1975 La Mission Haut Brion

Sweet and rich with more obvious structure than the Ch Haut-Brion 1975 – though by now the tannins have faded considerably – and admirable freshness. (JR)

The 1975 La Mission Haut-Brion has been hailed in some quarters as a high point for the estate in the Seventies. My own experience has been one of inconsistency, especially compared to the reliable and, in my mind, superior 1978. According to a half-dozen or so tasting notes from 2000 onward, the 1975 was always robust, dense and nearly impenetrable. One bottle at the vertical in 2008 finally lived up to high expectations, but a follow-up two years later felt charmless. This bottle is conspicuously deep in hue. The nose is backward at first, eventually revealing blackberry, iodine and light licorice scents; later, a touch of gaminess creeps in. The palate is full-bodied and full of sinew, with thick tannins framing the multilayered, ferrous black fruit. This is huge in terms of grip, and almost brutish toward the finish. It’s impressive in stature, but the 1978 possesses greater nuance and more panache. Tasted at a private dinner in Hong Kong.

The label says Graves even though of course it is now Pessac-Léognan. This was served blind alongside its stablemate La Tour Haut-Brion. It was a remarkable combination of right-bank richness but finished with left-bank dryness, which led me to suspect a wine from the Haut-Brion stable, although it had none of the 'warm bricks' of Ch Haut-Brion itself. In fact it was a marvel of concentration – particularly at 40 years of age. The nose was extraordinarily rich with a strong hint of chestnuts. Amazing concentration and richness but still with a firm, dry finish. I could imagine this was quite a tough brute in its youth but it has come round now. Patience rewarded. (JR)