Completely delicious from first pour evolved slightly over an hour or so but didn’t change much. Didn’t seem to need decant but certainly wouldn’t hurt taste it first. Lovely plush dark deep fruit probably at peak now.
Mini ESTG at Asadero Kent (Kent, WA): Mmm, smoky, chicory, deep and ripe fruit. It gained some funky and a moldy edge that made me think of a touch of TCA. Still a truly impressive wine.
Un bordeaux qui a eu besoin d'un bon 1-2 heures pour se livrer pleinement. Bouche encore pleine, fait encore un peu sérieux. Il m'a parru encore jeune et prometteur.
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Deer Valley Palooza in 3 stages with Mark1npt and Agelvis; 6/25/2023-7/1/2023 (8,100 ft): Drank with my daughter as this is one of her birth year wines. 2.5 hour decant was perfect and this wine was drinking beautifully. Dark plummy fruit, mild tobacco, leather, so silky smooth and a long finish. Tannins were surprisingly subdued. She loved it and looking forward to the next bottle sometime next year.
Commanderie dinner. From MAG. In very good shape despite the hot year. Torrefaction, dark fruit, slightly drying tannins but the fruit is there to carry it.
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This was decanted for sediment and left to open for at about 3 hours, returned to bottle and slow oxed another 60mins before having a glass. I followed that glass for about 45 mins.
The nose was quite stunning. Perfumed of red and black fruits with some tertiary accents interlaced. Great acidity carried that lacy juice across the palate for a medium to long finish 45+ seconds. This was a stunner for in a perfect spot for my palate today. Perfectly integrated and showing so much finesse I was surprised and smitten. Thank you Neal!
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Slow-oxa i 7 timer, men trengte ytterligere to i dekanter for å finne sitt forføriske, mørkerødfruktige jeg. Etter 7+2 timer var vinen sensuell og silkebløt i munnen; med en raus men ikke ubalansert frukt, god (men ikke ekstrem) kompleksitet og en flott lengde. Spice, tobakk, svarte frukttoner, tydelig varm årgang men samtidig elegant.
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Cork came out in 2 pieces. Poured a glass and let it sit for about 45 while I prepared dinner. Very purplish color. Initially closed. When I got back to it, notes of black licorice, tar, cedar chest and cigar emerged. Very intoxicating. The palate carried black cherry and plum flavors. Full-bodied with fairly smooth tannins and enough acidity to cut through some pan-seared pieces of ribeye. Tasted sweeter as it picked more air. Delicious although unsure if this wine will change for the better with more years.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Aged Bordeaux & Napa (Baldamar, Roeville, MN): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank a glass over 2.5 hours. I found this tight and taut never really showing what was there. I love LMHB, and I expect this is a a fine example, but even with the amount of time we had in glass, I just never thought this got past the youthful tannin and oak influences to really strut, let alone show itself. Plenty of stuffing and dark fruit is waiting to show to show itself. Score reserved, but tonight would be low 90's.
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Siggy's btl tonight at Baldamor. This was opened at the venue so saw little air before drinking about 75 minutes later following some Champagne & whites. I let it sit in my glass for another hour or so prior to departure. This was near the top tonight for me. More air before the event would have been a plus as this started out slightly tannic but thankfully resolved nice in my glass. Terrific cigar ash along w/ faint lead pencil aromas. The color was a semi translucent deep ruby garnet red. At nearly 20yrs old this is in the pocket with possibly some upside but I was loving it tonight & thankful the lack of addl air didn't matter much. Supper balanced, mid weight, elegant with lifted weightless richness to its earth accented red fruit, mineral, tobacco & licorice. Sort of Burgundian in its feel. I could drink this again in a heartbeat.
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I remain in the middle here. I like the wine, but as much as I try, I cannot love it. Lacking the concentration, lift, and complexity of the best years, the fruit is a bit overripe, the tannins are slightly too soft and the flavors lack all the smoke and tobacco, instead, focusing on the ripe and overripe fruits.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Secondary phase with great fruit/tannin balance. Very Graves. Crushed dark fruit, graphite, with a hint of cedar nicely integrated into medium plus body. Just singing. Better then last bottle several years ago. Just singing now.
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Full, complex and mature nose. Very typical tobacco and smoke. Very true to it's Pessac origin. Cigarre, cedar, plum and black currant. Ripe. Lovely! Fullish, mature, dense palate. Lacks some intensity. Harmonius. Ripe fruit, tobacco, cedar and smokey gravel. Very delicious, balanced and well kept. Only lacks some "oomph" in fruit and finish. Surprisingly classic considering the vintage. (From my daughter's birth year, she was not as impressed as I was. But then again, she is only in the beginning of her wine learning journey:-))
Still quite some fruit, black berries, some cinnamon, fairly coarse tannins, but still a great mouthfeel, very nice acidity and quite some typicity, which is nice, especially given the infamously hot year.
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Tried in a blind tasting of Dominus 2009 v Mission Haut Brion 2003
This was dark ruby to purple. So supple. Smooth tannins but grip. Balanced. Blackcurrants. Slightly secondary with wood shavings. Does not come across as an 03.
Shared with BV&S
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Tasted next to 1985 Haut Brion and the Haut Brion lorded mightily. Not a rich as expected, but still had pretty currents, black cherry primary fruits. Graphite, iodine, tobacco, cedar, lead pencil, dried flowers round things out. The wine was open for 2 hours before drinking and evolved in a positive way throughout the night thereafter. Very nice.
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Fully mature, light on its feet and lacking a central core of fruit that you might expect from a hot year in Bordeaux. Most of the fruit and tannin is fully resolved and while some sweet cherry flavors are present, the primary flavor profile is tobacco, earth, graphite, and leather. I purchased this bottle on release, so I know it has been store properly during its lifetime. As compared to the 1998 or 1990 that I had recently, this is nowhere near the quality of what La Mission can do in top vintages. This is on a fast evolutionary track. Decanted for 1 hour. My recommendation is to drink up before the fruit is gone and this becomes an old leather shoe.
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Opened with the 2003 Haut Brion for comparison. La Mission is v similair (9/10) but lacks the extra complexity (and length probably) of the HautB. Both wines are subtle for both the year and their price/status. These wines need food to experience their nuances, depth of fruit and hidden power. I am not sure whether either will improve substantially over the next 10 years or so. Most enjoyable.
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Enjoyed it, not what I was expecting based upon reputation of label. I’m also a newbie to this caliber wines so consider my review in that context and I don’t feel comfortable giving it a number.
Fruity, fresh, youthful. Restrained. Old world softness. Not really complex with any exciting notes or surprises that materialized as air hit it. Red fruits, smokiness, acidity, minerality stood out. Soft integrated tannins. Initial sip was vibrant, in mouth subdued, then you got something more on finish. Lead pencil after taste.
Cork broke as Somm was opening it. Not dried out just split in half (horizontally.) Decanted. Enjoyed during meal. It was fine, but not a standout especially for price, st least in my estimation. Price on price, I suspect you could have done much better with something less notable. Though it was fun to have tried! We paired with a roast chicken. I don’t see this wine standing up to something like a steak.
