1971 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Community Tasting Notes (26) Avg Score: 93.4 points

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  6/3/2023 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points

  My first 52-y-o Bordeaux... Decanted. Med ruby w/ a garnet hue. Med+ campfire, cigar box, black currant, black plum, macerated strawberry, forest floor and some spice. Dry, but w/ plenty of ripe fruit, considering the age. Med acidity, tannins and alcohol (12%). The palate is consistent with the nose, w/ the smoky cedar notes taking a back seat to the black and red fruit. Med body and med+ flavor intensity and length, resulting in a beautifully balanced expression of Old World elegance. Drink now, not likely to improve with further aging.

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  7/15/2021 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points

  This was the most hedonistic of thee three Missions tonight, while the 1952 (rated 95) was the most complex and intellectually appealing and the 1966 (rated 93) showed very masculine and classic. It was missing a bit of depth and precision but had a beautiful structure and texture and is drinking at its peak. 94 plus.
  
  TN: Medium+ expressive nose full of tobacco, weearth, lots of minerality, smoke notes and ripe dark fruits. Quite riche and dense, creamy yet super fresh and mineral-driven on the palate. The same signature Pessac liquid tobacco and minerality but met by a very present and expressive ripe dark fruit core. Lots of trnsion with round but not yet fully mellowed tannins, a very good freshness and a slightly creamy texture. Medium precision and length but very complete.
  
  Decanting: Not decanted, didn‘t need much time.
  
  Glass: Gabriel

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  7/2/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points

  Magnum rarities tasting; 7/2/2021-7/3/2021 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Magnum rarities tasting hosted by a merchant and collector. The headline line-up of the main event featured 18 aged red wines from magnum which was preceded by warm-up tasting of a dozen aged reds. The highlights across both days were Chris Ringland 1998 (99), Montrose 1990 and Yquem 1948 (both 98). Also strong were Palmer 1989 (97), Cheval Blanc 1985 (97) and Léoville Poyferré 1990 (96). None of the wines were decanted prior to serving.
  
  Tasting note:
  Not overly intense, aging notes of leather and sous-bois, fine red berry fruit. This is refined and elegant with great balance and consistent tension from attack to finish. Nicely layered aromas, too with sufficient fruit left. That said tannins felt slightly unripe and there was a bit of wild acidity tainting the picture.

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  7/2/2021 - G_H wrote: 92 Points

  Porcini, leaves, medium bodied, needed significant time to open up fully.

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  1/1/2021 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points

  Opened 3 hours before drinking. No sign of aging with brilliant red color compared with a 1970 LMHB from a magnum. Fresh nose of cassis and cedar. Elegant and just drinking so well at this stage. Beautiful for a 50 year old wine. Tempted to keep my magnum for another decade but will most likely drink it all up later this year!

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View all 26 Community Tasting Notes

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