James Suckling

The La Mission Haut-Brion was even better. It showed so much iodine, chili, and currants with a distinct warm stone character in the nose. It was full body with ultra-velvety tannins and a fabulous finish. Plenty of licorice also came out of the glass. It's a fabulous wine now.

(06/2016)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A candidate for the wine of the vintage from this somewhat forgotten year, consumers should be seeking out wines from the Right Bank and Graves as 1998 was a great vintage in those appellations. La Mission’s 1998 exhibits a healthy, opaque blue/purple color with no lightening at the edge. Thirty minutes of aeration brings forth a sensational bouquet of chocolate, cedar, truffles, graphite, blackberries, cassis and incense. La Mission’s so-called scorched earth/charcoal/hot rocks characteristic has not yet appeared. Full-bodied with superb purity, a multilayered texture, sweet tannin, good acidity and a fabulously long finish, this great, young La Mission-Haut-Brion’s finest days are yet to come. (RP)

(08/2012)

Vinous

The 1998 La Mission Haut Brion has always been a quite brilliant wine and at 20 years of age it continues to cruise at high altitude. Showing little signs of ageing in the glass, it has a very pure and refined bouquet that is perhaps not as precocious as a decade ago. This unfolds beautifully with black cherries, black olive, mineral and a touch of cigar box. The palate is very well balanced with a fine thread of acidity. The 1998 remains very youthful and vigorous with a sweet core of fruit, quite linear towards the finish with great tension. You come away with the feeling it will have more secondary aromas and flavours with another few years of bottle age. Marvelous. (NM)

(05/2019)

Wine Spectator

Very dark ruby color still. The nose is deep and dense, with intense aromas of licorice, blackberry, warm stones and a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with flavors of berries, iodine and chocolate. The tannin structure builds on the palate. Still needs to come together. A baby. (JS, Web-2009)

Wine & Spirits

No tasting note given.

(04/2002)

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Good red-ruby. Superripe, expressive nose of plum, redcurrant, roasted stones and spices. Big, rich, plummy and deep; boasts compelling mouthfilling sweetness. Plenty of spine beneath the flesh. Finishes very long and gripping, with sweet tannins for the year. (ST)

(06/2001)