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The wine is better on the smoke and tobacco, campfire ember, red berry nose than on the soft, easy drinking, mid-weight palate. Seemingly mature beyond its years, this is a nice, restrained, charming wine, but it lacks the power, vigor, complexity and the ability for aging found in the better years. In short, if you have it, drink it over the next decade.
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Lunch du retour de Gaël, l'enfant prodigue (État Major): Un nez boisé et fumé, belle bouche ronde avec des tanins de qualité. Le style est étonnamment austère et minéral, pas très charmeur, mais élégant et fin, avec de la classe. 92 pts
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Bottle breathed for 2 hours. Loved the expressive and elegant floral nose. White flowers and red fruits. However, the palate did not match up. Soft tannins, but overwhelming oak flavours. Rough edges of spice and leather.
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Pencil lead, mature dark fruit, leather, and a hint of forest on the nose. Very well balanced fruit and tannins, seamless. Sweet tobacco and mellow fruit came through. Tasted and chose not to decant. Worked well. Evolved over the next 2 hours and made it more intriguing. Prime drinking window now and next 5-8 years. Although it was great all around it lacked a "wow" factor which would have made it a classic.
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This one grows with air. Classic funk and barnyard but still with some nice fruit in the mix. Good balance and som nice complexity - initially on the nose with bacon fat and after a while also on the palate.
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Nice evening with family in the company of Mr JP Delmas. Open 2 hours before. Nice hedonistic mature wine paired with duck foie gras poele. Great match. Wonderful evening.
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This has aged very quickly, and was disappointing given my experience with other 2003 Pessac wines. Low acidity, bit of heat now starting to show, best on pouring - gets worse with air. Nice mouthfeel, but that's its best quality. Drink now. 89-90pts
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Sadly, a very underwhelming bottle. While the nose had tell tale cigar box aromas, the wine was thin and watery. I doubt collaring further will offer improvement either, so will will drink my remaining bottles soon.
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Medium red; smoked nose, hint of licorice, red fruit underneath; agreeable slightly flat attack, a bit dry and smoked, mildly biting tannins, nice fruit lingering beneath, smoked somewhat long aftertaste; fine, but not singing
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Infanticide. Dark purple with no real sediment, this wine is nowhere near full maturity. Beguiling La Mission nose of plum, blackberry, mocha an boysenberry. We dented several hours, but it could easily benefit from 24+ hours on a cookie sheet. Delicious now, but could benefit from another 5-10 years of bottle aging..
If a date, this was the small town high school beauty pageant winner several months after moving to the big city: Beautiful enough to behold, but she will develop into so much more in several years with more life experience. BBB+ now; potentially AA+
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From magnum. Decanted 1 hour. Clear deep garnet color. Lovely bouquet of mixed red and black fruit, fennel, gravel, tobacco, touch of asphalt. Similar on the palate, full body, seamless, beautiful balance, firm polished tannins and acidity providing structure and long term cellaring potential. Clearly not fully mature, enjoyable now with a decant, but needs several more years to reach full potential, especially in large format.
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This was a disappointment. Initially some classic Bordeaux-elements on the nose. Pencil led, leather, cassis, wee bit tobacco. But then closed up...gave little off on the nose. Came across rather as massive and broad. After a couple of glasses put cork back in left in fridge and was expecting a more open wine following day. But even next day wasn't particularly engaging. This wine must have more to offer so I'm gonna conclude that the wine is just in a closed down period now. My advice is to try again in 5 years.
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Opaque on the palate of fruit and oak. A touch of heat at the finish with aggressive tannins that were way overly drying. Disjointed really. Tasted blind, guessed Bordeaux. 85
Tried again later (so a total of 1-2 hour decant plus another couple back in the bottle) and the tannin was certainly more integrated but still overly drying but then only up to an 87.
I can't see this aging well or becoming any more balanced.
Took to CT Seattle wine dinner at Sullivan's, had the remainder at home the following night. Not a huge wine, but had the red and black fruits, bramble, mint, herb, and brambly finish that seems to be the hallmark of this estate's younger wines. Didn't really wow anyone at the dinner, hence the score, though clearly an excellent wine.
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Elegant and silky smooth dark ripe red fruit that showed little signs of age. In fact I don't think it has evolved much compared with my last bottle 5 years ago, and still has good tannic structure. While the nose and the finish can be longer or more exquisite, this is a lovely balanced 03 Bordeaux that (mostly) retains it's classical style.
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From Magnum. Decanted for 3h. Dark ruby. Nise of spices, dark and red fruit, licorice, herbs, brooding, still closed. Massive structure on the palate, full bodied, good freshness, but spades of tannins, drying finish. Big wine. Wait till 2020.
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Interesting wine, but somewhat disappointing given the high price. Very fine, light, but complex and unusual aroma of licorice with some perfume. Tannins are integrated now, but the palette is a bit plain lacking balance and complexity. A weak vintage for L M H-B.
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Vinet har en ganska härlig fast lite blyg näsa med tobak örter och läder. Smaken däremot är aningen i obalans och tyvärr tar den sig inte riktigt under kvällen som man hade hoppats på. Känns som det skulle vara mer cab franc i detta vin än vad det är. Ett jättegott vin men inte på den nivå man hoppades på. 92-93
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Color: medium red Nose: bit muted, cedar, charcoal, cassis Palate: medium-light bodied, feminine & elegant, almost identical to the bottle I had about 5 years back, not particularly complex, drink up if you have these
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Decanted the wine for 3 hours. The nose expressed soil, graphite, herbs, tobacco and dark fruits. The palate was smooth and silky. It is drinking well now but I don't see it to improve much with more time.
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Ripe red and dark fruit, the hot weather of this vintage shines through. Toasted oak, herbs and smoked bacon spices reveled after a while. Bold structure with ripe (but still a bit grippy) tannins. Dark berries, cinnamon and leather flavors on the palate. Long oaky finish.
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Dinner at cafe panache Ramsey NJ. Drank with rack of lamb and dry aged sirloin. Took 30 min to come together... Progressively better as the dinner went on. Good structure, lovely rich red fruits, hint of leather soft finish. Not the best la mission, but certainly a really good wine! Would not shell out $200 for another.... Better off getting (2) 2005 or 2009 la chapelle la mission, their second wine.
Nose: Bright Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Red Plum and Currant. Vanilla, Tobacco, Smoke, Floral notes etc. Complex nose with a gorgeous perfumed use of oak. Palate: Gorgeous Graves with an exotic red/black fruit profile of Ripe Cherry, Red Currant, Blackberry and Plum that even showed some Ripe Kiwi fruit as Marc noted. Layers of Brick, Smoke, Clay, Vanilla Creme and Truffle. Finish: Very long and sexy with a beautiful oak profile.
Just a gorgeous wine full of pleasure. Decant an hour or two or hold. Maybe not the longest lived La Mission, but certainly not coming apart.
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Drank this with Phil in the garden. Mixed reviews on cellartracker, but I found this beautiful with an hour of air. Complex nose; a whole spectrum of ripe fruit (pulling a kiwi note later in the decant) with nuances of wild flowers, brick, smoke, and earth. Symmetry - no truly dominant notes. I think this would probably be identifiable blind Pessac, but not screaming it too loud. Very good for a 2003; shows the vintage but not in a garish way. This bottle had plenty of life left in it and didn't show signs of cracking up at all.
