1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
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Epitomizing everything I regard as true greatness in wine, this bottle (purchased from Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa) of 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is still deep ruby-hued, with no signs of bricking, and has this incredible sense of richness and intensity paired with off-the-charts complexity and elegance. Possessing a quintessential Pessac nose of blackcurrants, smoked earth, freshly sharpened cedar pencils, and sweet tobacco, this beauty hits the palate with a full-bodied ethereal style offering resolved tannins, a beautifully concentrated mouthfeel, a stacked mid-palate, and a distinct sense of salinity on the finish. If I had to pick a last bottle/desert island wine, this might be it.
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Full of signature La Mission silk and finesse, with a step towards the rich tertiary flavours of black truffle, tobacco leaf, incense and smoked earth. Seams of crushed raspberry fruits abound, with the turmeric and cumin spices of a warm vintage, just baked over campfire smoke. In this vertical it was tasted alongside the 1961 and 1989, and sits just a touch below them, just not quite delivering the fireworks of those other two exceptional vintages, but it's still a wonderful example of how 1982 continues to deliver. The last full year under the Woltner family, before they sold in November 1983.
A stunning tasting experience that kicks off with a smoke-drenched perfume made even better by its tobacco leaf, wild cherry, tar, cherry, currant, herb and array of spices. Full, deep, concentrated, regal and intense, this is drinking great today.
About the producer
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion – sister estate of Ch. Haut-Brion and part of the Clarence Dillon stable – is one of the greatest estates in all of Bordeaux. Based in Pessac-Léognan but not officially classified, it produces outstanding red and white wines.