Dark plum/garnet-tinged with some amber at the edge, the 1979 offers up notes of garrigue, truffles, damp earth, hints of iodine and seaweed (which I associate more with wines made within 100 kilometers of the Mediterranean coastline, not the Atlantic Ocean), sweet currants, plums, cherries, cedar and roasted herbs. This medium-bodied, elegant, fully mature 1979 is a lighter version of La Mission than the 1978, but, for the vintage, it is a dramatic, authoritative effort. Decent acidity remains and the tannins have largely disappeared. There is good aromatic complexity, but a slight superficiality and fading fruit in the finish suggest consumption over the next decade is warranted as this wine is unlikely to improve with additional age.

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