A bright May morning and a Mayfair restaurant: The Square. Normally the door would be firmly shut 9 am, but I push it open to see two old friends, Fiona Morrison (normally in Belgium at this time of day) and James Suckling (normally in Italy at this time of day). Indeed the room is packed with ‘Europe’s greatest palates’ -- and 51 vintages of La Mission Haut Brion, into which we all march with gusto about half-an-hour later. The result? I append short tasting notes below, but let me first share a couple of overall impressions.

The first concerns Bordeaux in general. This was an honest tasting, in that weaker vintages were shown alongside stronger ones in the attempt to provide a complete picture. La Mission (like Latour) is celebrated for consistency in lesser years; many of those silver or bronze years would still provide drinking pleasure. Yet one couldn’t help but be struck by the sweeping, roller-coaster differences in quality between the great, the good, the poor and the awful vintages. Bordeaux is ‘the waterside’ – and that water is the fretful, moody, ever-changing Atlantic. The reputation of the world’s greatest fine-wine region is based on a climatic lottery where losing tickets outnumber winning ones. This is astonishing enough to merit reiteration, even though it it’s obvious to anyone who follows or collects Bordeaux wines.

(And the next, subsidiary question: can it be otherwise? In other words, must the greatest wines of all come from marginal climates? Or will record auction prices one day be achieved by wines from regions where no summer ever poses ripening problems? Viticulturally, the elevation of marginal climates may simply be a historical reflection on the dominance of certain European regions; only time will tell. Psychologically, though, that which is rare always has the greatest allure. Perhaps it is the inconsistency of Europe’s greatest wines which, paradoxically, lies at the heart of their appeal.)

And the personality of La Mission? Very elegant, very well turned-out, very tasteful … very French. Physically, the wine is rarely huge or baroque; balance and finesse are always to the fore. It shares, from good vintages and at full maturity, the remarkable aromatic complexity of its Haut-Brion stablemate across the road. It is thinker’s Bordeaux, with a magnificent inner clarity and sense of order. Yet there is a sensual side, too. The fruits at La Mission have striking purity; the well-known earthiness of the Graves is often palpable, giving the wine an honesty and a sense of gravity behind its evident refinement; there is something which reminds me of meat jus, too – a savoury essence at its core. In warm vintages, it has a Byzantine streak: those incense notes. Cigar lovers enjoy its Havana-leaf allusions. It wouldn’t be the first great Bordeaux you would recommend to an eager debutant, since it is probably not quite showy enough and not quite physically gratifying enough. It is, by contrast, the archetypical insider’s choice, and if (if!) one really did have to sit down to a different vintage of a single great Bordeaux property every night, few would be able to refresh, divert and enchant like this one.

Many thanks to Prince Robert of Luxembourg and his team (Jean-Philippe Delmas, Jean-Philippe Masclef and Pascal Baratié), as well as to Stephen Browett and Tom Hudson of Farr Vintners, for creating this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg

Finally:

La Mission: the vital statistics in 2008

26.6 ha, planted with 42.7% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10.3% Cabernet Franc. Average age of vines 27 years, planted on 420A, 3309, Riparia and 101-14 rootstocks at 10,000 plants/ha. Fermented in stainless steel with pumpovers at an average 30°C, then aged for 18-22 months in oak, 80% of which is new. Production is just 5,000 to 7,000 cases per year.

