93 pts - Wine Advocate
Blame me for completely misjudging this wine early in its life. I have since purchased it at auction because of its price/quality ratio. Haut-Brion, which can begin life as a soft, light wine, never appeared to have much intensity when tasted beside the phenomenal La Mission-Haut-Brion and La Tour-Haut-Brion. However, over the last 5-7 years that has changed. Either the wine has put on considerable weight, or I was off-form the many times I tasted it when young. The wine has developed the hauntingly complex, tobacco, roasted herb, singed leather, smoky, sweet, fruity nose of a great Haut-Brion. Full-bodied and intense, with noticeable ripe tannin, this is a wine of considerable richness and intensity. It offers delicious drinking after 1-2 hours of decanting, even though noticeable tannin remains. This wine is capable of another 15-20 years of cellaring. Yes, I did indeed underestimate this wine. I tasted it a half-dozen times in 1995 and at each tasting it was a formidable wine. Do not be surprised to see this rating go even higher, as I do not believe the 1975 Haut-Brion has reached its pinnacle. Impressive! RP
92 pts - Wine Spectator
93 pts - Vinous
Very good medium red. Redcurrant, plum and tobacco aromas show a somewhat cool, primary quality. Dense and still rather youthfully tight in the mouth; offers a supple texture but comes across as distinctly less sweet than these other vintages of La Mission. Tannins are lively and harmonious, but the finish shows the dry edge that characterizes the 1975 vintage. Still developing. Drink now through 23.- Stephen Tanzer (7/22)