Firm in texture and impressively focused for the vintage, with smoky, tobacco-scented berry and floral flavors that linger on the finish.--Haut-Brion vertical. -HS

This wine has turned out far better than I ever expected. It started off life relatively austere, closed, and tannic, and seemed a bit light, but the wine has put on weight (as so many vintages of Haut-Brion tend to do), and now shows a very complex nose of cigar tobacco intermixed with scorched earth, sweet cherry and black currant fruit, and some high quality toast. The wine is medium-bodied and a great example of finesse, elegance, and just brilliant winemaking in a vintage where the odds were stacked against even a great terroir such as Haut Brion. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007. Last tasted, 11/02.