Fill top shoulder, 1/2 put in the decanter for about 1h, remaining left in the bottle and drank at the end after about 1.5h and the wine started singing then. After 2h lost strength and expression.
Black red color with some minor orange reflexes. Looks fresh and young.
Nose: Classic matured Pauillac nose, singing.
Palate: Tannins totally resolved, fresh and dry mouthfeel with pleasant structure. Velvety black currant, a bit of red cherry, fine and elegant. Nice length and good exciting aromas in the first 1.5h. After about 2h everything fades a bit and the wine levels off noticeably.
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level lowermost neck, good long cork, decanted 2 hours, little sediment, colour perfect for age, black-red with slightest bricking at the rim, really classic aged Paulliac nose, cedar, forest floor, graphite, complex, intense but fine, both powerful and elegant, lovely, palate is warm, with good rich fruit, dry at the finish with typical ‘86 acidity and austerity but everything in balance, peak drinking now but because of the balance and structure it will hold well
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This took an hour to really start delivering the goods and was still on its ascendency when the bottle ran out. Dark fruit, loamy earth, tar, soy, iodine and tobacco notes. Full-bodied with secondary and tertiary flavours with the vestiges of deep, dark fruits. Some structure remains. A bit of rusticity on this old-school Bordeaux. Loved it. Based on this bottle, there may be a further 5-10 years of life left although not sure it will get any better.
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Took 90 mins in the decanter to even show its best. 86, man you are wild. Dark fruits, cedar, smoke, earth. Good finish, ancient school. I like it a lot!
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level lowermost neck, cork good but still broke, decanted 2 hours, only little sediment, colour nearly opaque black-red with only slight brown rim, lovely complex fine but concentrated nose, classic Paulliac cedar cigar-box, graphite and forest floor, some cassis or blackberry, great structured and concentrated palate with real depth and richness, very good length and balance, quite dry at the finish, persistent aftertaste goes on for minutes, another really top ‘86 at its peak with lovely interplay between fruit and austere acidic/tannic structure, this is on its plateau but will hold there for ages, excellent (13%, which was at the high end for those days, possibly picked relatively late, which in ‘86 might have been an advantage).
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The initial impression of the nose was lively, jumping out of the glass. The nose showed petrol, tar, and leather. The palate was medium dry, tannins and acidity that could go another decade. Tart cherry, baking cocoa, and a mild green pepper flavor profile. This wine feels like it was “all there” at one point but didn’t hold up in total balance. It’s not bad but I wouldn’t chase it down again.
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In the beginning great, matured Bordeaux nose, but with an intense acid level, that did not match. But the wine became better and more integrated over time. Needs at least 3 hours of decanting.
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level lower neck, very good cork although needs care, colour perfect for age, quite dark black cherry red with only limited brown on rim, very fine nose, rich, classy, real complexity, classic Paulliac cigar box, shows the Mouton house style of richness and depth, excellent palate with rich, still sweet fruit balanced by the dry tannins and inherent austerity of the ‘86 vintage, very long and with great persistent aftertaste that lasts for minutes, the inherent austerity combined with sweet fruit went beautifully with roast lamb, overall a very positive experience because this was the first of 18 bottles bought en primeur and I was a little apprehensive that I had left them a bit long before starting, no worries, this wine has the depth and structure to continue to age gracefully
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Early Spring Homing Pidgin (Home): Love it when a plan comes together: I'll never know for sure, but seems as though this bottle was opened at the perfect moment. Still very dark to look at, but its maturity is otherwise obvious, with aromas and flavours of truffle, meat, smoke, sage, cocoa, espresso and something 'high'; yet the wine retains blackberry fruit and served well as a refreshing beverage as well as an exercise in studying tertiary development. Delicious!
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Cork fully soaked, PnP, deep cherry-red color, hardly any ripening reflexes. Depth and especially those stable aromas that I love on the nose. Soft pleasant mouthfeel on the palate, fresh and cool, aromas of horse stable dominate and give the wine a lot of depth, fruit is weak and diffuse, good length. Although undoubtedly behind its best times it still offers a lot of drinking pleasure and especially has a very fascinating nose.
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Would suggest drinking these ASAP. Fruit gone, secondary notes extremely muted. Tasted some cedar. It was light and elegant and not gone, but close. Didn’t need air. Hoping the next and last bottle is a better bottle; I hoped for more. Perfect fill considering age. Cork dry up top but almost fully soaked underneath. Removed with ah-so and held together. Bottle stored professionally since release. Preferred 1989, drank a year ago.
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Beautiful mature bordeaux.Fruit is still very much alive and has plenty of structure to keep it going for a few more years.Definitely one that you want to drink now but there is no hurry.
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The cork was slightly damaged when we opened it, so I was a little concerned. But I quickly was relieved as brilliant aromas of blackberry and earth sprang out of the glass. Super pleased to see it pour a nice dark garnet, with no bricking. Full body and well balanced flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and dark chocolate were enjoyably paired with the tri-tip meal and great conversation. My only disappointment is, that this is the last bottle in my cellar.
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93-95 Bottle was in great shape despite the age - decanted for ~60 minutes beforehand, but opened up over the next few hours (strange for a Pauillac.) The notes went on for 30+ seconds after every sip. More fruit forward than I would have anticipated (plumb and cherry?) Tannins present but very mellow and pleasant.
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Cork was problematic, and I wound up pushing it into the bottle after I failed to remove it using an Ah so puller. Decanted the wine and allowed it to stand for two hours before tasting. Well worth the wait: nose of dark fruit and leather; palate similar, but also with spice, dust and forest floor. Wine had surprising weight and density, almost Napa-like, and long finish. In my view, in no sense past its prime.
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Being 34 years old this Pauillac shows fully mature bouquet, but with a certain liveliness. Quite classic left bank nose showing that aged cassis nose together with the classic Pauillac character with cigar, cedar and leather. Bit rustic, but charming nose.
The palate is medium bodied showing dried cherry and cassis. Surprisingly luscious, but still with a certain rustic character with some graphite at the finish. Slightly grainy tannins, although almost fully resolved. This bottle showed a certain concentration and fullness that I have been missing in some recent bottles. I think I prefer the ’86 to ’85 at this stage.
This was a charming bottle of Clerc Milon. Very classic. Moderate length. Ready to drink now. Not perfect bottles is probably going to be tired at this stage. Not scored appropriately, but I remember this as around 91-92 points.
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Dustier than I remember it. Decanted two hours ahead. Moderate sediment. Restrained nose. Past its peak, but an enjoyable mature Bordeaux with American Beef Wagyu at Restaurant Bocuse, NY CIA.
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Again another bottle that showed extremely well. Aged left bank nose, leather, dust, slight green pepper, actually revealing more toward the end of dinner with more air, good acid, fully resolved tannin, pleasurable and fully mature Bordeaux. 92-93
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Although allegedly past it's drinking age this wine has held up very nicely. Stored since purchase for the last 30+ years, cork was still in very good shape. Soft, smooth and gentle. A classic Pauillac, typical musty nose, medium bodied with with soft tannins. Let decant about an hour and still lots of life in the glass while drinking through dinner. Oak, leather, red fruit and licorice. Should continue to drink well for a least a couple of years.
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Showing very well. Cork was saturated through but wine was intact. Subtle nose, classic left bank profile with slight green pepper notes, not as good as the nose on the 90. Palate was exactly what I had hoped for with leather, dried cherry, good acid and fully resolved tannin. I think these are probably near end of peak so would drink in the next few years. Very enjoyable perfectly aged Bordeaux.
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Beautiful, gentle, and delicious. Opened 2 hours before Christmas dinner. Cork was soaked but was able to coax it out in 2 solid pieces. Immediately upon opening, it filled the room with aroma. I was worried I was losing it all into the air so I left it in the bottle without decanting, and then poured into glasses 15 minutes before dinner. I needn't have worried. The last glass, 90 minutes later, was as good as that first whiff. So soft, so gentle, and so wonderful. Oh how I wish I had more... Delicious now and not getting any better but no reason to think it won't go a bit longer if you're waiting for a special occasion.
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At 32 years this is outside its prescribed drinking window, past its prime but still approachable, remarkably holding its own, but time to drink up in the near term. Back in 2002 Parker wrote that "while this wine should age well for another two decades, it has matured faster than many of the 1986 Pauillacs".
The cork started to collapse as soon as I pressed on it but I was able to work it out, slowly rocking the 'Ahso' (two prong cork puller) between opposite sides to extract it fully. It was soft and saturated but intact.
Decanted and aerated but needed a couple hours to open up, dark garnet/ruby colored, medium bodied, plum and cherry fruits initially subdued and overshadowed by leather and black olive, eventually popping with some bright vibrancy with tones of cedar and spicy clove with hints of bacon fat, pepper and anise, turning to some very modest tannins on the short finish.
Very good, outstanding. It's a over thirty year old wine! Do you like old wines? This is one. Nothing to complain. Still perfekt. But - certainly for old-wine-lovers. Otherwise to boring. No edges, no corners. Feels like it could go on like this forever. (Stored in a very good cellar!)
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, prune, forest floor, cedar and oak. The body is medium. The wine finishes very long. The wine has low acidity. No tannin.
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Decanted one hour before serving, probably could have used two hours. Lovely nose. Still very dark. Showed nice complexity. I'm glad I have four bottles left. This one is good for another 6-10 years.
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A "lost" bottle found in my cellar. Carefully decanted by staff at Rococo, same as my notes from 3/18 bottle. I believe there might be one more in a backup cooler. Need to searchfor it.
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Extremely well structured, complex and ready. Bouquet showing off after 20 minutes, served from the bottle over a 3 hours dinner. Cork in perfect shape, soaked about 2/3. Heavy ruby color, great company for meat. It could last easily another 10 years if you have this puppy in your cellar. I will try to get a few more bottles...
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Cork was crumbling, but finally exracted. Decanted, medium sediment,nice fruit/cedar on the nose. Not as smooth on the palate as previous bottles, but improved over 1-1/2- 2 hrs.
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Cork was soaked and very soft. Decanted for an hour. Started drinking. Was at its best within another 30 minutes. At 2.5 hours of decant, started going downhill.
Was solid from the get-go, but nothin over the top. Still solid wine after 32 years. An honor to drink.
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This bottle lost a step from the last one but was still enjoyable... nice old Bordeaux that is well past its prime but fun to drink with lamb chops and garlic bread.
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Excellent. Deep ruby color - surprising for its age. Cherries, plums, and cassis. Some leather. You would never guess a 32 year old Pauillac in a blind tasting. Looks and tastes a lot younger than its age.
