1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

If you are a fan of La Mission Haut Brion, with some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, this is the wine to buy. It has all the power, layers of perfectly ripe, earthy, smoky, leafy, tobacco covered fruits, balanced, poised and graceful, with the ability to age and evolve for decades. Drink from 2024-2050.

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The last 5 years have really added a lot to this wine. Now, you find more weight density and softness, as well as more nuances. Packed with smoke, cigar box, tobacco leaf, and spicy currants, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and rich, the mouth-filling layers of fruit, build and expand, only leaving you after a long finish. If you are seeking an LMHB that is just about ready to go, this is the wine to buy! Drink from 2023-2045.

Still youthful, but everything is definitely headed in the right direction. The wine is full bodied, concentrated, long and intense. The dark ripe, tobacco and smoke infused fruits take up a lot of room in your mouth and cover your palate. The tannins are ripe, but remain present. GAive this another 5-10 years if well stored and this will rock you.

This is a future stunner in the making. It is full bodied, concentrated, long, intense and complex. It has the stuffing to age for decades along with the length, complexity and character to be worth the wait. If you have the patience, this is going to reward cellaring.

This wine keeps getting better and better with age, which is the mark of all great wines. With richness and intensity, the wine builds and expands on your palate. The fruit is dark, smoky, earthy and regal. Time in the decanter added more soft, velvet to the long, powerful, refined finish. Another 5-10 years will make this an even better experience, but there is no denying its greatness, even today, as it straddles adolesence and potential maturity.

Tight and still holding a lot in reserve, the wine is powerful, tannic, young, fresh and not ready for prime time. But the potential is clearly there. Give it at least another 5 years and this could be even better, as La Mission tends to do, as it matures.

Smoke, truffle, tobacco, blackberry and black cherry aromas get your attention, although it takes a bit of effort and air. Rich, concentrated, long and built to age, another 5 years will help soften the wine while adding additional complexities.

Since last tasted, this seems bigger, denser, more tannic and even younger than I remember it. With 3 hours of decanting, the smoky, blackberry, boysenberry, earthy, forest floor and campfire aromas are in full force. But it took another 90 minutes before the tannins softened and the fruit filled finish fleshed out. There is a lot of purity, depth and length in this wine. The moral of the story, if you cannot wait another 5-10 years, this wine is not for you. If you have the patience and a cold cellar, this will improve, expand and develop a lot more complexity in time.

Picture a lit Cuban Cigar, cherry pipe tobacco, tar, cassis, spice, leather, gravel and earth scents get you hooked. Powerful, concentrated, tannic and a little rustic. There is a slight drying sensation to the tannins. Coming up to its 14th birthday, this Pessac Leognan wine demands another 5 years before it begins to soften up. Very classic La Mission Haut Brion in style. This bottle was decanted 2 hours and enjoyed over another 2 hours. The wine clearly benefited from the air. But its always going to be a little rustic.

Blackberry, leather, spice, tobacco, cigar box and smoke filled aromatics fill your glass. In the mouth, a big, powerful, juicy mouthful of black fruit, cassis, truffle and spice. Tannic and masculine, this big wine requires another 8-10 years before it's completely civilized.

1998 La Mission Haut Brion pops with a complex perfume of cigar box, cedar, leather, smoke, tobacco leaf and cherry. Full bodied and filled with ripe dark fruit, this still tannic wine requires a few more years before its ready for prime time drinking. 95 Pts

1998 La Mission Haut Brion, another vintage considered a Merlot year (65% Merlot) is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness and light pinking around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, cassis, tobacco and Asian spice. The texture is all about sex! Very opulent and silky. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Very opulent and concentrated. Tannins are elegant. Still young, but no longer asleep, this will develop into a great wine over the years. 95 Pts

1998, according to the estate is considered a Merlot year. The blend includes 65% Merlot is stunning at 10 years of age. The color shows some lightness around the edges. The explosive nose offers wonderful scents of earth, tobacco and Asian spice. Very concentrated, opulent and silky with elegant tannins. The ripe fruit glides over your palate with layers of black and red flavors. Still young, but no longer asleep, this wine will develop more complexity wine with time and will probably merit a higher score.