of tannin, but it is so refine and polish that it added additional dimension to the palate but not at all distractive. Remarkably fresh and vibrant with juicy, sexy finish that's linger with spices and mineral aftertaste. All about finesse here. Great wine. Buy - Yes.
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3/28/2011 - Rupert wrote:
Dense and soupy, and quite unrecognisable from the bottle at Linden's tasting 5 years ago - hot, savoury and substantial, but didn't fire tonight
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2/22/2011 - JohnFalstaff wrote: 94 Points
Nose: wonderful, complex combination of cigar box (cedar and tobacco), lead pencil, cassis and cherry. Quite rich in tanins - 2 hours of decanting did it well. Coarse velvet in terms of texture. Taste of wood, graphite and almond, some green leaves as well Long complex aftertaste. Rich and intriguing. Could keep for another 3-4 years before riching it's prime.
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1/29/2011 - balassis wrote: 95 Points
My second bottle of this amazing wine.
Same notes!
Perhaps a hint of gun smoke on the nose.
Seems more mature and ready to drink, but it is still a baby.
To taste again in 10 years.
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12/31/2010 - Hazeo wrote:
From a decanter at Providence. Good earthy Graves but not spectacular. Lacks a bit of verve and concentration. A little tart on the finish with chalky texture. Bad sample? In any case i was rather disappointed.
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12/18/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
1998 La Mission Haut Brion pops with a complex perfume of cigar box, cedar, leather, smoke, tobacco leaf and cherry. Full bodied and filled with ripe dark fruit, this still tannic wine requires a few more years before its ready for prime time drinking. 95 Pts
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11/13/2010 - kostaslonis wrote: 95 Points
Decanter Fine Wine Encounter; 11/13/2010-11/14/2010 (Landmark Hotel, London): (Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Masterclass)
Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 65%
Beautiful and lively purple color. Perfect nose, complex, fruits over spices and then fruits again. Black fruits, sweet spices, round, firm tannins ends in a medium to long juicy aftertaste. This is a very good vintage, matured and will stay gorgeous for a long time.
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9/12/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 95 Points
Drank with a lovely Flannery Rib Cap. Both were outstanding. Rich, black fruit. Great length and depth. Definitely first growth quality. Wish I had more.
This wine will go easily another 10 years without a problem.
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8/26/2010 - Employee500 wrote: 92 Points
Still very youthful and somewhat restrained/closed. Promising, but not showing what it's got...
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7/24/2010 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Todd & Mina (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Black-red opaque colour just opening to translucent. Nose is...bam!...First Growth purity and precision of pencil lead with furled but very concentrated cassis, cedar and blackcurrant. Palate has a rush of fresh acid and tannin....blackcurrants, very intense but austere and aloof. Inky and still very young but a nice sweetness and velvet mouthfeel on the back end from the high Merlot content. Rich and very concentrated but not over-extracted back end. Good length....the length has yet to unfurl and should extend with more bottle age. Resonant. Poised. Taut. Needs at least 3-5 more years to show its full potential. May have benefited from longer decanting than the 2 hours we gave it....if you are going to drink it now I'd go for a 4-hour decant. Really very good indeed and will improve.
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5/20/2010 - Cheryl wrote:
Leo's Blind Group/Ben G's Turn (New York, NY): This was nice. Great tannin and lots of red fruit. This was my second favorite of this flight.
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5/20/2010 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Leo's Blind Tasting Group - May '10 edition (Ben's): Starts out with beautiful understated flavours of cassis, red fruits and smoky accents with the oak subtle and nicely integrated in the background - then with some air this becomes wilder and shows more of a Cab Franc-like character, taking on beautiful forestal and herbal notes that combine seamlessly with the fruit and smokiness. Very polished, silken-textured and finessed in the mouth, power with restraint and a lightness of touch. Wonderful.
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4/23/2010 - Ho Bryan wrote:
Not much to add to the other comments. Graves at its expressive best. Sensational, but still very young -- WAIT. Get a half dozen if you can and enjoy over the next 20 years.
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3/3/2010 - Remony wrote: 93 Points
1998 First Growths, Some SuperSeconds and Right Bank Equivalents (Goedhuis 2010 Charity Wine Dinner, Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane): Dinner was called whilst we were tasting this one, and we had to hurry along to taste two more. So not the fullest of notes. Deepish colour. Nose quite closed, heavy, dumb, some mineral. On the palate much more tannic and aggressive than the Haut Brion, definitely not balanced tonight. Very good though. Try again in 5-7 years.
