Don't give up on this -- at first appeared oxidized, but this completely went away after 30 minutes in the glass. Nose then became much sweeter...lemon curd, honeysuckle, mineral, sherry, and brown sugar. Medium length on the finish with bright acidity. Would drink soon if you have this, but it was very enjoyable tonight.
Appeared a bit oxidized initially. Cherry, black currant leaf, cooked strawberry, saddle leather, and wet earth. Tannins mostly resolved. Notable acidity. Drink now if you have this.
Amber with significant lightening of the edges. Cassis, armchair leather, cedar, cinnamon, tobacco, and a bit of ?tomato. Smooth on the palate. Medium-plus finish. Tannins essentially fully resolved. Would drink now if I had this in my cellar.
Doesn't have the aromatic complexity of the '82 Haut-Brion, but had more fruit on the nose than on the palate. Black currant, cedar, and leather. Tannins round but need more integration. Most impressive is the long finish. At or near its peak.
My WOTN (beating the '82 LMHB and LTHB). Easily the best nose of all of the wines, just gorgeous. Black currant, licorice, leather, spice, sweet tobacco, with floral/violet notes. While the LMHB had more smoke/earthiness, this had more spiciness. Pure elegance and finesse on the palate. Excellent balance with round tannins. Still appears to be at its peak and drinking very well.
Red/black fruits, leathery, cedar, and pencil. Tannins not noticeable at this point. Notable acidity. Very enjoyable, but outclassed by the others tonight.
Most of us picked this and the Haut-Brion, but couldn't decide which was the HB from the LMHB. Dark ruby color. Lots of dark fruit, cassis, smoke, roses, and earthiness. Nose not as open and evolved as the '82 Haut-Brion. Not as many tertiary notes as one would have expected; seems younger than the Haut-Brion. Really powerful and concentrated. Long, lingering finish. Excellent and still has lots of time left in the tank.
1985 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Don't give up on this -- at first appeared oxidized, but this completely went away after 30 minutes in the glass. Nose then became much sweeter...lemon curd, honeysuckle, mineral, sherry, and brown sugar. Medium length on the finish with bright acidity. Would drink soon if you have this, but it was very enjoyable tonight.
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