I have to go hunting for some more of this on auctions.
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1986 CHATEAU CLERC-MILON PAUILLAC- I have a fond place in my heart for this chateau as I`ve found this wine to hit my palate in ways that have been reserved for Latour, Lafite and Mouton; it was the 85` that really made an impression over the 82` and other great vintages; it`s been about 20 years since last visiting the 86`, so it was a treat to re-explore it with more maturity; it gave what I had hoped with delicious mint chocolate and cedar laced black currant, plum and blackberry fruit that seemed vibrantly youthful; even the colour was unadulterated, being a dark purple.
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Un nez discret de cèdre et de mine de crayon. Bouche bien équilibrée, aux tanins soyeux, c'est un vin fin et agréable, velouté, sans être très complexe. Un beau Pauillac tendre et suave, à maturité mais sans signe de déclin, il affiche encore une belle jeunesse, mais une profondeur somme toute limitée. 90-91 pts
Ce vin s'était mérité un ronflant 97 pts de l'ineffable James Suckling du Wine Spectator et le 2e rang du top 100 annuel de ce magazine. Ceci m'est incompréhensible. Le Wine Advocate lui avait accordé un 89 pts, qui me semble adéquat. Ceci illustre bien qui était, de loin, le meilleur guide pour l'amateur de Bordeaux durant deux décennies.
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Surprisingly good after all this time. Typical musty nose common to old Bordeaux. The fruit is faint but there is a slight sweetness to the finish. No tannin left, of course, so smooth as silk. A pleasure to drink.
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Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
Excellent bottle -- truly outstanding as the score suggests. First, the tastes were clear and well-defined. The wine showed almost no signs of aging. In fact, there was no sediment. Cork was not perfect, but it did its job.
The wine was bright (vibrant is a good term), w/o the sort of earthiness that some Bordeaux have. Very easy to drink. Wish I had lots more. :-(
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Cork came out in good shape. Red with only small amount of bricking. Red fruit nose but mostly black fruit on the palate maybe some chocolate? Wife claims she tastes licorice on the back palate. Very vibrant wine with slightly dusty or drying tannins. It is one of the better 86 Bordeaux I have had in last couple of years. Should be good for another 5-10 years.
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This is an outstanding wine. I agree with the recent posted tasting notes, which I doubted until I opened a bottle today. Hard to believe that a 30 year old wine could be so vibrant.
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Nice dark aromas featuring black spices, graphite, dusty earth, and dried berries. Brawny in style with elements of dried black fruits framed by a good structure and with a nice dry finish. Quite good, although perhaps a touch hard with a bit of a drying quality.
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Drank with Jamie to celebrate his 30th as this is his birth year.
Ex chateau recorked in 2013.Decantered for 30 mins. Deep red. No bricking whatsoever. Still fruit aromas. Slight tannins. I put this ever so slightly ahead of the 1989 I had a few months earlier. Will last another 20-30 years
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Tasted as part of the 1989 Bdx tasting of the Seattle CT group -- this was the ringer, and provided a mini vertical as we also had the 1989 Clerc Milon. This was my second favorite wine of the night. Lovely rich nose of chocolate and plum. Very floral and feminine on the palate, with the same chocolate and plum but also violets and other darker flowers. This was both incredibly approachable and complex. Lovely wine, and sure to last for years more.
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Tasted as part of the CT Seattle '89 Bdx blind tasting. This was the ringer in the tasting. I think this is the best Clerc I have had, with lots of secondary and tertiary flavors on the nose, and very complex flavors in the mouth including good fruit. Had a long..... finish. This was excellent even when I first opened (had a sip to ensure it was not corked, and even then was the favorite of the 3 bottles I opened and brought that night.) My 3rd out of 10 in the tasting. Had double decanted 4 hours prior to trying.
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this bottle showed very well. Opened and tasted, then slow-ox for 4 hours before decanting and serving over another 2-3 hours. Was a bit closed at first but after an hour or two began to reveal dark red fruit, wet tobacco, with cedar and a subtle touch of spice. Started out with medium to big tannins, and evolved and mellowed nicely over the course of the afternoon. Served with a Moroccan leg of lamb with younger Bordeaux, including a '00 Ducru, and this wine was the star. Drink now with time in bottle, or wait another few years.
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we carefully opened this and got the cork out in two pieces instead of several. It was soaked. There was a funky odour at first, but this disapreared quite quickly. I decanted and waited a little over an hour praying to Bacchus that the wine didnt peak while we waited. he must have heard me because after the first glass which was still not quite there, the second glass was a huge improvement. The wine was revealling all its secrets after just over 2 hours out of the bottle. Its still a gorgeous wine. Soft in the mouth, a bit tannic but not too much. and the flavours, oh the flavours, lots of fruit very complex and a joy to drink. It might have lasted another 7 years, but why wait, its perfect now.
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Got this from the chateau.. Nice neck fill. Soak cork.. Broke apart when getting it out.. Very little sediment.. Funk smell first pour.. But after 15min.. It went away.. Pour into Decatur but swirl in glass to open it up.. I would say at 1h mark it is very nice n smooth.. No heat no sour nor dry.. Smooth drinking.. Very good bottle..
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I was nervous because the cork was completely soaked and the barnyard sent was somewhat overwhelming. This required a 2 hour decant. I tasted after an hour and was disappointed. However, the wine opened nicely. There are still hints of fruit and a delicate smooth finish. Certainly past its peak if you are holding. No reason not to drink now.
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Virtually the same notes as on 12/24/14. OUTSTANDING wine!! I think I have 2 more which are not cataloged in CT. I need to check where I think I have seen them.
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Beautiful bouquet of red currant fruits, notes of spices, peppers, vanilla and smokiness. Yet at the same time, the smokiness and spices gets into my eyes. There is a good touch of acidity as it enters the front palate. There is no doubt that the tannins have mellowed and is smoothly integrated into the wine with notes of cedar and tobacco. The wine is drinking beautifully today elegantly. It finishes with slight warmness.
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Tasted in double-blind fashion, this particular bottle (generously provided to our tasting group by K.J.) showed beautifully. Opaque garnet and highly aromatic, it flaunts a complex bouquet of red plums, pipe tobacco, leather, allspice and cocoa. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic and still possessing substantial tannic grip, it delivers flavors which mirror the nose. Complex and solid all the way through its lengthy finish, this is why I love Bordeaux! Although there is undoubtedly bottle variation after nearly 30 years, those holding well-cellared specimens should be very happy. Drink now-2023.
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Cork was soaked, with minimal sediment. Decanted 3 hours; it seemed to peak around the 2 hour mark, with a slow decline after. Dark fruit, leather, fennel, and forest floor. Still has a nice backbone, but the acidity is perhaps a bit too prominent. Average length on the finish. This is likely no longer at its peak, but is still drinking well. Would recommend drinking this in the next couple of years.
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Schöne zurückhaltende Nase. Immer noch dunkle Farbe. Eleganter Wein mit starken Ledernoten und vorhandener Säure. Wirkt nicht voll zugänglich und recht artisanal. Ist sicher noch Jahrzente haltbar! Unbedingt dekantieren. 92/100 Ich lasse meine restlichen Flaschen im Keller liegen und trinke zuerst alle meine 90er aus.
Beautiful restrained nose. Still dark color. Elegant wine with strong leather notes and acid present. Does not fully accessible and fairly artisanal. Is safe even decades durable! Be sure to decant. 92/100 I put my remaining bottles in the cellar and drink first of all my 90s.
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Similar to my 9/9/12 notes. NO sediment, fully wet cork w/full bottle. Less barnyard than the other '86 Left bank we consumed. Very, very fresh sweet fruit after 2 hours. Velvety on the palate with a medium-long finish. MUST decant the next bottles before consuming.
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Decanted 1h but showed its best around the 2h mark. Entirely soaked cork but excellent in neck fill. Garnet almost to the rim. Forest floor, sweet dark fruit, still a fair bit of toast, fine to medium tannins and medium finish. Not the 97 point wine, JS had in his glass but the best Clerc Milon I have had, and while this will certainly bot improve, it certainly has a few more years to go.
PS: Tannins become more pronounced around the 4h mark as the fruit fades. Perhaps better not to wait much longer.
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Decanted 1h but showed its best around the 2h mark. Entirely soaked cork but excellent in neck fill. Garnet almost to the rim. Forest floor, sweet dark fruit, still a fair bit of toast, fine tannins and medium finish. Not the 97 point wine, JS had in his glass but the best Clerc Milon I have had, and while this will certainly bot improve there is no rush in drinking up either.
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wine marks up to the end of the cork, yet the bottle was not flawed. Drank blind with a 2000 Pichon Baron and though they 14 years apart, the deep purple fading to ruby were almost identical. Nose was a clean, classic Paulliac. Nice red fruit. Wonderful mouthfeel and fully integrated tannins. This is a wine firing on all cylinders. Drink now. Will last several more years, but will not improve.
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From memory, p n p. Drank alongside new world cab. A little funk, but otherwise nice mature Bordeaux. Stylistically appropriate. No flaws, nice juice. Wish I had more.
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From 750ml, fill in the neck. Dbl decant and let bottle stand open for 30 mins, then served with beef. This bottle showed much better than my previous one last year. Nice garnet color with a cute hint of browning. Nice nose of red fruit, though a bit restrained. The palate was really lovely, soft mature bright red fruit. Medium-plus finish. You always wish for more bottles like this! Should last a bit longer but no reason to delay opening yours.
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brought to the french tart on staten island to celebrate my 69th birthday. shared with pat. also gave a glass to chef laurent. the cork was extracted easily and intact. this bottle was in slightly better shape than the last few but continues to present as somewhat fragile. needed a few minutes to wake up. the food was very flavorful. needed frequent sips of water to fully enjoy the wine. delicate florals persist to the last drop. fine sediment at the end of the bottle. will attend to the last few bottles during the holiday period.
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Excellent balance. Moving toward brick color. Classic old Pauillac on the nose and palate. Beautifully integrated tannins. At the end of a glass, turned a little sour. Probably at peak.
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PnP fr 750. Looks and smells were on par with classic claret. First 15 drinking minutes were impressive, almost surprisingly so - this seemed to need no time to stretch its legs. Then it quickly turned very tannically tight/dumb. I simply stuck the cork in the bottle and returned to it the next night - it drank nicely on Nights #2 & 3. No need to wait more years to proceed, but this should last at least a few more
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The second bottle opened within 2 weeks, both corks fully wet with very full bottles. Lovely typical Bordeaux nose but different than the '93 Leoville las Cases also opened at the same dinner gathering. Virtually no sediment in bottle! Velvet smooth on the palate, described by decades-long resident of France/old friend as "nectar of the Gods". It is still great and evolved/changed for the better over an hour. I would buy another case from the cellar from which this was purchased, should they find more buried in there.