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Bouteille épaulée pendant 40mn puis bue pendant une heure sur un agneau de 7h et des fromages. Robe rouge foncé avec des touches de violet, nez sur le cassis et le tabac, en bouche apparaissent des arômes de tabac, de cassis, de mure et des nôtes fumées, en début de bouche le vin est légèrement aqueux, souple en milieu de bouche et très tannique en finale. A garder ou à consommer ? Aucune idée...
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This tastes much older than it should at age 10. The wine is stylish, silky and offers pleasure, but the rapid pace of maturity forces the taster to finish their remaining bottles sooner than later so as not to lose any of the fruit.
This is a hope certificate only now, for the wine to develop into something interesting. Currently this bottle did not show particularly well, somewhat square-faced and unexciting.
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Almost violet, then showing a little sanguine, a little ruby. Long and gravelly, then layered on the palate and nose. The requisite gravel is there, along with black tea, blackberry, hot brick and pipe tobacco. Not meek nor easily swayed. Exotic and savory, and then still precise. She is in the proverbial groove. La Mission is one of the most intriguing, individual and epiphanous terroirs in Bordeaux. Drink now - 2035.
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Closed down or over the hill? Hard to say, but I bet and hope it should be the former. An atypical LMHB. Don't feel the heat in 2003 at all -i.e. not a big wine. In fact it is rather light bodied.
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Dark ruby still. Cassis and stony fruits, with Graves scorched gravel-earth, fresh tobacco, and some bitter chocolate on the nose. Full bodied with very good but not amazing balance. Supple and round, with the merlot showing more prominently than the Cab (or maybe just the vintage). A very nice mid palate, quite supple and giving, and while getting some secondary development, it's still fruit driven and in a good place right now. There's a little green on the back end that I like and that is more of a bell pepper than an unripe pips kind of green. I am not sure I think this is a ton better than the 2000 version of the La Chapelle Mission HB second wine. In fact both are very similar to me both in texture, body and style. Still outstanding, and not at all clumsy. This is very pleasurable as a passively enjoyable wine experience rather than a thinking wine. That's just fine with me on this relatively freezing Arizona night. Outstanding, and I am sure I am being a whiner, but maybe less stellar than what I would hope for from my favorite Bordeaux. 93 pts
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Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux (Kenny's): My #7, Group #5 - Medium full red color. Shy nose of earth, leaves, and red fruit. Tight black fruit with a similarly tight dusty finish. This is one of the few I found still very wound up and young that may have more to give with appropriate bottle age.
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This continues to age at a supersonic pace. At close to 10 years of age, the color is much lighter than it should be. The developed nose offers tobacco, earth, smoke and black cherry notes. On the palate, the medium bodied wine is soft, delicate and feminine, with a silky, but light, red berry dominated finish. If you're seeking a La Mission Haut Brion that shows great today, this might be a reasonable choice. But this is not a wine to cellar as it's a;ready giving up most of what it has to offer.
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Pop'n'pour at a restaurant. I don't normally do this, but i saw it on the menu and couldn't help myself. It was very reasonably priced, but still a bit above the rest, and the bartender upgraded my tap water to complimentary bottled stuff. Presumably she didn't want to detract from the experience. :) dark purple in the glass, and with a complex nose of dark berries, earthy and rock. Very smooth on the palate, this was nice and somewhere between big and elegant. About one hour into the bottle the tannins came out, indicating that this has quite a while to go. It paired well with my steak and fries. But then, it paired well just drinking it by itself afterwards too.
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Nose: Gorgeous Cherry, Mulberry, Blackberry and Perfumed Floral/Berry notes. Chocolate is also in there, but not prominent. Palate: Sillky smooth and filled with Red Fruit notes, Cocoa, Vanilla and a Gravelly sweet tobacco note. The palate is gorgeous mid weight (I am a CA drinker) and the complexities of graphite and mineral were astounding. Finish: Long and filled with more sweet red fruit that is accented by a blackberry and raspbery note. Fillowed by a pervasive mineral and slate element. This is a fantastic wine. Headonists bordeaux...maybe but still fanastic. Decant and do not fear consuming now, but I cant wait to see what 20 additional years will do.
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Disclaimer: Food/occasion/experience has obvious influence in the score. Went amazingly with the ribeye that dad cooked. Lush, liquid silk and no sense of the vintage's ripe pruniness. Not a powerful wine but extremely elegant, with sweet dark berries, subtle oak, spice, earth. Complex finish and better acidity than last night's 05 Pichon Baron. Wine: 96 Experience: 100
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Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 9%.
Deep red/blue color, currants on the back, earth up front, complex nose, you can tell there is more Cabernet Sauvignon in it. It was the only one that differed in its character from the tasting. Round and very fruity palate, cinnamon, a bit firm, well balanced, medium aftertaste. Feels ready to drink now and for the next 10 years.
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La Mission Haut Brion plus white Burgs and Port: This was not hot, over ripe or any of the other worries about 03. It was outstanding. Purple in color, slight ruby hues. The nose is minerals and boysenberries. Complex and the only wine I could say gravelly on the palate. Still very tannic though. Needs time and has great potential.
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Aromatically - This wine displays copious amounts of brett. Leather graphite,wet earth. Lack of fruit. On the palate it is medium to full bodied with a hollow mid pallate and very drying finish. Not worth $ by a long shot.
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Pop & pour over a few hours. Nose strengthened over time to bouquet of black/red fruit, leather, slight honey. Lush mouthfeel with silted finish. Wine puckered out in the mouth. Very good, not great.
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Had on Open That Bottle Night with Carl and Eve. Decanted and sipped over 4 hours. Disappointed in this wine. It was not overly tannic nor viscous. Lots of cabernet franc taste. Real old world style very little fruit. Hints of grilled meat and smoke. Light style, smooth tannins. Overall OK but not great.
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Dark ruby red. Deep, dense nose packed with cedar, graphite, smoky tar and some sweet soft blackcurrant. Generous and luscious on the palate; well structured with clear defined flavours. Lingering dark tarry black fruits, fine but grippy tannins, stony minerality and pencil shavings. Lovely.
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Double-decanted for an hour or so. On the nose - beautiful fruit and smoky character, a lot of blackberry on the palate, very full bodied but silky smooth, palate-coating, LONG finish, very beautiful wine.
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Full-bodied, ruby purple color, aromatically opens up during hour of decanting-cherry, blackberry,lead pencil, smoke and earth. This is ripe and balanced, with soft and silky tannins that linger deliciously in the mouth. Lovely and and long finish.
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Chateau Haut-Brion Seminar (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Nice Old World funkyness not present in the '04 or '06. Love it. Brighter fruit with more intensity than the other two as well. Chalk, red clay, baking spices like nutmeg, some nice herbaciousness and woody floor. Tons of layered brownish red stuff. Really intriguing and unique. Pristine balance in the finish. Awesome! I really enjoy '03 Bordeaux as a whole.
