A monumental wine, this historic La Mission-Haut-Brion was the last vintage made by the descendants of the Woltner family, who had owned this estate for decades prior to selling it to their neighbors, the Dillon family (the American owners of cross-street rival, Chateau Haut-Brion). The 1982 admirably demonstrates the magnificence of La Mission as well as the singularity of this amazing terroir. I had the good fortune of tasting it from barrel (where it was an enormous Graves fruit bomb) and watching it develop more nuances in bottle. At age 30, it remains a majestic, multidimensional, profound Bordeaux with another 20-30+ years of life ahead of it. It's no secret that the great vintages of Bordeaux have levels of fruit extract and depth that go beyond other years. It is this fruit, often referred to as “fat” or “concentration,” that takes decades to dissipate and fade. As it does so, the extraordinary aromatic expression of the terroir asserts itself. Remarkably, the 1982 is still in late adolescence and has not yet reached its peak. Early in my career, much of my reputation was established on calling this vintage correctly, but I never in my wildest dreams thought the 1982s would mature as slowly and last as long as some seem capable of doing. One of the handful of perfect wines of the vintage, the La Mission still possesses a remarkably dense ruby/purple color with only a slight garnet and lightening at the edge. The fruit-dominated aromatics reveal lots of cassis, blueberry, scorched earth, black truffle, incense, graphite and high-class, unsmoked cigar tobacco-like notes. Still exhibiting remarkable concentration, enormous body, silky sweet tannin, and no perceptible acidity, the 1982 remains fresh, delineated and super-compelling. A massive La Mission made by the Dewravin family and their winemakers, all of whom were dismissed the following year when the estate was acquired by Haut-Brion, this modern day legend shows no signs of decline. In fact, it may not have yet reached its peak. Anticipated maturity: now-2060+.

Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #102

La Mission really does have its own character. Full body with velvety tannins with hints of berry, gravel and iodine. Some may not like the later but it tells you it's La Mission. What a wine. Drink now.

James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, December 31st 2012

Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy's 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. This is easily the finest bottle of La Mission '82 that I have encountered. Here it has a delirious nose with tertiary black fruit, dried flowers, a slight balsam note and wild heather. It is tight at first and does not possess the nuance of Haut Brion '82, but it gathers steam with aeration and blossoms after 20 minutes in the glass, offering more tobacco and cigar box scents. The palate is medium-bodied with extremely fine tannins and perfectly pitched acidity. It has a sense of vibrancy that is compelling and there is a convincing sense of place, that is to say, a wine such as this could only be born from the finest Graves terroirs. This is an outstanding wine that will continue to drink with style for a number of years

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jan 2013