Subsequent notes on this wine from about 2 years ago. Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of mature & fully developed, ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries, & cassis with classic cigar box overtones of tobacco & cedar, floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, leather, gravel, rust/iron, herbs, spices, minerals & a hint of sous-bois in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with earthy/dusty, cocoa/coffee, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 41 years of age it appears to be at its peak of development. I wouldn't expect any further development from additional aging. Fill at bottom of neck right below capsule; cork was stained all the way but intact. This particular bottle showed better than the one from two years ago. I have been impressed by the showings of older La Mission Haut Brions from unheralded vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Deep black fruit, cassis and amazing signature cigar tobacco on the nose. Perfume of leather, florals, stone and hot brick coming through. Such a Pessac nose as this opens. Palate: Focused dark fruit that quickly gives way to leather, old library, cedar and some faded red berry notes. Touch of VA here in the balsamic note, but it is not distracting. Finish: Closed a bit rough and ready with the age showing clearly in the tart black fruit and green tobacco notes.
This opened very shy and tight. Coiled, inky and almost a brooding saline note on the nose. This remains a favorite from LMBH that flies a bit under the big vintages, yet expresses the character of the chateau really well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage: Six Bordeaux titans. Each bottle exceeded our expectations, showcasing classic Bordeaux structures, bursting with freshness, tension, and an invigorating verve. The perfect harmony of tertiary aromas and a robust fruit core was mesmerizing. 1983 has produced some great wines drinking in their prime today. For me, the Latour, scoring a stellar 97 points, was the standout star. Yet, by a narrow margin, the group’s heart went to the Cheval Blanc.
TN: Intense and expressive from the first sniff to the long finish. Full, classic Pessac tobacco galore, dark ripe fruit and alongside some earthy minerality and black truffles notes. No hard edges anymore but with good tension and freshness. Balanced and complete.
Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption which worked wonders for all wines.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist.
Tasting note: Double-decanted. Aging notes of sous-bois along with a fine red cherry fruit, mineral notes of graphite and dried herbs. Fresh and very present palate. In this direct face-off this came in a notch ahead of Haut Brion ’83.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good and drinking beautifully now with mostly ameliorated tannins and a soft, refined texture. Classic Claret but it's a bit hollow in the middle and lacking the depth of the best vintages. The finish is crisp and complex with notes of cigar box and cedar spice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First hit on the nose brought big, dark aromas of chipotle pepper, molé sauce, and baked plum. There's a bit of raisin but it's decorated with fresher ingredients as well, so it prevents it from seeming tired. Chocolate emerges, along with dried violets. The tannins are supple, integrated, velvety. Medium weight, balanced acidity, long finish with no bitterness. Fascinating and superb! Probably still has another decade of life left in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark color, deep garnet. Complex nose of dark fruit, lead pencil, leaves and hints for tobacco. Full body, with resolved tannins that give a feeling of clay on the long finish. This is in a great place a quite enjoyable to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A celebration of 1983: From 3L. Pretty nose with dark fruit, leather, forest, and lots of black and red fruit. Nice balance on the palate with more (surprisingly primary) fruit flavors, tobacco, and forest floor. Long finish. This was very lovely and one of my favorites. Next to the Haut Brion it felt a bit more tamer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
40th anniversary wine for my parents, drunk on Father’s Day. Bottom of neck fill. Cork soaked about halfway up. Came out easily and intact with a Durand. Decanted ~45 min prior to the first glass. Pours a light purple with considerable bricking. There’s an initial funk on the nose, giving mildly fermented stewed fruit, wet leaves, tobacco, smoked meats, and lapsang souchong. At first, we really just get a dry wooden and sour glass, similar to a sherry. It suggests it’s not an ideal bottle, lightly corked maybe, but time tells a happier tale than that suggests. By the end of one hour, this really perked up and more silky red cassis emerged. There’s even a bit of tannic grip left. With a lot of swirling, elements of fruit woke up and brought some sweet black fruit, tobacco, cedar, and a lot of mineral on a long finish rife with clear acid. This was my first aged bordeaux, and it was chock full of tertiary elements but I think at the expense of some fruit. Nonetheless this was an actually quite enjoyable drink that hints at greatness had the vessel been slightly better stored or time been kinder.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Top shelf 1983 Bordeaux (Chicago, IL): More fruit-forward than the Haut-Brion. There's a really nice minerality here that I really like as well as good overall weight and breadth. With some air, a distinct blood orange rind aroma develops that is quite intriguing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fruit is deep and rich, slightly dirty and metallic at first but mostly cleaned up with air. I’ve never tasted 83’ LMHB before so I don’t have anything to compare this to, but my assumption is that this half bottle tonight probably isn’t a perfect representation of the vintage. Still quite tasty! Just not particularly memorable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium body. Barnyard funk on the nose, which persists after opening and doesn’t abate. Benefits from a 30-60mim decant to balance out a bit, initially just a bit tight. Some pepper and spice on the palate. Nice balance and harmony. I don’t mind the sauvage but to some it’s off putting. Drinking beautifully.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of mature, ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries, & cassis with classic cigar box overtones of tobacco & cedar, floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, leather, gravel, rust, herbs, spices, minerals & a hint of mint in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with earthy/dusty, cocoa/coffee, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present and at 39 years of age, it appears to be at its peak of development. I wouldn't expect any further development from further aging. Fill at bottom of neck right at the shoulder level; cork was stained 1/2 the way up but fully intact upon opening.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Velvety, harmonious with a classic La Mission flavor profile. A touch of tobacco sweetness, just the right amount. This bottle had another 10 years in it but no reason to wait, can’t imagine it gets better than this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consistent notes from same source. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of cooked black fruits, spices, toast, cedar wood, earth. Medium acidity and tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Doing a 2nd TN on this wine in such short order to only point out that this 2nd bottle was decanted for over an hour and it made a noticeable difference - otherwise tasting experience and notes very similar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking tremendously well but at this point needs a bit of air up front - 1 bottle left and will do a quick 30-60 minute decant with that. Prime with no degradation noted, lovely secondary and tertiary notes but tannins all gone so this is definitely now a drink not hold, no further upside to continued cellaring and likely will start to degrade some in the next 3-5 years. Dark purple, peripheral bricking present, completely integrated, soft silky mouth feel, medium bodied and medium long aftertaste. Nose initially quite muted then the funk came on which blew over in 5-10 minutes with an underlying beautiful floral and smoky nose. Very complex flavors of more cedar then oak, dark cherry, earth, tar, floral notes, graphite and then baking spices on the late palate / aftertaste. Highly recommend but need to start drinking up any remaining holdings.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Kevin's btl tonight w/Vincent's fabulous 9 course dinner with 12 close wine buddies at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis marking my retirement in days. And the hits just keep on coming! Another enchanting BDX to Brad's '89 Pichon Baron. Classic Pessac La Mish aromatics of cigar ash, cedar and dark fruit with equally enticing dark fruit, mineral, spice and dark chocolate flavors delivered with velvety & persistent elegance. Quite satisfying. 