Wine Tasting Notes, Ratings

1998 Château Haut-Brion

1. This has been a delight to taste the day it was bottled and it keeps getting better and more interesting with each passing year. Strong notes of smoke, cigar box, black raspberry and earth create the perfume. On the palate is where the wine shines with its silky tannins, rich textures and elegant, supple finish

   97 points - Tasted Mar 30, 2013

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2. Picture smoke, hot stones, pipe tobacco, cassis, oak, forest floor and earthy, truffle scents, and you get an idea of the aromatics starting to make themselves known in this wine. On the palate, purity and elegance, soft textures and refined silky tannins that remind me of a better version of the delicious 1985 Haut Brion. While this is already drinking well today, it's only going to get better over the next few decades.

   97 points - Tasted May 15, 2011

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3. 1998 Haut Brion is filled with pungent spicy blackberry, tobacco, smoke, cedar chest and cigar box aromas. Deep, rich, concentrated with layers of rich, ripe fruit. This wine fills the palate with ripe, sweet, soft textured dark fruit with a purity of flavor and ample freshness to give it lift. Everything is in balance. This great wine can be opened young, or aged for decades. It remains one of the best vintages of Haut Brion to buy in the market place today. 97 Pts

   97 points - Tasted Dec 20, 2010

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4. This perfectly combines liquid silk, elegance and power to make a magic elixir. This is serious wine. The complex nose alone makes it worth the price of admission. Filled with scents of cassis, tobacco, smoke, truffle and spices, it’s a treat for the senses. But the multiple layers of rich, velvet laden, sensuous fruit that cascade over your palate in endless waves prove this Haut Brion is the real deal. I have loved this wine from minute one. This is a great Haut Brion that might turn out almost as good as the majestic 90 in another decade or two. It is much better than the fabulous duo of 95 & 96. I imagine this will mature in 10-15 years and remain at that peak level for decades. Along with the stellar 1985, the 1998 represents the best deal in the market place for a high quality Chateau Haut-Brion.

   97 points - Tasted Oct 10, 2008

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5. This splendid wine offers a complex smoky, truffle nose with cassis, herbs, and earth. Perfectly balanced on the palate with a wonderful texture. The finish is close to seamless

   96 points - Tasted Oct 21, 2007

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6. The nose alone with its complexities makes it worth the price of admission. But the multiple layers of rich, silky, sensuous fruit that cascade over your palate in endless waves prove this is the real deal.

   97 points - Tasted Aug 31, 2007

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7. A deep, complex compelling perfume and layers of rich, ripe, decadent fruit are easy to discern. This will only get better with time.

   95 points - Tasted Mar 20, 2005

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