Collection Card

This wine is a remarkably concentrated, powerful Haut Brion that should prove to be extremely long-lived. Very deep in color, with a staggering wealth of fruit and flavor, the huge, smoky, tobacco and mineral scented bouquet seems to fill the room. Explosively rich, full bodied and with gobs of tannins, this wine is one of the superstars of the 1986 vintage.

There is no denying the greatness in this Bordeaux, but the bricklike, earthy aromas and flavors are bound to polarize wine lovers. Very complex, hard and tannic, it needs until at least the year 2000 to begin to show what it has.

Tasted at the La Mission/Haut-Brion dinner at The Ledbury. A second bottle from my cellar and it is almost identical with that engaging bouquet of fresh tobacco and here, a touch of Cohiba cigar! Again, the palate has a great deal of freshness and mineralité, perhaps even more cohesive than the previous bottle, with an foursquare but beautifully defined finish. Shame it is my last bottle. Drink now-2035. Tasted September 2010.