Ron Siegel

9.4

Classic La Mission nose that is in a perfect spot showing red & black fruits, cedar, leather, earth, graphite, spice box along with sweet tobacco — 12 days ago

Conrad Green

9.5

Great clarity and texture. Deep and impressive. Fully resolved but still powerful. Very good — 2 months ago

with Walker and David

Jeroen Koenen

9.3

Drink up if you have some.
Broad, rich and lush yet fading after an hour in the glass. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2014 vintage. Last tasted 6.2.23 (9.3). Light-medium body. Decanted with very little sed. Tasted after 30 minutes and two hours. Some fresh, green herbs along with tobacco and milk chocolate notes. Unperturbed and completely confident. Slightly better than the last visit and feel like another decade/near-decade will find this at a 9.5. 4.8.26. — 3 months ago

Meredith Moody

9.1

Loved my first sip of this. Have in my notes that I liked it less as I kept drinking, but then liked it again at the end. It’s pretty dry and you can taste the yeast. Definitely apple-y , I also get some grapefruit and pineapple. It has a bit of oak and minerality. Feels polished. Nice wine. — 4 months ago

John Van Trijp

9.9

Weekend with Friends and average wines…😎 — 6 months ago

Vijay Parikh

9.4

One hour decant with steak dinner. Had it with the 89 Haut Brion. Whilst this was good it was soundly beaten by the HB — 6 months ago

Suneal Vishnupad

9.3

Super interesting – barbecue, smoke and green pepper really different but enjoyable. Quite a distinct flavor.  — 6 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Tasted blind. Pretty similar to 2 in colour , more garnet core , some ruby with a garnet rim . Slightly more closed on the nose , touch of spice , hickory , then dark fruits , grafite . On the palate this is more mineral and intense , with good volume and a ripe layer of dark fruits , quite rich and mouthfilling but with good freshness and length . Lots of cassis and grafite , some cedar , grippy tannins . Dense and quite powerful long finish . This has a lovely spiced character with an earthy finish . Still pretty young , needs a little more time , but great balance . Wait Another 5 -8 years and will last well a further 10-15. I did not put this as HB in the 30 minutes we had to study the wines , the sweet spice took me over to Mouton , with more time it was obviously so different , so I kicked myself when it was revealed as HB. My 4th placed wine . — 2 months ago

John Malcolm

9.2

Classic. Full-bodied. Cedar, plum, blackberries, tobacco, dark chocolate. Decanted for about six hours before the tannins settled down. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

1st wine. Medium garnet with quite thin , garnet rim . Some herbal touches , with earthy terracotta note , touches of dry spices, grafite . On the palate this has good freshness and of tobacco and earthy cassis , quite grippy, dry tannin. A bit foursquare , but quite good length and balance . This probably needs a bit more time , 5 -8 years and will last well a further decade . Had this down as the Haut Brion. — 3 months ago

Jeff Miller

9.2

Classic entry level Bordeaux. Everything you hope it would be. — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

Classic La Mission nose showing mostly black fruits, with notes of smoke, cedar, licorice, leather, mocha, underbrush & cigar ash. Just entering its prime with many years ahead — 6 months ago

David Koenen

9.7

Rich, mature and extremely balance but at the same time: an impressive mouth full of wine and so very subtle. Brilliant. Sun-dried tomato. Warm cherry flan. Lavender. Black fruit compote. Wet terracotta tiles on a warm summer day. The class oozes from the glass. Wow. — 6 months ago

Wulf Losee

9.2

Soft tannic structure. Buttery. — a month ago

GaryWEdwards

9.3

Big fiull white from mission Brion. Wow! — 2 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Just like the other two White Bordeaux from 1996 tonight, this seemed advanced, lush and rich. — 2 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.4

From magnum. — 2 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I need to start w/ a little preamble.

For me, Pessac-Leognan was a late comer Bordeaux region. The last one I gravitated to in my 26 yr Bordeaux experience.

Nearly all the previous 2000 Bordeaux’s I’ve had up to this point needed a lot more cellaring. Mostly 1st & 2nd Growths, some 3rd. This 2000 started lean…lacking depth & a bigger tannin profile. But that is not entirely uncharacteristic for older Pessac’s. It seemed slightly more late in its drinking window. It picked up weight in the decanter at 2 1/2 hours and then showed more weight & depth w/ my Ribcap.

This started elegant w/ soft Bordeaux characteristics. Beauty & elegance as I understand it in Bordeaux’s from this region and this kind of age. But lacked 2000 earthiness & depth. For me, this is a 3rd tier Pessac producer, my terminology. Not up there with Haut Bailly or Pape Clement and of course Haut Brion.

2000’s up to this point have shown great depth & deep characteristics. Most needing longer than anticipated aging.

This was beautiful, elegant but lean based on previous definitions. Early on it seemly felt like it was a drink up in the next 3 yrs w/o the steak. With a longish decant & steak, more 7-10 yrs.

The nose shows muddled to slightly stewy; dark currants, blackberries, black cherries, both plums to pudding, poached strawberries, black raspberries and haunting blueberries, red cola, dark chocolate, dry herbs, dry leather-tobacco, softened graphite, moist clay, hints of pepper, some mushroom notes, rich, darkish soils with dry leaves, steeped tea, limestone/sandstone, dry twig, dry pebbles-top soils with dark, red, withering flowers.

The palate shows beautiful elegance with nothing that bites back. Perfectly resolved velvety tannins. Ripe, juicy, somewhat ruby fruits. Yet, have slightly stewy characteristics. Dark currants, blackberries, black cherries, both plums to pudding, poached strawberries, black raspberries and haunting blueberries, red cola, dark chocolate, softly layered & even baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, mid, dark, Asian spices, dry herbs, dry leather-tobacco, softened, nearly sweet graphite, moist clay, hints of pepper, rich, darkish soils with dry leaves, charcoal, volcanic ash, steeped tea, limestone/sandstone, dry twig, dry pebbles, dry top soils with dark, red, withering flowers, near perfect acidity, well balanced w/ softened structure/tension, great length and an elegant finish that goes on and on and long sets on spice & clay.

Almost new cork and little to no sediment.

92-93 with a long decant & a rich, fatty steak-Ribcap. First taste after pouring into the decanter, 90.

Photos of; Haut-Bergey, Paul Garcin-Managing Director and Francois Prouteau-Cellar Master. — 3 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Great second wine here. Yes probably too young but with 2 hours in the decanter this was singing. In another couple of years 94. Super wine — 6 months ago