2003 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

The 2003 La Mission Haut-Brion is one of the few examples of this infamous vintage that has improved in bottle, though it’s still far from a first- or even second-tier La Mission. My most recent bottle displays all the tropes of that hot summer: black cherries, fig, singed leather and cooked meats. It does not have the delineation of the best vintages. The palate is reasonably well balanced with sweet black fruit, still displaying those fennel and garrigue notes. The finish is opulent yet slightly monotone. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.

Full bottle 1,380 g . Shaded glowing ruby. Lots of sediment. Warm and rich and very Haut-Brion on palate entry. Those warm bricks! A little dry on the end. But the depth of flavour is convincing. (JR)

Rich and sweet initially and then overlaid by tarry Haut-Brion minerals. Great sweetness, almost a burnt quality, and then some dustiness. Lots of pleasure even if far from the purest, most backward expression of La Mission. (JR)