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After 4 hours of air…... Medium to dark color. Certainly youthful. The nose is fragrant (but young), as it should be. It possesses nice aromas of roasted coffee beans, tar, some wood, sweet dark fruits (blackberry and plums) a touch of leather and a very sweet slight floral component (I would describe this as a floral version of underbrush that almost teases as cinnamon). The nose has decent focus and detail. The taste of this wine is just down right killer. It is very flavorful and shows pretty good balance if not on lighter side. I have found other left bank wines to have more plush and ripeness to it than this bottle. The finish is nice while dominated by herbs.
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Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting. This wine's overall character was different from the other's - especially those on the ticket table. This wine's color was more of a deep ruby than the more opaque others. The wine showed lighter berries with very intriguing spice. Lighter in style but still awesome depth and complexity. The finish went on and on for at least 45 seconds though it was as elegant a Bordeaux as I've ever sampled.
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Made from a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend owith only 40% Merlot, the wine opens with deep, dark color and plumy aromatics. In the mouth, the wine kicks off with a wonderful, large mouthful of ripe, roasted, chocolate covered, black fruits. Very rich and concentrated. This is a wine for hedonists with its decadent style. When asked how La Mission turned out so much better in 03 than its neighbor across the street, Haut Brion, Jean-Philippe Delmas coyly smiled, answering, “The French have a special word for it. Perhaps you know it. Terroir”! It was a very funny moment.
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Dark color, nose of young, powerful graves. I could smell this for hours imaging what it will become. This vintage is more dense and powerful than lighter vintages of La Mission. Licorice, tar and dark fruits marked the nose. On the palate the wine had deep, rich, fruit and round, ripe tannins on the finish. The wine did not taste out of balance like many '03 Bordeaux have to me. This wine is just larger-scaled and needs time. One of the best young wines I've had in a while. Outstanding.
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Popped and poured after cracking a virgin case in Siggy's cellar. Wow, very satisfying. The nose is an impressive blend of red fruit, spice and tar. Not nearly as expressive as the other bottles of LMHB tasted this night, but excellent none-the-less. However, in the mouth this was the most explosive wine of the night. Expansive. Balanced. Good, rich flavors of red and black fruits, spice tar and earth. Plenty tannic for now, but they're sweet and not distracting. Great finish. Impressive now, but should develop nicely with additional time.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Popped and poured while hanging out in my cellar after dinner. Fantastic aromatics that lead to a full-throttle, expansive palate of blackberries, smoke, licorice, and scorched earth. Still very tightly wound. Great texture. The oak and tannin are formidable and nowhere near integrated, but do not obscure this wine's terrifically pure fruit and layers of secondary flavors. This is beginning to be approachable but should really reward 5+ more years of cellaring. My WOTN.
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LMHB Vertical (Jean Georges): A bit like a barrel sample, it showed a hint of what it could become and then disappeared. Very powerful and extremely well structured, it showed good depth with sweet and smoky blackberry, roasted herbs and graphite, giving way to more and more graphite as the tannic bite took over and it clamped down tight. I don't think this will be a profound wine and should show austere for a while, but I think that it will eventually be a compelling offering.
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4/10/2024 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Completely delicious from first pour evolved slightly over an hour or so but didn’t change much. Didn’t seem to need decant but certainly wouldn’t hurt taste it first. Lovely plush dark deep fruit probably at peak now.
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12/12/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Salon Ficofi Paris walkabout tasting and dinner, no detailed tasting notes. Good showing, not too hot and tannins softer than with Latour.
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12/1/2023 - Eric wrote:
Mini ESTG at Asadero Kent (Kent, WA): Mmm, smoky, chicory, deep and ripe fruit. It gained some funky and a moldy edge that made me think of a touch of TCA. Still a truly impressive wine.
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11/1/2023 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Un bordeaux qui a eu besoin d'un bon 1-2 heures pour se livrer pleinement. Bouche encore pleine, fait encore un peu sérieux. Il m'a parru encore jeune et prometteur.
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6/27/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deer Valley Palooza in 3 stages with Mark1npt and Agelvis; 6/25/2023-7/1/2023 (8,100 ft): Drank with my daughter as this is one of her birth year wines. 2.5 hour decant was perfect and this wine was drinking beautifully. Dark plummy fruit, mild tobacco, leather, so silky smooth and a long finish. Tannins were surprisingly subdued. She loved it and looking forward to the next bottle sometime next year.
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6/6/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Commanderie dinner. From MAG. In very good shape despite the hot year. Torrefaction, dark fruit, slightly drying tannins but the fruit is there to carry it.
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3/19/2023 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 95 Points
had this a few weeks ago with friends; fantastic.
on the lighter side; cherry/raspberry, tobacco, smooth long finish.
great wine with steaks
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11/23/2022 - Rgentile wrote: 95 Points
This was decanted for sediment and left to open for at about 3 hours, returned to bottle and slow oxed another 60mins before having a glass. I followed that glass for about 45 mins.
The nose was quite stunning. Perfumed of red and black fruits with some tertiary accents interlaced. Great acidity carried that lacy juice across the palate for a medium to long finish 45+ seconds. This was a stunner for in a perfect spot for my palate today. Perfectly integrated and showing so much finesse I was surprised and smitten. Thank you Neal!
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8/8/2022 - Krokfjord Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow-oxa i 7 timer, men trengte ytterligere to i dekanter for å finne sitt forføriske, mørkerødfruktige jeg. Etter 7+2 timer var vinen sensuell og silkebløt i munnen; med en raus men ikke ubalansert frukt, god (men ikke ekstrem) kompleksitet og en flott lengde. Spice, tobakk, svarte frukttoner, tydelig varm årgang men samtidig elegant.
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5/31/2022 - DoubleD1969 wrote:
Cork came out in 2 pieces. Poured a glass and let it sit for about 45 while I prepared dinner. Very purplish color. Initially closed. When I got back to it, notes of black licorice, tar, cedar chest and cigar emerged. Very intoxicating. The palate carried black cherry and plum flavors. Full-bodied with fairly smooth tannins and enough acidity to cut through some pan-seared pieces of ribeye. Tasted sweeter as it picked more air. Delicious although unsure if this wine will change for the better with more years.
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3/19/2022 - jkoenen wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/27/2022 - rocknroller wrote:
Monthly Tasting Group: Aged Bordeaux & Napa (Baldamar, Roeville, MN): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank a glass over 2.5 hours. I found this tight and taut never really showing what was there. I love LMHB, and I expect this is a a fine example, but even with the amount of time we had in glass, I just never thought this got past the youthful tannin and oak influences to really strut, let alone show itself. Plenty of stuffing and dark fruit is waiting to show to show itself. Score reserved, but tonight would be low 90's.