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Craig's Retirement Party (Minikahda Club, Mpls): A stunning bottle that is simply sublime in all ways. This has a perfusive perfume of pencil, violets, mulberry, cassis, tar, leather, and mint. The palate is all encompassing, texturally alluring, with such vivid dark fruits of cassis, mulberry, and creme de cassis, pencil, leather, tar and fine spice notes. Ultra long, head turning and harmonious, this is one that just reverberates through you with grace and charm. This is in a great place, but it should easily go for another 20 years. My WOTN in a crazy group of wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork fell apart on opening. Had no effect on the wine. While decanting an abundance of fruit aroma. That faded into graphite and lavender. Extraordinarily dark. Has many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Open for business but needs 2+ hours in a decanter to show it. Layered and full in the mouth with unique flavors of charred earth, dark red fruits and smoky gravel. The finish is smooth and complex with notes of pure Graves essence. This grew in stature throughout the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decant and pour. Nose of dark cherry and spice with a little gaminess. Flavors of leather and earth, dark fruits. Light to medium body, tastes a little thin. Good balance. Medium complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The cork fell apart but this wine was still in very good shape. On the fuller side, with quite a lot of fruit and acutally quite tannic. This wine probably needs another 5 years or so. Anyway, a great wine and a pleasure to drink and very Grave. My third vintage of this wine: 1983, 1998, and 2006. They have all been great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pronounced nose of smoke, charr wood, dark black fruits, spices, leather, barnyard, wet forest. Need slow ox or decanted for the wine to wake up. Bottle was pristine and in very good ullage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fresh and fruity at first open, while I sampled as I quickly decanted and put back in the bottle and corked it to bring to dinner. A very strong barnyard characteristic developed over the course of a few hours. Flavors of gamey meats and dark fruits. Nice balance. We happened to also drink a 1989 Lynch Bages alongside, which overshadowed La Mission with wonderful fruit and pencil shaving characteristics and a bright fruity finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wife's Birthday dinner with family. Variable case. 3.5yrs since my last. Very crumbly cork - nonetheless having forced cork in and decanted through a fine filter in excellent fettle. Lots of brulé, charred elements. Earth. Core of mature concentrated dark fruits and all very integrated and mellow with enough gentle acidity to hold it together. Nonetheless very much an elegant fading lady if still (just) up there! One to go - for drinking soon based on this bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 1983 La Mission Haut Brion is resolved and drinking really well today. Low pitched earthy dark fruits, smoked meat, gravels of Pessac and smooth mixed fruits. Medium bodied and graceful, good concentration in the context of the vintage. Drinking at peak. (89-90/100)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Small glass at Paulee Bdx dinner (lost my notes). My surprise wine of the night vs expectations. I kept the glass for an hour as I really loved it and did not fall off. Beautiful mature Bordeaux, quite dark in the glass still, this will hold for another 20 years. But it is just sublime today. Side by side the 01 LMHB this was the one to open and drink today and much better than HB81.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My 300th post - Dinner @ Shao Frankel + Blind Tasting: So I brought this bottle, my first La Mission, hoping that this will be something special. And indeed this was.
I read from RP’s notes that this was the first vintage by Jean Delmas, under which La Mission became more “refined, polished and sophisticated”. Nose of black fruits, black cherries, tobacco, herbs, earth, spices and smoke. Palate of black cherries, tobacco, cigar box, herbs, figs, terroir, lead pencil shavings, with a long, long, (very) long spiced eucalyptus and smoked mouthfill and a peppery finish. In fact, this had one of the best finishes I’ve ever had. Complex and sophisticated yet balanced, weightless, rounded. Ethereal and age-defying - this bottle was singing and tasted much younger than it should be. Refined and structured. Resolved, soft tannins and full of life. I guess these are hallmarks of a great La Mission. This is at its peak and truly built to last by its producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tobacco, eucalyptus, leather with fully resolved tannins and fruit wonderfully alive. At its peak; the sort of bottle that reminds you why you drink Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Black cherry, kirsch, graphite, baked brick and embers. Palate: Deeply textured and full of weighty black cherry, stone, brick, tobacco, smoke and thyme. Such a beautiful example of Pessac terroir. Finish: red and black fruit notes with beautiful cedar, tobacco and stone.
Terroir shines in this wine and it is unmistakable as LMHB. Never overlook vintages that are not considered 'epics' at LMHB this is every bit as good as the 86, 79 and 94. Very satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haut Brion/Mission Dinner: Tobacco, eucalyptus, barnyard notes, porcini, massive tannins, powerful! Still on the young side. I will wait another 5 years with further bottles
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big Guns: Burgs and Bordeaux at Bellecour (Bellecour, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. Slow-O-ed for 5 hours. This was classic Graves; filled with scorched earth and tar, graphite, cassis, silky and long with a medium full body and the finish goes on for at least a minute. A wow wine in the glass, really pretty and energetic this has a youthful edge at 35 years that says I'm still getting better. This can go for a long, long time. In retrospect, I wish I would have decanted for a bit as this was just singing after an hour and 45 minutes in glass. 94+ to 95pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Same Btl as Brad E & R&Rler. Thanks Kevin! Another splendid BDX tonight that amazingly at 35 years likely still has some upside. A soulful and a deep wine with still emerging layers, but fantastic tonight. 94pt+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I had the privilege of drinking this wine at a blind tasting yesterday night. Impressesly this wine still in a great shape, it was decanted for over 2 hours and then consumed at the end of the night, no problem!
It's smooth and balance like a first cru, I can drink this wine all night long.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From half bottle, the first HB/LMHB and the first mature Graves for me. Smooth, fine tannins, moderate-low acidity, and a sweet rich palate. Some Graves spice and burnt earth intermixed with secondary aromas like cedar and dried cherries. Everything is in the right place with this wine and very enjoyable but the half bottle has definitely come off its plateau. I imagine that the bottle version should be at the latter stages of its plateau as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In spite of a fragile saturated cork, the best bottle in this high but mixed quality case so far. 2hr decant. Immense concentration of earthy, strappy and brûlée hedge berry and plum aromas. On the palate, additional truffle and black fruits with charred oak: an almost viscous feel. Molasses-like richness with a core of integrated acidity producing a perfectly balanced and very long dry finish. As good as this vintage could produce. Variability within my dozen demands that this be drunk with a backup soon - but if you have a consistent quality case should be good for at least another 5 years or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dried rose, fig, English tea, clove, raisin, black pepper, savoury, cedar, vanilla, earth, leather, milk chocolate. Medium to full body, good acidty, with abundant ripe soft grainy tannins. It melts in midpalate with waves of complex and concentrated flavours, so long finish. Terrific balance. While still can hold up for years, best to drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 11/4/2016-11/5/2016 (Chicago, IL): Quite classic, as far as Bordeaux is concerned. The nose shows a lot of ripe fruit, as well as a great dose of dirt. A touch of leather rounds out an otherwise very, very clean nose. The palate shows textbook secondary characteristics, with some dried fruit, coupled with the same earthy tones. The tannins are still very, very chewy, and given how much fruit this is showing, I suspect this still has a fair bit of aging potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez très élégant, évolué et complexe de boite à cigares, fumée, épices, cersies noires... en bouche les tannins sont totalement intégrés... absolument délicieux, mais à boire!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Magnum. Mid ruby, quite full at the core. Lovely nose of tobacco, warm cobbles, slightly briary dark red fruit and a touch of cedar. Similar on palate with reasonable density, a mid-weight texture with fine tannins and good acidity. Very harmonious. Really lovely without being top flight — a hint of richness to the fruit, but in line with rather than surpassing vintage expectations. A touch more density and slightly more harmonious than an 83 Cantemerle earlier in the week, but not streets apart qualitatively. A very satisfying and lovely drink though. ****1/2
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very rich, black fruited with lots of tobacco and tar. Almost Barolo levels of tar. Chewy and showing barely secondary levels of development. Suspect this bottle would be even better in 20 years time!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful Graves nose of stones, earth,and dark fruit. Incredibly young and structured; balanced fruit with formidable tannins. This wine will last a very long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Bordeaux Blind (Edina, MN): Tasted blind with approximately 90 minute decant. Rustic, funky nose, but also with nice notes of caramel and smoke. Ruby to garnet color with some bricking. Rich red fruit profile clings to and hangs on the palette. Velvety tannin. Finishes long. I guessed '86 Prieuré-Lichine. Drinking fantastic. This bottle from Benchmark Wine Group.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich amazing how young this wine still is!! Dark cherries, cocoa, leather smooth silky, oak and somewhat tannic. Mild smoke and pepper . Gorgeous full body
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Tasting of 13 reds, 1 white and 1 Champagne at Behrens am Kai in Dusseldorf
