2002 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
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Tasting notes
One of the better successes of this overlooked and misunderstood vintage is the 2002 La Mission Haut-Brion, a wine that's really beginning to drink well. Offering up a deep bouquet of cassis, burning embers and cigar ash, it's medium to full-bodied, with a sweet core of fruit and a rich chassis of tannin. Served blind, after a decant of a couple of hours to flesh out, it tends to pass for a more reputed vintage; it's only held back by a slight lack of mid-palate density to balance its structure and the fact that it tastes about a decade older than a top vintage for this address such as 1998.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2002 La Mission Haut-Brion has never endeared itself to this writer. It has a conservative, earthy bouquet displaying touches of autumn bonfire and sous-bois ; there is a gap where the fruit should be. The palate is medium-bodied with a dry entry, then starts to improve, tobacco and tea leaves infusing the slightly rustic black fruit on the somewhat austere finish. It's not a terrible wine at all, but it pales against other vintages.
Firm, deep, mineral nose. Some salivatory fruit to begin with. Juicy stuff. Then the acidity just makes its presence felt unfortunately – though only after great opulence of fruit. Quite persistent. (JR)