($375-$432) Medium red with some amber at the rim. Knockout nose combines tobacco, warm stones, minerals, menthol and burning woodsmoke. Wonderfully dense, silky and sweet, but there superb underlying acidity and tannic structure to buttress the wine flesh. Haut-Brion is widely considered to be the wine of the vintage, but in my experience La Mission is at the same exalted quality level.

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Very deep crimson. Thick and sweet on the palate. Still embryonic but very nicely balanced and quite rich. Very sweet and almost medicinal. Should make a great bottle eventually.

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Both La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion hit home runs in this vintage, which did not produce as many profound wines as the Bordeaux publicity machine suggested. 1989, the 200th anniversary of the French revolution, was an incredibly hot year (surpassed only by 1990 and 2003). Even from barrel the seamless 1989 La Mission revealed a special elixir aspect, tasting like it had been designed by Chanel. It still possesses a blue/purple color with only a hint of garnet creeping in, and the explosive aromatics offer up notes of licorice, creme de cassis, blueberry liqueur, smoky barbecue meats, truffles and graphite. If that's not enough to get one salivating, the palate has never disappointed either. Full-bodied with extraordinary opulence as well as sweet, well-integrated, velvety tannins, this fresh, lively, blockbuster La Mission appears to be one of those rare wines that never goes through a closed, unfriendly stage. It has been a compelling, multidimensional effort from barrel, in its infancy, and as it heads into late adolescence. A remarkable tour de force in winemaking, it is one of the all-time profound La Mission-Haut-Brions. Anticipated maturity: now-2050.

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Blockbuster. This is incredibly impressive with aromas of plums, berry, tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Still closed, but so opulent and beautiful. Raspberry aftertaste. Lasts for minutes. I underrated this years ago. Clearly 100 points. '89/'90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal.

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I am certainly not going to argue with anyone who believes La Mission-Haut-Brion's 1989 is every bit as profound as the 1989 Haut-Brion. It is a spectacular wine, and as it ages in the bottle, it is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite La Mission-Haut-Brions, ranking alongside the 1982, 1975, 1961, 1959, and 1955. The 1989 boasts a dense, thick, purple color, followed by a sweet, roasted cassis, chocolatey-scented nose with whiffs of tobacco, tar, and minerals. The wine is extremely full-bodied, unctuously-textured, sweet, jammy, and rich. Although it is still a youthful, unformed wine, it is already delicious to drink. It should develop additional bottle bouquet by the turn of the century, after which it will drink well for 15-20 years.

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