Tasting notes

1929

The oldest of the wines on show, from the last great vintage before the ‘low dishonest decade’ of the 1930s (as described by Auden, from his ‘dive’ on 52nd Street). A deep red-brown in colour, with forthcoming, enticing and clearly articulated though venerable aromas. Any fruit left? Perhaps a little shadowy plum-prune. I’m reminded more of meat jus and incense, though. In the mouth, the wine is clear, open, intense and searching, those ancient prune fruits rather acidic now, their flesh wrinkly. It still has balance, though it is beginning to wobble a little: a spinning-top, humming erratically off into the darkness. This must have been a wonderful wine to chase away the demons of the 1930s with, in 1945.
score: 18.5

1945

Victory’s legend. Glowing but not particularly deeply coloured now. Aromatically full and forceful: an old mole, still earth-clad, but there’s a touch of volatility, too, and the scent of a library full of old furniture. On the palate, it is certainly intense, but squeezed, tight, acidic, leaving a hard, austere, stave-like impression. I doffed my cap, but it’s not a wine to steal your heart away.
score: 16.5

1953

A big contrast to 1945, in that this wine is all charm. A paler colour, first: burnished maturity. Milky and graceful scents: gentle, curranty depths wafting through creamy gauze. Still a living, breathing, shapely wine, in contrast to the almost monolithic, statue-like style of the previous two wines: glowing fruit, with creamy warmth. My score reflects (as it must) the inner energy and activity of the wine compared to the `29 and the `45 – yet given a choice of one of the three to drink, I’d chose this one.
score: 15.5

1955

Gorgeous. Glowing in colour – but plenty of it, too. This seemed to assemble the very best of ’29, ’45 and ’53 in a single glass: the incense of the `29, the oaken purity and finesse of the `45, and the milky warmth of the `53. And you a get a truffley note of its own. Exuberant, arresting but disarming too: unforgettable. On the palate, the wine is as delicious and as complete. There is still ample fruit to relish (though we are now in the prune zone rather than fresh plum or blackcurrant), perfectly meshed into a Havana-leaf complexity. It is very clean, clear, open and articulate, yet there is still a fleshiness and a succulence which time has yet to abolish. Outstandingly good.
score: 19

1957

Considering how chilly Bordeaux’s August was this year, a laudable effort. The colour was flagging up journey’s end, but aromatically and in flavour terms there was still quite a lot going on: I was reminded of forest undergrowth and pu-erh tea. Rather coarse in construction, and too chilly in flavour for much drinking pleasure.
score: 11

1958

Two bottles tried, but both out of condition. Nonetheless the wine provoked a fair amount of discussion as it was reputed to contain a generous helping of 1959.
score: No score

1959

Copybook weather marked the summer. Glowing brown; quite deep in colour. Aromatically, a lovely serene ripeness to it: the warmth of the grain harvest lurking behind autumnal fruit. By comparison, 1961 has finer aromatic detail, yet when this wine slid its warm arm around you, it’s hard not to smile. On the palate, richly textured and flavoured yet surprisingly brisk and forceful, too. Plum fruit; a tobacco twist. Deep, dense, precise and searching. Grand old Bordeaux. Stop the tasting: I want to get off...
score: 18.5

1960

Another cold Atlantic summer. Aromatically, it was pretty: warm, some caramel notes. Super-elderly in the mouth, though, rattling its Zimmer frame.
score: 10

1961

Miserable June and July (hence the tiny crop); wonderful August and September. By far the darkest wine of the pre-1970s shown at the tasting, this is still red-hued and very nearly opaque. Aromatically it is cedary and refined, with the hallmark complexity of the Haut-Brion cluster: rich dark fruits, burnished and chased with incense, spice, liquorice. A note of peat smoke too? Full, lively, poised and rich in flavour, allusive yet harmonious. Yet there is something just a little dry and reserved here, particularly towards the finish; a sort of scholastic rather than emotional richness (c.f `59). Great wine by any standard, though.
score: 18Oz in full flow

1962

My bottle was poor; others had better luck. “The smell of the Atlantic” said Jean-Marc Quarin, which has the ring of an epitaph to me.
score: Not scored

1963

A colder summer than in `62. My bottle of the `63 was better, though, with some true ripeness and even the meat jus note of La Mission on song; the palate, too, suggested the owners had waited for full ripeness so while the wine was fading it wasn’t unpleasantly acidulous.
score: 11.5