5th Flight together with Haut Brion 1983
cherries, coffee, mocca, cocoa powder, tobacco, a lot of fruit and minerality, crispy acidity, for me more Italy or Spain than California, a was suprised of left bank Bx, reluctant, elegant but with much power, very long finish, feels more aged than HB, but still at least one decade ahead
For me both equal with 98 points, If I had to choice I would prefer the LMHB with of the complexity and elegance
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red in color with slight brownish rim. Showing well with nice secondary flavors, not a blockbuster but drinking well and will continue to do so for years to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The color hasn't evolved much - still youthful purple in appearance. This is a very powerful La Mission offering lots of grip and intensity even at 32 years. Took around 20-30mins to come around in the decanter - offering intense smoke, smoky black cherry, cedar, crushed rock. I really love this wine and I think it will certainly have a long life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened along side with 81 Vega Silica Unicon, 82 Lych Bages, 85 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 86 Pichon Lalande and 88 Mouton Rothschild. The best was LB, then VS, Mouton and PL, then this one, and then DB. The ones in better vintages showed better structure and complexity. This La Mission was very smoky on the nose after an hour in decanter. Tobacco and cigar box on the nose. Lots of blue cherries, rose petal, spices, charcoal with smooth structure in the palate. Medium finish. This is surprisingly young!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strong, and I mean strong, earthiness upon opening, although nose was a bit on the flat side. Licorice core was present throughout, unmistakably Haut Brion. Surprisingly concentrated and buttoned up given its age. But it opened up and mellowed nicely after about an hour and a half, developing a pleasant, almost perfume-like, lavender scent. Overall a nice wine but, at this stage, probably not worth the price you'll pay for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Early family Xmas get together for pro-chef son who will be plying his trade on 25th! Limited note taking. Two bottles separately decanted for 2hrs. Identical profiles. As per earlier notes aromas of hedge fruit, charred oak truffle and earthiness. Concentrated; brûlée dark berry fruit flavours with the liquorice oak fully integrated as are the dusty tannins. Immensely long and splendid accompaniment to our rib of beef and follow on platter of English cheeses. Superb and should be good for another 5 years or so - albeit nothing particularly to be gained by holding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purchased recently at auction as 1983 is my son's birth year, so perhaps storage was a factor. Wine was very muted and while it exhibited some delicacy and earthiness, you had to really focus on it to get much. If you've got any drink it or better yet sell it. Disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet, ruby colour, quite open on the nose with some cedar, tobacco, touch of cherry fruit. The problem is on the palate- it is clearly drying up, has a large gap in the mid palate and does not have much stuffing. For $200 a bottle there are so many wines superior to this so I sadly cannot recommend this to fellow drinkers. This was bought on release by my father so no issue with storage or provenance. Perhaps we should have drunk it sooner. A sad loss!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle first tasted via Coravin in September 2013 and then opened in May 2014 with no perceptible difference. My third 1980's La Mission and fourth overall, and the first one that taught me what all the fuss is about. Remarkably powerful and expressive for what I believe was a good-not-great year in Graves. The dominant notes are ripe cassis, signature Graves smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and mint, with a strong cocoa taste revealing itself at the finish. Full-bodied but not heavy, with refreshing acid and moderate tannin. This is so concentrated I'm not even sure it's at peak yet. This vintage often sells for under $200 retail, and as first growth-level French wines go I think it's a steal at that price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
New Year's Eve dinner. Two bottles in excellent fettle decanted together in a magnum decanter for 3 hours. As per my earlier note from Christmas 2012 but showing a tad more fruit than I remembered through the majestic charred frame - thus an extra point. No rush to drink this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened, decanted and drank over 4 hours. Initially started off a bit tight, but really opened up after 30 min and kept in the same place for the rest of the time. The aromatics were a seductive mix of red currant, berry, damp earth/gravel, wet tobacco and an interesting minty note. Very expansive on the palate and the same fruit comes through. Good sweetness of fruit left on the palate. Structure comes out on the finish. Nice energy and power to the wine. Delicious!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Someone brought this to dinner a tasting at a friends house and I think the travelling had an effect. We let it stand for 3 hours before opening, but from the stain on the inside of the bottle, you could see that there was a lot of sediment. The nose was complex, but more closed than I would have expected and without the purity I was expecting. Reminded me a bit of the disappointing 94 I had a few Xmases ago. Lots going on in the mouth, but I think the sediment was getting in the way and this in the end was nothing more that a good, but not great, old Bordeaux. Love to try it again though from a bottle that had either been left to stand or had been properly decanted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pronounced, earthy, mushrooms, truffel, mint tobacco, tree moss, gamey, leather. Extractfull, fleshy and somehow muscular, concentrated and thick tannins. Medium+ minty and meaty finish. Fresh but concentrated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Upon inspecting the bottle, I was most disappointed that they used courier as a font, and was worried that this might affect the conditioning of the bottle. However, my fears were allayed, as the wine displayed considerable finesse in the glass. A wonderful bouquet and a depth of penetration on the palate not seen since my honeymoon. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A real monster. Tarry brûlée smoky nose. Bricking but still deep colour. Charred oak, leather and bitter cherry fruit flavour with fabulous length that complemented our Christmas goose perfectly. Over-decanted (4 hours instead of 1 I intended) due to unexpected delay in wife being discharged after 5 days from hospital Xmas day evening (drop kicked by horse - ouch!!). Played havoc with food, but wine seemed to be sublimely unaffected. Look forward to consuming my remaining 11 bottles over the next 5+ years. May even get a higher mark with proper preparation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Graves, nose of lint bandages, earth, gravel and tobacco, beautiful. Lovely mature flavour, earthy red fruits, lean and a touch austere but as it should be, very refined and good length. Quite meaty and dense. Great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What a beautiful LMHB. I was expecting a thin, dying wine, given the drinking range, but we were blown away by this wine's gorgeous expression. Decanted and drunk immediately, it was ready to go and improved over the next 90 minutes. While not youthful, the nose was pure elegance, with ripe fruits and tobacco in harmony. Although fully mature, this was sheer pleasure, and I regret that it was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank at the Napa Men's Lunch Club. Lighter body and nose which is almost all cedar wood and sour cherry. Almost all secondary notes on both the nose and palate. A great light bodied and refreshing red wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At Moderno with Jill: Simple pop and poured. Very aromatic. Dark deep rustic aromas with forest floor, dried berries, iron, and beef blood. Shouts mature Bordeaux fromt the get go. The palate was a bit hard initially with sour cherry edge, but in time filled out nicely with slightly tart herbal edge. A firm core of dried blackberry, still good life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. First impressions are pleasant; a powerful scent of leather and tobacco and a high-toned quality to the fruit with bright acids, but initially not showing the depth or finesse I'd expect from a LMHB. But with time those emerge as the acidity integrates nicely and the texture becomes more silken, and this starts to unfurl in the glass with layers of developed savoury earthy flavours, cigar smoke and herbal nuances emerging around the core of fresh, dark fruit. There's tremendous balance here, power conveyed with finesse and elegance, and this is a wonderful wine to sit down with and enjoy over a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank from magnum. Although a beautiful wine a little disappointing. Firm and full bodied wine with a lot of bitterness which is a bit drying in the finish. Not extremely harmonious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1983 La Mission Haut Brion offers leafy, cherry pipe tobacco, smoke and earthy aromatics. The wine displayed hints of green flavors with tart fruit in the soft textured finish. It's time to drink up. 87 Pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep garnet. Smoky black fruits on nose and palate, this is spicier, and (unsurprisingly) shows more development than the 1990. Less impressive than that wine - perhaps an unfair comparative?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Dark, savoury and spicy, overshadowed by the 1990, but this is a lovely wine in its own right - on the two previous occasions I've had this I've given it a very high mark (94). I don't think this bottle was inferior, it was just in grander company
