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96 James Suckling
The 1986 was a great vintage for the Médoc but less so for Pessac-Léognan, partly because an early torrent of rains wrought havoc for wines with more merlot in their blends. Many of the 1986s are starting to fall apart, but the La Mission was holding on nicely with dark berries, currants, iodine and oyster shell. It was full-bodied, very soft, very silky and ended with a fresh finish. It’s a wine definitely on a holding pattern.
86 Robert Parker
Dark plum/ruby with a dusty, earthy, cigar box-scented nose, this somewhat austere, medium-bodied La Mission-Haut-Brion shows plenty of tannin in a somewhat muscular style without the charm and seductiveness of the ripest years. Nevertheless, the aromatics are there, and the wine still tastes young, but I suspect there will always be a certain austerity to La Mission Haut-Brion’s 1986. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2016. Last tasted, 9/02.
86 Robert Parker
Dark plum/ruby with a dusty, earthy, cigar box-scented nose, this somewhat austere, medium-bodied La Mission-Haut-Brion shows plenty of tannin in a somewhat muscular style without the charm and seductiveness of the ripest years. Nevertheless, the aromatics are there, and the wine still tastes young, but I suspect there will always be a certain austerity to La Mission Haut-Brion’s 1986. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2016. Last tasted, 9/02.
Producer
Château La Mission Haut Brion
Similarly owned by the Dillon family, Château La Mission Haut-Brion is certainly the second best producer in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, after its neighbor and Graves greatest producer, Château Haut-Brion. With a history beginning in the early 16th century, La Mission Haut-Brion now justly rivals its sister winery in more than just select vintages, the estate has actually been raised to a comparable First Growth rank in 2009. While the Pessac-Léognan Cru Classé’s La Tour Haut-Brion, used to be La Mission’s second wine, it is now a separately owned brand, however still managed by the Dillon family. The 29-hectare property is planted primarily to the production of their first-rate reds. Their La Mission Haut-Brion is the flagship wine, it is exemplary of their house style - rich, barrel-fermented, dense, and powerful. The château also produces La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, a second wine that is riper but nonetheless arousing.