Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Vertical Tasting back to 1961 at Wine Watch Wine Bar

"Red wine with fish. Well, that should have told me something."

Bond in From Russia with Love (1963)

You can eat fish and drink red wine, but we don't recommend it especially with wines like Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. 

How many times will you be able to taste this legendary wine back to the 1961 vintage?   With vintages like 1964, 1970, 1971, 1982, 1989, 1990 and with their next-door neighbor also owned by the Dillon family Chateau Haut Brion to compare in vintages like 1990. 

That is why we call this series of tastings "Once in a Lifetime". With the price of all the "blue chip" wines from Bordeaux reaching stratospheric proportions the price of this event is almost irrelative. If you can afford to drink Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, you don’t need to ask how much it costs and if you have Chateau La Mission Haut Brion in your cellar we will accept it as payment for the event!! The fee for this tasting is $625 per person + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or email andy@winewatch.com

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Vertical Tasting back to 1961
at Wine Watch Wine Bar
Friday, May 26th
7:30pm

1961 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

We showed this wine at our 1961 Bordeaux tasting this January and it was stunning, it inspired me to put this tasting together to experience this wine again with nine other vintages of this great Pessac-Leognan.  This wine has a beautiful bouquet with smoky BBQ notes on the nose, red currant berry fruit, exotic spices, very complex bouquet with silky smooth tannins on the finish, this wine is drinking at its peak and has wonderful balance and a long spice and smoky finish.   Finish 45+    Most Excellent

1964 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

 Maybe not the greatest vintage of La Mission but this wine has an average score of 92.4 on Cellartracker!

1970 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

(90 points)  Medium garnet; spicy vanilla nose, with cedar and cassis accents; very full-blown cassis flavor; very concentrated, generous and complex; has some volatile acidity, but it's not a flaw. (5/1993)  Wine Spectator

1971 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

The 1971 vintage was not considered to be very good from Bordeaux but this great growth has an average score of (94 Points) on Cellartracker

1981 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

(90 points) The 1981 exhibits a more youthful purple hue to its dark plum color than any vintage back to 1970. Somewhat narrowly constructed for a La Mission-Haut-Brion, it reveals plenty of incense, blueberry, black currant and crushed rock notes intertwined with a restrained, smoky character. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh and crisp with good concentration as well as a surprising youthfulness. However, the vintage’s deficiencies – a lack of heat and maturity – show up in the wine’s modest power and concentration. The 1981 does not possess the great richness, depth and intensity of the finest vintages, but it is still an outstanding effort that has aged extremely well. It could hold up for another two decades, but there is no point in deferring gratification. (RP) (8/2012) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1982 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

(100 Points) "A monumental wine, this historic La Mission-Haut-Brion was the last vintage made by the descendants of the Woltner family, who had owned this estate for decades prior to selling it to their neighbors, the Dillon family (the American owners of cross-street rival, Chateau Haut-Brion). The 1982 admirably demonstrates the magnificence of La Mission as well as the singularity of this amazing terroir. I had the good fortune of tasting it from barrel (where it was an enormous Graves fruit bomb) and watching it develop more nuances in bottle. At age 30, it remains a majestic, multidimensional, profound Bordeaux with another 20-30+ years of life ahead of it. It’s no secret that the great vintages of Bordeaux have levels of fruit extract and depth that go beyond other years. It is this fruit, often referred to as “fat” or “concentration,” that takes decades to dissipate and fade. As it does so, the extraordinary aromatic expression of the terroir asserts itself. Remarkably, the 1982 is still in late adolescence and has not yet reached its peak. Early in my career, much of my reputation was established on calling this vintage correctly, but I never in my wildest dreams thought the 1982s would mature as slowly and last as long as some seem capable of doing. One of the handful of perfect wines of the vintage, the La Mission still possesses a remarkably dense ruby/purple color with only a slight garnet and lightening at the edge. The fruit-dominated aromatics reveal lots of cassis, blueberry, scorched earth, black truffle, incense, graphite and high-class, unsmoked cigar tobacco-like notes. Still exhibiting remarkable concentration, enormous body, silky sweet tannin, and no perceptible acidity, the 1982 remains fresh, delineated and super-compelling. A massive La Mission made by the Dewravin family and their winemakers, all of whom were dismissed the following year when the estate was acquired by Haut-Brion, this modern day legend shows no signs of decline. In fact, it may not have yet reached its peak. Anticipated maturity: now-2060+." The Wine Advocate

