Albert Phelps

9.0

Smooth with earth and soft dark fruits. Not many tannins — 8 days ago

Bart van Wijngaarden

9.3

Orange tinged pale golden colour. Excellent pure nose of apricot, iodine and spices. Unctuous on the palate yet supported by a great backbone of acidity. Great depth of flavour and very satisfying length. A great wine by any standard. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium ruby , quite wide garnet rim, clear and bright . Cassis , blackberry , sous bois , mint , cedar , grafite , good clarity and surprisingly fruit driven still . Good volume on the palate , dark fruits , mint , good acidity and still quite gritty tannins. Saline and grafite tinged finish . Good length . Drinking very well now and over the next 5 years . For 2002 this is showing very well, classic and surprisingly elegant, a really nice surprise! — a month ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Light straw , very young looking . Constant very fine perlage . Quite closed at first then crushed rocks , lemon peel , ginger , white flowers , brioche . On the palate good richness and intensity , lemon , orange rind , buttered bread , touch of roast nuts . Very fine mineral tinged , intense finish . This needs time and will improve over the next 10 years or so and last well a further 5-10 . A good follow up to the 2014 , this shows more backward and will take even longer to reach its peak. Perhaps a little less detailed and precise than the very mineral 2014 but that might just be a question of needing more time in bottle. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium ruby garnet , garnet terracotta rim. Slightly sweet , roasted nose, with chestnut some sous bois , grafite , slight seaside hints. After a while a touch more herbal. On the palate quite stern dark fruits , mineral , grafite notes , quite dry tannin and ok balanced acidity . Reasonable length and sous bois , grafite tinged finish . This is still quite young though its appearance is slightly more advanced than the 1988 . Needs a decant and held up well over the 5 hours we had it open . Drink now and over the next 5-10 years. A little pedestrian overall and is outclassed by the superior 1988. — 5 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , quite wide garnet , terracotta rim . Quite spiced tobacco , red focused sous bois , warm spice , coffee and cacao , a little foursquare , rustic perhaps . On the palate better , quite juicy and rounded , spiced red plum , dark cherry , dry spice . This becomes more saline with time in the glass, balanced acidity and some slightly gritty tannins. This is probably in the middle of its drinking window , and will remain here over the next 5-10 years perhaps. Within the context of Haut Brion , this perhaps is just a little below par . — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.8

Blend of 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Merlot, new and used oak aging, deep Ruby red with elegant bouquet of berry fruits, pepper spice with earthy tones. On the palate flavors of plum and blackberry, with tobacco, oak, pepper spice, lively acidity. Fine soft tannins, long finish ending with fruit, oak, spice and an earthy character. Nice! — a month ago

Joe Weinberger

9.5

Tasted blind. Everyone was at least 5-10 years off. Hard to believe a 1986 could taste so fresh. Library release. — 7 months ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.6

Silken sugar and scorching acid. Apricot and magnolia and liquid grapefruit nectar. Psychotic aroma, wafts from feet away. — 2 months ago

Grant Simpson

9.3

Incredible nose of slightly dried fruit, graphite, and tilled earth. Palate is slightly less powerful than imagined given vintage and commune. Fully resolved tannins. Delicious aged Bordeaux drink in next 5 years. — 2 months ago