1999
Château La Mission Haut-Brion Rouge
tasting notes
A prerequisite of a great wine is to be good at all times.
La Mission Haut-Brion 1999 is an example of this.
The deep ruby red color remains young and lively.
The ever so typical aromas of the wine invade the nose and the mouth.
Scents of burnt wood, toasted bread, and a light whiff of leather lead up to an
awareness of an odor of cocoa powder bursting in at the finish.
The volume in the mouth is balanced and harmonious.
The finale is soft and long evolving towards a great complexity.
It is a great wine in a classic year.
The weather
This vintage will be remembered for several extraordinary meteorological events. First came the eclipse of the sun on August 11th. The second phenomena consisted of two extremely violent storms that struck the Sud-Ouest. One came on August 7th and was severe but short lived and the second struck on December 27th with an unprecedented violence. It lasted from sundown until the wee hours of the morning with the hiatus being between 8PM to 10PM. ultimately, 1999 was a relatively hot year and 2% warmer than the mean temperatures recorded during the past forty years. This is a considerable difference. For the most part the year will go down as one with brutal climactic events.
A few figures
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Harvest Dates
From September 8th to 24th
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Blend
Merlot: 52 %
Cabernet Sauvignon: 40%
Cabernet Franc: 8 % -
New barrels
63%
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Alcohol
13%
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Bottling date
From June 21st to 27th 2001
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