1964

A very good vintage here in the Graves and on the right bank. Not deep in colour, but not brown either. A little unfocussed, aromatically: appropriately earthy and gravelly, but without either the multi-tiered ripesness of the `59, or the precision of the `61. An intense wine, but acid has the upper hand and the flesh is very spare. Disappointing.
score: 13

1965

A miserable summer, so it was daring of Prince Robert to show this. In the event, it wasn’t as far adrift of `64 as you’d expect. Fleshless yet smooth.
score: 11.5

1966

Along with the 1964, I found this a disappointment. Pale in colour, with scents of dry cedar and graphite. The fruit cast had a slightly herbaceous note. The palate, too, was herbaceous and murky. More depth and flesh than the dismal vintages, but probably over its hill and stylistically much less assured than `61, `59 and `55.
score: 13.5

1967

Thought to be a success in this difficult year of heavy chaptalisation. The nose raised hopes (the scent of warmth) only to have the palate dash them: acidulous and falsetto.
score: 11

1968

Now we were really bumping along the bottom: this was a large harvest of unripe grapes, betrayed by another wet, depressing August. Very strange papery, popcorn scent, followed by a dilute, medicinal palate.
score: 9

1969

Not a lost case. Sound, warm scents, agreeable if imprecise; some fruit lingering on the palate, too, and a tannin molecule or two. Drinkable.
score: 11.5

1970

Open, full, fragrant though slightly off-key. On the palate, great fruited intensity and a pinch of bitter-edged tannin, but the bloom has now gone from the fruit and acidity is beginning to get the upper hand.
score: 14.5

1971

A little deeper in colour than the 1970, and with more aromatic refinement and Graves classicism: ruffled earth, meat jus, tapered fruits. On the palate, a similar profile: fresh, lively, typical and true, though its balance after 37 years is now very intense and piercing. With a little more flesh, this would be outstanding.
score: 15.5

1972

Pale; feral scents; super-slender; a ghost now.
score: 8

1973

Very pale, old-burgundy colours, with a scent of dry grasses. Sharp flavours.
score: 10

1974

Not quite as bad as expected: a slightly deeper colour than the 1973, and some incense notes. Light and reedy on the palate, but some tenuous ripeness lingers.
score: 10

1975

A great relief after the previous three wines: darker colours and emphatically living aromas of cigar tobacco and malt. Stewy but intriguing. On the palate, chewy, deep, complex and multilayered, with an unusually muscular, forceful style. Texturally on the dry side (those `75 tannins), yet underneath the muscle there is a gratifying warmth and richness. Very much with us still.
score: 17.5

1977

Caramelly, malty, fading.
score: 9

1978

Deeply coloured. Magnificent aromatic complexity here. Like an archaeological dig at Jericho, one keeps finding new layers underneath the previous ones, and the aromatic repertoire is as classic as you’d like: warm stones, old tobacco, incense, leaf, a touch of tar. On the palate, this is earthy, lush, rich, multi-dimensional and full. The tannic sweep of the wine remains poised and rich; its ripe acidity remains perfectly meshed to the fruits. Balanced, clear, open and articulate. Perfect maturity now, but no hurry required either … if you are lucky enough to own any.
score: 19

1979

An attractive but uncomplicated wine: warm, open and airy, a spring day on the hills. On the palate, relatively slender, but a graceful quaffing wine.
score: 13.5

1980

Dry and a touch resinous; soft, easy, open, fluid. Very gentle fruits with a tarry finish.
score: 12

1981

Much better than expected. Not very deeply coloured – yet the brown component of that colour is less advanced than the ‘lesser vintage’ calendar suggests it should be. Aromatically, there is still fresh fruit here, coloured by a little classic La Mission incense. The fruit remains present, even deep, with a shapely, attractive core and a pinch of tannin to keep the wine disciplined and textured. The ripeness lingers into the finish, with attractive earthiness and clarity of disposition. Perhaps a bargain, if you could find any.
score: 15