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely old bordeaux. Hadn't tasted '83 LMHB for nearly ten years and, while the nose is still very attractive, the smells don't surge out of the glass as they had in the past. Nice color still and tannins shed. Taste still solid-not watery or fading seriously. Approaching age 30, wouldn't wait much longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
cork was popped, tasted about a hour and a half after. The nose was so powerful on this wine, it just exploded out of the glass with tons of earth, tobacco, dark lean fruit with a big chunk of meatiness sticking out at the top. The earthiness is the most prominent characteristic on the palate, there is fruit and some more mature notes of woodiness but the earth frames a rather lean profile. A long brooding finish sour blackberry and tobacco with soft resolved tannins. I wish the mid palate matched the depth of the nose and the finish (which were absolutely delightful), but alas... what can you expect from my pitiful birth year?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My 1st aged LMHB. Stunning bottle is at its prime. Super classic of clean mineral, damp pebbles, light black fruits, cassis, with sometimes ahead of it. Still big and strong with sweet nice & smooth tannin. Average aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and drunk after 2 hours. Slight fading at the rim but a deep garnet core - right for its age. Very expressive nose with all the typical Graves scents: earth, gravel, tobacco, black tea, medicinal hints and with black fruits in the background - lovely and lifting. To taste, very correct, rather tannic and quite lean - a typical 1983 as well as Graves. Deep black fruits flavour and years of life ahead of it still but too lean for me to really like it. A bit austere. The flavour doesn't quite live up to the bouquet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Possesses an impressive nose featuring an expressive blend of dark fruit, tar, tobacco and leather reminiscent of the great vintages of LMHB. While this has a really, really satisfying nose, it is not nearly as satisfying on the palate. There's plenty of flavor, but the fruit tastes a little overripe, and the overall palate impressive is a bit ponderous. Tannins are fully resolved. Nice stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Dark maroon color. Terrific aromatics: caramel, dark fruit, tobacco, and scorched earth. On the palate, this is ripe and low in acid, and while there is plenty of concentrated dark fruit and earth, the flavors are mature-tasting and the overall impression is one of heaviness. This is interesting but tiring out, and it lacks the finesse, minerality, and freshness that I associate with La Mish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sterner, more primary, tannins less evolved. Dark fruit and tobacco. Actually seems less evolved than other bottle from same source I carried to goodbye dinner for David Wainwright couple years ago. I like this a lot, but more for potential than right now. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at a London offline with BirDungy at The Arches. Purchased off wine list for BP 115. Incredible nose and wonderfully structured. Better than the ’83 LLC and reminiscent of the excellent ’85 La Mish. Can drink now or continue cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still dark, dense for an '83, rich, savoury cedar and coal, but also deep brambly fruit too, harmonious finish - lovely claret, probably at its peak, but will last a long time yet, I'd guess
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stilll a lovely wine which I decanted this time for about 3 hours prior to drinking. Heavy typical Graves nose with some tannins still left. Not a blockbuster but at it's peak right now and probably sliding a bit towards the downside. Drink now and through the next 2-4 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting seven Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, seventh place. Bright dull red color in the glass. Nice rich but sharp nose of dark fruit with a hint of tar, more of the same on the palate, nice wine, medium finish with hints of cherry cough drops, nice acid showing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby with a bit of brick - has the look of early maturity. Mature smell - game and meat - not amazing but classy. Excellent claret smell. Balance! Glycerine - superb mineral flavours - excellent textbook stuff - nice length. Still has drying tannins on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Metallic nose with veggies, nice, red color, very rich taste but sour fruit, hints of veggies and metal here, lots of acid, pleasant but unstructured. My #7, Group #6 tie.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1983 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Orange/red brick in the glass, intense fruit, lots of fruit but a bit tired on the nose, opened more in the mouth, and also on the finish, pleasant, dried perfume on the nose, well balanced, bit, too much acid on the finish with hints of cedar and coffee, best feature is the finish today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
opaque brick - very dense fading to bricky pink - no browning. Minty smokey tobacco aromas. Quite sweet fruit - very complex nose - some eucalyptus qualities. Great oak handling. Toasty vanilla smells - quite ripe but not opulent. Very smokey tobacco taste. Nice fine grained and mouth puckering tannins - very long tobacco finish. Medium bodied earthy taste that is starting to open and mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Varnish. Over-ripe. Unattractive fruit. Some spice. Is it corked? Parker, who was moderating the tasting, did not think so and called it “surprisingly developed” but perhaps he tasted from a different bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/5/2024 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium body. 1-2 hour decant necessary to soften this up. Nice graphite, dark bold fruit and barnyard funk in harmony. Beautiful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2024 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Subsequent notes on this wine from about 2 years ago. Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of mature & fully developed, ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries, & cassis with classic cigar box overtones of tobacco & cedar, floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, leather, gravel, rust/iron, herbs, spices, minerals & a hint of sous-bois in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with earthy/dusty, cocoa/coffee, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 41 years of age it appears to be at its peak of development. I wouldn't expect any further development from additional aging. Fill at bottom of neck right below capsule; cork was stained all the way but intact. This particular bottle showed better than the one from two years ago. I have been impressed by the showings of older La Mission Haut Brions from unheralded vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2024 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Deep black fruit, cassis and amazing signature cigar tobacco on the nose. Perfume of leather, florals, stone and hot brick coming through. Such a Pessac nose as this opens. Palate: Focused dark fruit that quickly gives way to leather, old library, cedar and some faded red berry notes. Touch of VA here in the balsamic note, but it is not distracting. Finish: Closed a bit rough and ready with the age showing clearly in the tart black fruit and green tobacco notes.
This opened very shy and tight. Coiled, inky and almost a brooding saline note on the nose. This remains a favorite from LMBH that flies a bit under the big vintages, yet expresses the character of the chateau really well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2023 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage: Six Bordeaux titans. Each bottle exceeded our expectations, showcasing classic Bordeaux structures, bursting with freshness, tension, and an invigorating verve. The perfect harmony of tertiary aromas and a robust fruit core was mesmerizing. 1983 has produced some great wines drinking in their prime today. For me, the Latour, scoring a stellar 97 points, was the standout star. Yet, by a narrow margin, the group’s heart went to the Cheval Blanc.
TN: Intense and expressive from the first sniff to the long finish. Full, classic Pessac tobacco galore, dark ripe fruit and alongside some earthy minerality and black truffles notes. No hard edges anymore but with good tension and freshness. Balanced and complete.
Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption which worked wonders for all wines.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2023 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
40 years on: A global 1983 retrospective: Dark fruit, plums, irish moss, raspberries (?), good length. Just slightly behind Haut Brion today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist.
Tasting note:
Double-decanted. Aging notes of sous-bois along with a fine red cherry fruit, mineral notes of graphite and dried herbs. Fresh and very present palate. In this direct face-off this came in a notch ahead of Haut Brion ’83.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good and drinking beautifully now with mostly ameliorated tannins and a soft, refined texture. Classic Claret but it's a bit hollow in the middle and lacking the depth of the best vintages. The finish is crisp and complex with notes of cigar box and cedar spice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2023 - Jack Cranley Likes this wine: 95 Points
First hit on the nose brought big, dark aromas of chipotle pepper, molé sauce, and baked plum. There's a bit of raisin but it's decorated with fresher ingredients as well, so it prevents it from seeming tired. Chocolate emerges, along with dried violets. The tannins are supple, integrated, velvety. Medium weight, balanced acidity, long finish with no bitterness. Fascinating and superb!
