Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Cru Classe 1997

Antonio Galloni: The 1997 La Mission Haut-Brion has a garnet core and light bricking on the rim. The bouquet is mature and leafy, developing touches of hickory and clove, and revealing suggestions of freshly picked mint in the background. It is actually very endearing for a 1997 and has held up well over the past 24 years. The palate is also fully mature, offering leafy, red berry fruit, quite piquant in style, and hints of tobacco, peppercorns and cracked black pepper toward the pinched but nevertheless engaging finish. Is it the best La Mission Haut-Brion ever made? No. Did I finish the bottle? Yes. Job done. Tasted at home over dinner. 90/100 (2021)

Jancis Robinson: Deep, intense, healthy colour but quite developed at the rim. Clearly a step up from the Smith in terms of finesse, terroir and general care lavished on it. Still quite youthful and in absolutely no hurry to grow up. If this wine could speak it might have a rather annoying nasal drawl, it’s so confident and laid back. But – you’ve got to admire it. I think I’d still rather than 12 bottles of the Smith than six of this though… but then looked at as a buy compared with other vintages of La Mission, it is a bit of a steal. 17/20 (2005)