Château La Mission-Haut-Brion, Ch. La Mission Haut Brion 1998, 98/100 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider, tasted April 2024

98 / 100 Robert Parker
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.
Wine Advocate #202 Aug 2012

96 / 100 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.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012.
http://www.winespectator.com/wine/detail/source/search/not..

17 / 20 Jancis Robinson
Bright crimson. Very sweet and opulent on the nose – broad and round. Truly magnificent bouquet already although the palate is a bit austere. Tannins quite pronounced and dry fruit. Difficult to mark this wine – just smell it for the moment! Neat, well balanced on the finish. Just needs a little time for those tannins to soften...
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings/search?perpage=40&k..