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This vintage is aging at a glacial pace and the tannins are currently more significant than their counterbalancing components of fruit and glycerin. While the word “potential” seems to be the most positive descriptor for this vintage, there are some nagging doubts about whether all the tannins will melt away and the fruit will hold. As in most 1995s, the color remains a healthy dark plum/purple. One of the bigger wines of the vintage, the ripe, powerful Merlot component has buttressed the Cabernet elements, giving the wine plenty of body, tannin and La Mission’s classic asphalt, cassis, blackberry, smoky barbecue, meaty notes intermixed with a hint of hot rocks. The 1995 is still a young wine and I am beginning to wonder if this vintage overall will resemble 1975 rather than something with more charm? Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035?.Robert Parker | 95+ RP(Château La Mission Haut-Brion) It had been fifteen years since I last tasted the 1995 La Mission, but a friend generously offered to pop a bottle for me when I told him that I was working on this article. The wine is still young (not surprisingly), but is just brimming with promise and really does start to blossom a bit with some extended aeration. The bouquet is deep and utterly classic in its constellation of dark berries, singed tobacco, complex, dark soil tones, tobacco leaf, smoke, a touch of mint and a very discreet base of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a rock solid core, great focus and grip, ripe, seamless tannins and outstanding length and grip on the very pure and classy finish. All this excellent vintage of La Mission needs is a bit more time in the cellar to soften up a bit more. (Drink between 2020-2075)John Gilman | 94 JGSubtle aromas of sweet tobacco, cigar box and ripe strawberry. Full-bodied, with very well-integrated, tightly woven tannins. Chewy, rich. Needs more time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAfter the modest success of the previous year, one would expect the 1995 La Mission Haut-Brion to show better. But there has always been something "flightless" about this wine – it’s just never taken off. The nose offers lightly gamy black fruit tinged with tobacco and light sage aromas, but feels static. The palate is more stern than you would expect, masculine and hard-textured. There is very good depth, yet this lacks charm toward the soft finish. There is a pleasant meaty character on the aftertaste, but it’s just too late to elevate this par-for-the-course La Mission. Tasted at a private dinner in Hong Kong.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Still remarkably dark, intense and youthful in appearance, this Mouton shows more flamboyant characters on the nose than other vintages, with spices, cigar-box and blackcurrant leaf all to the fore. Rich, dense and fleshy palate with plenty of stuffing for further ageing. An impressive Mouton which lives up to the ‘star’ billing for the 1995 vintage with nearly all of the components in great balance. The only question mark regards the firm, slightly drying tannins, which still need to fully integrate. I suspect they will, but the 1995 may not quite reach the height of the 1996. Harvested 12 September to 27 September. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc.Drinking Window 2021 - 2030.Decanter | 97 DECBottled in June, 1997, this profound Mouton is more accessible than the more muscular 1996. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 19% Merlot, it reveals an opaque purple color, and reluctant aromas of cassis, truffles, coffee, licorice, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is "great stuff," with superb density, a full-bodied personality, rich mid-palate, and a layered, profound finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. There is outstanding purity and high tannin, but my instincts suggest this wine is lower in acidity and slightly fleshier than the brawnier, bigger 1996. Both are great efforts from Mouton-Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030.Robert Parker | 95 RP(72% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot and 9% cabernet franc; pH 3.68; IPT 64; 12.4% alcohol; 88% new oak; 95% selection for the grand vin): Very dark, fully saturated ruby to the rim. Deep, brooding, rich aromas of blackberry, violet, milk chocolate, black pepper, cedar and incense; sexy and captivating. Bright and focused on entry, then rich, very smooth and suave, with highly concentrated flavors of red berries, dark plum, cedar and graphite. The extremely long, juicy finish features lively acids, great balance and persistent notes of underbrush and minerals. The mounting tannins coat the palate dry and are still years away from resolving fully. Harvested from September 12 through 27, which suggests that the merlot was probably very ripe. According to Tourbier, "We included a bit more merlot than usual because we felt the cabernet sauvignon had particularly tough tannins in 1995 and we didn’t want to risk making too tough or structured a wine. So we used the merlot to soften it up a bit." The estate was so happy with the quality of the wine (and the rather high 95% selection for the grand vin speaks volumes), said Tourbier, that they only made 15 barriques of the second wine Petit Mouton, which was launched with the 1993 vintage. A huge volume year, 1995 was characterized by very fine weather through most of the growth cycle but was marred by September rains.