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.