1983 Château Léoville Barton
Community Tasting Note
Average Wine Guy (MH) wrote:
Sunday, November 3, 2013 - The 1983 Château Léoville Barton is medium (-) garnet in colour with a surprisingly fresh nose of very slight remaining fruit flavours but distinctive, sweet dusty rosewood characteristics. Pretty linear but still refined on the palate. Tannins have broken down quite a bit but there's a little surprisingly fresh fruit flavours of red currants and raspberries upon entry, accompanied with dusty rosewood, rosemary and thyme as the wine progresses to the mid palate.
Acidity is very soft and alcohol is well tucked under (perhaps from the age of the wine). Nonetheless, factors of the wine are still pretty controlled and in its place. Well-managed for that vintage. A medium (-) finish of back end woodiness and herbs that reminds one of the wine's good years that have passed. Pleasant and drinking well now, haven't got many years to go with the wine beginning to take it's fall only after 1+ hour in the bottle from uncorking.
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Comment posted by oldwines:
11/3/2013 6:18:00 AM - I hope you don't mind a suggestion. As one who loves "old wines" for their complexity and secondary characteristics rather than just the fruit, the next time you have an old Bordeaux or old Cali Cab or Barolo try decanting and tasting a little in the first hour, then wait ( I know it is hard to do ) and taste more 2, 3 and even 4 hours after. I find older wines often close down after the first hour and many people think they are over, but in fact they may have not yet begun to blossom. Great, even good wines will stand up to more slow aeration than most would think. Enjoy! Cheers!
Comment posted by Average Wine Guy (MH):
11/3/2013 9:21:00 PM - Thanks oldwines for the tip! Indeed the wine was too quick to be done over dinner. But nonetheless, will definitely have to "wait it out" in the future!