1986 La Mission Haut Brion
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Tasting notes
From the excellent 1986 vintage and with absolutely perfect provenance, coming direct from the Chateau’s cellars, this is an extraordinary find. Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion is rightly revered. The phenomenal terroir of the estate has meant some of the finest wines ever made in Bordeaux have been crafted here, and they are at their formidable best when given the chance to age. With a 96 point score from James Suckling as recently as 2016, this 1986 vintage is clearly in a beautiful place and so for those wanting to experience mature La Mission, this is a great vintage to own. In fact, this wine was chosen as the oldest vintage to pour at our recent Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion event at Claridge's restaurant Davies & Brook. On the night, the wine showed beautifully, with the sensational structure, texture and depth one would expect of a wine of this calibre. Very concentrated and at 33+ years, the colour was darker and denser than would normally be expected. Very serious, open and expressive. Nose reveals dark fruits, exotic sweet spice, smoky brambly, black fruit and cloves. Rich, concentrated, full bodied and still very structured on palate, tannins are abundant, but fine and resolved, adding weight and textured mouthfeel. Quite savoury and earthy. Hint of spice and burning embers on finish. Very strong showing. Lasts for minutes, perfection with the duck.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Apart from a couple of impressive bottles at the turn of the millennium, the 1986 La Mission Haut-Brion has always left me wanting more. Deep in color, it has a static, black-olive-tinged nose that requires more delineation and lacks a bit of charm – as does the palate, which is sinewy and dense, yet missing the comeliness of the 1985. The finish feels slightly hard and needs more soul. Tasted at a private dinner in Hong Kong.
An extremely impressive, yet slightly hard wine; still closed, but could be as great as the 1952. Dark ruby in color and very aromatic, with a rich cherry aromas. Full-bodied, with full tannins and plenty of fruit, yet very closed and tight on the finish.
The 1986 was a great vintage for the Médoc but less so for Pessac-Léognan, partly because an early torrent of rains wrought havoc for wines with more merlot in their blends. Many of the 1986s are starting to fall apart, but the La Mission was holding on nicely with dark berries, currants, iodine and oyster shell. It was full-bodied, very soft, very silky and ended with a fresh finish. It’s a wine definitely on a holding pattern.
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.