Haut Brion 1998

Pessac-Leognan, First Growth

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Tasting Notes

Dark color, with decadent aromas of truffles, meat, ripe berries and tobacco. Turns to sweet, crushed berries. Full-bodied, with very polished tannins and a berry and mineral aftertaste. The serious tannin structure is still hiding behind the fruit of the wine. Tightly wound and beautiful. Solid as a rock. A classic wine. - '88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011.

Score: 97

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2011+ 01 January 2009

A deep garnet core with deep brick rim. The nose is just fantastic, just soars from the glass with brilliant delineation and freshness; black olives, blackberry leaf, blueberry and a touch of iodine. At this stage it has slightly more breeding than the La Mission, although that wine has more immediacy. The palate is awesome: full-bodied, more structure than La Mission, nigh on perfect balance and tension. There is a natural quality to this wine, a beguiling sense of harmony that will ensure that this will become the best Haut Brion since the 1989 (on par with the criminally overlooked 1990.) The finish has a gorgeous suppleness to it: notes of blackberry, cherry liqueur, black olives and a touch of oyster shell. Very long in length. Awesome.

Score: 98

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 01 May 2008

Deep crimson still. Although there is trademark Haut Brion underneath there is already beguiling tertiary perfume on top. There’s a richness underneath. Warm and spicy and very charming. Acidity is noticeable. A lovely bouquet already. Dry finish - quite a bit of tannin still - one will hope that the fruit outlives the tannin… the first wine where I have wondered about this. The nose seems to be galloping ahead of the tannins, but on past performance it should be fine.

Score: 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2010-2022 07 April 2008

Good medium ruby. Aristocratic, highly complex nose hints at plum, roast coffee, leather, grilled nuts, tobacco and earth. A bit reticent today but already offers an uncanny amalgamation of density and vinosity. A very suave, subtle wine that finishes with creamy, sweet tannins and terrific grip and length. Was there a more consistently outstanding first growth through the decade of the '90s? (94+ points)

Score: 94

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2001

As reported over the last two years, this is a prodigious Haut-Brion. It exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a tight, but incredibly promising nose of smoke, earth, minerals, lead pencil, black currants, cherries, and spice. This full-bodied wine unfolds slowly, but convincingly on the palate, revealing a rich, multi-tiered, stunningly pure, symmetrical style with wonderful sweetness, ripe tannin, and a finish that lasts for nearly 45 seconds. It tastes like liquid nobility.

Score: 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2004-2020 01 April 2001

The 1998 continues to emulate the style of recent prodigious Haut-Brions. With all due respect to the glorious 1995, the 1998 appears to be the finest wine produced since Haut-Brion's prodigious 1989 and 1990. It reveals more aromatic and flavor dimensions than it did last year. The dense ruby/purple color is followed by classic, developing aromas of minerals, lead pencil, earth, and black cherries/currants. On the palate, additional dimensions and nuances unfold. Tannic and powerful, but with sweet fruit, ripe tannin, and great length and richness, this profound, firmly-structured Haut-Brion will require 4-6 years of bottle age; it should drink well for three decades.

Score: 94 - 97

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2004-2030 01 April 2000

Jean Delmas is thrilled with what he achieved at Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion in 1998. It is one of the great successes of the vintage. Moreover, it is the paradigm for elegance allied to power. The color is an opaque purple. The nose offers up sweet black fruits intermixed with roasted herbs, pain grille, and minerals. There is a sensational, plush texture, yet the wine comes across as medium-bodied, with multiple levels of flavor, as well as gorgeous ripeness and purity. It possesses fine density, but there is no sense of heaviness or imbalance. It is a brilliant classic. Lovers of this estate's distinctive, highly individualized, complex wines should not miss it.

Score: 94 - 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2004-2025 30 April 1999