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Consumed with friends on Bastille Day. Classic Paulliac, the wine was in my cellar since 1988 and was fresh and of good color and fruit. Tasted against an 09 sleeper of the vintage and was superior, but maybe in 10 years the 09 will be superior.
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brought this bottle to central jersey CT offline at pairings restaurant in cranford. shared with pat, cj and spouse, and double d. this bottle was disappointing. perhaps mindset was skewed having put this up against young and vibrant wines- 2000 figeac and 1998 cakebread. first glass was totally flacid along with some funk. wine improved a little bit with air. perhaps it should have been decanted. still, it was nothing like the beauty that it was five or ten years ago. will open another one soon and hope for a better experience since this wine offers such wonderful memories.
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Bred kjerne. Ungdommelig farge. Umiddelbart litt fjøs, animalsk, dette blåser bort. Rød frukt. Etterhvert solbær, tobakk og lær. I munn har den kjølig inngang, bra tanningrip, tørker. Flott syre. Noe kort. Flott ren vin som drikker godt. For meg er den overraskende ungdommelig.
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Openned my last bottle of the '86 Saturday. Bottle showed neck full with no ullage. Cork was soft, but came out without drama. Wine was showing some brown, and after the first sip I was sure that it was gone - almost no nose, very thin, no fruit. After three hours in the decanter and several passes through the vinturi it openned up nicely with a good showing of fruit and nice balance. A very enjoyable aged claret. It you have it - drink it soon.
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shared with pat at selkirk manor. this cork was more firmly in place than the one on the last bottle. however, the wine is in essentially the same shape. notes are essentially the same as those from bottle last tasted on 4/29/2011. i have to say that i enjoyed this wine more a few years ago when it was a bit bolder. still has lovely nose. will attend to remaining bottles over the next year before they slip away entirely.
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Although this was not a wow wine it was really nice. Bottle was in perfect shape. Great nose opon opening. Really nice ruby color with a shade of browning. Opened and let sit in the cellar for 3-4 hours before tasting. Initial impression was okay. Not a lot of fruit and still strong tannins. Not much personality. Left the second half of the bottle for a few more hours. Real improvement. Richer with nice depth of flavor. A nice but not world changing Pauillac that should drink well for the next 5 years or so.
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No notes. My recollection is a beautiful, complex, earthy, somewhat somber nose with dark fruit but slight disappointment on the palate. Agree with those who say "drink up!" Needed a little time to open up.
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still great... but starting to feel the age. Another busted cork. strained and decanted. Opened up nicely over the 3 hour meal. drink up while you can.
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shared with pat at selkirk manor. notes are much the same as when last tasted 2/2010. this bottle also had saturated, somewhat loose fitting but intact cork with no signs of ullage. color had the slightest hint of browning. the wine has aged gracefully but lacks the vigor of its youth. it is slightly more fragile than last year but is not yet breaking up. the wine has a light mouthfeel so all of the beauty is in the floral nose. minimal sedimentation, so it is good to the last drop. it would be a shame to lose this wine in the name of holding on the lingering memories. so, i will attempt to attend to remaining bottles next fall and probably before the end of the year.
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I agree with previous tasting notes that this wine is slightly over the hill. It was ok, but no fireworks. Drink up if you have it, it will only continue it's downward trend.
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A little past peak, so lost a bit of its complexity. Still drank very well after 1 hour decant. Great color with fruit on the nose and very soft tannins.
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Very similar experience to DJ. After 90 minutes of air this was absolutely singing. Black fruit and some vegetal notes on the nose improving with more air. Still life here though so be a touch patient and open with care.
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Time has been gracious to this bottle. Took this bottle to the restaurant in Pam Springs with my wife. The 25 year old cork was destroyed while opening and I feared the worst. We were pleasantly surprised. Solid ruby red color on the pour. Soft aromas of fruit aromas. The soft silky texture was complimented with dancing flavors or black cherry, vanilla and leather. Well balanced and very enjoyable. Paired with and Angus Steak and cheese. If you have one of these --- Drink up its 25 years old.
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Of note: this was ranked 97 points and number 2 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator in 1989. This wine opened up rather slow but once it did drank very well. I got lots of crushed rock, rose petal, violets, and loam on the nose. The palate was refined and moderately complex well integrated tannins. Moderate finish. I think it's a bit past its prime but still a wonderful Bordeaux at age 24 years old. I was 12 when this wine was made and that's sort of cool.
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Elegant nose of old fruit (cherries, raspberries), tobacco, mint, and a strange sweaty smell. Plenty of structure left with red fruit pronounced to me. A decent finish. Drinking exceptionally well in my opinion.
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This is drinking quite sensationally. There's bottle variation but this is one of the good ones. Hardly any sign of its 24 years. Enticing nose - blackcurrant, leafy tobacco, cedar, vanilla and black cherry, licorice as it airs with hints of leather and dried herbs. Powerful but restrained palate - persistent but lighter fruit, chalky tannins, fruit and herbs to the front with roast beef. Intoxicating! If you've got a bottle like this it's got years ahead of it.
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a recent taster caused me to worry enough to see what was going on. cork was fully saturated but extracted intact. youthful color. first glass seemed thin and tired. i feared the worst. exposure to air and a little patience proved to be worthwhile. although the fruit is not as vibrant as it was 5 years ago, it remains a class act. lots of floral notes. the wine continues to build revealing solid structure. still, i don't think that i want to keep this wine more than another year since there is some danger of tannins taking over the fruit.
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Cork fully soaked, mold on top of cork. Initial nose of mint, but then dominated by wood. On the palate, obtrusively oaky, taste is dominated by cabernet sauvignon. Glad it's my next to last bottle. Drink up.
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Wonderful bottle of aged Bordeaux. Popped, poured and let open up in the glass for about 20 mins. Drank over the next hour and enjoyed the hell out of it. Very elegant and classy. Drink up...time is not on it's side.
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Yikes. Just yikes.; 9/24/2009-9/25/2009 (Bowling Green, OH): I'm not very experienced with aged Bordeaux, so this was an interesting wine for me. Dusty nose, with a slight mustiness as if it were corked, but I don't think it was. Medium- tannins, medium acidity, light body. Smooth. No fruit or hints of sweetness left, lots of leather and dust. SECOND NIGHT: this really opened up and started singing. Lots more fruit, less dust. Fairly bright. Bumped score from an 89 to a 91.
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Popped and poured on a boat ride in Newport. Presented deep ruby with solid edges. This being a 23-year-old bottle I was fearful of age issue. This wine is ready to drink now. Pleasant aroma of oak, tobacco and plum. Still had some complexity in the flavors with oak, plum. We paired with medium bodied cigars, which enhanced the tobacco flavors. This was a well balance off dry wine with low acidity and a short finish. Although we really enjoyed this bottle, I fear time is against us. Need to drink it now. I was hoping to have the last case last to my 25th wedding anniversary… 2 more years may be too long.
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Opened up a bottle last night and decanted. enitre cork was wet, so not sure if previous storage was the culprit. anyway, Nose was barnyardy, but was preety flat with no finish. Only drank half of bottle with 2 friends bc side by side with an '02 Showket Oakville, and i couldnt compare. This was decanted and poured. This wine may have been flawed due to storage,but not 100% sure.
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Classic mature bdx. Has aged wonderfully. Fill to the bottom of the neck. Other CT'ers have described this wine well, leather, cedar wood, and a bit of dark red fruit on the nose. The palate is full bodied but not overbearing, with saddle leather, beautiful deep fruit, and tannins that I can tell were once rough but have smoothed out nicely. The finish is slightly drying, but exceptional. This wine will probably drink well for another 2 years, but if you have a few bottles and haven't popped one recently, go ahead and enjoy one now.
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This was decanted and poured. This wine is showing very well at this point. This wine shows wonderful aromatics of leather, tobacco leaf, cedar, pencil lead and black currants. The color is a dark brick red and opaque. The full bodied palate shows good balance and retains a strong tannin presence on the finish. This wine is heading toward maturity but retains some youthful intensity. This should continue to drink well for many years. It shows no signs immediate decline and the fruit components still balance the very present tannins.
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Showing incredibly well. Dark fruit, leather, earthy & cedary notes. Medium bodied with good fruit and very good balance. Acidity is in check. A great example of the potential of Bordeaux and a great QPR if you can snag it for around $100.
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Muzzie's Cellar; 8/30/2008-9/10/2008 (Muzzie's house and other places): We opened this wine with some trepidation. It is one of about 40 bottles of wine that remain from my father-in-law's cellar. He passed away in 1998 and a few years later his garage wine cooler crashed and the wine may have sat in the heat for some time (we just don't know). The wine was then stored in a refrigerator for a number of years, albeit on a low (warmer) setting. So storage is an issue. The wines are mostly from the late seventies through the mid-nineties but some are of earlier vintages. At least one bottle of first growth Bordeaux has proven to be bad.
The very good news: This was excellent. It opened with a ripe, full bouquet of dark fruit and leather and a spicy, herby woodiness. The palate seemed out of whack at first, acid and thin, but after a just a minute or two of air seemed to open into the same sort of fullness of fruit. It seemed youthful, full and ripe, but with a nice stony minerality accenting the fruit. Smooth, ripe tannins and a long finish complete the picture of a fine, if not quite magnificent, drink.
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A little funky upon opening but that blew off after about thirty minutes. Dark purple color and mature Bordeaux nose of saddle leather, tobacco, and cedar. The tannins were still a bit overwhelming at first but decanting and steak softened them up an enjoyable level. The wine was medium bodied and showed tobacco, mineral and a touch of dark fruit on the palate with decent length and complexity. This wine is mature so drink up.
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Dark red, very bright, no orange or brown tones Not very strong nose, but deep with subtle fruit and nuance Very nice taste, still powerful, round and soft with a bite, good after taste
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Black-red, very dark, beautiful colour Nice nose of cigar case, fruit, you could smell the nose from one meter Powerfull, nuance soft and hartd tannines, medium after taste
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Fully mature and singing. Beautiful, full and effusive aromas of black currants and cedar. Palate shows fleshy black fruits and well integrated tannins. Layers of cedar, cloves, cigar ash and pencil shavings add complexity. Fruit is quite giving - showing depth and length on the palate with loads of secondary and tertiary notes on the finish. Well worth 21 years of patience. In a great place and will hold, though I can't see this getting much better (4+13+18+9=94).
