1996 La Mission Haut Brion

Licorice, blackberry, mineral and cedar on the nose. Full-bodied, chewy texture, with lots of tannins, but finishes a little short and dry. Ready.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2007

Fully mature, with a big, fragrant bouquet of damp earth, weedy underbrush, asphalt, Asian soy, and ripe plums and cherries, this medium-bodied 1996 appears to be on a fast evolutionary track. It reveals plenty of delicious fruit, soft tannins and enough acidity to provide definition. I was surprised by how open-knit and mature this wine has become. Anticipated maturity: now-2020. Wine Advocate.August, 2012

Tasted at the chateau, the 1996 La Mission Haut Brion does not quite deliver the sense of "confidence" on the nose exuded by the likes of say, Chateau Margaux or Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. There is quite a marked Asian influence here and at 20 years old there is that conspicuous soy-like accent that permeates the red and black fruit -- red plums and a touch of orange blossom. There is something sedate about the aromatics, perhaps reclining too much in its comfy armchair. The palate is slightly better than the aromatics with fine tannin, though there is still some hardness here, a little static. This is a resolutely foursquare and conservative La Mission Haut-Brion that certainly lacks the depth and density of the best 1986s, partly because there is more Merlot in the blend (61% with 39% Cabernet Sauvignon). There is something ... anachronistic about this La Mission, a vintage I feel that is surpassed by many others conjured by either Jean-Bernard or Jean-Philippe Delmas. File alongside the 1996 Cheval Blanc as "could have done better." Tasted July 2016. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com