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2/27/2022 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Siggy's btl tonight at Baldamor. This was opened at the venue so saw little air before drinking about 75 minutes later following some Champagne & whites. I let it sit in my glass for another hour or so prior to departure. This was near the top tonight for me. More air before the event would have been a plus as this started out slightly tannic but thankfully resolved nice in my glass. Terrific cigar ash along w/ faint lead pencil aromas. The color was a semi translucent deep ruby garnet red. At nearly 20yrs old this is in the pocket with possibly some upside but I was loving it tonight & thankful the lack of addl air didn't matter much. Supper balanced, mid weight, elegant with lifted weightless richness to its earth accented red fruit, mineral, tobacco & licorice. Sort of Burgundian in its feel. I could drink this again in a heartbeat.
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12/10/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
I remain in the middle here. I like the wine, but as much as I try, I cannot love it. Lacking the concentration, lift, and complexity of the best years, the fruit is a bit overripe, the tannins are slightly too soft and the flavors lack all the smoke and tobacco, instead, focusing on the ripe and overripe fruits.
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11/7/2021 - Shak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Very nice earth notes with dark fruit and mild leather. Dry with soft tannins. Overall, a really nice bottle!
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8/20/2021 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 92 Points
No notes, forgot to enter. Really a great bottle of wine drinking so well.
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5/16/2021 - spineguy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Secondary phase with great fruit/tannin balance. Very Graves. Crushed dark fruit, graphite, with a hint of cedar nicely integrated into medium plus body. Just singing. Better then last bottle several years ago. Just singing now.
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4/4/2021 - Argrath wrote: 94 Points
Full, complex and mature nose. Very typical tobacco and smoke. Very true to it's Pessac origin. Cigarre, cedar, plum and black currant. Ripe. Lovely!
Fullish, mature, dense palate. Lacks some intensity. Harmonius. Ripe fruit, tobacco, cedar and smokey gravel. Very delicious, balanced and well kept. Only lacks some "oomph" in fruit and finish. Surprisingly classic considering the vintage.
(From my daughter's birth year, she was not as impressed as I was. But then again, she is only in the beginning of her wine learning journey:-))
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12/30/2020 - hprphf wrote: flawed
Fairly corked, not as ripe as expected, woodiness.
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11/28/2020 - charleshg wrote:
Awesome wine
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5/16/2020 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
Still quite some fruit, black berries, some cinnamon, fairly coarse tannins, but still a great mouthfeel, very nice acidity and quite some typicity, which is nice, especially given the infamously hot year.
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5/6/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tried in a blind tasting of Dominus 2009 v Mission Haut Brion 2003
This was dark ruby to purple. So supple. Smooth tannins but grip. Balanced. Blackcurrants. Slightly secondary with wood shavings. Does not come across as an 03.
Shared with BV&S
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1/16/2020 - Wine MOB wrote: 92 Points
Tasted next to 1985 Haut Brion and the Haut Brion lorded mightily. Not a rich as expected, but still had pretty currents, black cherry primary fruits. Graphite, iodine, tobacco, cedar, lead pencil, dried flowers round things out. The wine was open for 2 hours before drinking and evolved in a positive way throughout the night thereafter. Very nice.
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9/3/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fully mature, light on its feet and lacking a central core of fruit that you might expect from a hot year in Bordeaux. Most of the fruit and tannin is fully resolved and while some sweet cherry flavors are present, the primary flavor profile is tobacco, earth, graphite, and leather. I purchased this bottle on release, so I know it has been store properly during its lifetime. As compared to the 1998 or 1990 that I had recently, this is nowhere near the quality of what La Mission can do in top vintages. This is on a fast evolutionary track. Decanted for 1 hour. My recommendation is to drink up before the fruit is gone and this becomes an old leather shoe.
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8/3/2019 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Seems a bit muted and perhaps on the downhill at this point.
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6/1/2019 - RN wrote: 93 Points
Opened with the 2003 Haut Brion for comparison. La Mission is v similair (9/10) but lacks the extra complexity (and length probably) of the HautB. Both wines are subtle for both the year and their price/status. These wines need food to experience their nuances, depth of fruit and hidden power. I am not sure whether either will improve substantially over the next 10 years or so. Most enjoyable.
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3/8/2019 - Ellen5181 Likes this wine:
Enjoyed it, not what I was expecting based upon reputation of label. I’m also a newbie to this caliber wines so consider my review in that context and I don’t feel comfortable giving it a number.
Fruity, fresh, youthful. Restrained. Old world softness. Not really complex with any exciting notes or surprises that materialized as air hit it. Red fruits, smokiness, acidity, minerality stood out. Soft integrated tannins. Initial sip was vibrant, in mouth subdued, then you got something more on finish. Lead pencil after taste.
Cork broke as Somm was opening it. Not dried out just split in half (horizontally.) Decanted. Enjoyed during meal. It was fine, but not a standout especially for price, st least in my estimation. Price on price, I suspect you could have done much better with something less notable. Though it was fun to have tried! We paired with a roast chicken. I don’t see this wine standing up to something like a steak.
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3/6/2019 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Haut Brion vs La Mission Haut Brion dinner with Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Warm, soft and round, silky palate. Very approachable. Surprisingly, showing bright acidity which helps to maintain good balance. Not as complex as the 03 Haut Brion. At the youthful peak but will not decline rapidly. I suspect this will develop like the 76 vintage, i.e. warm and round, a bit Burgundian with time.
Dominant Fruit: Strawberry and plum
Balance: 8
Expressiveness: 8
Complexity: 7
Ripeness: 10
Purity: 7
Intensity: 8
Silkiness: 9
Precision: 7
Tannins: 7
Acidity: 8
Concentration: 9
Maturity: 9
Modern (Oak): 0
Over ripeness: 5
Condition: 10
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2/12/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
The wine is better on the smoke and tobacco, campfire ember, red berry nose than on the soft, easy drinking, mid-weight palate. Seemingly mature beyond its years, this is a nice, restrained, charming wine, but it lacks the power, vigor, complexity and the ability for aging found in the better years. In short, if you have it, drink it over the next decade.
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11/30/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Lunch du retour de Gaël, l'enfant prodigue (État Major): Un nez boisé et fumé, belle bouche ronde avec des tanins de qualité. Le style est étonnamment austère et minéral, pas très charmeur, mais élégant et fin, avec de la classe. 92 pts
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7/6/2018 - libationer Likes this wine: 86 Points
Bottle breathed for 2 hours. Loved the expressive and elegant floral nose. White flowers and red fruits. However, the palate did not match up. Soft tannins, but overwhelming oak flavours. Rough edges of spice and leather.
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6/28/2018 - ctc wrote: 89 Points
Very disappointing. Not much to it, not an enjoyable wine.
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6/24/2018 - Serge Birbrair Likes this wine:
WOTN! Well deserved accolades.
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3/24/2018 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points
Drank next to 03 Pichon Lalande
90 minute decant.
Fantastic wine - dense, plummy, cocoa and dark fruit nose and highly aromatic
Bouquet of red on palate with great length through middle and back palate and fantastic strong finish with mouth coating minerality.
Great bottle
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3/18/2018 - spineguy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pencil lead, mature dark fruit, leather, and a hint of forest on the nose. Very well balanced fruit and tannins, seamless. Sweet tobacco and mellow fruit came through. Tasted and chose not to decant. Worked well. Evolved over the next 2 hours and made it more intriguing. Prime drinking window now and next 5-8 years. Although it was great all around it lacked a "wow" factor which would have made it a classic.
