Château La Mission Haut-Brion Graves 1982

Full of signature La Mission silk and finesse, with a step towards the rich tertiary flavours of black truffle, tobacco leaf, incense and smoked earth. Seams of crushed raspberry fruits abound, with the turmeric and cumin spices of a warm vintage, just baked over campfire smoke. In this vertical it was tasted alongside the 1961 and 1989, and sits just a touch below them, just not quite delivering the fireworks of those other two exceptional vintages, but it’s still a wonderful example of how 1982 continues to deliver. The last full year under the Woltner family, before they sold in November 1983.