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Nice mature bordeaux, but certainly not mindblowing. Medium bodied cab with a lovely cedar nose and complex finish. One of my last buys based on WS review.
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Surprisingly young and bright. Still has nice, ruby/purple color. Few signs of oxidation. Red fruits, and saddle leather on nose. Cherries, kirsh, licorice and leather on the palate with a long finish and smooth, fine grained tannins.
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Still fresh, and not really fading, but there is just not the fruit in this wine that I hoped for. It is a good mature Bordeaux, and drinks well with food, but not an exceptional wine.
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Joyous partnering with chateaubriand at Simon and Julia's. Leather and tobacco and toasty damsons on the nose. Smooth and lushous in the mouth. Taste matched the nose but with more herbs - bayleaf. Perfect drinking right now, but I imagine it will start to fade in the fruit department over the next few years and also start to lose some of its lovely, silky tannin grip.
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Decanted for 1.5 hours. Not as good as previous bottle I've tasted 1 year ago, but not bad either. Good purple-violet color with just slightest hint of browning. Nose of cedar and black fruits, tar. Smoky on palate, with traces of bitter dark chocolate and cigar box. Tannins are there , but integrated nicely.
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Served with lentil and bacon soup. Decanted for 60 minutes. Color is medium garnet with very slight bricking. On the nose, classic cedar and black fruits. On the palate, cassis and plums with a touch of wood. Tannins have softened nicely but are still pleasingly present. The finish is long at 30 seconds. In the end, this wine's overall structure and balance are very, very enjoyable right now! And the wine really starts to sing after 2 hours in the glass. This one is truly at its peak...it is not falling off a cliff anytime soon, but the time to enjoy has clearly arrived.
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Decanted for almost 3 hours. Color - dark ruby with no signs of aging. Nose - beautiful and subtle aromas of blackberries and black currants, cedar, asphalt, roasted bell pepper. Plums and blackberries, some hints of coffee on palate, finish is long and caressing. Very elegant and well made Pauillac - approaching its peak, well-integrated tannins should hold the structure for 8-10 years. We had it with roasted pork tenderloins in cranberry-port sauce - perfect match!
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Cork was saturated to the end, but when the wine was decanted it was emitting beautiful scents of dark berries. A classically made claret, with notes of cedar, blackcurrant and blackberry. Good fruit on the palate, fine tannins, medium to long finish. A very enjoyable wine at its peak.
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I pulled the cork on this and it was saturated to the end. The wine was still quite tannic even after an hour, beautiful Pauillac flavors and a strong backbone. The fruit was decent, a little overwhelmed by the oak and tannin. The 86s seem rather strong in that way.
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Blind Spanish Wines at De Tapas: This bottle was served blind and labeled as the symbol "Star" as it was off-theme. Black cherry color in the dim patio light with hints of tawny. The nose has a funky, bottle sweet aroma that immediately suggests the wine has some age on it. Tannin and old wood also suggest Bordeaux. Medium-full bodied and at the start of the night rather tannic with hidden black fruit. Later in the evening this really came into its own. It shed tannin and the fruit emerged as more black currant with maybe some nuance of olive. Nice wine.
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At home at dinner (pizza). Great black ruby color. Just coats the glass. Very viscous. Oak-laden fruit in the nose. Doesn't have the charm or complexity it did before. Closed up. Fruit is more accessible on the palate. Still too tannic for current pleasure, though. Has a great future. 5-10-15-8: 88/100.
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With BLR, Kiane, K and Miranda at home at dinner (meat loaf). Extremely dark ruby color. Coats the glass. Nose is fine, but not as good as before. Good flavor, but still hard and closed. Great potential. 5-11-5-8: 89/100.
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With K at home at dinner (pizza). Rich, ruby-purple, with good legs. Very enticing nose of mint, chocolate, cocoa and cherries. Very complex. Not quite as impressive to taste, but still very high quality. Chocolatey. Fine wine--could use more time, perhaps. 5-13-14-7: 89/100.
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With K, Sandra, Alan, Cameron and Miranda at dinner (roast). Very dark ruby-purple color. Nose is fruity but closed in, not showing nearly the complexity it did in earlier tastings. On the palate, still bursting with fruit, yet tannic. Very complex, with excellent balance and structure. This wine is tremendous, with a great future ahead. 5-10-17-9: 91/100.
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With K at home at dinner (meat loaf). Deep, dark, dense ruby-purple. Stupendous nose of cassis, chcolate, and cherries. Rich, concentrated and complex. On the palate, it is big, brawny and tannic, yet still amazingly drinkable for an '86 Bordeaux at this age. Chocolatey, chewy and packed with fruit. 5-14-16-9: 94/100.
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INKY RED COLOR, BRIGHTER THAN CARMENET. VERY FRUITY UPON OPENING, WHICH EVOLVED TO CHOCOLATE AND THEN LEATHER.CONCENTRATED FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR WITH TOUCH OF OAK. STILL TANNIN, BUT ALREADY COMPLEX.
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With MPL, BLR and Diane at Singer & Foy. Very dark ruby-purple. Tremendous nose of violets and raspberries. Great sweet fruit. Perfect! Palate is not up to the nose, but very close. Fine ripe fruit, oaky, with lots of tannin and good concentration. Excellent wine, but not as good as the first bottle. 5-15-17-8: 95/100.
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With MPL at his house. Extremely attractive ruby-purple color. Knockout wine! Wonderful nose. Deep ripe fruit, very fine and complex. On the palate, it's a marvel. Excellent concentration, body and balance. Long, long, long finish. This is tremendous wine. 5-14-20-9: 98/100. (Drinking well even now.)
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4/18/2024 - Invest wrote: 93 Points
Fill top shoulder, 1/2 put in the decanter for about 1h, remaining left in the bottle and drank at the end after about 1.5h and the wine started singing then. After 2h lost strength and expression.
Black red color with some minor orange reflexes. Looks fresh and young.
Nose: Classic matured Pauillac nose, singing.
Palate: Tannins totally resolved, fresh and dry mouthfeel with pleasant structure. Velvety black currant, a bit of red cherry, fine and elegant. Nice length and good exciting aromas in the first 1.5h. After about 2h everything fades a bit and the wine levels off noticeably.
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10/28/2023 - red_man Likes this wine: 92 Points
level lowermost neck, good long cork, decanted 2 hours, little sediment, colour perfect for age, black-red with slightest bricking at the rim, really classic aged Paulliac nose, cedar, forest floor, graphite, complex, intense but fine, both powerful and elegant, lovely, palate is warm, with good rich fruit, dry at the finish with typical ‘86 acidity and austerity but everything in balance, peak drinking now but because of the balance and structure it will hold well
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8/8/2023 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points
This took an hour to really start delivering the goods and was still on its ascendency when the bottle ran out. Dark fruit, loamy earth, tar, soy, iodine and tobacco notes. Full-bodied with secondary and tertiary flavours with the vestiges of deep, dark fruits. Some structure remains. A bit of rusticity on this old-school Bordeaux. Loved it. Based on this bottle, there may be a further 5-10 years of life left although not sure it will get any better.
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7/15/2023 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Took 90 mins in the decanter to even show its best. 86, man you are wild. Dark fruits, cedar, smoke, earth. Good finish, ancient school. I like it a lot!
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4/5/2023 - red_man Likes this wine: 93 Points
level lowermost neck, cork good but still broke, decanted 2 hours, only little sediment, colour nearly opaque black-red with only slight brown rim, lovely complex fine but concentrated nose, classic Paulliac cedar cigar-box, graphite and forest floor, some cassis or blackberry, great structured and concentrated palate with real depth and richness, very good length and balance, quite dry at the finish, persistent aftertaste goes on for minutes, another really top ‘86 at its peak with lovely interplay between fruit and austere acidic/tannic structure, this is on its plateau but will hold there for ages, excellent (13%, which was at the high end for those days, possibly picked relatively late, which in ‘86 might have been an advantage).
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3/24/2023 - The Wine Monkeys wrote: 89 Points
The initial impression of the nose was lively, jumping out of the glass. The nose showed petrol, tar, and leather. The palate was medium dry, tannins and acidity that could go another decade. Tart cherry, baking cocoa, and a mild green pepper flavor profile. This wine feels like it was “all there” at one point but didn’t hold up in total balance. It’s not bad but I wouldn’t chase it down again.
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10/1/2021 - Guido L. wrote: 93 Points
In the beginning great, matured Bordeaux nose, but with an intense acid level, that did not match. But the wine became better and more integrated over time. Needs at least 3 hours of decanting.
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8/15/2021 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still really young and tight, very good, needs a lot of decanting
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7/17/2021 - red_man Likes this wine: 92 Points
level lower neck, very good cork although needs care, colour perfect for age, quite dark black cherry red with only limited brown on rim, very fine nose, rich, classy, real complexity, classic Paulliac cigar box, shows the Mouton house style of richness and depth, excellent palate with rich, still sweet fruit balanced by the dry tannins and inherent austerity of the ‘86 vintage, very long and with great persistent aftertaste that lasts for minutes, the inherent austerity combined with sweet fruit went beautifully with roast lamb, overall a very positive experience because this was the first of 18 bottles bought en primeur and I was a little apprehensive that I had left them a bit long before starting, no worries, this wine has the depth and structure to continue to age gracefully
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3/13/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Early Spring Homing Pidgin (Home): Love it when a plan comes together: I'll never know for sure, but seems as though this bottle was opened at the perfect moment. Still very dark to look at, but its maturity is otherwise obvious, with aromas and flavours of truffle, meat, smoke, sage, cocoa, espresso and something 'high'; yet the wine retains blackberry fruit and served well as a refreshing beverage as well as an exercise in studying tertiary development. Delicious!
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1/16/2021 - Invest Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork fully soaked, PnP, deep cherry-red color, hardly any ripening reflexes. Depth and especially those stable aromas that I love on the nose. Soft pleasant mouthfeel on the palate, fresh and cool, aromas of horse stable dominate and give the wine a lot of depth, fruit is weak and diffuse, good length. Although undoubtedly behind its best times it still offers a lot of drinking pleasure and especially has a very fascinating nose.
