Bahans Haut Brion 1996

Tasted blind at Farr's 1996 horizontal. A much more cedary, forest floor nose. Strong Cabernet. Blackberry. Pine. Very well-knit and harmonious. Focused. Blackberry, cedar, tobacco. Good grip and length. This is very classy. Tasted September 2006.

The 1996 Bahans-Haut-Brion (Haut-Brion's second wine) showed every bit as well as it did prior to bottling. The wine is an atypically powerful, rich, tobacco and black fruit-scented wine that is much less forward than normal, but rich, with a nose that is unmistakably Haut-Brion-like. It reveals roasted herbs, scorched earth, and sweet black fruits in both its aromas and flavors. This tannic, structured Bahans will be at its finest between 2002-2012.