1982

Deep, dark and richly coloured, with no evident brown yet. Rich, symphonic and composed aromas; harmonious and orchestral. Warm stones, vellum, tobacco, even a raspberry fruit note: a glass to spend time with. On the palate, impeccable: rich, deep, rounded and intense, but beautifully ripe, too, and still tannin-shaped. A glowing synthesis of fruit and stone, right to the core.
score: 19.5

1983

Quite a lot of brown but deep-hued still, and not fading. Evolved, attractive, but faintly dangerous aromas of composted black fruits with some vegetal notes. Astonishing palate, in that it is very evolved yet still thick, tannic and close-textured. High acid, yet almost burnt, marmelade-like flavours. Not a classic La Mission, and the style suggests that bottles may be inconsistent, yet much to enjoy in this rather kinky style.
score: 16

1984

Brown and pale now. Slightly medicinal aromas; acid-led, dry-fruited, a pinch of tannin but no sweet flesh. Hurry along, please.
score: 10

1985

Medium-deep in colour, with an unusual floral aromatic style, as if it had a little Viognier in: Pessac-Léognan meets Côte Rôtie. Ripe summer fruits and a faint hint of resin. Juicy, fresh, light and easy, without much depth and drive, and without much vineyard character either. This might be a disappointing bottle, but if not, were the yields unusually high this year?
score: 14.5

1986

Medium depth of colour and medium evolution, too. Aromatically creamy, full, almost rotten-ripe. On the palate, fresh and full, with some late-harvested cherry fruit and some chocolate, too; a tannic presence eases it all into definition. Not exactly classic, but enjoyable.
score: 15

1987

Pale now, with a scent of broad-bean pods. Dilute, but some warmth and fullness makes it fun to drink.
score: 11.5

1988

Dark, with little brown at this stage. Aromatically composed, harmonious and full, with ripe fruit and the exoticism of incense. Challenging, intense, incisive but rather acidic flavours; serious, not seductive; soberly classical. Delivers right down the line, though. Old-school La Mission.
score: 16

1989

Deeply coloured, still, with little evolution. Fragrant, lifted, charming and very beautiful, too, with the Byzantine, incense-laden side of La Mission’s character much in evidence. On the palate full, warm, open; perhaps a little less width and drive than I had expected, but the exoticism of the vintage is so beautifully captured here, and meshed to such vivid balance, poise and inner warmth, that criticism seems carping.
score: 19

1990

Slightly lighter in hue than the two previous wines, with warm, soft, open and surprisingly evolved aromas too: dry woodland, a touch of coffee. On the palate, soft and open, too, though hugely attractive: an almost banana-like sweetness meshed to classic soft-stone warmth.
score: 18

1991

Pale, Burgundy-like appearance, with faintly resinous scents. Graceful, full, open, vivid and lively: a delicious drink, though you need to hurry now.
score: 13.5

1992

Browner and paler than `91; oddly neutral nose. You can tell it’s Bordeaux, but not much more than that. On the palate, rather reedy and tenuous. Just about drinkable, but little pleasure left.
score: 11

1993

Clear but not yet brown. Herbaceous aromas. Light, elegant claret of modest charm, though I don’t really see the breed of the vineyard engraved anywhere in the flavours.
score: 12.5

1994

Mid-depth of colour, and surprisingly attractive aromas, with some spreading warmth. The palate, too, is warm and open, enticing and fragrant, with classic meat jus and earthiness. It doesn’t have the purity, finesse and length of line of a great La Mission … but it’s a delicious bottle.
score: 15

1995

Mid-depth of colour and development, with lots of aromatic charm, qualified by the resin and incense of the cru. Rounded, earthy, full, soft and open, with ripe currants and gentle Havana tobacco. The acidity is sustained but ripe and proportionate; the textures are soft and accessible. A jolly La Mission, ready and open.
score: 17