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11/14/2020 - TahoeSki wrote: 90 Points
Would suggest drinking these ASAP. Fruit gone, secondary notes extremely muted. Tasted some cedar. It was light and elegant and not gone, but close. Didn’t need air. Hoping the next and last bottle is a better bottle; I hoped for more. Perfect fill considering age. Cork dry up top but almost fully soaked underneath. Removed with ah-so and held together. Bottle stored professionally since release. Preferred 1989, drank a year ago.
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10/6/2020 - seijaro Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nearing its end, some tartness creeping in. Still fun to drink, but a lot of the fruit is gone. Drink up.
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9/20/2020 - UFGators Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful mature bordeaux.Fruit is still very much alive and has plenty of structure to keep it going for a few more years.Definitely one that you want to drink now but there is no hurry.
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9/3/2020 - DJSeiler wrote: 94 Points
The cork was slightly damaged when we opened it, so I was a little concerned. But I quickly was relieved as brilliant aromas of blackberry and earth sprang out of the glass. Super pleased to see it pour a nice dark garnet, with no bricking. Full body and well balanced flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and dark chocolate were enjoyably paired with the tri-tip meal and great conversation. My only disappointment is, that this is the last bottle in my cellar.
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7/18/2020 - Esmags7 wrote: 93 Points
93-95
Bottle was in great shape despite the age - decanted for ~60 minutes beforehand, but opened up over the next few hours (strange for a Pauillac.) The notes went on for 30+ seconds after every sip. More fruit forward than I would have anticipated (plumb and cherry?) Tannins present but very mellow and pleasant.
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7/11/2020 - newkid Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork was problematic, and I wound up pushing it into the bottle after I failed to remove it using an Ah so puller. Decanted the wine and allowed it to stand for two hours before tasting. Well worth the wait: nose of dark fruit and leather; palate similar, but also with spice, dust and forest floor. Wine had surprising weight and density, almost Napa-like, and long finish. In my view, in no sense past its prime.
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7/4/2020 - evold89 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Being 34 years old this Pauillac shows fully mature bouquet, but with a certain liveliness. Quite classic left bank nose showing that aged cassis nose together with the classic Pauillac character with cigar, cedar and leather. Bit rustic, but charming nose.
The palate is medium bodied showing dried cherry and cassis. Surprisingly luscious, but still with a certain rustic character with some graphite at the finish. Slightly grainy tannins, although almost fully resolved. This bottle showed a certain concentration and fullness that I have been missing in some recent bottles. I think I prefer the ’86 to ’85 at this stage.
This was a charming bottle of Clerc Milon. Very classic. Moderate length. Ready to drink now. Not perfect bottles is probably going to be tired at this stage. Not scored appropriately, but I remember this as around 91-92 points.
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11/15/2019 - Jgoz123 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Thanksgiving 2019
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10/15/2019 - booksmiths wrote: 91 Points
Dustier than I remember it.
Decanted two hours ahead. Moderate sediment.
Restrained nose. Past its peak, but an enjoyable mature Bordeaux with American Beef Wagyu at Restaurant Bocuse, NY CIA.
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8/16/2019 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 93 Points
Again another bottle that showed extremely well. Aged left bank nose, leather, dust, slight green pepper, actually revealing more toward the end of dinner with more air, good acid, fully resolved tannin, pleasurable and fully mature Bordeaux. 92-93
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5/26/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
A Few Wines with BBQ (Chez Whitehead - Northbrook IL): Slightly madeirized.
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3/2/2019 - Robwild Likes this wine: 93 Points
Although allegedly past it's drinking age this wine has held up very nicely. Stored since purchase for the last 30+ years, cork was still in very good shape. Soft, smooth and gentle. A classic Pauillac, typical musty nose, medium bodied with with soft tannins. Let decant about an hour and still lots of life in the glass while drinking through dinner. Oak, leather, red fruit and licorice. Should continue to drink well for a least a couple of years.
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2/9/2019 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 93 Points
Showing very well. Cork was saturated through but wine was intact. Subtle nose, classic left bank profile with slight green pepper notes, not as good as the nose on the 90. Palate was exactly what I had hoped for with leather, dried cherry, good acid and fully resolved tannin. I think these are probably near end of peak so would drink in the next few years. Very enjoyable perfectly aged Bordeaux.
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12/25/2018 - grayfont Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful, gentle, and delicious. Opened 2 hours before Christmas dinner. Cork was soaked but was able to coax it out in 2 solid pieces. Immediately upon opening, it filled the room with aroma. I was worried I was losing it all into the air so I left it in the bottle without decanting, and then poured into glasses 15 minutes before dinner. I needn't have worried. The last glass, 90 minutes later, was as good as that first whiff. So soft, so gentle, and so wonderful. Oh how I wish I had more... Delicious now and not getting any better but no reason to think it won't go a bit longer if you're waiting for a special occasion.
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11/10/2018 - rmcnees wrote: 88 Points
At 32 years this is outside its prescribed drinking window, past its prime but still approachable, remarkably holding its own, but time to drink up in the near term. Back in 2002 Parker wrote that "while this wine should age well for another two decades, it has matured faster than many of the 1986 Pauillacs".
The cork started to collapse as soon as I pressed on it but I was able to work it out, slowly rocking the 'Ahso' (two prong cork puller) between opposite sides to extract it fully. It was soft and saturated but intact.
Decanted and aerated but needed a couple hours to open up, dark garnet/ruby colored, medium bodied, plum and cherry fruits initially subdued and overshadowed by leather and black olive, eventually popping with some bright vibrancy with tones of cedar and spicy clove with hints of bacon fat, pepper and anise, turning to some very modest tannins on the short finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/11/father-son-steak-wine-dinner.html
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10/30/2018 - Snru Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good, outstanding. It's a over thirty year old wine! Do you like old wines? This is one. Nothing to complain. Still perfekt. But - certainly for old-wine-lovers. Otherwise to boring. No edges, no corners. Feels like it could go on like this forever. (Stored in a very good cellar!)
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, prune, forest floor, cedar and oak. The body is medium. The wine finishes very long. The wine has low acidity. No tannin.
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7/24/2018 - booksmiths Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted one hour before serving, probably could have used two hours. Lovely nose. Still very dark. Showed nice complexity. I'm glad I have four bottles left. This one is good for another 6-10 years.
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6/24/2018 - gcarl wrote: 93 Points
A "lost" bottle found in my cellar. Carefully decanted by staff at Rococo, same as my notes from 3/18 bottle. I believe there might be one more in a backup cooler. Need to searchfor it.
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6/1/2018 - joseduca Likes this wine: 93 Points
Extremely well structured, complex and ready. Bouquet showing off after 20 minutes, served from the bottle over a 3 hours dinner. Cork in perfect shape, soaked about 2/3. Heavy ruby color, great company for meat. It could last easily another 10 years if you have this puppy in your cellar. I will try to get a few more bottles...
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3/22/2018 - gcarl wrote: 92 Points
Cork was crumbling, but finally exracted. Decanted, medium sediment,nice fruit/cedar on the nose. Not as smooth on the palate as previous bottles, but improved over 1-1/2- 2 hrs.
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3/18/2018 - Mdubnik Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork was soaked and very soft. Decanted for an hour. Started drinking. Was at its best within another 30 minutes. At 2.5 hours of decant, started going downhill.
Was solid from the get-go, but nothin over the top. Still solid wine after 32 years. An honor to drink.
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2/19/2018 - seijaro Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle lost a step from the last one but was still enjoyable... nice old Bordeaux that is well past its prime but fun to drink with lamb chops and garlic bread.
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1/18/2018 - asayed Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent. Deep ruby color - surprising for its age. Cherries, plums, and cassis. Some leather. You would never guess a 32 year old Pauillac in a blind tasting. Looks and tastes a lot younger than its age.
I have to go hunting for some more of this on auctions.
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1/16/2018 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
1986 CHATEAU CLERC-MILON PAUILLAC- I have a fond place in my heart for this chateau as I`ve found this wine to hit my palate in ways that have been reserved for Latour, Lafite and Mouton; it was the 85` that really made an impression over the 82` and other great vintages; it`s been about 20 years since last visiting the 86`, so it was a treat to re-explore it with more maturity; it gave what I had hoped with delicious mint chocolate and cedar laced black currant, plum and blackberry fruit that seemed vibrantly youthful; even the colour was unadulterated, being a dark purple.
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12/25/2017 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Un nez discret de cèdre et de mine de crayon. Bouche bien équilibrée, aux tanins soyeux, c'est un vin fin et agréable, velouté, sans être très complexe. Un beau Pauillac tendre et suave, à maturité mais sans signe de déclin, il affiche encore une belle jeunesse, mais une profondeur somme toute limitée. 90-91 pts
Ce vin s'était mérité un ronflant 97 pts de l'ineffable James Suckling du Wine Spectator et le 2e rang du top 100 annuel de ce magazine. Ceci m'est incompréhensible. Le Wine Advocate lui avait accordé un 89 pts, qui me semble adéquat. Ceci illustre bien qui était, de loin, le meilleur guide pour l'amateur de Bordeaux durant deux décennies.
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8/20/2017 - Btcj1955 wrote:
Excellent in spite of cork issue. Decanted for 1 hour
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6/13/2017 - mercyadis Does not like this wine:
A disappointment. Very flat and musty. Maybe I got a dud.
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4/21/2017 - seijaro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Surprisingly good after all this time. Typical musty nose common to old Bordeaux. The fruit is faint but there is a slight sweetness to the finish. No tannin left, of course, so smooth as silk. A pleasure to drink.
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11/2/2016 - John Nezlek wrote: 92 Points
Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
Excellent bottle -- truly outstanding as the score suggests. First, the tastes were clear and well-defined. The wine showed almost no signs of aging. In fact, there was no sediment. Cork was not perfect, but it did its job.
The wine was bright (vibrant is a good term), w/o the sort of earthiness that some Bordeaux have. Very easy to drink. Wish I had lots more. :-(
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10/15/2016 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork came out in good shape. Red with only small amount of bricking. Red fruit nose but mostly black fruit on the palate maybe some chocolate? Wife claims she tastes licorice on the back palate. Very vibrant wine with slightly dusty or drying tannins. It is one of the better 86 Bordeaux I have had in last couple of years. Should be good for another 5-10 years.
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10/12/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 92 Points
Väldigt ungdomligt med mörk frukt, lakrits och lite gröna toner. Påtagliga tanniner, fin syra och avslut med även lite gröna toner i smaken
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9/25/2016 - M DU VIN Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still very vibrant with wonderful deep ruby color and nice fruit. Nary a sign of bricking or its age.
