I love the old art deco label with their family crest of the boar on the label. This bottle was in mint condition, from the Pierre Bergé sale. Such a fresh beautiful classic nose, lovely sweet fruit. On the palate, beautiful freshness and balance. It was absolutely delicious and the finish just goes on and on. Sadly my last bottle.
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Leoville and Langoa with Damien Barton Sartorius: The 1959 Leoville Barton is in many senses not only a classic example of Leoville Barton but of mature claret at its best. From a very top shoulder bottle with a healthy cork, this shows a blackcurrant, cedar, lavender, herbes de Provence nose - but on the palate this is absolutely resonant and resounding. Tremendous depth, purity, and focus. This is really what it's all about. Fabulous. This particular bottle was decanted about 10 minutes before service but I would be inclined to decant any future bottles a bit longer as they are nowhere near drying out.
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Earthy, seductive with loads of cedar, forest leaf, herbs, cigar box, tobacco and bright red fruits. The wine is classic, but there is a polish to its nature and ample, tobacco and herb, infused bright red fruits in the earthy finish.
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A thrilling wine to sit down with and follow over some time. The first few sips are remarkably red fruited with a patina of mature earthy, smoky and old wood flavours framing the fruit that bring a Rioja to mind. With air the flavours turn more Bordeaux-like, the fruit deepens in complexion and it starts to show more of a tobacco/cigar smoke element beneath, all the while showing wonderful freshness and a sense of real seamlessness and polish in each sip. Fantastic wine. Thanks Spencer.
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TTTG Blind (very brief notes): Lighter garnet; Very savory and developed nose (tea, tobacco, soy) over some earth and red and black fruit. Silky frame. Well balanced. Very nice.
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Jaan with La Chapelle and HB blanc as highlights (Jaan, Swissotel): Always exciting when an old bottle shines - and the Leoville did. It was stoic, still going strong. A bit of tobacco and iron towards the end. Amazing sweetness, almost like an old Burg. Not drying at all. Hard to believe the age.
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Lawrence's Birthday Dinner (Chao San Cuisine, Beach Road): Top-shoulder fill and crumbly cork, so we were a little worried, but that was really quite unnecessary. The bottle was absolutely brilliant. Hands down the wine of the night, but it really was not that fair - this was like bringing a .45 caliber magnum to a knife-fight! It had an absolutely brilliant nose, one of the best things I have stuck my nose into all year - dried flowers, rose petals, preserved plums and cherries, fruit tea, orange peel, some earth, a bit of old wood, tobacco, spice and worn leather. Dropdead gorgeous stuff just slowly wafting out of the glass with each gentle swirl. The palate was not quite there unfortunately. Still alive, still super fresh, still with a patina of sweet dried cherries and red dates, a bit of tobacco and spice - a whole mouthfull of lovely flavour really. However, you could just about feel the wine starting to go a bit thread-worn at the mid-palate and coming just that bit unravelled at the edges. The finish was starting to flag too, but it did have a nice linger of sweet preserved plums, dried grapes and fruit tea. This might have been better a decade back, but on the night, it still remained a lovely, haunting expression of St Julien. Brilliant stuff, and a great experience. It was a treat to have a bottle like this grace the table.
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10/1/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
Alas, another oxidized bottle from the same lot. All 3 were dead.
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9/11/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
Bad luck with this lot - another one oxidized.
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3/25/2021 - Scaramanga Likes this wine: 96 Points
I love the old art deco label with their family crest of the boar on the label. This bottle was in mint condition, from the Pierre Bergé sale.
Such a fresh beautiful classic nose, lovely sweet fruit. On the palate, beautiful freshness and balance. It was absolutely delicious and the finish just goes on and on. Sadly my last bottle.
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10/26/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 98 Points
Leoville and Langoa with Damien Barton Sartorius: The 1959 Leoville Barton is in many senses not only a classic example of Leoville Barton but of mature claret at its best. From a very top shoulder bottle with a healthy cork, this shows a blackcurrant, cedar, lavender, herbes de Provence nose - but on the palate this is absolutely resonant and resounding. Tremendous depth, purity, and focus. This is really what it's all about. Fabulous. This particular bottle was decanted about 10 minutes before service but I would be inclined to decant any future bottles a bit longer as they are nowhere near drying out.
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6/5/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Earthy, seductive with loads of cedar, forest leaf, herbs, cigar box, tobacco and bright red fruits. The wine is classic, but there is a polish to its nature and ample, tobacco and herb, infused bright red fruits in the earthy finish.
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2/22/2013 - salil wrote: 95 Points
A thrilling wine to sit down with and follow over some time. The first few sips are remarkably red fruited with a patina of mature earthy, smoky and old wood flavours framing the fruit that bring a Rioja to mind. With air the flavours turn more Bordeaux-like, the fruit deepens in complexion and it starts to show more of a tobacco/cigar smoke element beneath, all the while showing wonderful freshness and a sense of real seamlessness and polish in each sip. Fantastic wine. Thanks Spencer.
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2/21/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
TTTG Blind (very brief notes): Lighter garnet; Very savory and developed nose (tea, tobacco, soy) over some earth and red and black fruit. Silky frame. Well balanced. Very nice.
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12/27/2011 - steinersing wrote: 96 Points
Jaan with La Chapelle and HB blanc as highlights (Jaan, Swissotel): Always exciting when an old bottle shines - and the Leoville did. It was stoic, still going strong. A bit of tobacco and iron towards the end. Amazing sweetness, almost like an old Burg. Not drying at all. Hard to believe the age.
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6/2/2011 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Lawrence's Birthday Dinner (Chao San Cuisine, Beach Road): Top-shoulder fill and crumbly cork, so we were a little worried, but that was really quite unnecessary. The bottle was absolutely brilliant. Hands down the wine of the night, but it really was not that fair - this was like bringing a .45 caliber magnum to a knife-fight! It had an absolutely brilliant nose, one of the best things I have stuck my nose into all year - dried flowers, rose petals, preserved plums and cherries, fruit tea, orange peel, some earth, a bit of old wood, tobacco, spice and worn leather. Dropdead gorgeous stuff just slowly wafting out of the glass with each gentle swirl. The palate was not quite there unfortunately. Still alive, still super fresh, still with a patina of sweet dried cherries and red dates, a bit of tobacco and spice - a whole mouthfull of lovely flavour really. However, you could just about feel the wine starting to go a bit thread-worn at the mid-palate and coming just that bit unravelled at the edges. The finish was starting to flag too, but it did have a nice linger of sweet preserved plums, dried grapes and fruit tea. This might have been better a decade back, but on the night, it still remained a lovely, haunting expression of St Julien. Brilliant stuff, and a great experience. It was a treat to have a bottle like this grace the table.
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