Community Tasting Note

Saturday, April 18, 2015 - The bottle seemed to be in perfect condition; the filling level was ideal, the cork intact. The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour and threw a notable amount of sediment (and the bottle was heavily crusted). The wine offered black currant, dark cherry, floral notes, withered flowers, wet autumn leaves, cedar, leather, tobacco and a touch of mint on the mature nose. On the palate the wine showed black currant, dark cherry, plum, cedar, leather, tobacco and spices, with medium to medium-plus acidity, well-integrated, medium-plus tannin, a great, silky mouthfeel and superb length. The medium-bodied, medium-concentrated Bordeaux was smooth and impeccably balanced, with good complexity, and drank very well. It improved with aeration, drank consistently well over two days, and should be good for another 10+ years. Oh, what a great St. Julien!

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Comment posted by aChave:

4/21/2015 10:06:00 PM - Thank you for the note. I have a few of these and was curious how they are doing. By the way, we seem to have many wines in common and an affinity for Leoville Barton... so I became a "fan".
Comment posted by PSPatrick:

4/22/2015 5:51:00 AM - Hi aChave! Thanks for your comment! Yes, I am a fan of St. Julien in general, and in particular of well-aged bottles of Gruaud Larose and Léoville Barton. This 1989 Léoville Barton drank very well after about 45 minutes in a small decanter, and it did not decline while I drank it over a period of another three hours; and even the remaining wine I saved for the next day still drank almost equally well the next evening. So I’d say it is a real treat now, but there does not seem to be any need to rush with your bottles (I tried to buy more from the same source earlier this week – unfortunately they had only one bottle left). Best, Patrick
Comment posted by aChave:

10/18/2015 8:59:00 PM - Hello:
Recently had a couple of 1989 Bordeaux (D'Armailhac and Haut Batailley); have decided this vintage is one of my favorites. They have an extremely attractive bouquet with fine depth and a round quality that seems to belie their age. (I also prefer them to the 1990s because I can still find them at reasonable prices(!) ) These two examples also followed your observation on the Leoville Barton... they steadily held and improved with air. The Armailhac was beautiful currently; the Haut Batailley could actually stand a bit more time. Remarkable stuff.
Comment posted by PSPatrick:

1/5/2016 8:30:00 AM - Hello aChave: I agree. For current drinking, 1985 and 1989 left banks are my personal favourites, and many of them are holding up very well. I found many 85s to be even more balanced and elegant than the 89s whereas many 89s seemed a little fuller than their 85 counterparts. I also agree with your comment on pricing; there are a number of reasonably priced 85s and 89s in the market, although I got the impression that demand has increased over the last year or so and the market has become narrower.