1979 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Dark plum/garnet-tinged with some amber at the edge, the 1979 offers up notes of garrigue, truffles, damp earth, hints of iodine and seaweed (which I associate more with wines made within 100 kilometers of the Mediterranean coastline, not the Atlantic Ocean), sweet currants, plums, cherries, cedar and roasted herbs. This medium-bodied, elegant, fully mature 1979 is a lighter version of La Mission than the 1978, but, for the vintage, it is a dramatic, authoritative effort. Decent acidity remains and the tannins have largely disappeared. There is good aromatic complexity, but a slight superficiality and fading fruit in the finish suggest consumption over the next decade is warranted as this wine is unlikely to improve with additional age.

Brick rim and deep crimson. Very rich nose and round and glossy texture with good freshness. Getting a little dusty but there was obviously class here once. Drink up. Second bottle actually corked! (JR)

Dark plum/garnet-tinged with some amber at the edge, the 1979 offers up notes of garrigue, truffles, damp earth, hints of iodine and seaweed (which I associate more with wines made within 100 kilometers of the Mediterranean coastline, not the Atlantic Ocean), sweet currants, plums, cherries, cedar and roasted herbs. This medium-bodied, elegant, fully mature 1979 is a lighter version of La Mission than the 1978, but, for the vintage, it is a dramatic, authoritative effort. Decent acidity remains and the tannins have largely disappeared. There is good aromatic complexity, but a slight superficiality and fading fruit in the finish suggest consumption over the next decade is warranted as this wine is unlikely to improve with additional age. Aug 2012, www.robertparker.com