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis explodes on the nose with prunes, blackberries, mushrooms and fresh tobacco. Full body, ripe tannins and a juicy finish. Big and powerful. Still could do with a decade or more of aging.James Suckling | 95 JSAromas of ripe fruit and grilled meat follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long caressing finish. Very beautiful wine. Mouton shows finesse yet richness in this vintage.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2007.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2000 Les Forts de Latour has a very perfumed and floral bouquet, beautifully defined, precise and precocious; hints of eucalyptus emerge with time. The palate is well balanced and intense, delivering black fruit laced with mint and tar. The concentrated finish gently grips the mouth. This is only just beginning to show what it can do.Vinous Media | 95 VMSome call it the second wine of the great first growth of Latour. But it’s a unique wine on its own. It shows blueberry, raspberry and other dark-berry character. It’s so round and delicious, why wait?James Suckling | 94 JSSuper enticing aromas of crushed raspberries, Indian spices and hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with a refined and tight tannin structure and a long, refreshing finish. A beauty. Best Les Forts in years. Best after 2009. 11,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2000 Les Forts de Latour is a seriously endowed wine with notes of black walnuts, black currants, crushed rock, tobacco and spice box. Full-bodied, luscious but still in need of another 2-3 years to hit full maturity, it certainly can evolve for another 15 or more years, and looks to be slightly richer and longer-lived than I originally predicted.My original ratings appear to have been dead on the money for both of these efforts from Chateau Latour.Robert Parker | 92 RP

Perhaps one of the more overlooked vintages in recent years, the Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2001 is one of the finest wines of the vintage. Here, one is immediately taken aback by the precision exuded by the nose: small dark cherries and orange blossom still there, perhaps the mineralité more heightened than ever. The palate displays exquisite balance with nigh on perfect acidity, demonstrating more tension, if not the dimension of the 1990 tasted alongside. This is a serious La Mission for long-term aging. Tasted June 2014.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2001 La Mission Haut-Brion is less complex on the nose than the preceding millennial vintage. There is more blue fruit here, and perhaps greater purity compared to the 2000, though it does not quite possess the same amplitude. The saline, medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins and hints of tangy black olives (kalamata, maybe?), and shows wonderful substance and grip toward the pure finish. Jean-Philippe Delmas commented upon the “surprising depth” of the 2001, which is true. But at the moment, the 2000 has a little more personality. 13.2% alcohol. Tasted at the château with Jean-Philippe Delmas.Vinous Media | 94 VMSometimes it seems as if La Mission is as good as Haut-Brion - that was certainly the case in 2001. But in 2000, La Mission fitted more comfortably into its usual good neighbor slot. That is not to suggest it is not a great wine - the score indicates that. At the moment, it is closed, solid and chunky, but all the right hints are there, and it will develop slowly and in a sustained way over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEVery complex, with blackberries, flowers and minerals. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fresh, sweet fruit aftertaste. Refined La Mission. Beautiful. Best after 2008. 600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Ripe black cherry and blackberry flavors pick up rosemary, mineral and spice accents in this red, which is concentrated and intense, fresh and focused. Racy midpalate, this leans toward black currant and cedar notes on the solid finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2017 through 2030. 13,500 cases made, 3,250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2011 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to a broad, yet very distinct audience. I am absolutely charmed by this vintage. Soft cherry and blackberry confit emerge from the bouquet in thick, luscious waves. Leather, spice and tar play supporting roles. The wine offers a generous and expansive style. It also shows impressive balance and coherent inner integrity. This vintage certainly bears the hallmarks of a hot vintage, but it never feels overdone. It delivers volume, intensity and rich texture. This Sassicaia is a wine of enormous craftsmanship.