1970 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Though I have drunk the 1970 La Mission Haut-Brion several times before, this was the first time I encountered a magnum. This is much better than any of the 1970 bottles, though I aver that it should have been better and doesn't hold a light to the 1975 or 1978. Showing modest bricking on the rim, it offers mature scents of dusky red fruit, cedar, lots of sous-bois /mulch and a touch of green olive. You get the feeling that the fruit was not fully ripe when picked, which translates across onto the palate, which is balanced yet leaner than, say, the 1970 Domaine de Chevalier or Pape-Clément, both superior this year. Enjoyable...but slight. Tasted at Mr. R's over dinner in Beaune.

The 1970 La Mission Haut-Brion has been inconsistent from bottle to bottle. Evolved in colour, the nose is austere and lacks fruit intensity, rather charmless. The palate is marked by hard tannins and it feels a little hollow towards the finish. It is a mystery why the 1970 is not the calibre of the 1966 or 1978. I guess you can't win 'em all. Tasted at a private lunch in London.

Full bottle 1,400 g. Note the appellation and no alcohol! Cork crumbled. Lots of sediment. There is fruit here but also masses of acidity. A bit austere and not one of the most successful 1970s, I think. A little old-fashioned lean sweetness on the palate entry. But rather hard work! I fear there isn't enough fruit for improvement… (JR)