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La Mission Haut Brion 1985

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-LĂ©ognan
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc

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Tasting Notes

As this wine sat in the glass aerating, I began having some doubts about whether it merited a low-90s point score. I think it does, but the fact that it deteriorated more quickly than some of its siblings (even those from more challenging vintages) gave me pause. Nevertheless, I have to assume that most people will decant all of these wines (as I did) and consume them within an hour of opening. On that basis, this 1985 is clearly a low-90 point wine. The problem is that for the most part, 1985 does not have that extra level of concentration possessed by the great vintages. However, it offers a softness to go along with the fragility of the wines as most 1985s, including this La Mission-Haut-Brion, are fully mature. A dark plum/garnet color reveals a pinkish lightening at the edge, and the bouquet reveals plenty of smoke, camphor, charcoal, graphite, sweet kirsch and blacker fruit aromas intermixed with meaty, sauteed mushroom, cedar and spicy notes. The lovely aromatics are followed by flavors that do not quite match the intensity of the bouquet, a sign of a fully mature wine. This medium-bodied effort has plenty of glycerin, low acidity and not a trace of tannin. While not terribly generous, it is a soft, round, charming, delicious, very good La Mission, but not a great one. Drink it over the next decade.

92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (202), August 2012
91
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

The 1985 is deliciously opulent, rich, and open knit. The color is a dark ruby/purple with some garnet at the edge. The wine offers a sweet, smoky, melted road tar, black currant-scented nose with toasty oak in the background. It has put on weight as it has evolved in the bottle, and appears to be better than ever, with copious quantities of lush, jammy black fruits intermixed with the smoky, roasted character so prevalent in this appellation. The low acidity and loosely-knit, medium to full-bodied, fleshy character make for delicious drinking. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 10/97

Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (3), November 1998
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.