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe aromas of this Sassicaia shows a wet earth, ripe blackberry and black currant character. Some nectarines as well. Full body, with round and velvety tannins and a succulent juicy finish. Savory and delicious already. Needs a year or two to come together but already approachable. James Suckling | 94 JSThis wine has a more delicate, perfumed structure, much like the 2013 vintage, but it also has the excellent grip and colour extraction of 2012. A little constricted at first, this wine is in a closed phase at present. It takes a good 30 minutes to unfurl in the glass, and I would certainly recommend a long decanting period to reveal butterscotch, tar and grilled herb notes. Once again the impression is of a wine that slowly but surely builds, demonstrating a careful climb in tannins, fruit and acidity. It was an exceptionally hot year in Tuscany, where Sassicaia benefited from its oceanic location.Decanter | 94 DECAromas suggest blackberry, cedar and Mediterranean scrub. On the palate, notes of tobacco, licorice, exotic spice and cranberry accent the juicy black-cherry core. It’s well balanced and elegant, with silky tannins. Drink 2016–2026.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEFull saturated ruby. Very pure, floral aromas of red cherry, blackberry, cassis, minerals and minty herbs. Juicy, sweetly spicy and multilayered, with strong but well-integrated acidity giving the wine lovely early balance and intensifying its dark fruit flavors. Broadens out impressively on the back half without losing its shape. This silky, very graceful Sassicaia might not be as long-lived as the most famous vintages of the past but is irresistible owing to its impeccable balance. “Lovely” is the word that dominated my tasting note.Vinous Media | 93 VMDelicate floral aromas lead into sappy red and black cherry fruit flavors, with notes of caramelized orange, dark chocolate and red licorice around the edges. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 15 percent Cabernet Franc, left for two years in French oak barriques, it’s polished and elegant, with vibrant acidity and refined tannins that promise this will age well.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&S

Glorious aromatics with currants, flowers, stones and light mushrooms. Medium to full body and fine tannins that are long and polished. Super linear, structured and long. Drink in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2014 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 71.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28.6% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal expanding scents of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums and boysenberries with suggestions of wood smoke, fragrant earth, cast-iron pan and charcuterie plus a faint waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, the earthy/savory palate has loads of lively black fruit with a refreshing line and firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2014 Forts de Latour has turned out beautifully. Pliant, supple and open-knit, the wine is super-expressive, even at this early stage. There is lovely depth to the dark red cherry, plum and leather nuances, all in the vivid, articulate style that is found in the best 2014s. Best of all, the 2014 Forts de Latour will drink well with minimal cellaring.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe second wine of the estate is the 2014 Les Forts De Latour and this beauty is better than most estate grand vin. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, this straight up classic Pauillac is loaded with notions of red and black currants, lead pencil shavings, roasted coffee, graphite, and Asian spices. Deep, medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and layered, it’s a seriously good wine that’s going to continue drinking beautifully for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDHighly enjoyable, has gorgeous elegance and freshness, and is showing better right now than the 2015 Pauillac de Latour. Extremely fresh, hedgerow and cassis bud backed up by richer seams of liquorice and blackberry. Not yet ready but you can see that with a stiff wind and a good carafe, you could get there in the next few years. Tight black spice uncurls to show carefully-delivered smoked cedar on the finish. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECPacked with the fruit of the vintage, this wine is bright and crisp. Its acidity and pure black-currant flavors are delicious, juicy, the tannins now sitting easily in the background. The wine, which comes from a specific parcel, is developing well and will be released after 2020. It should be drunk from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEOffers a core of pure cassis and blackberry fruit, with mouthwatering streaks of graphite and anise. Racy-edged, featuring ample grip buried through the finish. Reveals a violet echo for good measure. Textbook. Best from 2018 through 2030. 