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9/13/2016 - jeginmt Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is an outstanding wine. I agree with the recent posted tasting notes, which I doubted until I opened a bottle today. Hard to believe that a 30 year old wine could be so vibrant.
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5/5/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice dark aromas featuring black spices, graphite, dusty earth, and dried berries. Brawny in style with elements of dried black fruits framed by a good structure and with a nice dry finish. Quite good, although perhaps a touch hard with a bit of a drying quality.
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4/27/2016 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with Jamie to celebrate his 30th as this is his birth year.
Ex chateau recorked in 2013.Decantered for 30 mins. Deep red. No bricking whatsoever. Still fruit aromas. Slight tannins. I put this ever so slightly ahead of the 1989 I had a few months earlier. Will last another 20-30 years
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4/24/2016 - Ron Slye wrote: 95 Points
Tasted as part of the 1989 Bdx tasting of the Seattle CT group -- this was the ringer, and provided a mini vertical as we also had the 1989 Clerc Milon. This was my second favorite wine of the night. Lovely rich nose of chocolate and plum. Very floral and feminine on the palate, with the same chocolate and plum but also violets and other darker flowers. This was both incredibly approachable and complex. Lovely wine, and sure to last for years more.
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4/23/2016 - skifree wrote: 93 Points
Tasted as part of the CT Seattle '89 Bdx blind tasting. This was the ringer in the tasting. I think this is the best Clerc I have had, with lots of secondary and tertiary flavors on the nose, and very complex flavors in the mouth including good fruit. Had a long..... finish. This was excellent even when I first opened (had a sip to ensure it was not corked, and even then was the favorite of the 3 bottles I opened and brought that night.) My 3rd out of 10 in the tasting. Had double decanted 4 hours prior to trying.
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4/7/2016 - foodandwineblog Likes this wine: 93 Points
this bottle showed very well. Opened and tasted, then slow-ox for 4 hours before decanting and serving over another 2-3 hours. Was a bit closed at first but after an hour or two began to reveal dark red fruit, wet tobacco, with cedar and a subtle touch of spice. Started out with medium to big tannins, and evolved and mellowed nicely over the course of the afternoon. Served with a Moroccan leg of lamb with younger Bordeaux, including a '00 Ducru, and this wine was the star. Drink now with time in bottle, or wait another few years.
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2/5/2016 - Wineteacher wrote: flawed
Slightly corked. Drinkable with lots of airing but not great.
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12/27/2015 - aquaman Likes this wine: 96 Points
2nd bottle in 1 month.. This one cork Broke off.. But still Damn fine wine... Open up in the glass nicely... Waiting to get more from soruce
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12/20/2015 - winewitch59 Likes this wine: 90 Points
we carefully opened this and got the cork out in two pieces instead of several. It was soaked. There was a funky odour at first, but this disapreared quite quickly. I decanted and waited a little over an hour praying to Bacchus that the wine didnt peak while we waited. he must have heard me because after the first glass which was still not quite there, the second glass was a huge improvement. The wine was revealling all its secrets after just over 2 hours out of the bottle. Its still a gorgeous wine. Soft in the mouth, a bit tannic but not too much. and the flavours, oh the flavours, lots of fruit very complex and a joy to drink. It might have lasted another 7 years, but why wait, its perfect now.
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11/21/2015 - aquaman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Got this from the chateau.. Nice neck fill. Soak cork.. Broke apart when getting it out.. Very little sediment.. Funk smell first pour.. But after 15min.. It went away.. Pour into Decatur but swirl in glass to open it up.. I would say at 1h mark it is very nice n smooth.. No heat no sour nor dry.. Smooth drinking.. Very good bottle..
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11/15/2015 - rfras Likes this wine: 93 Points
I was nervous because the cork was completely soaked and the barnyard sent was somewhat overwhelming. This required a 2 hour decant. I tasted after an hour and was disappointed. However, the wine opened nicely. There are still hints of fruit and a delicate smooth finish. Certainly past its peak if you are holding. No reason not to drink now.
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6/9/2015 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
Virtually the same notes as on 12/24/14. OUTSTANDING wine!! I think I have 2 more which are not cataloged in CT. I need to check where I think I have seen them.
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4/4/2015 - Wardyn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful bouquet of red currant fruits, notes of spices, peppers, vanilla and smokiness. Yet at the same time, the smokiness and spices gets into my eyes. There is a good touch of acidity as it enters the front palate. There is no doubt that the tannins have mellowed and is smoothly integrated into the wine with notes of cedar and tobacco. The wine is drinking beautifully today elegantly. It finishes with slight warmness.
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3/6/2015 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 95 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion, this particular bottle (generously provided to our tasting group by K.J.) showed beautifully. Opaque garnet and highly aromatic, it flaunts a complex bouquet of red plums, pipe tobacco, leather, allspice and cocoa. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic and still possessing substantial tannic grip, it delivers flavors which mirror the nose. Complex and solid all the way through its lengthy finish, this is why I love Bordeaux! Although there is undoubtedly bottle variation after nearly 30 years, those holding well-cellared specimens should be very happy. Drink now-2023.
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1/12/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 91 Points
Cork was soaked, with minimal sediment. Decanted 3 hours; it seemed to peak around the 2 hour mark, with a slow decline after. Dark fruit, leather, fennel, and forest floor. Still has a nice backbone, but the acidity is perhaps a bit too prominent. Average length on the finish. This is likely no longer at its peak, but is still drinking well. Would recommend drinking this in the next couple of years.
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12/27/2014 - md20 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Schöne zurückhaltende Nase. Immer noch dunkle Farbe. Eleganter Wein mit starken Ledernoten und vorhandener Säure. Wirkt nicht voll zugänglich und recht artisanal. Ist sicher noch Jahrzente haltbar! Unbedingt dekantieren. 92/100
Ich lasse meine restlichen Flaschen im Keller liegen und trinke zuerst alle meine 90er aus.
Beautiful restrained nose. Still dark color. Elegant wine with strong leather notes and acid present. Does not fully accessible and fairly artisanal. Is safe even decades durable! Be sure to decant. 92/100
I put my remaining bottles in the cellar and drink first of all my 90s.
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12/25/2014 - Loekkeboe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fine nose with cassis, cedar, grafite, forrest floor. Nice palate with tannins (present but quite mellow) and good richness.
Good fill level - into neck.
This is great classic bordeaux. Will live a decade more, but is perfect now.
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12/24/2014 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
Similar to my 9/9/12 notes. NO sediment, fully wet cork w/full bottle. Less barnyard than the other '86 Left bank we consumed. Very, very fresh sweet fruit after 2 hours. Velvety on the palate with a medium-long finish. MUST decant the next bottles before consuming.
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12/20/2014 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
Nose a bit muted. The palate was very full and whole of dark berries and black fruited. More fruit forward.
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5/10/2014 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1h but showed its best around the 2h mark. Entirely soaked cork but excellent in neck fill. Garnet almost to the rim. Forest floor, sweet dark fruit, still a fair bit of toast, fine to medium tannins and medium finish. Not the 97 point wine, JS had in his glass but the best Clerc Milon I have had, and while this will certainly bot improve, it certainly has a few more years to go.
PS: Tannins become more pronounced around the 4h mark as the fruit fades. Perhaps better not to wait much longer.
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5/10/2014 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1h but showed its best around the 2h mark. Entirely soaked cork but excellent in neck fill. Garnet almost to the rim. Forest floor, sweet dark fruit, still a fair bit of toast, fine tannins and medium finish. Not the 97 point wine, JS had in his glass but the best Clerc Milon I have had, and while this will certainly bot improve there is no rush in drinking up either.
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5/3/2014 - Barakahn Likes this wine: 93 Points
wine marks up to the end of the cork, yet the bottle was not flawed. Drank blind with a 2000 Pichon Baron and though they 14 years apart, the deep purple fading to ruby were almost identical. Nose was a clean, classic Paulliac. Nice red fruit. Wonderful mouthfeel and fully integrated tannins. This is a wine firing on all cylinders. Drink now. Will last several more years, but will not improve.
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4/5/2014 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 92 Points
From memory, p n p. Drank alongside new world cab. A little funk, but otherwise nice mature Bordeaux. Stylistically appropriate. No flaws, nice juice. Wish I had more.
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12/6/2013 - nortonnose wrote: 93 Points
From 750ml, fill in the neck. Dbl decant and let bottle stand open for 30 mins, then served with beef. This bottle showed much better than my previous one last year. Nice garnet color with a cute hint of browning. Nice nose of red fruit, though a bit restrained. The palate was really lovely, soft mature bright red fruit. Medium-plus finish. You always wish for more bottles like this! Should last a bit longer but no reason to delay opening yours.
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11/3/2013 - j30 wrote: 90 Points
Marure, complex nose of blackcurrant, leather, mocha, soy sauce. Good strength and very young and fruity with a medium, spicy finish.
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10/11/2013 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
brought to the french tart on staten island to celebrate my 69th birthday. shared with pat. also gave a glass to chef laurent. the cork was extracted easily and intact. this bottle was in slightly better shape than the last few but continues to present as somewhat fragile. needed a few minutes to wake up. the food was very flavorful. needed frequent sips of water to fully enjoy the wine. delicate florals persist to the last drop. fine sediment at the end of the bottle. will attend to the last few bottles during the holiday period.
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5/23/2013 - LightDancer wrote: 92 Points
Excellent balance. Moving toward brick color. Classic old Pauillac on the nose and palate. Beautifully integrated tannins. At the end of a glass, turned a little sour. Probably at peak.
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5/11/2013 - 82Latour wrote: 92 Points
Paul's bday (Paul's house): Bret cedar nose, smoky leather palate, tight tannins drinking quite spry. Long finish. Excellent.
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1/11/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork was a little loose but on opening was ok; deep with integrated tannins; somewhat brackish; round with long finish.
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10/21/2012 - nortonnose wrote: 89 Points
PnP fr 750. Looks and smells were on par with classic claret. First 15 drinking minutes were impressive, almost surprisingly so - this seemed to need no time to stretch its legs. Then it quickly turned very tannically tight/dumb. I simply stuck the cork in the bottle and returned to it the next night - it drank nicely on Nights #2 & 3. No need to wait more years to proceed, but this should last at least a few more
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10/20/2012 - Mac16 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious.
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9/9/2012 - gcarl wrote: 92 Points
The second bottle opened within 2 weeks, both corks fully wet with very full bottles. Lovely typical Bordeaux nose but different than the '93 Leoville las Cases also opened at the same dinner gathering. Virtually no sediment in bottle! Velvet smooth on the palate, described by decades-long resident of France/old friend as "nectar of the Gods". It is still great and evolved/changed for the better over an hour. I would buy another case from the cellar from which this was purchased, should they find more buried in there.
