TN: 2004 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan)

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  • 2004 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (2/17/2022)
    55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc…decanted for an hour. Have always loved this wine…pretty accessible right from the get go…med bodied with wonderful subtle expressive Bordeaux-ness! Still showing a healthy youthful dark garnet with rose rim color…gorgeously classic nose of creme de cassis, shaved pencil, olive tapenade, leather and mint. Wonderfully creamy and silky…cool climate, med bodied ripeness of dark berry fruits(raspberry,plum,currants)…some sweetness of raspberry jam, cherry skin acidity, to go along with the KILLER powder graphite dry fine grained tannins…really quite accessible and inviting, yet there is plenty of crushed rock and wood spice structure firmness…subtle nuanced layers of dried herbs, licorice, tobacco wrapper, crushed coal, cinnamon stick, tilled up mint garden…some might think too thin and lack of phenolic ripeness…I for one find it refreshing and more of a subtle elegance than the riper warmer vintages. Just screams Bordeaux to me…and would drink this 24/7 if I could! (94 pts.)

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Killer note!!!

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I don’t like the way he photoshops the bottles to make them look thin, I’m sick and tired of fat shaming these bottles.

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No photoshop…that’s just the “slim” 04 vintage! [wow.gif]

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I’ve always thought that 2004 was an underrated vintage. It’s svelte/slim and classical like 2002 but much less austere, the wines have more softness and charm. And the tannins aren’t as imposing as 2001 and 2008. Perhaps the best “off vintage” of the oughts

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At least he did not photoshop the cork!

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Nice!

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I’ve been drinking the 04 from release…but own the 05 as well, and have not tried. When do you bordheads think the 05 would be ready to drink? [cheers.gif]

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Thanks for the note, Brian. [cheers.gif]

What are folks’ opinions about whether this has room to improve from here? It appears to have a pretty youthful look.

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I enjoy the leaner 21st century vintages of LMHB. For me, they have been a lot glossier lately, so the leaner vintages end up tasting the way their old wines did a couple of decades ago. I had the 2002 recently, and it had that complexity you described.

The 2014s were relatively cheap, and I bought a case of La Mission without tasting it

A month ago I opened one, gave it a long decant, and it was superb. My expectations were high, but this was better than I could have hoped.

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When do we start drinkin the 2005?

Edit: Well…Antonio really liked it recently:

“By Antonio Galloni
2005 Bordeaux: Here and Now (Apr 2021), 4/1/2021, (See more on Vinous…)
(La Mission Haut-Brion La Mission Haut-Brion Red) The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Effusive aromatics and bright, red-toned fruit make a strong first impression. A wine of vertical intensity and explosive energy, the 2005 is a towering masterpiece. Today it is just at the beginning of a long drinking window that will last another few decades. Red cherry, plum, leather, spice, gravel, smoke, blood orange and pomegranate infuse the palate staining finish. In 2005, La Mission is a wine that satisfies all the senses, from the intellectual to the hedonistic. Magnificent. Tasted two times. (Drink between 2021-2055) 100pts”