A wine I completely misjudged early in its life, the 1975 has turned out to be a great wine and one of the top dozen or so wines of the vintage. It actually comes close to competing with the immortal 1975 La Mission-Haut-Brion, one of the most powerful, concentrated wines made in Bordeaux in the last 25 years. The 1975 Haut-Brion shows a dark plum/garnet color, a gorgeously sweet nose of singed saddle leather, scorched earth, tobacco, herb, red as well as black currants, plum, fig, and creosote. Very full-bodied, intense, with noticeable but sweet tannin, this layered, full-bodied wine is very opulent, rich, with striking aromatics. It is a fabulous effort in a vintage that has lost considerable support form Bordeaux wine enthusiasts. This is one of the exceptions. Anticipated maturity: Now-2025. Last tasted, 11/02. - RP