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3/2/2018 - robertek wrote: 93 Points
This one grows with air. Classic funk and barnyard but still with some nice fruit in the mix. Good balance and som nice complexity - initially on the nose with bacon fat and after a while also on the palate.
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2/15/2018 - Sen4469 wrote: 93 Points
Nice evening with family in the company of Mr JP Delmas. Open 2 hours before. Nice hedonistic mature wine paired with duck foie gras poele. Great match. Wonderful evening.
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1/7/2018 - JulianSkeels wrote: 90 Points
This has aged very quickly, and was disappointing given my experience with other 2003 Pessac wines. Low acidity, bit of heat now starting to show, best on pouring - gets worse with air. Nice mouthfeel, but that's its best quality. Drink now. 89-90pts
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12/4/2017 - BradA wrote: 88 Points
Sadly, a very underwhelming bottle. While the nose had tell tale cigar box aromas, the wine was thin and watery. I doubt collaring further will offer improvement either, so will will drink my remaining bottles soon.
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10/27/2017 - Miceri Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium red; smoked nose, hint of licorice, red fruit underneath; agreeable slightly flat attack, a bit dry and smoked, mildly biting tannins, nice fruit lingering beneath, smoked somewhat long aftertaste; fine, but not singing
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9/21/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Académie des Cinquante Bordeaux visit; 9/20/2017-9/23/2017: Rich and sunny but not stewed, powerful but fresh, black fruit, pure and floral, good but not excessive weight, tightly coiled, big tannins, even clenched finish.
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8/15/2017 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Infanticide. Dark purple with no real sediment, this wine is nowhere near full maturity. Beguiling La Mission nose of plum, blackberry, mocha an boysenberry. We dented several hours, but it could easily benefit from 24+ hours on a cookie sheet.
Delicious now, but could benefit from another 5-10 years of bottle aging..
If a date, this was the small town high school beauty pageant winner several months after moving to the big city: Beautiful enough to behold, but she will develop into so much more in several years with more life experience.
BBB+ now; potentially AA+
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8/6/2017 - Javachip Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Decanted 1 hour. Clear deep garnet color. Lovely bouquet of mixed red and black fruit, fennel, gravel, tobacco, touch of asphalt. Similar on the palate, full body, seamless, beautiful balance, firm polished tannins and acidity providing structure and long term cellaring potential. Clearly not fully mature, enjoyable now with a decant, but needs several more years to reach full potential, especially in large format.
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6/27/2017 - jrh82 wrote: 89 Points
This was a disappointment. Initially some classic Bordeaux-elements on the nose. Pencil led, leather, cassis, wee bit tobacco. But then closed up...gave little off on the nose. Came across rather as massive and broad. After a couple of glasses put cork back in left in fridge and was expecting a more open wine following day. But even next day wasn't particularly engaging. This wine must have more to offer so I'm gonna conclude that the wine is just in a closed down period now. My advice is to try again in 5 years.
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4/22/2017 - yossarian.livez wrote: 87 Points
Opaque on the palate of fruit and oak. A touch of heat at the finish with aggressive tannins that were way overly drying. Disjointed really. Tasted blind, guessed Bordeaux. 85
Tried again later (so a total of 1-2 hour decant plus another couple back in the bottle) and the tannin was certainly more integrated but still overly drying but then only up to an 87.
I can't see this aging well or becoming any more balanced.
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4/22/2017 - Keeping It Real wrote: 88 Points
WineLA event: Bordeaux vs. Cabernet tasting (Los Angeles, CA): Tasted blind. Slight bricking. Little bit of burnt caramel on the nose. Kind of hot and astringent. Bitter. Crowd was not wowed by this at all.
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4/8/2017 - Ary wrote: 91 Points
Haut-Brion Vertical (semi-blind tasting) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): Unfortunately the Mission 2003 didn't do well. Dark ruby color. Hard to access, a wine to chew on, missing elegance and might dry out. Nose is well-delineated with loads of dark fruits, licorice and spices.
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3/17/2017 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank in Hong Kong
Rich nose of cassis, tobacco, spice and cedar. Smooth round palate.
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12/15/2016 - skifree wrote: 91 Points
Took to CT Seattle wine dinner at Sullivan's, had the remainder at home the following night. Not a huge wine, but had the red and black fruits, bramble, mint, herb, and brambly finish that seems to be the hallmark of this estate's younger wines. Didn't really wow anyone at the dinner, hence the score, though clearly an excellent wine.
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9/21/2016 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Elegant and silky smooth dark ripe red fruit that showed little signs of age. In fact I don't think it has evolved much compared with my last bottle 5 years ago, and still has good tannic structure. While the nose and the finish can be longer or more exquisite, this is a lovely balanced 03 Bordeaux that (mostly) retains it's classical style.
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8/15/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
From Magnum. Decanted for 3h. Dark ruby. Nise of spices, dark and red fruit, licorice, herbs, brooding, still closed. Massive structure on the palate, full bodied, good freshness, but spades of tannins, drying finish. Big wine. Wait till 2020.
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3/2/2016 - martin_e wrote: 89 Points
Interesting wine, but somewhat disappointing given the high price. Very fine, light, but complex and unusual aroma of licorice with some perfume. Tannins are integrated now, but the palette is a bit plain lacking balance and complexity. A weak vintage for L M H-B.
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1/19/2016 - MWiking wrote: 92 Points
Vinet har en ganska härlig fast lite blyg näsa med tobak örter och läder.
Smaken däremot är aningen i obalans och tyvärr tar den sig inte riktigt under kvällen som man hade hoppats på. Känns som det skulle vara mer cab franc i detta vin än vad det är.
Ett jättegott vin men inte på den nivå man hoppades på. 92-93
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6/20/2015 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
Color: medium red
Nose: bit muted, cedar, charcoal, cassis
Palate: medium-light bodied, feminine & elegant, almost identical to the bottle I had about 5 years back, not particularly complex, drink up if you have these
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6/11/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 92 Points
Decanted the wine for 3 hours. The nose expressed soil, graphite, herbs, tobacco and dark fruits. The palate was smooth and silky. It is drinking well now but I don't see it to improve much with more time.
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2/13/2015 - Bobhelge wrote: 92 Points
Ripe red and dark fruit, the hot weather of this vintage shines through. Toasted oak, herbs and smoked bacon spices reveled after a while. Bold structure with ripe (but still a bit grippy) tannins. Dark berries, cinnamon and leather flavors on the palate. Long oaky finish.
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11/8/2014 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dinner at cafe panache Ramsey NJ. Drank with rack of lamb and dry aged sirloin. Took 30 min to come together... Progressively better as the dinner went on. Good structure, lovely rich red fruits, hint of leather soft finish. Not the best la mission, but certainly a really good wine! Would not shell out $200 for another.... Better off getting (2) 2005 or 2009 la chapelle la mission, their second wine.