Probably still has another decade of life left in it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2023 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark color, deep garnet. Complex nose of dark fruit, lead pencil, leaves and hints for tobacco. Full body, with resolved tannins that give a feeling of clay on the long finish. This is in a great place a quite enjoyable to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2023 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
A celebration of 1983: From 3L. Pretty nose with dark fruit, leather, forest, and lots of black and red fruit. Nice balance on the palate with more (surprisingly primary) fruit flavors, tobacco, and forest floor. Long finish. This was very lovely and one of my favorites. Next to the Haut Brion it felt a bit more tamer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2023 - Bagwhat Likes this wine: 93 Points
40th anniversary wine for my parents, drunk on Father’s Day.
Bottom of neck fill. Cork soaked about halfway up. Came out easily and intact with a Durand. Decanted ~45 min prior to the first glass.
Pours a light purple with considerable bricking.
There’s an initial funk on the nose, giving mildly fermented stewed fruit, wet leaves, tobacco, smoked meats, and lapsang souchong.
At first, we really just get a dry wooden and sour glass, similar to a sherry. It suggests it’s not an ideal bottle, lightly corked maybe, but time tells a happier tale than that suggests. By the end of one hour, this really perked up and more silky red cassis emerged. There’s even a bit of tannic grip left. With a lot of swirling, elements of fruit woke up and brought some sweet black fruit, tobacco, cedar, and a lot of mineral on a long finish rife with clear acid.
This was my first aged bordeaux, and it was chock full of tertiary elements but I think at the expense of some fruit. Nonetheless this was an actually quite enjoyable drink that hints at greatness had the vessel been slightly better stored or time been kinder.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Top shelf 1983 Bordeaux (Chicago, IL): More fruit-forward than the Haut-Brion. There's a really nice minerality here that I really like as well as good overall weight and breadth. With some air, a distinct blood orange rind aroma develops that is quite intriguing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2023 - geoffreychambertin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Everything you want from old Bordeaux. At peak.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2023 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fruit is deep and rich, slightly dirty and metallic at first but mostly cleaned up with air. I’ve never tasted 83’ LMHB before so I don’t have anything to compare this to, but my assumption is that this half bottle tonight probably isn’t a perfect representation of the vintage. Still quite tasty! Just not particularly memorable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2022 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium body. Barnyard funk on the nose, which persists after opening and doesn’t abate. Benefits from a 30-60mim decant to balance out a bit, initially just a bit tight. Some pepper and spice on the palate. Nice balance and harmony. I don’t mind the sauvage but to some it’s off putting. Drinking beautifully.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2022 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of mature, ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries, & cassis with classic cigar box overtones of tobacco & cedar, floral notes of violets, earthy/dusty, leather, gravel, rust, herbs, spices, minerals & a hint of mint in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with earthy/dusty, cocoa/coffee, herbs, minerals & a hint of oak. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present and at 39 years of age, it appears to be at its peak of development. I wouldn't expect any further development from further aging. Fill at bottom of neck right at the shoulder level; cork was stained 1/2 the way up but fully intact upon opening.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2022 - Wineisfordrinking wrote: 94 Points
Velvety, harmonious with a classic La Mission flavor profile. A touch of tobacco sweetness, just the right amount. This bottle had another 10 years in it but no reason to wait, can’t imagine it gets better than this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistent notes from same source. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of cooked black fruits, spices, toast, cedar wood, earth. Medium acidity and tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2022 - ikkaariainen wrote: 97 Points
Doing a 2nd TN on this wine in such short order to only point out that this 2nd bottle was decanted for over an hour and it made a noticeable difference - otherwise tasting experience and notes very similar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of cooked black fruits, spices, toast, cedar wood. Medium acidity and tannin. Pristine bottle condition.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2021 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last and very much as per my September '20 note.
Excellent, but for drinking up over the next couple of years before it starts to fade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2021 - ikkaariainen Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking tremendously well but at this point needs a bit of air up front - 1 bottle left and will do a quick 30-60 minute decant with that. Prime with no degradation noted, lovely secondary and tertiary notes but tannins all gone so this is definitely now a drink not hold, no further upside to continued cellaring and likely will start to degrade some in the next 3-5 years. Dark purple, peripheral bricking present, completely integrated, soft silky mouth feel, medium bodied and medium long aftertaste. Nose initially quite muted then the funk came on which blew over in 5-10 minutes with an underlying beautiful floral and smoky nose. Very complex flavors of more cedar then oak, dark cherry, earth, tar, floral notes, graphite and then baking spices on the late palate / aftertaste. Highly recommend but need to start drinking up any remaining holdings.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2021 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Kevin's btl tonight w/Vincent's fabulous 9 course dinner with 12 close wine buddies at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis marking my retirement in days. And the hits just keep on coming! Another enchanting BDX to Brad's '89 Pichon Baron. Classic Pessac La Mish aromatics of cigar ash, cedar and dark fruit with equally enticing dark fruit, mineral, spice and dark chocolate flavors delivered with velvety & persistent elegance. Quite satisfying. 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 98 Points
Craig's Retirement Party (Minikahda Club, Mpls): A stunning bottle that is simply sublime in all ways. This has a perfusive perfume of pencil, violets, mulberry, cassis, tar, leather, and mint. The palate is all encompassing, texturally alluring, with such vivid dark fruits of cassis, mulberry, and creme de cassis, pencil, leather, tar and fine spice notes. Ultra long, head turning and harmonious, this is one that just reverberates through you with grace and charm. This is in a great place, but it should easily go for another 20 years. My WOTN in a crazy group of wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2021 - ljl wrote: 93 Points
Cork fell apart on opening. Had no effect on the wine. While decanting an abundance of fruit aroma. That faded into graphite and lavender. Extraordinarily dark. Has many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Open for business but needs 2+ hours in a decanter to show it. Layered and full in the mouth with unique flavors of charred earth, dark red fruits and smoky gravel. The finish is smooth and complex with notes of pure Graves essence. This grew in stature throughout the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2021 - bbq_grandcru wrote: 91 Points
Decant and pour. Nose of dark cherry and spice with a little gaminess. Flavors of leather and earth, dark fruits. Light to medium body, tastes a little thin. Good balance. Medium complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2021 - Sundbyberg wrote: 95 Points
The cork fell apart but this wine was still in very good shape. On the fuller side, with quite a lot of fruit and acutally quite tannic. This wine probably needs another 5 years or so.
Anyway, a great wine and a pleasure to drink and very Grave.
My third vintage of this wine: 1983, 1998, and 2006. They have all been great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2021 - Sean Tay wrote: flawed
Faulty. Red dates, Chinese tea, smoke, hawthorn, chicken essence. Medium acidity and tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pronounced nose of smoke, charr wood, dark black fruits, spices, leather, barnyard, wet forest. Need slow ox or decanted for the wine to wake up. Bottle was pristine and in very good ullage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2021 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fresh and fruity at first open, while I sampled as I quickly decanted and put back in the bottle and corked it to bring to dinner. A very strong barnyard characteristic developed over the course of a few hours. Flavors of gamey meats and dark fruits. Nice balance. We happened to also drink a 1989 Lynch Bages alongside, which overshadowed La Mission with wonderful fruit and pencil shaving characteristics and a bright fruity finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2020 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wife's Birthday dinner with family.
Variable case. 3.5yrs since my last. Very crumbly cork - nonetheless having forced cork in and decanted through a fine filter in excellent fettle. Lots of brulé, charred elements. Earth. Core of mature concentrated dark fruits and all very integrated and mellow with enough gentle acidity to hold it together. Nonetheless very much an elegant fading lady if still (just) up there!
