1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

There are some famous wines that never live up to their reputation. That is not the case here. Explosive does not begin to express the nose, with all of its tar, smoke, cigar wrapper, pipe tobacco, dark cherries, and plums. But as good as that is, it is the richness and layers of palate-staining fruits that build, expand and resonate for 60 seconds that own the show! 60-90 minutes in the decanter is more than ample here. Drink from 2022-2050.

3,684 Views   Tasted Sep 24, 2022

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As good as 89 Haut Brion, or, depending on the day, it can be even better. The verdict with the group was split between the two. Still deeply colored, the wine explodes with dark red berries, charcoal, burning fireplace logs, campfire, cigar box, tobacco leaf, ash and tar scents. Full-bodied, powerful and mouth-filling, the wine starts off strong, and keeps on going, seemingly never quitting. Long, expansive, intense and seamless, this is what great wine is all about. it could age even longer than Haut Brion if well-stored!

This mind-blowing wine is the real deal. There is so much going on here, words drop the ball. The smoky, black cherry, truffle, herbs, pipe tobacco and burning logs in the nose lets you know you are in store for a treat. But the palate, with its multiple layers of fruit, earth, tobacco leaf, freshness, structure, regal bearing and finish that does not want to quit is where the real action takes place! You can drink this now, an hour or 2 in the decanter is more than ample, or wait 10-15-20 more years. Either way, WOW!

Spellbinding in every sense of the word. The wine is intense, concentrated and palate staining. But there is also an elegant, fresh, sensuous side to the texture that balances out the wall of power and tannins, lending a refined touch to the wine. The wine really stands out with a uniqueness of character and style. Give it 1-2 hours in the decanter, or wait another 10-20 years and as good as it is now, it's going to be mind blowing!!!

This is what intensity is all about. Especially when it's paired with layers of deep, dark, ripe, fresh, sweet, black and dark red fruits. Add in the essence of smoke, tar, wet earth, cigar box and forest aromatics and you get the idea. The wine coats your palate and really sticks, with its flavor and complexities for at least 60 seconds! On some nights, when I am lucky enough to compare it with Haut Brion, the HB wins. On this night, the LMHB stole the show!!! Drink this now, or wait 20 years, either way, this is off the hook.

Spellbinding in every sense of the word. The nose is off the charts. The wine is intense, concentrated and deep, with so much raw material, it is almost off the charts. The finish remains with you for close to 60 seconds. This is drinking really well today, but if your bottles are well stored, I suspect, this will be even better with another, 5-10 more years of bottle age!

This is one rockstar of a wine! The Cuban cigar wrapper, smoke, tar, tobacco, earth and cassis aromatics get you charged up. But the wine that fills your mouth with its layers of ripe, juicy, fresh, earthy fruits is the best part of the experience. Count to 60 and this baby is still going strong! This is great today and the best is yet to come!

The perfume is intense with its essence of tar, tobacco, campfire, smoke, cassis and tobacco elements. The wine is a flawless example of power paired with grace. This stunner is still young. It's instructive and as well as enjoyable to pop a cork today. But if you only have a few bottles, why not wait a while, as this is only going to get better and better for decades!

Powerful, young, mouthfilling, long, intense and complex, even with all the secondary notes of smoke, cigar box, tobacco, tar and cassis, it's amazing how young, fresh and vibrant this is.

Tasting from correct examples of famous bottles is a dream come true for wine lovers. This bottle really delivered the goods in spades. Cherry pipe tobacco, tar, earth, earth, blackberry, spice, leather and liqueur scents created a perfume you could not stop smelling. The show really hit the road once the wine hit your palate with its depth, length and intensity. There is a beautiful sense of balance and purity at play in this wine. You can drink this now, or in 50 years. If you have the money, this is the real deal.

I cannot think of many wines with this many consistent showings. The wine is the complete package with its stunning, smoke, tar, forest, dark cherry, tobacco and cigar box aromas, dense levels of concentration, structure, balance and length. Still young, this could easily age for more 50 years!