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7/15/2012 - WinoRick wrote: 90 Points
Consumed with friends on Bastille Day. Classic Paulliac, the wine was in my cellar since 1988 and was fresh and of good color and fruit. Tasted against an 09 sleeper of the vintage and was superior, but maybe in 10 years the 09 will be superior.
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7/6/2012 - bacchus wrote: 89 Points
brought this bottle to central jersey CT offline at pairings restaurant in cranford. shared with pat, cj and spouse, and double d. this bottle was disappointing. perhaps mindset was skewed having put this up against young and vibrant wines- 2000 figeac and 1998 cakebread. first glass was totally flacid along with some funk. wine improved a little bit with air. perhaps it should have been decanted. still, it was nothing like the beauty that it was five or ten years ago. will open another one soon and hope for a better experience since this wine offers such wonderful memories.
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4/22/2012 - obmoen wrote: 89 Points
Bred kjerne. Ungdommelig farge. Umiddelbart litt fjøs, animalsk, dette blåser bort. Rød frukt. Etterhvert solbær, tobakk og lær. I munn har den kjølig inngang, bra tanningrip, tørker. Flott syre. Noe kort. Flott ren vin som drikker godt. For meg er den overraskende ungdommelig.
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4/5/2012 - ctjared wrote:
Definitely needs air, then sings. Very very nice
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4/3/2012 - Rwill5978 wrote: 91 Points
Excellent full rich flavor, well integrated tannins, somewhat short after all these years
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2/4/2012 - ctjared wrote:
Even with obvious signs of seepage, still excellent
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11/26/2011 - spv wrote: 92 Points
This was lovely. Soft cork but got it out easily. Supple, nice nose, some good fruit left. Dark color, slight browning at the edges.
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10/30/2011 - Skidgllfs wrote: 89 Points
Openned my last bottle of the '86 Saturday. Bottle showed neck full with no ullage. Cork was soft, but came out without drama. Wine was showing some brown, and after the first sip I was sure that it was gone - almost no nose, very thin, no fruit. After three hours in the decanter and several passes through the vinturi it openned up nicely with a good showing of fruit and nice balance. A very enjoyable aged claret. It you have it - drink it soon.
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10/15/2011 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
shared with pat at selkirk manor. this cork was more firmly in place than the one on the last bottle. however, the wine is in essentially the same shape. notes are essentially the same as those from bottle last tasted on 4/29/2011. i have to say that i enjoyed this wine more a few years ago when it was a bit bolder. still has lovely nose. will attend to remaining bottles over the next year before they slip away entirely.
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9/25/2011 - Oskiwawa wrote: 91 Points
Although this was not a wow wine it was really nice. Bottle was in perfect shape. Great nose opon opening. Really nice ruby color with a shade of browning. Opened and let sit in the cellar for 3-4 hours before tasting. Initial impression was okay. Not a lot of fruit and still strong tannins. Not much personality. Left the second half of the bottle for a few more hours. Real improvement. Richer with nice depth of flavor. A nice but not world changing Pauillac that should drink well for the next 5 years or so.
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9/11/2011 - vendange wrote: 90 Points
No notes. My recollection is a beautiful, complex, earthy, somewhat somber nose with dark fruit but slight disappointment on the palate. Agree with those who say "drink up!" Needed a little time to open up.
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6/3/2011 - DJSeiler wrote: 91 Points
still great... but starting to feel the age. Another busted cork. strained and decanted. Opened up nicely over the 3 hour meal. drink up while you can.
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5/4/2011 - ctjared wrote:
Got pruney after an hour or so. A little disappointing.
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4/29/2011 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
shared with pat at selkirk manor. notes are much the same as when last tasted 2/2010. this bottle also had saturated, somewhat loose fitting but intact cork with no signs of ullage. color had the slightest hint of browning. the wine has aged gracefully but lacks the vigor of its youth. it is slightly more fragile than last year but is not yet breaking up. the wine has a light mouthfeel so all of the beauty is in the floral nose. minimal sedimentation, so it is good to the last drop. it would be a shame to lose this wine in the name of holding on the lingering memories. so, i will attempt to attend to remaining bottles next fall and probably before the end of the year.
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4/27/2011 - wallstreet wrote: 89 Points
I agree with previous tasting notes that this wine is slightly over the hill. It was ok, but no fireworks. Drink up if you have it, it will only continue it's downward trend.
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4/19/2011 - daisy1212 wrote: 91 Points
A little past peak, so lost a bit of its complexity. Still drank very well after 1 hour decant. Great color with fruit on the nose and very soft tannins.
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4/13/2011 - ctjared wrote:
1 hour of decant time. Gorgeous. Cork came out fine this time and it drank magnificently over 2 hours.
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4/8/2011 - ctjared wrote:
Very similar experience to DJ. After 90 minutes of air this was absolutely singing. Black fruit and some vegetal notes on the nose improving with more air. Still life here though so be a touch patient and open with care.
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3/1/2011 - DJSeiler wrote: 91 Points
Time has been gracious to this bottle. Took this bottle to the restaurant in Pam Springs with my wife. The 25 year old cork was destroyed while opening and I feared the worst. We were pleasantly surprised. Solid ruby red color on the pour. Soft aromas of fruit aromas. The soft silky texture was complimented with dancing flavors or black cherry, vanilla and leather. Well balanced and very enjoyable. Paired with and Angus Steak and cheese. If you have one of these --- Drink up its 25 years old.
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12/27/2010 - nrk99 wrote: 93 Points
Black cherry on first taste opening up to complex tannin
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12/18/2010 - J-Sho wrote: 90 Points
Of note: this was ranked 97 points and number 2 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator in 1989. This wine opened up rather slow but once it did drank very well. I got lots of crushed rock, rose petal, violets, and loam on the nose. The palate was refined and moderately complex well integrated tannins. Moderate finish. I think it's a bit past its prime but still a wonderful Bordeaux at age 24 years old. I was 12 when this wine was made and that's sort of cool.
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8/31/2010 - cbkamp wrote: 92 Points
Elegant nose of old fruit (cherries, raspberries), tobacco, mint, and a strange sweaty smell. Plenty of structure left with red fruit pronounced to me. A decent finish. Drinking exceptionally well in my opinion.
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6/6/2010 - mattwoolley wrote: 94 Points
This is drinking quite sensationally. There's bottle variation but this is one of the good ones. Hardly any sign of its 24 years. Enticing nose - blackcurrant, leafy tobacco, cedar, vanilla and black cherry, licorice as it airs with hints of leather and dried herbs. Powerful but restrained palate - persistent but lighter fruit, chalky tannins, fruit and herbs to the front with roast beef. Intoxicating! If you've got a bottle like this it's got years ahead of it.
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2/14/2010 - wynnewood500 wrote:
Drininking very well. BOttle open for about an hour buy not decanted. Nice full nose. Very smoot flavors with nice fruit.
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2/10/2010 - bacchus wrote: 91 Points
a recent taster caused me to worry enough to see what was going on. cork was fully saturated but extracted intact. youthful color. first glass seemed thin and tired. i feared the worst. exposure to air and a little patience proved to be worthwhile. although the fruit is not as vibrant as it was 5 years ago, it remains a class act. lots of floral notes. the wine continues to build revealing solid structure. still, i don't think that i want to keep this wine more than another year since there is some danger of tannins taking over the fruit.
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2/9/2010 - eschuldt wrote: 92 Points
Drank with NY Strip at Ad Hoc. Drinking very smoothly, not a lot on the nose but pure cabernet on the pallet. Glad I have one more.
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2/7/2010 - Chuck Miller wrote:
Cork fully soaked, mold on top of cork. Initial nose of mint, but then dominated by wood. On the palate, obtrusively oaky, taste is dominated by cabernet sauvignon. Glad it's my next to last bottle. Drink up.
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1/27/2010 - eschuldt wrote: 93 Points
Excellent, not a ton of fruit but enjoyable none the less.
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12/27/2009 - momoisan wrote: 90 Points
losing fruit - final legs
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10/5/2009 - nittanyjack wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful bottle of aged Bordeaux. Popped, poured and let open up in the glass for about 20 mins. Drank over the next hour and enjoyed the hell out of it. Very elegant and classy. Drink up...time is not on it's side.
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9/24/2009 - joshwoodward wrote: 91 Points
Yikes. Just yikes.; 9/24/2009-9/25/2009 (Bowling Green, OH): I'm not very experienced with aged Bordeaux, so this was an interesting wine for me. Dusty nose, with a slight mustiness as if it were corked, but I don't think it was. Medium- tannins, medium acidity, light body. Smooth. No fruit or hints of sweetness left, lots of leather and dust. SECOND NIGHT: this really opened up and started singing. Lots more fruit, less dust. Fairly bright. Bumped score from an 89 to a 91.
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7/25/2009 - DJSeiler wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured on a boat ride in Newport. Presented deep ruby with solid edges. This being a 23-year-old bottle I was fearful of age issue. This wine is ready to drink now. Pleasant aroma of oak, tobacco and plum. Still had some complexity in the flavors with oak, plum. We paired with medium bodied cigars, which enhanced the tobacco flavors. This was a well balance off dry wine with low acidity and a short finish. Although we really enjoyed this bottle, I fear time is against us. Need to drink it now. I was hoping to have the last case last to my 25th wedding anniversary… 2 more years may be too long.
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4/25/2009 - cabguy99 wrote: 86 Points
Opened up a bottle last night and decanted. enitre cork was wet, so not sure if previous storage was the culprit. anyway, Nose was barnyardy, but was preety flat with no finish. Only drank half of bottle with 2 friends bc side by side with an '02 Showket Oakville, and i couldnt compare. This was decanted and poured. This wine may have been flawed due to storage,but not 100% sure.
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4/20/2009 - Rossodio wrote: 92 Points
Classic mature bdx. Has aged wonderfully. Fill to the bottom of the neck. Other CT'ers have described this wine well, leather, cedar wood, and a bit of dark red fruit on the nose. The palate is full bodied but not overbearing, with saddle leather, beautiful deep fruit, and tannins that I can tell were once rough but have smoothed out nicely. The finish is slightly drying, but exceptional. This wine will probably drink well for another 2 years, but if you have a few bottles and haven't popped one recently, go ahead and enjoy one now.
