Wine Advisor
La Mission Haut Brion 1985
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1985 La Mission is far superior to the notes I first provided. Dense purple, with no signs of aging, it is a rich, ripe, smooth, full-bodied wine with layers of jammy berry fruit, plenty of toasty new oak, and an opulent, fleshy, superbly concentrated finish. Having put on considerable weight and richness, it now appears to be one of the stars of the vintage. It can be drunk now! Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 6/93.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the La Mission/Haut-Brion dinner at The Ledbury. I must admit that I was expecting a little more from the La Mission ’85. The nose is a little muffled compared to previous encounters with scents of dark cherry, blackberry leaf, saddle leather and rosemary, though my main observation is that the oak is not as well integrated as demonstrated previously. Oh well, the palate is better with grippy, quite muscular tannins, not as fleshy as others in its alumni with a slightly chewy finish. Not bad, but out-classed by the ’78 and ’82. Tasted September 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Whilst the ’86 disappointed compared to its previous showing, this is much better. Like the nose on the ’86 typifies that vintage, so the La Mission ‘85 has that irresistible fleshiness and sensuality with more red fruit characteristics and lovely interwoven vanillary new oak. Very seductive. A lovely, fleshy, sinewy palate, not a voluptuous wine, but it has an effortless grace about it. Pert sweet red-berried fruits on the finish. Sublime. Drink now-2020+. Tasted May 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Last Tasted 8/92 I clearly under-estimated this wine. In a recent blind tasting it came out first among all the 1985 first-growths. It was the densest, richest, and most backward of the eight first-growths, yet it was thrown in as the ringer. The color is an impressive opaque dark ruby/purple, and the nose is just beginning to reveal the classic Graves aromas of melted road tar, tobacco leaves, and stones. In the mouth, this full-bodied wine reveals more concentration than I remember from cask or immediately after bottling. The finish is long, rich, and convincing. The tannins are soft and the acidity low, so this wine should reach full maturity in another 2-3 years and last for 15-20. The 1985s have not budged in price since they were released, so this could represent a decent value.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Christies' Boardroom dinner from an ex-chateau bottle. The La Mission Haut-Brion 1985, now beginning to approach its thirties, still has a youthful bouquet that demonstrates greater clarity here compared to previous examples. Black cherries, tobacco, rosemary and leather emerge with time although it does not possess the intensity of the 1990 or 1998. The palate is linear and pure with fine tannins and plenty of freshness, although it refuses to fan out on the strict, relatively sinewy finish. Very fine, but not a top tier La Mission Haut-Brion. Tasted November 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
First tasted in May 2002 when it was mature, open-knit and fleshy with lovely ripe Merlot. More forward than the Mission 1986. Very fine indeed: probably the best Mission 1985 that I tasted. Lovely and fleshy in Bordeaux in March 2005. Lastly at the Mission vertical in March 2006. Garnet core with deep brick rim. The nose seems to have lost some of its vigor since I last tasted it. Roasted herbs, cherry, scorched leather. The palate is medium-bodied, supple, elegant, lithe, smooth texture though not silky, but just lacking the sensuality it displayed two or three years ago. Quite spicy and savory on the finish. Moderate length. I do not think this will get any better.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A Possible Legend Candidate
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
As this wine sat in the glass aerating, I began having some doubts about whether it merited a low-90s point score. I think it does, but the fact that it deteriorated more quickly than some of its siblings (even those from more challenging vintages) gave me pause. Nevertheless, I have to assume that most people will decant all of these wines (as I did) and consume them within an hour of opening. On that basis, this 1985 is clearly a low-90 point wine. The problem is that for the most part, 1985 does not have that extra level of concentration possessed by the great vintages. However, it offers a softness to go along with the fragility of the wines as most 1985s, including this La Mission-Haut-Brion, are fully mature. A dark plum/garnet color reveals a pinkish lightening at the edge, and the bouquet reveals plenty of smoke, camphor, charcoal, graphite, sweet kirsch and blacker fruit aromas intermixed with meaty, sauteed mushroom, cedar and spicy notes. The lovely aromatics are followed by flavors that do not quite match the intensity of the bouquet, a sign of a fully mature wine. This medium-bodied effort has plenty of glycerin, low acidity and not a trace of tannin. While not terribly generous, it is a soft, round, charming, delicious, very good La Mission, but not a great one. Drink it over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A complex, smoky, earthy nose, with a bit of camphor intermixed with jammy black currants and melted road tar is followed by a medium-bodied, very soft, low-acid wine that is loosely knit, very fleshy, and fully mature. Anticipated maturity: Now-2008. Last tasted, 9/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1985 is deliciously opulent, rich, and open knit. The color is a dark ruby/purple with some garnet at the edge. The wine offers a sweet, smoky, melted road tar, black currant-scented nose with toasty oak in the background. It has put on weight as it has evolved in the bottle, and appears to be better than ever, with copious quantities of lush, jammy black fruits intermixed with the smoky, roasted character so prevalent in this appellation. The low acidity and loosely-knit, medium to full-bodied, fleshy character make for delicious drinking. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 10/97
About the Producer
25 hectares of red grape varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, are planted in the traditional vineyard of the winery; the Werner family's vineyard also has 4 hectares of white grape varieties, including Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, used for Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc at different times during the Werner family's reign And the production of the original Chateau Laville Haut-Brion Blanc (Chateau Laville Haut-Brion Blanc). The Werner family's original Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion ceased production after 2005, and the 5 hectares of vineyards it owns are mainly used for the blending of the second red wine of Chateau Meixun. In terms of wine production, the winery will set up screening stations on trucks in the vineyard to screen the manually picked grapes for the first time. Fermentation is then carried out in a stainless steel wine tank equipped with a computer-controlled system that monitors the homogenization and temperature of the wine after measuring the temperature of the pressed grape juice and residue. Clarified with fresh egg whites before bottling, but not filtered.
1982(2)
Package Size
