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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 81 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by drdecanto on 1/29/2024: Bummer. Corked. Bought in 1989 for a mere $13 for a 750. Pristine appearing bottle. No ullage. Cork separated in two, but came out easily. Decanted. Lovely deep ruby color with minimal fading towards the edge. Obvious corkiness. No pleasure in consumption. (673 views) | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 10/8/2023 & rated 95 points: We had this at our wedding reception in Cortona out of magnum. Ten in memory. 💒 🌹❤️🍷
The fruit/wine in 750ml is better tonight than the magnum we had in 2007. I love 80’s Bordeaux for the style of that decade and 12-13% ABV. Fruit is beyond still fresh & floral. 35 years later in bottle! For me, 86 was a seminal vintage. The wine is 94-95 on the palate. Storage on this secondary market purchase was perfect.
Ripe, floral and hints of pruny; blackberries, black raspberries, plum, raspberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, rhubarb notes & hovering blue fruits. Perfect, sweet lead pencils for days, sandy top soil, powdery limestone, dry river stone, perfectly, softened, dark spice box, cigar box, sandalwood, American, moist tobacco, used leather, dry dates & figs, sun tea, cherry cola/licorice, black rich earth with dry leaves, dry herbs-sage/bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, dark, red, blue, purple bouquet, insane acidity, with stunning evolution/integration, excellent, balance, still intense structure with a polished finish for days…wire to wire beautiful with phenomenal length & polish that seems endless. This bottle would hold another 5 years. (1000 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Canuck on 8/15/2023 & rated 93 points: From an immaculate bottle with a high fill. This pours medium to light ruby in the glass with remarkably little bricking. The nose is immediately expressive showing gravel, red cherry, red currant, asphalt, roses, celery seed, graphite, pencil shavings, and green tobacco leaf. The palate is quite structured with medium plus firm tannin and medium acid. Quite bright and fresh. The finish closes a tad sour and clipped by the structure. All in all this is lovely stuff and closest ally paulliac if not quite up to the standards of better producers and likely influenced by the structured 1986 vintage. (1268 views) | | | Tasted by vintage_whine on 2/12/2023: beautiful aromatics of violets red and black currant and potting soil, fresh acidity, still quite alive, but perhaps a bit thin on flavor concentration on the mid palate. went well with sushi as an experiment, everything except the very oily scad or uni. (1533 views) | | | Tasted by Old Claret on 10/25/2022 & rated 94 points: Typically austere Pauillac. Soft tannins, blackberry tones. Not a hedonistic wine, but very pleasurable. The bottle was pristine with little sediment and good fill. Its was decanted and drunk immediately. I did not notice it degrading or improving over the 2 hours it was drunk. Won't improve with age, but this bottle could survive for another 5 or more years. (1834 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 10/22/2022 flawed bottle: This particular bottle was pretty tight and muted. Opened up a bit with some air, but dominated by dry woody flavors. I am not very sensitive to TCA, but I suspect this might have been slightly corked, or at least not representative based on my previous bottles. (1506 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 5/20/2022 & rated 91 points: This is a bottle from my second auction lot. Great fill (well into neck) with a pristine cork. Excellent color, lovely dark magenta with no bricking. Initially, this was quite tight and austere, with firm, drying tannins. So, on day 2, I elected to do a quick pass through the Vinturi before serving, and this led to a vast improvement. Classic Pauillac nose of tobacco, leather and pencil lead, with cassis fruit, black plum, nice acidity and not-so-subtle tannins. This hardly budged in two days with lots of air, so I think this has another 10 years, easy. FWIW, I think this case is even less evolved than my first case. (1570 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 4/14/2022 & rated 91 points: I love HBL in the '80s, and have spent the past few years backfilling excellent vintages like '82, '85, and '86, where they often sell for ~$50-60 at auction. I just reloaded on some more of the '86 so decided to pop a bottle to see how they were doing. This is just textbook claret and Pauillac, from a very classic, structured year. The nose is brimming with cassis, tobacco, leather and pencil lead notes, with medium-full body. This is much less backward than other '86s, and I go back and forth between whether I prefer this more "masculine" HBL or the more ethereal, finesse-driven '85. I think the '86 will be longer-lived, but is firmly within it's optimal drinking window now. (1528 views) | | | Tasted by vintage_whine on 2/22/2022: Tannins are fully integrated, so this wine has no where to go in terms of further upside. that being said, it is in a wonderful sport right now, with fresh acidity, cassis, and violet notes that arent in danger of fading soon, and savory herbal tones. this is as good as it will get, and even though it isnt as high a peak as sone other '86s, its great now for a special occasion (1227 views) | | | Tasted by o-mash on 11/26/2021 & rated 92 points: My second bottle both very young, lots of cassis, blackberry and leather in a beautiful way. Very nice and feminine pauillac with great length and a surprising freshness. No hurry! (1304 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/10/2021 & rated 93 points: Leather; light blackberry; balanced; smooth finish. (1447 views) | | | Tasted by GrapeScott on 10/16/2021 & rated 90 points: Drank over two days. On this particular bottle, the nose was more appealing than the palate, with lovely shoe leather and cassis. Lively acidity, but with not quite enough fruit to stand up to the structure. I prefer the '85 right now, but I think this might still need some more time to fill out, as the structure seems to be there and it did not fade at all over two days. (1309 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/21/2020 & rated 94 points: Leather and earth; blackberry; balanced; coarse; layered; deep finish with swet long balanced earthy blackberry. (2058 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 11/17/2020 & rated 93 points: Tasted blind. Quite green and herbal on the nose at first, suggesting Cabernet Franc. Toned down a bit with air, as flavors of white pepper, eucalyptus, and dark fruit came out. Good acidity and structure on the palate with dark berries and some leather notes. Tasted quite young still with a nice and pretty long finish. (1952 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 5/20/2020 & rated 89 points: Light nose; melted tannins; round; light earthy finish. (2380 views) | | | Tasted by PSPatrick on 3/25/2020 & rated 90 points: From a trusted source. The bottle was in perfect condition: high fill, the cork was intact, no seepage. The wine was dark ruby in colour, garnet towards the edges, with very little sediment. It offered dark fruit, some dark cherry, saddle leather, earth, tobacco, spices, cinnamon and liquorice on the nose and palate, with supporting acidity, medium-fine tannin and very good length.
