SF | Midnight black; an enigmatic nose, neither sweet nor savoury, ethereal yet anchored in the substantive, a generous and ripe harvest propelling the structure. Both facets are magnified on the palate, without for a moment forsaking the tight and beautifully delineated structure, with acidity and tannin compelling and quietly subservient at the same time. Lifted. Luxurious in the most illuminating sense of the word... harmonious and wrought by a classicism which is not afeared of the ever warming sun. 97
AJ | Dark, dense black red. The aromatic profile at present is at an earlier stage than the Chapelle, which is delivering more articulately at the moment. This is dark and brooding, full of forest and stone, plum and bread; there are hints of the treats to come (incense and chocolate). Sober and refined, but just a little tight-lipped about its intentions as yet. Dense, detailed, commanding. I won't write 'concentrated' as that's not the way this wine works at all; this is all detail and engraving. (Concentration can be a form of shouting or insisting and no one ever shouts or insists here.) Deft, lovely and very very rewarding, with slightly softer and more subdued tannins than I was expecting. The ripeness is perfect and (as detailed in the Chapelle note) we are well away from the 'forest freshness' of so much Pessac-Leognan, though this is still a fine fresh vintage for La Mission. I don't like to write things like 'ineffably classy' as it seems so elitist -- yet the truth is that terroir is elitist, and that phrase gives you some kind of indication of what you will find here. Perfect shapeliness, energy and lift, and as much articulacy and allusion as you might have time to search out. Perfectly digestible, too, if only I had the right to swallow at this point.Drink Dates: 2028 - 2045.