One to go - for drinking soon based on this bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2019 - Jammy Wine wrote: 89 Points
The 1983 La Mission Haut Brion is resolved and drinking really well today. Low pitched earthy dark fruits, smoked meat, gravels of Pessac and smooth mixed fruits. Medium bodied and graceful, good concentration in the context of the vintage. Drinking at peak. (89-90/100)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Small glass at Paulee Bdx dinner (lost my notes). My surprise wine of the night vs expectations. I kept the glass for an hour as I really loved it and did not fall off. Beautiful mature Bordeaux, quite dark in the glass still, this will hold for another 20 years. But it is just sublime today. Side by side the 01 LMHB this was the one to open and drink today and much better than HB81.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 96 Points
My 300th post - Dinner @ Shao Frankel + Blind Tasting: So I brought this bottle, my first La Mission, hoping that this will be something special. And indeed this was.
I read from RP’s notes that this was the first vintage by Jean Delmas, under which La Mission became more “refined, polished and sophisticated”. Nose of black fruits, black cherries, tobacco, herbs, earth, spices and smoke. Palate of black cherries, tobacco, cigar box, herbs, figs, terroir, lead pencil shavings, with a long, long, (very) long spiced eucalyptus and smoked mouthfill and a peppery finish. In fact, this had one of the best finishes I’ve ever had. Complex and sophisticated yet balanced, weightless, rounded. Ethereal and age-defying - this bottle was singing and tasted much younger than it should be. Refined and structured. Resolved, soft tannins and full of life. I guess these are hallmarks of a great La Mission. This is at its peak and truly built to last by its producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2019 - Nicephoras Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tobacco, eucalyptus, leather with fully resolved tannins and fruit wonderfully alive. At its peak; the sort of bottle that reminds you why you drink Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Black cherry, kirsch, graphite, baked brick and embers. Palate: Deeply textured and full of weighty black cherry, stone, brick, tobacco, smoke and thyme. Such a beautiful example of Pessac terroir. Finish: red and black fruit notes with beautiful cedar, tobacco and stone.
Terroir shines in this wine and it is unmistakable as LMHB. Never overlook vintages that are not considered 'epics' at LMHB this is every bit as good as the 86, 79 and 94. Very satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
La Mission Haut Brion with Jean-Philippe Delmas (Vaucluse Townhouse, New York): Firm tannins. The fruit is still very alive. Nice secondary notes. This is at a perfect drinking plateau today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2018 - DaleW wrote:
Quite young , cassis with smoke and pencil shavings, earth. Some pipe tobacco and herb notes with air. Lively and classy. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2018 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Haut Brion/Mission Dinner: Tobacco, eucalyptus, barnyard notes, porcini, massive tannins, powerful! Still on the young side. I will wait another 5 years with further bottles
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2018 - BradE wrote:
Not sure if I've had this vintage before. A great bottle, that literally held it's own with a 61 side by side. Loved it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Big Guns: Burgs and Bordeaux at Bellecour (Bellecour, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. Slow-O-ed for 5 hours. This was classic Graves; filled with scorched earth and tar, graphite, cassis, silky and long with a medium full body and the finish goes on for at least a minute. A wow wine in the glass, really pretty and energetic this has a youthful edge at 35 years that says I'm still getting better. This can go for a long, long time. In retrospect, I wish I would have decanted for a bit as this was just singing after an hour and 45 minutes in glass. 94+ to 95pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Same Btl as Brad E & R&Rler. Thanks Kevin! Another splendid BDX tonight that amazingly at 35 years likely still has some upside. A soulful and a deep wine with still emerging layers, but fantastic tonight. 94pt+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2017 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I had the privilege of drinking this wine at a blind tasting yesterday night. Impressesly this wine still in a great shape, it was decanted for over 2 hours and then consumed at the end of the night, no problem!
It's smooth and balance like a first cru, I can drink this wine all night long.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2017 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
Porcini, plums, figs, dense, rich, opulent, tobacco, awesome!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2017 - bordeaux_bro Likes this wine: 93 Points
From half bottle, the first HB/LMHB and the first mature Graves for me. Smooth, fine tannins, moderate-low acidity, and a sweet rich palate. Some Graves spice and burnt earth intermixed with secondary aromas like cedar and dried cherries. Everything is in the right place with this wine and very enjoyable but the half bottle has definitely come off its plateau. I imagine that the bottle version should be at the latter stages of its plateau as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2017 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 95 Points
In spite of a fragile saturated cork, the best bottle in this high but mixed quality case so far. 2hr decant.
Immense concentration of earthy, strappy and brûlée hedge berry and plum aromas. On the palate, additional truffle and black fruits with charred oak: an almost viscous feel. Molasses-like richness with a core of integrated acidity producing a perfectly balanced and very long dry finish.
As good as this vintage could produce. Variability within my dozen demands that this be drunk with a backup soon - but if you have a consistent quality case should be good for at least another 5 years or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2017 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dried rose, fig, English tea, clove, raisin, black pepper, savoury, cedar, vanilla, earth, leather, milk chocolate. Medium to full body, good acidty, with abundant ripe soft grainy tannins. It melts in midpalate with waves of complex and concentrated flavours, so long finish. Terrific balance. While still can hold up for years, best to drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
The Best Vintages of LMHB vs HB plus some extras (Restaurant Hohenzollern in Bad Neuenahr/Ahrweiler): LMHB 1983
Der kalifornischte Wein des Abends, etwas Minze und Eukalyptus, viel Cassis, sehr jung mit viel Potential, reife, präsente Tannine, 97P
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2016 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 11/4/2016-11/5/2016 (Chicago, IL): Quite classic, as far as Bordeaux is concerned. The nose shows a lot of ripe fruit, as well as a great dose of dirt. A touch of leather rounds out an otherwise very, very clean nose. The palate shows textbook secondary characteristics, with some dried fruit, coupled with the same earthy tones. The tannins are still very, very chewy, and given how much fruit this is showing, I suspect this still has a fair bit of aging potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2016 - Philippe_C wrote: 93 Points
Nez très élégant, évolué et complexe de boite à cigares, fumée, épices, cersies noires... en bouche les tannins sont totalement intégrés... absolument délicieux, mais à boire!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2016 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Magnum. Mid ruby, quite full at the core. Lovely nose of tobacco, warm cobbles, slightly briary dark red fruit and a touch of cedar. Similar on palate with reasonable density, a mid-weight texture with fine tannins and good acidity. Very harmonious. Really lovely without being top flight — a hint of richness to the fruit, but in line with rather than surpassing vintage expectations. A touch more density and slightly more harmonious than an 83 Cantemerle earlier in the week, but not streets apart qualitatively. A very satisfying and lovely drink though. ****1/2
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2016 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
Very rich, black fruited with lots of tobacco and tar. Almost Barolo levels of tar. Chewy and showing barely secondary levels of development. Suspect this bottle would be even better in 20 years time!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2016 - ATBridge wrote:
Beautiful Graves nose of stones, earth,and dark fruit. Incredibly young and structured; balanced fruit with formidable tannins. This wine will last a very long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2015 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasting Bordeaux Blind (Edina, MN): Tasted blind with approximately 90 minute decant. Rustic, funky nose, but also with nice notes of caramel and smoke. Ruby to garnet color with some bricking. Rich red fruit profile clings to and hangs on the palette. Velvety tannin. Finishes long. I guessed '86 Prieuré-Lichine. Drinking fantastic. This bottle from Benchmark Wine Group.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2015 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
As per my December 2014 note. A majestic wine very much to the English taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2015 - ravbik wrote: 96 Points
Rich amazing how young this wine still is!! Dark cherries, cocoa, leather smooth silky, oak and somewhat tannic. Mild smoke and pepper . Gorgeous full body
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 98 Points
Blind Tasting of 13 reds, 1 white and 1 Champagne at Behrens am Kai in Dusseldorf
5th Flight together with Haut Brion 1983
cherries, coffee, mocca, cocoa powder, tobacco, a lot of fruit and minerality, crispy acidity, for me more Italy or Spain than California, a was suprised of left bank Bx, reluctant, elegant but with much power, very long finish, feels more aged than HB, but still at least one decade ahead
For me both equal with 98 points, If I had to choice I would prefer the LMHB with of the complexity and elegance
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2015 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark red in color with slight brownish rim. Showing well with nice secondary flavors, not a blockbuster but drinking well and will continue to do so for years to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2015 - mattyboy_ wrote: 92 Points
The color hasn't evolved much - still youthful purple in appearance. This is a very powerful La Mission offering lots of grip and intensity even at 32 years. Took around 20-30mins to come around in the decanter - offering intense smoke, smoky black cherry, cedar, crushed rock.