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11/27/2009 - vespasian wrote: 95 Points
Profound nose of well defined cassis and a whiff of stony minerals - beautiful; Lovely texture. Considerable power held in superb balance. Huge length.
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10/20/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
1998 La Mission Haut Brion, another vintage considered a Merlot year (65% Merlot) is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness and light pinking around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, cassis, tobacco and Asian spice. The texture is all about sex! Very opulent and silky. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Very opulent and concentrated. Tannins are elegant. Still young, but no longer asleep, this will develop into a great wine over the years. 95 Pts
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9/16/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Todd & Mina (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Deep opaque blood red colour, translucent purple at the edges. Heavens!.......a really great pencil lead initial nose which quickly reveals deep rich blackcurrant of fantastic purity and precision. Touches of both Cedar and of fresh-sawn boxwood emerge. The palate is initially dry, austere and tannic but balanced by great purity and precision of blackcurrants and blackberries. There is a touch of greeneness/dryness on the back end remniscent of Juniper berries but that should resolve with age. There is also Japanese green tea on the back end. Overall, an austere and haughty but lovely palate. Huge length and good "in the head" resonance on the finish. Still very young but this is very impressive indeed, despite the generally unremarkable year.
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5/17/2009 - empressa wrote: 94 Points
This is a lovely, jammy, well-crafted wine that will likely continue to improve for the next several years. When I first opened the bottle, the wine was tight and closed, and it was hard to distinguish any specific flavors. We've now been drinking this wine over 2 days, and it has opened up and evolved so much. The aroma is one of ripe blackberries, with the flavor integrating black currants and black cherries. The finish is long, with a very slight hint of acidity at the end. This is truly a great wine, and one I'd like to buy more of for our cellar.
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5/7/2009 - Thralow wrote: 94 Points
Ok, drank two of these now. Both were way too young. Wait, wait.
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1/25/2009 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Brought by Emery to the brown bag tasting. Classy and still on the younger side with a great future ahead of it. Folks who bring bottles like this to the brown bag tastings will always be in my prayers.
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12/25/2008 - jheathw wrote: 95 Points
Drank alongside 1998 Pichon-Lalande and was the belle-of-the-ball. Took some time to open up, but when it did the nose was borderline explosive. Classic Graves character: smoky, tobacco-box & cedar with a core of dark fruit. Tannins were supple but always present. Should continue to improve--although it was a real treat with our Christmas prime rib.
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12/25/2008 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Long, tannic, impressive.
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12/10/2008 - balassis wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 2 hours.
The nose remains mute.
After some aeration into the glass reveals aromas of black cherries, charcoal, scorched earth, wood and some hints of black olives.
This almost black in color wine is totaly full - bodied with a perfect balance and flavors of black cherries, cedar, tar, wood, violets and bluberries. Well integrated but still vibrant tannins.
Realy a blockbuster. Alongside the Haut - Brion 1999 was the WOTN.
Needs some 15 more years to improve.
Excellent!!!
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10/18/2008 - BFG wrote: 93 Points
Still very young, but a nice balanced wine with good potential. Hold for another 5 years.
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10/11/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
1998, according to the estate is considered a Merlot year. The blend includes 65% Merlot is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, tobacco and Asian spice. Very concentrated, opulent and silky with elegant tannins. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Still young, but no longer asleep, this wine will develop more complexity wine with time and will probably merit a higher score.
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7/30/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
A beautiful, pure dark red color. The nose is dominated by dark fruit with hints of tar and mineral peaking through. The taste is pure and direct giving predominately dark fruit complimented by oak. Not too expansive, but good intensity and perfect balance. Still tannic. Satisfying finish. This can be consumed now with pleasure, but isn't giving a true LMHB experience yet. Will probably be a mid 90-point wine at peak and I would definitely recommend holding off on drinking these if possible.
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7/30/2008 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Similar to the bottle I tasted a few weeks ago. Very impressive. Youthful purple/ruby color. Fresh dark fruit, blueberries, and flowers, framed by smoky scorched earth. Finishes with a wall of ripe tannin. Delicious but very young.
