Tasted blind, the 1998 Haut-Brion Blanc served as a pertinent reminder of how this wine needs bottle age. Here it has a captivating bouquet of lemon curd, custard cremes, lemon thyme and minerals that just explode from the glass, later offering Japanese yellow plum and sherbet scents. The palate is creamy-textured with perfect acidity and fine tension. This is very harmonious and assured, sporting great depth on the marzipan-tinged finish that is long and sensual, and yet it is clear that this Haut-Brion Blanc will age with style and panache. (Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate#225, June 2016, 96 Pts)
A prodigious example, the 1998 tastes like liquid minerals intermixed with honeyed grapefruit, lanolin, citrus, smoke, and passion fruit. Full-bodied, with good acidity, plenty of structure, and a tremendously long finish, it remains youthful and tight, but the upside is awesome. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035. (Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book, 4th Edition, The Wine Advocate, 96 Pts)