There are times when 1989 Haut Brion is better than 1989 La Mission Haut Brion. There are other occasions when the La Mission is the better of the pair. On this night, 1989 La Mission Haut Brion was beyond perfection. In the palate, the wine coats your mouth, teeth and gums with layer after layer of powerful, dark, spicy, smoky fruits. The perfume changes with each swirl and sniff. The finish seems longer than 60 seconds. Power, intensity, richness, concentration and tannins are in abundance. Still youthful, give it at least another decade and your grandchildren can enjoy it for another 50 years, or more!

It took three hours before the wine hit the right spot and exploded with tobacco, iron, earth, cigar box, cassis, blackberry, wet earth, smoke and cherries. With incredible concentration, power, tannin and length, everything is there for a wine that will develop for decades. This is bigger than 1989 Haut Brion, but with a little less finesse. The finish must have remained for at least 50 seconds! If you have a case, try one. If you only have a few bottles, if you can wait another decade, or two, you'll have one of life's great wine tasting experiences! Shared with dad over dinner, what a great wine and an even better memory. And isn't that what wine is for?

La Mission Haut Brion Intense smokey aromas complicated by scents of hot stone, tobacco, cassis, blackberry, truffle, earth and spice. Full bodied, concentrated and powerful, with layers of ripe, juicy dark berries, the wine remains in your mouth for close to 60 seconds! At 21 years of age, this compelling Pessac Leognan is still young. While it offers an intense experience today, it's only going to get better with more time.

1989 La Mission Haut Brion opens with a powerful nose, filled with scents of fresh coffee bean, blackberry, cassis, spice, strawberry, smoke, minerality and earth. Massive, deep and stuffed with layers of ripe, rich, fruit with intense purity. The long finish is balanced and close to seamless. The wine could use a few mores of bottle age to soften the tannins and add more complexity. 98 Pts

Served blind at Chateau La Mission Haut Brion over dinner - Cigar, ash, minerals, earth, cassis, tar, leather black fruit, hot stones and freshly ground coffee beans open up the aromatic fireworks. This dense elixir is packed and stacked with layers of rich, intense, ripe dark fruit. The tannins feel ripe. But this wine is tannic and requires more bottle age than Haut Brion. The wine finishes with an intense display of ripe, spicy black fruit, cassis and fresh dark cherries.

Cassis, tobacco, chocolate, plums, smoke, and licorice with dark berry aromatics are all over the place. Full bodied with intense levels of concentration, this is one of those rare thrill a sip wines. Dense, opulent, rich, and fat, this wine tastes great, pouring over every inch, every nook and cranny, of your mouth. The seamless finish goes on and on with an endless array of palate pleasing, sensations. Still young, it will get better over the next several decades.

1989 La Mission Haut Brion is rock star wine! Make no bones about it. This is the real deal. The deep ruby color shows little signs of age. Spice box aromatics with earth, mocha, chocolate, coffee, smoke and tobacco fill the room. The palate experiences an orgasm as the orgy of ripe fruit dances all over your senses. And endless sea of ripe cherry, black fruit and spice are truly something to experience. This tastes much younger than you might think as it’s almost 20 years old. This is compelling wine! This is what great wine is all about. The scary thing is, the best is yet to come. 100 Pts

Perhaps more concentrated than the Haut Brion, but it was not as balanced, elegant or assimilated. Still it was a great wine, but on that night, as a matter of style, I preferred the Haut Brion.

Inky, blackberry, chocolate, mineral, tobacco, smoke and earthy scents slam your senses. Huge, tannic, rich, large scaled flavors are almost too much of a good thing. I said almost. This is what great Bordeaux is all about!

This offers a beautiful perfume of herbs, minerals, licorice and BBQ smoke. Thick, dense and full bodied and filled with ripe fruit.

Licorice, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, herbs, cassis and kirsch fill the glass. No, make that fill the room! Silky, sexy layers of dense concentrated fruit cascade across your palate and leave you breathless. The scary thing is, this isn’t even mature!