9,022 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Aromas of exotic spice, baked plum and French oak mingle with camphor and blue flower on the nose. This boasts extraordinary elegance and freshness despite the hot vintage, delivering flavors of juicy Marasca cherry, spiced blueberry, tobacco and licorice. Velvety, fine-grained tannins provide support while coffee and crushed mint linger on the finish. Drink 2022–2032.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2017 vintage for Sassicaia was described by winemaking consultant Graziana Grassini as ’contracted and difficult, but it evolved impressively well with great strides during the oak ageing’. The wine shows a great intensity and elegance on the super-restrained nose of bramble fruit, layered with cedar, kiwi peel and a touch of oak. Surprisingly velvety, silky tannins and brilliant acidity are supported by creamy mid-palate weight with an amazingly savoury finish of cedar and tobacco. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 97 DECThe balance and beauty to this is impressive, offering sweet, ripe currants and flowers with some crushed-stone and dry-earth undertones. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins and a long, creamy-textured finish. It’s polished, yet concentrated. Better after 2022, but already very seductive.James Suckling | 96 JSA taut, densely wrought red, with black currant, black cherry, iron, wild herb and spice flavors matched to the elegant frame and restrained character. Balanced and long, this has a distinctly Old World feel and looks set to unravel its complex facets slowly. Terrific length. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2043. 25,000 cases made, 4,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2017 Sassicaia shows the natural richness and intensity of the year while retaining its mid-weight sense of balance and overall poise. A burst of super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit makes a strong opening statement. Mocha, cinnamon, leather and dried herbs appear later, adding aromatic lift. The 2017 is a fairly immediate Sassicaia. Even so, it has enough energy to drink well for a number of years. Production is down 35%, a combination of naturally low yields, dehydration on the vine and then selection in the cellar. Most of the fruit comes from the estate’ hillside vineyards, older parcels that resisted the conditions better.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2017 Sassicaia is a fascinating wine that symbolizes a never-ending tug-of-war between vintner and vintage. The question is who comes out on top? In this case, my money is on the vintner. The 2017 vintage, characterized by scorching heat and drought across much of Italy, was not an easy one. However, vintners had ample time to prepare because those climatic challenges had already played out midway through the summer season. Vintners with experience such as that amassed at Tenuta San Guido (now on the eve of Sassicaia’s 50th birthday celebration) knew exactly how to handle the tricky 2017 growing season. Fruit was harvested early to avoid any jammy sensations, and a strict selection process was employed in order to preserve the best clusters. This Sassicaia represents 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc, with most of the fruit coming from the Tenuta’s historic vineyards Castiglioncello, Quercione and Doccino. These plots are all located on the back hill of Bolgheri at slightly higher elevations where they enjoy cooler nighttime temperatures. Old vines also have a deeper root system that is key to braving dry and hot summers. You can absolutely taste those choices here thanks to the wine’s aromatic profile that offers more variety-driven green highlights of wild berry, forest floor and bramble than I would have expected. With time, as the wine takes on more air in the glass, you get a hint of summer plum or cherry cough drop, and this, to my surprise, is the only subtle reminder of the hot vintage encountered. I found the aromas here to be authentically "Tuscan" in character, more so than other vintages, with balsamic and Mediterranean elements that borrow directly from the Sangiovese playbook. I left the wine in my glass over the course of a day, checking back periodically, to find a growing mineral profile of rust or metal that recalls the high concentration of iron and manganese found in these Bolgheri soils. Another vintage-specific adjustment made in 2017 was shorter overall maceration times in steel tanks (from 10 to 12 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon and eight to 10 days for the Cabernet Franc). However, pump-overs and délestages were almost doubled in order to introduce more oxygen to the yeasts during fermentations at lower temperatures. Based on my understanding of fermentation kinetics, this means the 2017 Sassicaia would have