A wine that I have always considered virtually perfect, I have backed off slightly simply because, at 27 years of age, it seems certain that the enormous tannins of this wine are never going to be totally assimilated. Nevertheless, this is a wine that is going to easily last at least 50-60 years. It still has a 100-point bouquet of scorched earth, tobacco, black fruits, liquid minerals, roasted herbs, cedar, and licorice. Huge, massive, and full-bodied, with enormous concentration., this behemoth is one of the biggest, most concentrated, and tannic wines made in the last 30 years in Bordeaux. Perhaps it will ultimately absorb its tannin, but this is a modern-day clone of the 1945 La Mission-Haut-Brion, and a wine that can be drunk now but promises to evolve effortlessly for at least three more decades. Anticipated maturity: Now-2035. Last tasted, 9/02.