Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, 1981 Red Wine
Pessac Leognan Cru Classe
Bottle size: 75cl
Price:
£245.00
Description
1981 Château La Mission Haut-Brion offers a beautifully classical expression of mature Graves from a more understated, old-school Bordeaux vintage. Now over forty years in bottle, it has moved into a fully evolved phase where complexity, savoury depth and refinement take precedence over power, showing the estate’s hallmark gravelly elegance.
In the glass, it displays a brick-garnet core with a wide, amber-tinted rim. The nose is refined and deeply tertiary: dried redcurrant and soft cassis mingle with cedar, cigar box, pipe tobacco and cool earth. Signature smoky, mineral notes of warm stones and faint embers drift through the bouquet, alongside hints of leather, truffle and dried herbs, giving a layered and quietly compelling aromatic profile.
On the palate, it is medium-bodied, supple and beautifully resolved. Fine, powdery tannins support flavours of dried cherry, plum, tobacco leaf and savoury spice, with that distinctive Graves smokiness running through the mid-palate. Acidity is gentle but still present, keeping the wine in balance and lending a sense of lift to the long, savoury finish, which tapers out on notes of cedar, ash and gently fading fruit.
This is a wine for lovers of fully mature claret and the distinctive character of top Graves rather than sheer concentration. Serve at cellar temperature after a very careful, brief decant to remove sediment. A rare opportunity to enjoy a gracefully evolved La Mission Haut-Brion from the early 1980s—subtle, complex and quietly captivating.
Condition
Good level and label