1989 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

(100 points)  Both La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion hit home runs in this vintage, which did not produce as many profound wines as the Bordeaux publicity machine suggested. 1989, the 200th anniversary of the French revolution, was an incredibly hot year (surpassed only by 1990 and 2003). Even from barrel the seamless 1989 La Mission revealed a special elixir aspect, tasting like it had been designed by Chanel. It still possesses a blue/purple color with only a hint of garnet creeping in, and the explosive aromatics offer up notes of licorice, creme de cassis, blueberry liqueur, smoky barbecue meats, truffles and graphite. If that’s not enough to get one salivating, the palate has never disappointed either. Full-bodied with extraordinary opulence as well as sweet, well-integrated, velvety tannins, this fresh, lively, blockbuster La Mission appears to be one of those rare wines that never goes through a closed, unfriendly stage. It has been a compelling, multidimensional effort from barrel, in its infancy, and as it heads into late adolescence. A remarkable tour de force in winemaking, it is one of the all-time profound La Mission-Haut-Brions. Anticipated maturity: now-2050. (RP) (8/2012) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1990 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan 

(99 Points) "Reminiscing over the 1989 and 1990 vintages, which I have followed from birth, there always seemed to be a dramatic difference in quality. Not that the 1990 was not a top wine, but in its infancy, I never thought it would come close to being as riveting and magnetic as its older sibling, the 1989. However, it has proven to be nearly as prodigious. One of the hottest years in Bordeaux, 1990, a vintage of enormous yields, even dwarfing yields in 1985 and 1982, produced a fabulously open-knit, seemingly fast track La Mission that, at age 22, shows no signs of fading or losing its grip. The color is slightly more mature and evolved than the 1989’s, exhibiting a lighter rim and a less dark blue/ruby/purple hue. Classic La Mission-Haut-Brion aromatics of camphor, licorice, scorched earth, hot bricks, barbecue, cassis, blueberry and kirsch are well displayed. Broad, expansive, velvety-textured and opulent with high glycerin and perhaps slightly higher alcohol (I don’t have the statistics to verify that), the 1990 is as delicious and open-knit as the 1989, with less density and possibly less potential longevity. Most 1990s have been quick to reach full maturity, and as brilliant as they can be, they need to be monitored carefully by owners. Currently in late adolescence, but close to full maturity, the 1990 should hold in a cold cellar for another 15-20 years. However, it is a fabulous wine to inspect, taste and consume, so why wait?"  The Wine Advocate

1990 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan

(98 points)  In terms of the brilliant complexity and nobility of the aromatics, scorched earth, black currants, plums, charcoal, cedar, and spices, the 1990 offers an aromatic explosion that is unparalleled. It is always fascinating to taste this wine next to the 1989, which is a monumental effort, but much more backward and denser, without the aromatic complexity of the 1990. The 1990 put on weight after bottling, and is currently rich, full-bodied, opulent, even flamboyant by Haut Brion’s standards. It is an incredible expression of a noble terroir in a top vintage. While it has been fully mature for a number of years, it does not reveal any bricking at the edge, and I suspect it will stay at this level for another 10-15 years ... but why wait? It is irresistible now. (RP) (6/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1998 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan

(98 points) 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 color 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. (8/2012)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2004 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan

(90 points) While La Mission Haut-Brion’s 2004 is not one of this estate’s top successes, it is an outstanding wine, no doubt because of this extraordinary terroir. Deep ruby/purple with notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with black cherries, cassis, and a hint of scorched earth, medium body, sweet tannin, and a good, but uninspiring finish, this attractive, mid-weight La Mission should age nicely for 15 or more years. (RP) (6/2007)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Menu

Mushroom Carmpaccio with fine herbs and lavender Aioli

Sliced NY Sirloin with Bordeaux demi glaze and Sweet potato souflee and Hericot verts

Chocolate Creme Brulee

The price of this tasting is $625 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463, there are only 14 seats available for this event.  We will also take a bottle of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion or Chateau Haut Brion of equal value for entry into this event!!