Bordeaux 1985 Grand Tour

Tasted Friday, May 5, 2017 - Friday, October 20, 2023 by Isaac L with 206 views

Flight 1 - '85 St. Julien (2 Notes)

  • 1985 Château Talbot 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (5/10/2017)

    The cork showed minimal seepage upon opening. Nose was characterised by a strong barnyard funk which didn't fully blow off even after 2 hours of air. In the mouth, a fair bit of red stonefruit showed on the palate nonetheless, together with notes of mushrooms, wet bark, cigar ash and hints of coffee grounds. Silky mouthfeel.

    This wine was also consistent in profile with an '81 that I had previously, just slightly fresher around the edges. Drink up within the next 3 years.

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  • 1985 Château Léoville Las Cases 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (9/27/2023)

    Celebrating the incorporation of KW LLC. Dark magenta with an opaque core and some bricking at the rim. The nose showed aged leather, sweet plum, blackberries, and mint. On the palate sour cherry initially followed by black fruits, cedar, tobacco, and soy. Fully integrated, well-balanced and elegantly concentrated. This bottle needed a 2-hour decant to reveal itself.

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Flight 2 - '85 Margaux (2 Notes)

  • 1985 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (10/27/2017)

    Agree with the previous review. This took about 75 minutes of air to really open up. Still quite some power, structure and acidity left but showing hints of tiredness. Colour was a deep, royal claret. The nose revealed its pedigree, but most of the fruit had gone.

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  • 1985 Château Margaux 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (5/17/2019)

    Tightly coiled on opening with waves of complexity waiting to unfold, but only showed fully after a 60 min decant. Beguiling nose of perfume framed against a classic Bordeaux backdrop of funk and mushrooms. In the glass, it displayed an ethereal, silky viscosity and when swirled, more legs than a millipede which then lined themselves up along the wall of the glass in great uniformity.

    This wine continued to evolve over the next 2 hours, all the while maintaining exceptional lift and freshness. Flowers, cedar and perfume emerged at various points to present a lush and seductive potion. Tannins while well-resolved were still extremely grippy on the finish, which was long and mouth coating.

    Drink now.

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Flight 3 - '85 Pauillac (3 Notes)

  • 1985 Château Clerc Milon 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (7/20/2019)

    Wow, this showed really well. Strong funk that blew off after 20min of air. Still a good amount of fruit left, fully integrated, softly textured graphite, plum liqueur and aged leather. Started to fade after an hour so I would drink this up. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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  • 1985 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (8/8/2020)

    Mini horizontal with 1985 Pichon Comtesse for 35th birthday. Consistent with previous taster’s notes. This showed a deep garnet colour in the glass with gentle bricking, visibly less than the Comtesse. The nose showed caramel and typical (but not unpleasant) barnyard funk. On the palate, this showed tobacco, cedar and pencil shavings. Full-bodied but elegant with a medium-length finish.

    This wine was nuanced and well-integrated with just a hint of residual tannins and acidity still showing. First out of the blocks, it opened up earlier (1-1.5h) than the Comtesse which was decanted at the same time. Not a lot separating the two wines in this tertiary stage of their development, but the Comtesse just about edges it in terms of elegance after fully fleshing itself out with air.

    Unlikely to improve but should drink well for another 3+ years.

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  • 1985 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (8/8/2020)

    Mini horizontal with 1985 Pichon Baron for 35th birthday. This showed some bricking but otherwise had the gentle colour of mature claret. It had a dusty nose with muted tertiary aromas and just the slightest barnyard funk which blew off quickly. On the palate, the cassis fruit showed more prominently compared to the Pichon Baron, accompanied by cedar and graphite typical of Pauillac.

    This wine was less full-bodied than the Pichon Baron but more elegant and a slightly more complex finish. It also took a much longer time (3h) to open up compared to the Pichon Baron, which was decanted at the same time. Not a lot separating the two wines in this tertiary stage of their development, but this just about edges it in terms of elegance after fully fleshing out with air.

    Unlikely to improve but should drink well for another 5+ years.

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Flight 4 - '85 Pessac-Léognan (1 Note)

  • 1985 Château Haut-Brion 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (7/10/2020)

    GE2020 wine. Cork was crumbly but remained intact. Poured, filtered and let breathe in the glass over 3 hours. The nose was reserved but showed smoke, wet earth and a slightly medicinal note. The palate showed dried fruit, cedar and cigar box. Texturally, the wine was precise, elegant and distinguished, with tannins fully resolved. A classic example of Claret at 12% abv from a moderate vintage.

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Flight 5 - '85 St. Estephe (1 Note)

  • 1985 Château Cos d'Estournel 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    (10/20/2023)

    Prominent nose with earthy/woody notes. Cassis, cherries, dried plums, cedar, camphor, menthol and herbs. Medium to full bodied with good concentration. Softly textured. Tannins were still present but well integrated. Cork was protruding by a couple of mm and crumbled upon extraction but no issues with the wine otherwise. In a very good place at the moment and will hold for a couple of years but unlikely to improve further.

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