A 1986 Bordeaux Horizontal with The Commanderie de Bordeaux

Vancouver
Tasted Monday, April 10, 2006 by Blair Curtis with 895 views

Introduction

I was invited to attend this tasting as a guest. I enjoyed the tasting itself along with learnig from the great experience of the tasters in this group.

Flight 1 - Mystery Wine (1 Note)

  • 1986 Château La Lagune 84 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Soft wine with a weak mid-palate. Some green pepper and cedar elements precede a quick finish. Served blind. This is definitely a CS-based wine. Given the softness, it seems more like an '85 Bordeaux than an '86. Perhaps something like the 2nd wine of Pichon Lalande '85???

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Flight 2 - First Flight (3 Notes)

  • 1986 Château Canon 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    This wine was a roller-coaster in the glass. Starts with a slight reductive/raisiny aspect in the nose. But the palate is better and improves still. In the mouth the wine shows decent acids at first, but then the wine just fades out as it sits longer.

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  • 1986 Château Haut-Bages Libéral 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very nice showing. Classic Bordeaux profile. A good solid wine with great weight. The tannin is there, but in the background. Silky smooth wine at the end.

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  • 1986 Château Talbot 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    This has a bit of ammonia on the nose. It is a touch bretty/horsey. It has a particularly nice mouthfeel and is the biggest and strongest wine of this flight of 3. Nice wine in a rustic style.

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Flight 3 - Second Flight (3 Notes)

  • 1986 Château Beychevelle 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Nice sweet cassis nose. Big wine with solid, well-integrated, fine tannin holding it upright. The wine shows good structure and integration overall. A lovely wine and a success for Beychevelle.

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  • 1986 Château Clerc Milon 85 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    A bit of caramel on the nose. The tannins here are hard and stemmy. There is an old-school rustic grip about this wine. The wine seems a bit out of sorts. Has apple skins on the palate and shows some VA.

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  • 1986 Vieux Château Certan 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Chocolatey, mocha nose. Fully resolved in the mouth, lovely and round, silky at first with some tannin at the end. After a while in the glass the wine starts to clamp down a bit.

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Flight 4 - Third Flight (3 Notes)

  • 1986 Château Pape Clément 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    This has a hospital nose - slightly medicinal and showing some plastic/Band Aid. However on the palate there is good richness and the wine shows better.

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  • 1986 Château Léoville Poyferré

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Judgement reserved on this one. This was the hardest, most tannic wine of the night. Borderline impenetrable. I found it impossible to judge. Either this wine will come out the other side and live 50 more years, or this thing will never come into balance. Right now it is hard and beastly. If I owned any I'd look at keeping it very long term or selling it.

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  • 1986 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very forthcoming, slutty nose. This is a drink-me-now wine. Black fruit, decent acids, tannins all resolved and integrated. Go for it - it is fun!

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Flight 5 - Fourth Flight (3 Notes)

Flight 6 - Dessert (1 Note)

  • 1986 Château Rieussec 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    A waxy, pineapple and lightly honeyed nose leads into a palate featuring nice botrytis, a heady wine with good sweetness but healthy acids too. Great balance overall. This is my style of Sauternes.

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