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7/9/2008 - Siggy wrote: 94 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux (Fugaise, Minneapolis): Compared with the '96 Ducru tasted side-by-side (see TN), this was paradoxically both more open and younger-tasting. Initial nose of blueberries that reminded me of Quilceda Creek. Fantastically ripe, delicious black fruit, accented by smoke, cresote, and scorched earth flavors. Silky and lacy. Ripe, supple tannins. Super-long finish. This added complexity in the glass and was at its best at the end of dinner. Fantastic stuff.
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2/6/2008 - jivey wrote: 95 Points
BSW - Tasted alongside 98, 99, 00 and 03 - Unbelievably consistent nose across the board - Tobacco, cedar, espresso, perfectly balanced on a long complex finish. Very young.
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2/5/2008 - JScott wrote: 92 Points
Tight and still some years away from ready but with great potential. A tight core of dark fruit wrapped firmly in substantial but ripe tannin.
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1/27/2008 - bsherwin wrote:
Bordeaux on the Hudson Part Deux (Peter Pratt's): A young buck of a LMBH with lots of potential. A bit out of place with its older neighbors, it nonetheless showed tons of personality and was quite wide open and expressive. The fruit is really quiet primary, but is beginning to show some classic Graves elements as it jumps from the glass with opulent black fruit, tar, wet earth and charred wood. It is quite substantial in the mouth, although not heavy, with plush, luxurious black fruit buffeted by silky sweet tannins. The finish is pretty much fruit driven at this point with the ample fruit overwhelming the structure. Overall a bit simple today, but I'd say on revisiting in 5 to 10 years, one will find a profound LMHB.
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1/19/2008 - BradA wrote: 94 Points
Splash decanted for 30 minutes:
A beautiful La Mission that will provide years of drinking pleasure! Smooth, opulent with a full palate and expression of earth, tobacco and mint. This is a wine to own for the long haul--sadly only 5 left!
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12/27/2007 - PatrikO wrote: 93 Points
Very Classy, not as brute as La Mission often is, this got more of finesse, than sheer power. Would give it a few more year before having the next bottle.
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11/6/2007 - MRichman wrote: flawed
La Mission Haut Brion vertical (Jean Georges/Nougat, NYC): Corked.
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11/6/2007 - bsherwin wrote: flawed
LMHB Vertical (Jean Georges): Corked
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8/11/2007 - KellyW wrote: 95 Points
Decanted at the restaurant about 1 hour before serving. Still deep purple this wine offers up a glorious nose of black fruits, mineral, cedar and sandlewood. Just spectacular as it screams classy Bourdeaux. The tannins still have a slight edge on them but they are ripe and well handled by the copious fruit. My wife said it was a happy place wine which means it must be pretty damn good. With a long finish this wine is drinking great now and I suspect for many years to come.
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7/4/2007 - Mlermontov wrote: 93 Points
this was a gift to us from Mike J. - about 3 years ago. WOW this excellent - this is still a baby (from .375!!) lovely silky texture, loads of lactic and plum aromas, some green pepper on the mouth (cab franc content?) - loong smooth finish. this is bdx at its best.. Keep.
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4/26/2007 - Jossik wrote: 86 Points
Ancora molto, molto chiuso
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3/8/2006 - otisabdul wrote: 91 Points
The wine steward at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon informed us that they were opening a double magnum of 1998 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion for €26/glass. We jumped all over that. Of course, it is years away from its prime drinking window, but the wine’s herbal/earthy components showed quite well with some of the courses.
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3/8/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 94 Points
La Mission Haut-Brion Vertical (Bentley Hotel, London): Lighter purple, less dense, much more restrained than the 2000, shows the same level of acidity on the attack, an interesting rusty note on the midpalate, quite closed though. Tannins have softened, a medium bodied wine. I detected just a hint of heat on the finish. Less showy than the 2000, and still in need of much time.
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3/7/2006 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Linden's La Mission Haut Brion tasting (Bentley Hotel, London): Lean (at least relatively so for La Mission), spicy, a syrah-like fragrance, full, balanced, lovely now
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4/26/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 94 Points
Dark red/purple. Notes of marcipan and liquer, and also bark. Wonderful vanilla sweetness. Nothing gross or vulgar, but a very palate-pleasing, soft and round flavour. Very seductive, long aftertaste.
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4/22/2001 - MikeATL wrote:
A bit more ponderous next to the agile 1998 Lafite. Still, it cranks out intense Graves character with leafy tobacco and minerals in a powerful package. This bottle seemed more tannic than the other two I've had, but time will resolve it. Both Bordeaux have long, exciting futures ahead of them, and are in the league of the best ‘96s.
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