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12/31/2008 - sehill wrote: 92 Points
This was decanted and poured. This wine is showing very well at this point. This wine shows wonderful aromatics of leather, tobacco leaf, cedar, pencil lead and black currants. The color is a dark brick red and opaque. The full bodied palate shows good balance and retains a strong tannin presence on the finish. This wine is heading toward maturity but retains some youthful intensity. This should continue to drink well for many years. It shows no signs immediate decline and the fruit components still balance the very present tannins.
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10/19/2008 - vancouvermatt wrote: 92 Points
Showing incredibly well. Dark fruit, leather, earthy & cedary notes. Medium bodied with good fruit and very good balance. Acidity is in check. A great example of the potential of Bordeaux and a great QPR if you can snag it for around $100.
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9/5/2008 - Junior wrote:
Muzzie's Cellar; 8/30/2008-9/10/2008 (Muzzie's house and other places): We opened this wine with some trepidation. It is one of about 40 bottles of wine that remain from my father-in-law's cellar. He passed away in 1998 and a few years later his garage wine cooler crashed and the wine may have sat in the heat for some time (we just don't know). The wine was then stored in a refrigerator for a number of years, albeit on a low (warmer) setting. So storage is an issue. The wines are mostly from the late seventies through the mid-nineties but some are of earlier vintages. At least one bottle of first growth Bordeaux has proven to be bad.
The very good news: This was excellent. It opened with a ripe, full bouquet of dark fruit and leather and a spicy, herby woodiness. The palate seemed out of whack at first, acid and thin, but after a just a minute or two of air seemed to open into the same sort of fullness of fruit. It seemed youthful, full and ripe, but with a nice stony minerality accenting the fruit. Smooth, ripe tannins and a long finish complete the picture of a fine, if not quite magnificent, drink.
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6/21/2008 - EhrlichDY wrote: 91 Points
A little funky upon opening but that blew off after about thirty minutes. Dark purple color and mature Bordeaux nose of saddle leather, tobacco, and cedar. The tannins were still a bit overwhelming at first but decanting and steak softened them up an enjoyable level. The wine was medium bodied and showed tobacco, mineral and a touch of dark fruit on the palate with decent length and complexity. This wine is mature so drink up.
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3/1/2008 - BIlgen wrote: 88 Points
Very dark red, lifely, beautiful
Nice soft parfume, balckberry, soft fruits
Tight, well developed, tannines, but with good serious taste
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12/1/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Dark red, very bright, no orange or brown tones
Not very strong nose, but deep with subtle fruit and nuance
Very nice taste, still powerful, round and soft with a bite, good after taste
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7/22/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Black-red, very dark, beautiful colour
Nice nose of cigar case, fruit, you could smell the nose from one meter
Powerfull, nuance soft and hartd tannines, medium after taste
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5/19/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 87 Points
Very dark red, almost black, stil purple hue
Soft nose, not very dominant
Beautiful taste, soft, round, power, complex fruits, soft tannines
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5/9/2007 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Fully mature and singing. Beautiful, full and effusive aromas of black currants and cedar. Palate shows fleshy black fruits and well integrated tannins. Layers of cedar, cloves, cigar ash and pencil shavings add complexity. Fruit is quite giving - showing depth and length on the palate with loads of secondary and tertiary notes on the finish. Well worth 21 years of patience. In a great place and will hold, though I can't see this getting much better (4+13+18+9=94).
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3/28/2007 - Milhous wrote: 91 Points
Nice mature bordeaux, but certainly not mindblowing. Medium bodied cab with a lovely cedar nose and complex finish. One of my last buys based on WS review.
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2/7/2007 - mattiasjansson wrote: 94 Points
Backstreet - No theme (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Classic Bordaux. Great balance. Tannins fully integrated and fruit is still fresh.
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12/30/2006 - rothdog wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly young and bright. Still has nice, ruby/purple color. Few signs of oxidation. Red fruits, and saddle leather on nose. Cherries, kirsh, licorice and leather on the palate with a long finish and smooth, fine grained tannins.
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12/27/2006 - SteelerFan wrote: 88 Points
Still fresh, and not really fading, but there is just not the fruit in this wine that I hoped for. It is a good mature Bordeaux, and drinks well with food, but not an exceptional wine.
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10/30/2006 - Rainmaker wrote: 90 Points
Joyous partnering with chateaubriand at Simon and Julia's. Leather and tobacco and toasty damsons on the nose. Smooth and lushous in the mouth. Taste matched the nose but with more herbs - bayleaf. Perfect drinking right now, but I imagine it will start to fade in the fruit department over the next few years and also start to lose some of its lovely, silky tannin grip.
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5/18/2006 - archer752000 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hours. Not as good as previous bottle I've tasted 1 year ago, but not bad either. Good purple-violet color with just slightest hint of browning.
Nose of cedar and black fruits, tar. Smoky on palate, with traces of bitter dark chocolate and cigar box.
Tannins are there , but integrated nicely.
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4/10/2006 - Blair Curtis wrote: 85 Points
A 1986 Bordeaux Horizontal with The Commanderie de Bordeaux (Vancouver): 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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11/25/2005 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Dark red, with still purpel hue
Beautiful nose, with lots of fruit
Great taste, powerful, well developed with soft tannine, fruit,
Long after taste
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6/11/2005 - DFC wrote: 92 Points
Served with lentil and bacon soup. Decanted for 60 minutes. Color is medium garnet with very slight bricking. On the nose, classic cedar and black fruits. On the palate, cassis and plums with a touch of wood. Tannins have softened nicely but are still pleasingly present. The finish is long at 30 seconds. In the end, this wine's overall structure and balance are very, very enjoyable right now! And the wine really starts to sing after 2 hours in the glass. This one is truly at its peak...it is not falling off a cliff anytime soon, but the time to enjoy has clearly arrived.
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3/5/2005 - archer752000 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for almost 3 hours.
Color - dark ruby with no signs of aging.
Nose - beautiful and subtle aromas of blackberries and black currants, cedar, asphalt,
roasted bell pepper.
Plums and blackberries, some hints of coffee on palate, finish is long and caressing.
Very elegant and well made Pauillac - approaching its peak,
well-integrated tannins should hold the structure for 8-10 years.
We had it with roasted pork tenderloins in cranberry-port sauce - perfect match!
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12/8/2004 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Cork was saturated to the end, but when the wine was decanted it was emitting beautiful scents of dark berries. A classically made claret, with notes of cedar, blackcurrant and blackberry. Good fruit on the palate, fine tannins, medium to long finish. A very enjoyable wine at its peak.
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8/16/2004 - BradA wrote: 91 Points
I pulled the cork on this and it was saturated to the end. The wine was still quite tannic even after an hour, beautiful Pauillac flavors and a strong backbone. The fruit was decent, a little overwhelmed by the oak and tannin. The 86s seem rather strong in that way.
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6/15/2004 - MRichman wrote:
Steven Lipman Dinner (Triomphe, NYC): Good fruit. Fruity cherry tannins.
B
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4/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Blind Spanish Wines at De Tapas: This bottle was served blind and labeled as the symbol "Star" as it was off-theme. Black cherry color in the dim patio light with hints of tawny. The nose has a funky, bottle sweet aroma that immediately suggests the wine has some age on it. Tannin and old wood also suggest Bordeaux. Medium-full bodied and at the start of the night rather tannic with hidden black fruit. Later in the evening this really came into its own. It shed tannin and the fruit emerged as more black currant with maybe some nuance of olive. Nice wine.
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1/1/2002 - bacchus wrote: 93 Points
delicious and precocious
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1/1/2001 - bacchus wrote: 93 Points
delicious and precocious
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1/1/2000 - bacchus wrote: 93 Points
delicious and precocious
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1/1/1998 - bacchus wrote: 93 Points
delicious and precocious
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5/6/1991 - MicklethePickle wrote: 88 Points
At home at dinner (pizza). Great black ruby color. Just coats the glass. Very viscous. Oak-laden fruit in the nose. Doesn't have the charm or complexity it did before. Closed up. Fruit is more accessible on the palate. Still too tannic for current pleasure, though. Has a great future. 5-10-15-8: 88/100.
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11/30/1990 - MicklethePickle wrote: 89 Points
With BLR, Kiane, K and Miranda at home at dinner (meat loaf). Extremely dark ruby color. Coats the glass. Nose is fine, but not as good as before. Good flavor, but still hard and closed. Great potential. 5-11-5-8: 89/100.
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6/12/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 89 Points
With K at home at dinner (pizza). Rich, ruby-purple, with good legs. Very enticing nose of mint, chocolate, cocoa and cherries. Very complex. Not quite as impressive to taste, but still very high quality. Chocolatey. Fine wine--could use more time, perhaps. 5-13-14-7: 89/100.
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4/28/1990 - MicklethePickle wrote: 91 Points
With K, Sandra, Alan, Cameron and Miranda at dinner (roast). Very dark ruby-purple color. Nose is fruity but closed in, not showing nearly the complexity it did in earlier tastings. On the palate, still bursting with fruit, yet tannic. Very complex, with excellent balance and structure. This wine is tremendous, with a great future ahead. 5-10-17-9: 91/100.
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2/13/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 94 Points
With K at home at dinner (meat loaf). Deep, dark, dense ruby-purple. Stupendous nose of cassis, chcolate, and cherries. Rich, concentrated and complex. On the palate, it is big, brawny and tannic, yet still amazingly drinkable for an '86 Bordeaux at this age. Chocolatey, chewy and packed with fruit. 5-14-16-9: 94/100.
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2/3/1990 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
INKY RED COLOR, BRIGHTER THAN CARMENET. VERY FRUITY UPON OPENING, WHICH EVOLVED TO CHOCOLATE AND THEN LEATHER.CONCENTRATED FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR WITH TOUCH OF OAK. STILL TANNIN, BUT ALREADY COMPLEX.
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12/29/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 95 Points
With MPL, BLR and Diane at Singer & Foy. Very dark ruby-purple. Tremendous nose of violets and raspberries. Great sweet fruit. Perfect! Palate is not up to the nose, but very close. Fine ripe fruit, oaky, with lots of tannin and good concentration. Excellent wine, but not as good as the first bottle. 5-15-17-8: 95/100.
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12/26/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 98 Points
With MPL at his house. Extremely attractive ruby-purple color. Knockout wine! Wonderful nose. Deep ripe fruit, very fine and complex. On the palate, it's a marvel. Excellent concentration, body and balance. Long, long, long finish. This is tremendous wine. 5-14-20-9: 98/100. (Drinking well even now.)
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