Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1998

A candidate for the wine of the vintage from this somewhat forgotten year, consumers should be seeking out wines from the Right Bank and Graves as 1998 was a great vintage in those appellations. La Mission's 1998 exhibits a healthy, opaque blue/purple Colour with no lightening at the edge. Thirty minutes of aeration brings forth a sensational Bouquet of chocolate, cedar, truffles, graphite, blackberries, cassis and incense. La Mission's so-called scorched earth/charcoal/hot rocks characteristic has not yet appeared. Full-bodied with superb purity, a multilayered texture, sweet tannin, good acidity and a fabulously long finish, this great, young La Mission-Haut-Brion's finest days are yet to come. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.

Very dark ruby color still. The nose is deep and dense, with intense aromas of licorice, blackberry, warm stones and a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with flavors of berries, iodine and chocolate. The tannin structure builds on the palate. Still needs to come together. A baby. -- '88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012. 6,500 cases made.

This is really classic in style with incredible depth and power. Muscular and amazing, it is full-bodied yet tight and agile. So complex. Shows iodine, oyster, stone and mint aromas and flavors. It's rich and flavorful and at the same time fresh and racy. A modern classic. Drink or hold. Decant this one or two hours in advance.

The 1998 La Mission Haut-Brion is the standout of the Nineties. It shows more purity and exuberance than the 1996, featuring sumptuous scents of black cherries, black olive, freshly rolled tobacco and hints of gravel, all wonderfully defined and quite precocious. The palate is likewise sweet and ripe, offering pliant tannins and layers of blackberry, blood orange, blueberry and tobacco. It tightens up toward the finish, as if to say, I'm in for the long haul. Give it a couple of hours' decanting, or cellar it for longer if you wish. Tasted at dinner at Chez Bruce.

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.

Just a spectacular wine in every sense, the 1998 is now fully mature yet still youthful, with a vivid ruby hue and little in the way of any bricking. Offering a kaleidoscope-like nose of red and black currants, scorched earth, truffles, tobacco, lead pencil, and ample crushed stone-like minerality, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, sweet tannins, and a thrilling finish. It needs about an hour in a decanter, but this is magical juice, and the bottle was emptied in record time. Count yourself lucky if you have bottles and enjoy any time over the coming 20-30 years.

Deep garnet colour, very saturated in the middle. Wild Cabernet bouquet, still somewhat restrained, yet showing beautiful truffle depth in the black plum nose. On the palate, still forward-facing in its youth, not particularly dense, but holding its own easily against the Mission vintages 1995 and 1996. The body is medium-weight and allows the tannins to show themselves quite characterfully in the still demanding astringency. Still far too young. Anyone wanting to enjoy it now should decant it for a long time. Typical Mission – a buying recommendation.

A great vintage from Dillon, with elegance of form, aroma, texture, and undoubtedly more aromatic freshness than in today's great sunny vintages. It can be enjoyed now.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) Poor bottle While its creamy nose is pleasant, the palate leans too much towards acidity and austerity. Yet another faulty bottle.