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7/26/2014 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Bright Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Red Plum and Currant. Vanilla, Tobacco, Smoke, Floral notes etc. Complex nose with a gorgeous perfumed use of oak. Palate: Gorgeous Graves with an exotic red/black fruit profile of Ripe Cherry, Red Currant, Blackberry and Plum that even showed some Ripe Kiwi fruit as Marc noted. Layers of Brick, Smoke, Clay, Vanilla Creme and Truffle. Finish: Very long and sexy with a beautiful oak profile.
Just a gorgeous wine full of pleasure. Decant an hour or two or hold. Maybe not the longest lived La Mission, but certainly not coming apart.
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7/26/2014 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Drank this with Phil in the garden. Mixed reviews on cellartracker, but I found this beautiful with an hour of air. Complex nose; a whole spectrum of ripe fruit (pulling a kiwi note later in the decant) with nuances of wild flowers, brick, smoke, and earth. Symmetry - no truly dominant notes. I think this would probably be identifiable blind Pessac, but not screaming it too loud. Very good for a 2003; shows the vintage but not in a garish way. This bottle had plenty of life left in it and didn't show signs of cracking up at all.
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1/1/2014 - mdonovan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bouteille épaulée pendant 40mn puis bue pendant une heure sur un agneau de 7h et des fromages.
Robe rouge foncé avec des touches de violet, nez sur le cassis et le tabac, en bouche apparaissent des arômes de tabac, de cassis, de mure et des nôtes fumées, en début de bouche le vin est légèrement aqueux, souple en milieu de bouche et très tannique en finale.
A garder ou à consommer ? Aucune idée...
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12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
This tastes much older than it should at age 10. The wine is stylish, silky and offers pleasure, but the rapid pace of maturity forces the taster to finish their remaining bottles sooner than later so as not to lose any of the fruit.
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11/24/2013 - steinersing wrote: 88 Points
This is a hope certificate only now, for the wine to develop into something interesting. Currently this bottle did not show particularly well, somewhat square-faced and unexciting.
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10/22/2013 - tbream wrote: 88 Points
The cork broke apart when I opened this bottle. Pleasant, but light bodied to my taste.
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7/27/2013 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Almost violet, then showing a little sanguine, a little ruby. Long and gravelly, then layered on the palate and nose. The requisite gravel is there, along with black tea, blackberry, hot brick and pipe tobacco. Not meek nor easily swayed. Exotic and savory, and then still precise. She is in the proverbial groove. La Mission is one of the most intriguing, individual and epiphanous terroirs in Bordeaux. Drink now - 2035.
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4/19/2013 - emkc wrote: 88 Points
Closed down or over the hill? Hard to say, but I bet and hope it should be the former. An atypical LMHB. Don't feel the heat in 2003 at all -i.e. not a big wine. In fact it is rather light bodied.
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1/15/2013 - cct wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby still. Cassis and stony fruits, with Graves scorched gravel-earth, fresh tobacco, and some bitter chocolate on the nose. Full bodied with very good but not amazing balance. Supple and round, with the merlot showing more prominently than the Cab (or maybe just the vintage). A very nice mid palate, quite supple and giving, and while getting some secondary development, it's still fruit driven and in a good place right now. There's a little green on the back end that I like and that is more of a bell pepper than an unripe pips kind of green. I am not sure I think this is a ton better than the 2000 version of the La Chapelle Mission HB second wine. In fact both are very similar to me both in texture, body and style. Still outstanding, and not at all clumsy. This is very pleasurable as a passively enjoyable wine experience rather than a thinking wine. That's just fine with me on this relatively freezing Arizona night. Outstanding, and I am sure I am being a whiner, but maybe less stellar than what I would hope for from my favorite Bordeaux. 93 pts
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1/10/2013 - winefool wrote: 89 Points
Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux (Kenny's): My #7, Group #5 - Medium full red color. Shy nose of earth, leaves, and red fruit. Tight black fruit with a similarly tight dusty finish. This is one of the few I found still very wound up and young that may have more to give with appropriate bottle age.
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11/23/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
This continues to age at a supersonic pace. At close to 10 years of age, the color is much lighter than it should be. The developed nose offers tobacco, earth, smoke and black cherry notes. On the palate, the medium bodied wine is soft, delicate and feminine, with a silky, but light, red berry dominated finish. If you're seeking a La Mission Haut Brion that shows great today, this might be a reasonable choice. But this is not a wine to cellar as it's a;ready giving up most of what it has to offer.
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9/17/2012 - dst wrote:
Really good structure. Still developing, it has all to become a forest wine but it's too young to drink. Probably by 2015 to 2017.
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3/9/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 93 Points
La Mission Haut Brion; 3/9/2012-3/10/2012 (Burg Staufeneck): Dense and powerful, opulent palate of black cherries, cassis, vanilla. It does have a certain core of freshness, so this is balanced.
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1/12/2012 - dferreir wrote: 90 Points
young...really young
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11/24/2011 - reichken wrote: 92 Points
dark purple, nose of deep dark fruits and wood, hi toned in the mouth , very young, long finish and really fills the mouth. needs time or open early
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10/2/2011 - Kris G wrote: 94 Points
coffee, black fruit, smoke, spicy, warm, a very nice showing
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9/24/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 93 Points
Pop'n'pour at a restaurant. I don't normally do this, but i saw it on the menu and couldn't help myself. It was very reasonably priced, but still a bit above the rest, and the bartender upgraded my tap water to complimentary bottled stuff. Presumably she didn't want to detract from the experience. :) dark purple in the glass, and with a complex nose of dark berries, earthy and rock. Very smooth on the palate, this was nice and somewhere between big and elegant. About one hour into the bottle the tannins came out, indicating that this has quite a while to go. It paired well with my steak and fries. But then, it paired well just drinking it by itself afterwards too.
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9/15/2011 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Gorgeous Cherry, Mulberry, Blackberry and Perfumed Floral/Berry notes. Chocolate is also in there, but not prominent. Palate: Sillky smooth and filled with Red Fruit notes, Cocoa, Vanilla and a Gravelly sweet tobacco note. The palate is gorgeous mid weight (I am a CA drinker) and the complexities of graphite and mineral were astounding. Finish: Long and filled with more sweet red fruit that is accented by a blackberry and raspbery note. Fillowed by a pervasive mineral and slate element. This is a fantastic wine. Headonists bordeaux...maybe but still fanastic. Decant and do not fear consuming now, but I cant wait to see what 20 additional years will do.
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5/16/2011 - Hazeo wrote: 98 Points
Disclaimer: Food/occasion/experience has obvious influence in the score.
Went amazingly with the ribeye that dad cooked. Lush, liquid silk and no sense of the vintage's ripe pruniness. Not a powerful wine but extremely elegant, with sweet dark berries, subtle oak, spice, earth. Complex finish and better acidity than last night's 05 Pichon Baron.
Wine: 96
Experience: 100
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3/18/2011 - Miceri wrote: 95 Points
Dark red; very nice nose, ripe mulberry; soft, round, slightly tannic, licorice; nice pleasant aftertaste, fruity elegance
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11/13/2010 - kostaslonis wrote: 92 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 52%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 9%.
Deep red/blue color, currants on the back, earth up front, complex nose, you can tell there is more Cabernet Sauvignon in it. It was the only one that differed in its character from the tasting. Round and very fruity palate, cinnamon, a bit firm, well balanced, medium aftertaste. Feels ready to drink now and for the next 10 years.