The dry, medium- to full-bodied wine had good concentration. A very earthy, leathery and spice-driven expression of Pauillac that still has some rough edges and plenty of life left. I wonder if it will ever fully come around and will hold on to my other bottles for at least another three or four years to allow the wine to open up and soften further. (2538 views) | | | Tasted by charleshg on 3/14/2020 & rated 92 points: This bottle was fantastic. Very smooth. still lots of fruit and a pleasant finish.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry jam, prune and forest floor. It tastes like forest floor, plum and prune. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity. (2157 views) | | | Tasted by charleshg on 3/14/2020 flawed bottle: This bottle had turned. Wine was weakly red, and had a decidedly mushroom-y tint (1558 views) | | | Tasted by red_man on 2/22/2020 & rated 92 points: level lowermost neck, perfect long cork, as good as the previous bottles, high-toned, fine, complex, intense but elegant nose, medium weight on the palate, lovely weight and balance, last bottle and every one of the case was excellent (1721 views) | | | Tasted by red_man on 1/18/2020 & rated 92 points: unexpectedly found another bottle in the cellar, level base neck, perfect long cork, some brown at rim but good colour for age, nose fine, complex, subtle and nuanced, classic Pauillac cedar and lead pencils, palate has just perfect balance, medium weight but with concentration and intensity, again like the nose very fine and subtle, just lovely, a great Haut Bages Liberal, if I remember correctly this was a Claire Villars wine and it is a great compliment to her feminine touch, excellent ‘86 (1480 views) | | | Tasted by OmiyaDrinker on 9/3/2019 & rated 90 points: YAWG Old Bordeaux Tasting; 8/31/2019-9/3/2019: Still has some life on the nose. Life on the palate also. Still some tannic group. (1922 views) | | | Tasted by Nipperu on 8/31/2019 & rated 89 points: Clear medium ruby
Cola
Sour cherry/blueberry
Spice
Not much on the nose
Dry
High tannins
Mid acid
Mid+ body
Mid alcohol
Mid finish
Not much on palate either.
Wait? Not sure it gets any better... (1693 views) | | | Tasted by Gunakadeit on 6/4/2019 & rated 93 points: Really elegant and delicious. On opening, a little muted and the nose is a little reticent—damp earth and light red berries. With a little air, cedar, pencil shavings, sweet pipe tobacco, plums, cinnamon. Long finish, fine, lingering tannins. (1832 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 3/5/2019 & rated 94 points: Nicely mature; cedar, earth and blackberry; balanced and expressive; sweet balanced finish. (2092 views) | | | Tasted by bubnos on 2/18/2019 & rated 90 points: Cork was damaged but not totally compromised, fill level mid-shoulder. PnP, no decant. Very secondary wine, lots of leather, earth, and spice; no fruit and fading fast into tertiary flavors. Thought it was corked at first, but it was just some VA that blew off in ten minutes.
Good at the price point, drink up. (1874 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Haut-Bages Libéral Producer website – Read more about Chateau Haut Bages LiberalRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Pauillac Read more detailed information about Pauillac Looking full onto the river from the earliest days, with an important port activity, traces of which go back to ancient times (shipment of bronze as long ago as 2000 B.C.), Pauillac's life has always been intimately linked to the history of wine. Although port activities were at the root of its prosperity, Pauillac had to wait until the eighteenth century when Bordeaux ceased to hold its privileged position to become a wine port. The town then became the natural outlet for the wine production of neighbouring cantons before reaching its zenith in a period when the vineyards were exceptionally prosperous.
The characteristic of the Pauillac terroir is its exceptional relief: the many undulating ridges make it unique morphologically speaking. Highly favourable conditions facilitate the dissection of the layer of gravel. This thin, Garonne gravel from whose very poverty springs great richness, has an extremely effective natural drainage.
With their velvet red colour with a hint of amber, the wines from the Pauillac appellation, full-bodied and rich in tannin, are vigorous. Powerful when young, their aromas of red fruits (black-currant, raspberry) or flowers (violets, roses, irises) melt with the passing of time into a bouquet which is long in the mouth.
Rich and complex, the wines of Pauillac deserve to be laid down for a little longer.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Pauillac appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Pauillac and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cissac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Sauveur, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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