I really love this wine and I think it will certainly have a long life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2015 - R. Hung wrote: 93 Points
Opened along side with 81 Vega Silica Unicon, 82 Lych Bages, 85 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 86 Pichon Lalande and 88 Mouton Rothschild. The best was LB, then VS, Mouton and PL, then this one, and then DB. The ones in better vintages showed better structure and complexity. This La Mission was very smoky on the nose after an hour in decanter. Tobacco and cigar box on the nose. Lots of blue cherries, rose petal, spices, charcoal with smooth structure in the palate. Medium finish. This is surprisingly young!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2014 - WineDilletante Likes this wine: 92 Points
Strong, and I mean strong, earthiness upon opening, although nose was a bit on the flat side. Licorice core was present throughout, unmistakably Haut Brion. Surprisingly concentrated and buttoned up given its age. But it opened up and mellowed nicely after about an hour and a half, developing a pleasant, almost perfume-like, lavender scent. Overall a nice wine but, at this stage, probably not worth the price you'll pay for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2014 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Early family Xmas get together for pro-chef son who will be plying his trade on 25th! Limited note taking.
Two bottles separately decanted for 2hrs. Identical profiles. As per earlier notes aromas of hedge fruit, charred oak truffle and earthiness. Concentrated; brûlée dark berry fruit flavours with the liquorice oak fully integrated as are the dusty tannins. Immensely long and splendid accompaniment to our rib of beef and follow on platter of English cheeses.
Superb and should be good for another 5 years or so - albeit nothing particularly to be gained by holding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2014 - bankermd wrote: 87 Points
Purchased recently at auction as 1983 is my son's birth year, so perhaps storage was a factor. Wine was very muted and while it exhibited some delicacy and earthiness, you had to really focus on it to get much. If you've got any drink it or better yet sell it. Disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2014 - dchain Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Garnet, ruby colour, quite open on the nose with some cedar, tobacco, touch of cherry fruit. The problem is on the palate- it is clearly drying up, has a large gap in the mid palate and does not have much stuffing. For $200 a bottle there are so many wines superior to this so I sadly cannot recommend this to fellow drinkers. This was bought on release by my father so no issue with storage or provenance. Perhaps we should have drunk it sooner. A sad loss!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2014 - cooberp Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle first tasted via Coravin in September 2013 and then opened in May 2014 with no perceptible difference. My third 1980's La Mission and fourth overall, and the first one that taught me what all the fuss is about. Remarkably powerful and expressive for what I believe was a good-not-great year in Graves. The dominant notes are ripe cassis, signature Graves smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and mint, with a strong cocoa taste revealing itself at the finish. Full-bodied but not heavy, with refreshing acid and moderate tannin. This is so concentrated I'm not even sure it's at peak yet. This vintage often sells for under $200 retail, and as first growth-level French wines go I think it's a steal at that price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2014 - McKraftyWino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mahogany, Raisins on the nose. Great full mouth feel. extra long finish. Excellent sip.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2013 - NickBurwood wrote: 94 Points
New Year's Eve dinner.
Two bottles in excellent fettle decanted together in a magnum decanter for 3 hours. As per my earlier note from Christmas 2012 but showing a tad more fruit than I remembered through the majestic charred frame - thus an extra point.
No rush to drink this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2013 - MatthewF wrote:
Opened, decanted and drank over 4 hours. Initially started off a bit tight, but really opened up after 30 min and kept in the same place for the rest of the time. The aromatics were a seductive mix of red currant, berry, damp earth/gravel, wet tobacco and an interesting minty note. Very expansive on the palate and the same fruit comes through. Good sweetness of fruit left on the palate. Structure comes out on the finish. Nice energy and power to the wine. Delicious!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2013 - NickBurwood wrote: flawed
Dry crumbly cork, same could be said about the wine in the bottle!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2013 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very dry, still tannic, with tart fruit. Slightly lacking in the mid palate. Good but not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2013 - mychurch wrote: 88 Points
Someone brought this to dinner a tasting at a friends house and I think the travelling had an effect. We let it stand for 3 hours before opening, but from the stain on the inside of the bottle, you could see that there was a lot of sediment. The nose was complex, but more closed than I would have expected and without the purity I was expecting. Reminded me a bit of the disappointing 94 I had a few Xmases ago. Lots going on in the mouth, but I think the sediment was getting in the way and this in the end was nothing more that a good, but not great, old Bordeaux. Love to try it again though from a bottle that had either been left to stand or had been properly decanted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2013 - MilaBuchelska wrote:
Pronounced, earthy, mushrooms, truffel, mint tobacco, tree moss, gamey, leather.
Extractfull, fleshy and somehow muscular, concentrated and thick tannins.
Medium+ minty and meaty finish.
Fresh but concentrated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2013 - pjaines wrote: 93 Points
Upon inspecting the bottle, I was most disappointed that they used courier as a font, and was worried that this might affect the conditioning of the bottle. However, my fears were allayed, as the wine displayed considerable finesse in the glass. A wonderful bouquet and a depth of penetration on the palate not seen since my honeymoon. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2012 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
A real monster.
Tarry brûlée smoky nose. Bricking but still deep colour.
Charred oak, leather and bitter cherry fruit flavour with fabulous length that complemented our Christmas goose perfectly.
Over-decanted (4 hours instead of 1 I intended) due to unexpected delay in wife being discharged after 5 days from hospital Xmas day evening (drop kicked by horse - ouch!!). Played havoc with food, but wine seemed to be sublimely unaffected.