1996

A touch deeper in colour than the 1996, but not by a lot. The scent of gravel itself, and in flavour, too, this is super-classical, intense, restrained, sober, almost severe, packed with gravelly classicism. Paid-up aficionados will love this grave La Mission. Similar quality to `95, but a huge style contrast.
score: 17

1998

The first wine in the line-up which I felt was immature and unformed: liquorice, wood, quiet blackcurrant, creamy … yet you know that with its La Mission genes time will form and fashion the components more winningly and more becomingly. On the palate, I didn’t have the same reservations and the wine seemed to be opening well, with warm, soft and sustained fruits, silkily palpable tannin and the usual bright clarity and order of La Mission. Beginning to be wonderful and liable to remain so.
score: 17.5

1999

Good depth of colour, but surprisingly open aromatically: warm coffee. Mid-depth on the palate; attractive middle-palate flavours, with perfumed warmth; touch astringent at the end. A drinker’s vintage, ready to be enjoyed.
score: 15

2000

Dark purple-black in colour; fresh, almost voluptuous fruits, mingling the red and the black most attractively. On the palate, deep and pure, with fine clarity and internal organisation; ample, ringing fruit. This is still too young; all the complexity of age is to come. Poised, fresh and sweet.
score: 18

2001

Deep in colour, with an aroma of fine La Mission classicism: delicately fleshy, incense-wreathed. On the palate, vivid, light, fresh and ripe; gracefully balanced and open. All that it lacks is the textural depth and warmth to drive it through the years, but in other respects it is impeccable, and will provide huge mid-term enjoyment.
score: 17

2002

Mid-depth of colour, and a cool, controlled and rather terse aromatic profile. Elegant, restrained flavours but the thread of warmth is missing. An academic vintage which I wouldn’t keep much longer.
score: 14

2003

Still deep in colour. Unusual and untypical aromas of cooked cherry; strangely sweet. Thick tannins, rich and earthy, almost skulking; lacks the classic La Mission poise and finesse. I would definitely wait a decade for this, just to see what it will do. The worst that can happen is that it will remain an oddball, but there might be an exciting evolution ahead.
score: 17?

2004

Still relatively deeply colour, with a dusty blackcurrant nose. Pure, intense, fresh and flavoury; smooth-textured already. Lean and light, greyhound-like, but it did make it to the finishing line of ripeness and the fruit is qualified by innate La Mission complexity.
score: 15

2005

Dark but not opaque. Dry, fragrant, powdery and penetrating: sweet fruits, but defined with great restraint and classicism to give a dappled, unshowy aromatic profile at present. Very intense in the mouth, and a little thicker than I expected, yet (in contrast to `03) it’s not so much a tannic thickness as the pressed intensity of the fruit which conveys this impression. Lots of gravelly earthiness behind; this is a La Mission of purity, perfume and authority. As with many `05s, one is left with the faintest sense of north-wind rawness. Slow evolution here; the yeast ghosts are almost palpable still.
score: 18.5
Is there a toothbrush in the house?

We also had the chance to taste three vintages of the white Ch Laville Haut-Brion.

Ch Laville Haut-Brion

1985

Mid-gold in colour. Creamy, seductive, lush and beckoning: fine use of oak here. On the palate, vivid but light, seemingly a little light and youthful compared with the lushness and fullness promised by the scents. Not hugely concentrated.
score: 15

1975

Deep gold. Quite woody in scent. Brisk, chilly, dry, rather fruitless.
score: 11

1966

Deep, glowing gold. Overt, forceful, oaky and rich. On the palate, lushly oaky, with vivid acidity and a mushroomy finish. The most attractive of the trio.
score: 17

Laville Haut-Brion: the vital statistics in 2008

2.55 ha, planted with 87.9% Sémillon and 12.1% Sauvignon Blanc. Average age of vines 61 years (!), planted on 420A and 3309 rootstocks. Barrel-fermented (50% of the casks are new), then aged for 9-12 months in oak. Production is just 600 to 800 cases per year.