La Mission Haut Brion 1986

I tasted this at a fun restaurant in Bordeaux called Le Père Ouvrard in the Bouscaut neighborhood. The 1986 was a great vintage for the Médoc but less so for Pessac-Léognan, partly because an early torrent of rains wrought havoc for wines with more merlot in their blends. Many of the 1986s are starting to fall apart, but the La Mission was holding on nicely with dark berries, currants, iodine and oyster shell. It was full-bodied, very soft, very silky and ended with a fresh finish. It’s a wine definitely on a holding pattern.

I have never been taken with the 1986 La Mission Haut-Brion and this bottle did nothing to change my opinion, especially juxtaposed against the superior First Growth across the road. The nose feels a bit meagre, with a touch of black olive and vestiges of black fruit that, as I've written previously, are too austere for my liking and lack a bit of charm. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, though patently nowhere near as complex as the '86 Haut-Brion. There is maybe a touch of Brettanomyces on the leathery/animally finish? So-so. Tasted at Fell's annual tasting in London. (Drink between 2026-2034)

The 1986 La Mission-Haut-Brion possesses dark ruby color, a spicy, mineral and tobacco-scented bouquet, firm tannins, medium to full body, and excellent potential for extended cellaring. The compactness noticeable in early tastings has been replaced by a more expansive, generous feeling of fruit. Plenty of tannin remains, but the mineral, cassis, and tobacco scents of a top La Mission are beginning to emerge. This wine is closer to maturity than I would have thought. Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010. Last tasted, 6/93.