Look forward to consuming my remaining 11 bottles over the next 5+ years. May even get a higher mark with proper preparation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2012 - kevin h wrote: 92 Points
Classic Graves, nose of lint bandages, earth, gravel and tobacco, beautiful. Lovely mature flavour, earthy red fruits, lean and a touch austere but as it should be, very refined and good length. Quite meaty and dense. Great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2012 - dsiii wrote: 93 Points
What a beautiful LMHB. I was expecting a thin, dying wine, given the drinking range, but we were blown away by this wine's gorgeous expression. Decanted and drunk immediately, it was ready to go and improved over the next 90 minutes. While not youthful, the nose was pure elegance, with ripe fruits and tobacco in harmony. Although fully mature, this was sheer pleasure, and I regret that it was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2012 - fdub wrote: 92 Points
Drank at the Napa Men's Lunch Club. Lighter body and nose which is almost all cedar wood and sour cherry. Almost all secondary notes on both the nose and palate. A great light bodied and refreshing red wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2012 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
At Moderno with Jill: Simple pop and poured. Very aromatic. Dark deep rustic aromas with forest floor, dried berries, iron, and beef blood. Shouts mature Bordeaux fromt the get go. The palate was a bit hard initially with sour cherry edge, but in time filled out nicely with slightly tart herbal edge. A firm core of dried blackberry, still good life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2012 - mwanasheria wrote: 95 Points
La Mission Haut Brion; 3/9/2012-3/10/2012 (Burg Staufeneck): From impériale, perfect bottle. Dense, dark und useful. Nose of Graphite, tobacco, leather, herbs. Sweet and luscious on the palate. Spectacular.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2011 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. First impressions are pleasant; a powerful scent of leather and tobacco and a high-toned quality to the fruit with bright acids, but initially not showing the depth or finesse I'd expect from a LMHB. But with time those emerge as the acidity integrates nicely and the texture becomes more silken, and this starts to unfurl in the glass with layers of developed savoury earthy flavours, cigar smoke and herbal nuances emerging around the core of fresh, dark fruit. There's tremendous balance here, power conveyed with finesse and elegance, and this is a wonderful wine to sit down with and enjoy over a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2011 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Drank from magnum. Although a beautiful wine a little disappointing. Firm and full bodied wine with a lot of bitterness which is a bit drying in the finish. Not extremely harmonious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 87 Points
1983 La Mission Haut Brion offers leafy, cherry pipe tobacco, smoke and earthy aromatics. The wine displayed hints of green flavors with tart fruit in the soft textured finish. It's time to drink up. 87 Pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2010 - ispringett wrote:
Haut Brion, LMHB at the Ledbury (Ledbury): Deep garnet. Smoky black fruits on nose and palate, this is spicier, and (unsurprisingly) shows more development than the 1990. Less impressive than that wine - perhaps an unfair comparative?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2010 - Rupert wrote:
Haut Brion v La Mission (The Ledbury, London): Dark, savoury and spicy, overshadowed by the 1990, but this is a lovely wine in its own right - on the two previous occasions I've had this I've given it a very high mark (94). I don't think this bottle was inferior, it was just in grander company
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2010 - bobbubbabs wrote: 91 Points
Lovely old bordeaux. Hadn't tasted '83 LMHB for nearly ten years and, while the nose is still very attractive, the smells don't surge out of the glass as they had in the past. Nice color still and tannins shed. Taste still solid-not watery or fading seriously. Approaching age 30, wouldn't wait much longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2009 - clayfu wrote: 92 Points
cork was popped, tasted about a hour and a half after. The nose was so powerful on this wine, it just exploded out of the glass with tons of earth, tobacco, dark lean fruit with a big chunk of meatiness sticking out at the top. The earthiness is the most prominent characteristic on the palate, there is fruit and some more mature notes of woodiness but the earth frames a rather lean profile. A long brooding finish sour blackberry and tobacco with soft resolved tannins. I wish the mid palate matched the depth of the nose and the finish (which were absolutely delightful), but alas... what can you expect from my pitiful birth year?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2008 - loverboy wrote: 90 Points
My 1st aged LMHB. Stunning bottle is at its prime. Super classic of clean mineral, damp pebbles, light black fruits, cassis, with sometimes ahead of it. Still big and strong with sweet nice & smooth tannin. Average aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2008 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
Horizontal tasting of 1983 bordeaux (Institute of Directors, London): Pure cassis nose, dry, very classic, a lot of tannin - buttoned up, but very classy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2008 - Surfer714 wrote:
Little austere, still tannic and has fruit... pair it with right food and it will be VG
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2008 - kevin h wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and drunk after 2 hours. Slight fading at the rim but a deep garnet core - right for its age. Very expressive nose with all the typical Graves scents: earth, gravel, tobacco, black tea, medicinal hints and with black fruits in the background - lovely and lifting. To taste, very correct, rather tannic and quite lean - a typical 1983 as well as Graves. Deep black fruits flavour and years of life ahead of it still but too lean for me to really like it. A bit austere. The flavour doesn't quite live up to the bouquet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Possesses an impressive nose featuring an expressive blend of dark fruit, tar, tobacco and leather reminiscent of the great vintages of LMHB. While this has a really, really satisfying nose, it is not nearly as satisfying on the palate. There's plenty of flavor, but the fruit tastes a little overripe, and the overall palate impressive is a bit ponderous. Tannins are fully resolved. Nice stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2008 - Siggy wrote: 88 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Graves (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Dark maroon color. Terrific aromatics: caramel, dark fruit, tobacco, and scorched earth. On the palate, this is ripe and low in acid, and while there is plenty of concentrated dark fruit and earth, the flavors are mature-tasting and the overall impression is one of heaviness. This is interesting but tiring out, and it lacks the finesse, minerality, and freshness that I associate with La Mish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2007 - DaleW wrote:
Sterner, more primary, tannins less evolved. Dark fruit and tobacco. Actually seems less evolved than other bottle from same source I carried to goodbye dinner for David Wainwright couple years ago. I like this a lot, but more for potential than right now. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at a London offline with BirDungy at The Arches. Purchased off wine list for BP 115. Incredible nose and wonderfully structured. Better than the ’83 LLC and reminiscent of the excellent ’85 La Mish. Can drink now or continue cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2006 - Rupert wrote: 94 Points
Still dark, dense for an '83, rich, savoury cedar and coal, but also deep brambly fruit too, harmonious finish - lovely claret, probably at its peak, but will last a long time yet, I'd guess
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2006 - pcchapman wrote:
I think this bottle must have been warm for too long. It has passed. Initial taste of sour, grapefruit. Let decant for 30 minutes, no better.
Too bad.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2006 - The Thirsty Dog wrote: 90 Points
Stilll a lovely wine which I decanted this time for about 3 hours prior to drinking. Heavy typical Graves nose with some tannins still left. Not a blockbuster but at it's peak right now and probably sliding a bit towards the downside. Drink now and through the next 2-4 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2004 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 86 Points
Tasting seven Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, seventh place. Bright dull red color in the glass. Nice rich but sharp nose of dark fruit with a hint of tar, more of the same on the palate, nice wine, medium finish with hints of cherry cough drops, nice acid showing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 89 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ Angelus/Palmer/La Mission Haut Brion (NYC): Minerals, gravel. The fruit has definitely subsided. Feminine La Mission. Nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 91 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Bordeauxs (NYC): Light nose. Super silky fruity. Complex earth and stones. Nice, prototypical Graves. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/1996 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Ruby with a bit of brick - has the look of early maturity. Mature smell - game and meat - not amazing but classy. Excellent claret smell. Balance! Glycerine - superb mineral flavours - excellent textbook stuff - nice length. Still has drying tannins on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/1996 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 84 Points
Metallic nose with veggies, nice, red color, very rich taste but sour fruit, hints of veggies and metal here, lots of acid, pleasant but unstructured. My #7, Group #6 tie.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/1992 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
1983 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Orange/red brick in the glass, intense fruit, lots of fruit but a bit tired on the nose, opened more in the mouth, and also on the finish, pleasant, dried perfume on the nose, well balanced, bit, too much acid on the finish with hints of cedar and coffee, best feature is the finish today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/1991 - Marc wrote:
opaque brick - very dense fading to bricky pink - no browning. Minty smokey tobacco aromas. Quite sweet fruit - very complex nose - some eucalyptus qualities. Great oak handling. Toasty vanilla smells - quite ripe but not opulent. Very smokey tobacco taste. Nice fine grained and mouth puckering tannins - very long tobacco finish. Medium bodied earthy taste that is starting to open and mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/1991 - sdr Does not like this wine: 72 Points
Varnish. Over-ripe. Unattractive fruit. Some spice. Is it corked? Parker, who was moderating the tasting, did not think so and called it “surprisingly developed” but perhaps he tasted from a different bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/1990 - sdr Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Brown/ruby. Some alcohol pokes out on nose. Leather and spice. A big mouthful. Very tannic. Hard to appreciate fruit. Obviously needs many years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment