1981 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Dark ruby nuanced colour. I tasted this blind and thought it was really very mature, bone dry, transparent and light – almost austere. Not that intense with notes of graphite. I did think it was a Pessac-Léognan and clearly not from a particularly ripe vintage. The vintage was chosen because it was the year of our marriage. This wine was not flattered by being served blind next to Cheval Blanc 1981. (JR)

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.

Very dark. Velvety textured and without much concentration and very chewy and austere on the end of the palate. A bit dead but there is certainly acidity there. And a bit of ripe fruit. Actually – relatively opulent! (JR)