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9/3/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
La Mission Haut Brion plus white Burgs and Port: This was not hot, over ripe or any of the other worries about 03. It was outstanding. Purple in color, slight ruby hues. The nose is minerals and boysenberries. Complex and the only wine I could say gravelly on the palate. Still very tannic though. Needs time and has great potential.
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6/16/2010 - Harrypotter wrote: 86 Points
Aromatically - This wine displays copious amounts of brett. Leather graphite,wet earth. Lack of fruit. On the palate it is medium to full bodied with a hollow mid pallate and very drying finish. Not worth $ by a long shot.
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4/22/2010 - vy#10 wrote: 93 Points
Pop & pour over a few hours. Nose strengthened over time to bouquet of black/red fruit, leather, slight honey. Lush mouthfeel with silted finish. Wine puckered out in the mouth. Very good, not great.
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2/27/2010 - tutticalvi wrote: 90 Points
Had on Open That Bottle Night with Carl and Eve. Decanted and sipped over 4 hours. Disappointed in this wine. It was not overly tannic nor viscous. Lots of cabernet franc taste. Real old world style very little fruit. Hints of grilled meat and smoke. Light style, smooth tannins. Overall OK but not great.
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2/20/2010 - Biggsy wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby red. Deep, dense nose packed with cedar, graphite, smoky tar and some sweet soft blackcurrant. Generous and luscious on the palate; well structured with clear defined flavours. Lingering dark tarry black fruits, fine but grippy tannins, stony minerality and pencil shavings. Lovely.
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1/29/2010 - ccsargent wrote: 94 Points
Double-decanted for an hour or so. On the nose - beautiful fruit and smoky character, a lot of blackberry on the palate, very full bodied but silky smooth, palate-coating, LONG finish, very beautiful wine.
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10/22/2009 - ews3 wrote: 89 Points
2009 Wine Spectator NYWE Grand Tasting (Marriott Marquis, Times Square, NYC): much more traditional in style. drying tannins. currant. sour in midpalate. hot finish surprises.
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7/12/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 94 Points
Full-bodied, ruby purple color, aromatically opens up during hour of decanting-cherry, blackberry,lead pencil, smoke and earth. This is ripe and balanced, with soft and silky tannins that linger deliciously in the mouth. Lovely and and long finish.
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5/14/2009 - Edward A wrote: 95 Points
Binny's Chateau Haut-Brion Seminar (Binny's South Loop, Chicago, IL): Medium garnet color. Leathery nose with bright fruit penetrating through. Full-bodied with powerful dark fruits. Long finish. Delicious!
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5/14/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Haut-Brion Seminar (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Nice Old World funkyness not present in the '04 or '06. Love it.
Brighter fruit with more intensity than the other two as well.
Chalk, red clay, baking spices like nutmeg, some nice herbaciousness and woody floor.
Tons of layered brownish red stuff. Really intriguing and unique.
Pristine balance in the finish. Awesome! I really enjoy '03 Bordeaux as a whole.
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1/25/2009 - jordanj wrote: 93 Points
After 4 hours of air…... Medium to dark color. Certainly youthful. The nose is fragrant (but young), as it should be. It possesses nice aromas of roasted coffee beans, tar, some wood, sweet dark fruits (blackberry and plums) a touch of leather and a very sweet slight floral component (I would describe this as a floral version of underbrush that almost teases as cinnamon). The nose has decent focus and detail. The taste of this wine is just down right killer. It is very flavorful and shows pretty good balance if not on lighter side. I have found other left bank wines to have more plush and ripeness to it than this bottle. The finish is nice while dominated by herbs.
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10/24/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting.
This wine's overall character was different from the other's - especially those on the ticket table.
This wine's color was more of a deep ruby than the more opaque others.
The wine showed lighter berries with very intriguing spice.
Lighter in style but still awesome depth and complexity.
The finish went on and on for at least 45 seconds though it was as elegant a Bordeaux as I've ever sampled.
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10/20/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Made from a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend owith only 40% Merlot, the wine opens with deep, dark color and plumy aromatics. In the mouth, the wine kicks off with a wonderful, large mouthful of ripe, roasted, chocolate covered, black fruits. Very rich and concentrated. This is a wine for hedonists with its decadent style. When asked how La Mission turned out so much better in 03 than its neighbor across the street, Haut Brion, Jean-Philippe Delmas coyly smiled, answering, “The French have a special word for it. Perhaps you know it. Terroir”! It was a very funny moment.
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10/13/2008 - Roberto_1 wrote: 95 Points
Dark color, nose of young, powerful graves. I could smell this for hours imaging what it will become. This vintage is more dense and powerful than lighter vintages of La Mission. Licorice, tar and dark fruits marked the nose. On the palate the wine had deep, rich, fruit and round, ripe tannins on the finish. The wine did not taste out of balance like many '03 Bordeaux have to me. This wine is just larger-scaled and needs time. One of the best young wines I've had in a while. Outstanding.
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7/30/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Popped and poured after cracking a virgin case in Siggy's cellar. Wow, very satisfying. The nose is an impressive blend of red fruit, spice and tar. Not nearly as expressive as the other bottles of LMHB tasted this night, but excellent none-the-less. However, in the mouth this was the most explosive wine of the night. Expansive. Balanced. Good, rich flavors of red and black fruits, spice tar and earth. Plenty tannic for now, but they're sweet and not distracting. Great finish. Impressive now, but should develop nicely with additional time.
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7/30/2008 - Siggy wrote: 94 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Popped and poured while hanging out in my cellar after dinner. Fantastic aromatics that lead to a full-throttle, expansive palate of blackberries, smoke, licorice, and scorched earth. Still very tightly wound. Great texture. The oak and tannin are formidable and nowhere near integrated, but do not obscure this wine's terrifically pure fruit and layers of secondary flavors. This is beginning to be approachable but should really reward 5+ more years of cellaring. My WOTN.
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4/18/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Haut Brion & La Mission Haut Brion Tasting Dinner (Martin Weiner's home in Westwood, Los Angeles, California): Medium cherry red color; big oaky, cherry, berry nose; tight but solid tart cherry palate with soft texture, a little acidity, one dimensional now; medium-plus finish
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11/6/2007 - MRichman wrote:
La Mission Haut Brion vertical (Jean Georges/Nougat, NYC): Sweet core with dark tar center. Hot, big & powerful. Ripe tannins, a bit rough. Some herbal notes and tobacco poking through.
B++
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11/6/2007 - bsherwin wrote:
LMHB Vertical (Jean Georges): A bit like a barrel sample, it showed a hint of what it could become and then disappeared. Very powerful and extremely well structured, it showed good depth with sweet and smoky blackberry, roasted herbs and graphite, giving way to more and more graphite as the tannic bite took over and it clamped down tight. I don't think this will be a profound wine and should show austere for a while, but I think that it will eventually be a compelling offering.
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1/21/2007 - JasonD wrote: 96 Points
Great wine, very balanced and complex. There is a bit of oak showing but it is not over the top.
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