La Mission Haut Brion 1986 750ml

Château La Mission Haut-Brion, the Pessac-Léognan neighbor of Haut-Brion, is one of Bordeaux's great Graves estates, prized for dark, mineral-tinged and long-lived reds. 1986 was a celebrated year in the Médoc but a trickier one in Pessac-Léognan, where a torrent of rain challenged Merlot-heavy blends, yet La Mission produced a wine of notable concentration and structure. On release Wine Spectator suggested it "could be as great as the 1952." Today it shows dark berries and currants with iodine and oyster shell notes over a full-bodied, very soft and silky palate with a fresh finish. Fully mature after nearly four decades, it is best enjoyed over the next several years.