achieved the same amount of extraction in about half the time. This process champions the cool-temperature fermentations that are a hallmark of Tenuta San Guido, despite the heat of the vintage. This puts more emphasis on aromatic elegance and minerality, rather than mouthfeel texture or creaminess per se. In fact, the 2017 Sassicaia is much shorter in the mid-palate compared to 2015 or 2016. In terms of oak, Tenuta San Guido takes advantage of the softer tannins found in Allier and Tronçais oak. The 2017 vintage saw a greater percentage (from 20% to 30%) of third and fourth passage barrique during the first 10 months of aging. The decision to use more neutral oak favors the reduction of oxygen and softens the tannic profile. Although the wine does end with a hint of bitterness, it took on noticeably more volume and soft richness the longer I kept my sample in the glass.To recap my assessment, and with the memory of the 100-point 2016 vintage so fresh in my mind, I would give this wine a seven out of 10 in terms of aromas, a five out of 10 in terms of mid-palate, and an eight out of 10 in terms of structure. Another way to read those conclusions is as follows: The 2017 Sassicaia was expertly built to withstand a long aging future, yet only time will tell if the beauty of the bouquet will evolve at the same pace. This fascinating wine magically captures the hallmarks of cool-temperature winemaking in one of the hottest vintages in recent years. Vintners, not vintage, won this round.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The 2021 Château La Mission Haut-Brion checks in as a blend of 47.9% Merlot, 45.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that hit 13.4% alcohol and is still resting in 27% new French oak. Graphite, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and gorgeous cassis and violet-tinge blue fruits all define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a vibrant, elegant mouthfeel, terrific tannins, and one hell of a great finish. It’s a softer, rounder, more layered wine than the Haut-Brion, with a little more sexiness, yet both are utterly brilliant wines.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDThe wine has a rich texture and is splendidly fruity. It is structured while juicy and full of complex tannins. This is a wine that sings of fruits that are ripe while never heavy.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion unfurls in the glass with a complex, detailed bouquet of plums, cassis, flowers, spices, licorice and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its fleshy, layered core of fruit is framed by beautifully velvety tannins. In bottle, much as en primeur, this blend of 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc is a charming, sensual rendition of La Mission.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPRose, violets and peonies on the nose, with dark chocolate and cassis, smells like liqueur chocolates, perfumed and aromatic. A crystalline quality to the fruit, so driven and pure on the palate. Energetic and lively filled with strawberry, raspberry, red cherry and plum - direct with a vein of exotic spice - cinnamon and clove, as well as touches of orange, bitter grapefruit, dark chocolate and crushed stone. Such a lot going on here, but so well delivered with intensity and direction with racy acidity that keeps everything lifted the whole way through. Lovely minerality on the tongue, the graphite lingering with the juiciness that is still so mouthwatering even on the finish. Compelling and charming.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion comes across as delicate and soft. It is a wine that is very strongly marked by the year—there is no doubt about that. Floral and spice notes open first, as the 2021 shows off its restrained personality. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and tobacco develop in the glass, but this very clearly offers only modest definition, mid-palate pliancy and persistence. Even so, there are no hard edges. Overall, it’s a very good wine in a year that was obviously extremely challenging.James Suckling | 94-95 JSA blend of 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet-purple colored. Is a little closed to begin, soon revealing notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh black raspberries, and mulberries, plus suggestions of pencil shavings, roses, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly knit with delicate black and red berry layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion comes across as delicate and soft. It is a wine that is very strongly marked by the year—there is no doubt about that. Floral and spice notes open first, as the 2021 shows off its restrained personality. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and tobacco develop in the glass, but this very clearly offers only modest definition, mid-palate pliancy and persistence. Even so, there are no hard edges. Overall, it’s a very good wine in a year that was obviously extremely challenging.Vinous Media | 92 VM