I have several half bottles of these two bottlings, and I just had to know what they tasted like, never having quaffed these reputable estates. So I grilled up a nice little NY strip, sauteed some maitake mushrooms in butter, and oven roasted some baby red potatoes with olive oil and garlic. Turned out to be a wonderful foil for the battle of the Haut Brions.
First up was the 1999 La Mission Haut Brion. Opened (but not decanted) the 375ml about 1 hour in advance, this wine exhibited ripe and rich aromas of dark currants, cedar and rich tobacco. Surprisingly open and accessible, this medium to full-bodied red provided tremendous drinking pleasure. Balanced, pure and generous on the palate, but it was the gorgeous aromas of cedar, currants, dark fruits and tobacco that weaved in and out that made this wine so fun to drink (the nose goes a long way for me). 92 points.
The Haut Brion was even better - if the La Mission Haut Brion was about rich dark fruits, the Haut Brion was more finessed, but finer in detail. The fruit was higher in tone, the nose more beguiling in perfume (with components such as red fruits, cassis and tobacco perhaps more melded together), and the palate full of bright fruits, minerals and tobacco, landing with a elegant detailed finish. More detailed, more finer in quality. 93 points.
If these were average vintages of these venerable estates, I'd love to try what great vintages of these wines can produce. They certainly did Bordeaux proud with these bottlings. Both were surprisingly accessible and high in quality. Perhaps the half bottles are progressing faster? Whatever the case, I am a fan, and happy to have tasted these wines from the same vintage side by side.
