Tasted blind. Amazing wine, the nose is opulent full of blackberry jam, some greenness and lots of tobacco soft sweet tannins and wonderful mouthfeel. Tasted next to the 2001 Barton which wasn’t nearly as good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A little bit over the top… but improved after an hour in the carafe. Very classic on the nose so it was easy to recognize the classic Bordeaux. But nothing to save. Drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Savoury fresh and tannic with flavours of cedar and blackcurrant but slightly marred by a hint of Brett. I loved the spiciness, structure and development on the palate through to a long lasting finish. The balance and weight were just perfect. A beautiful claret that would have scored even higher but for the “B” word. CHP 93 pts
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas leaning towards light red with leather, pencil, pepper and pine needles. Tannic, structural and a bit sturdy on the palate, which reflect the old fashioned style at the chateau.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Korken var veldig dårlig og gikk i oppløsning så fryktet det værste… Men var ikke oksidert men med fortsatt mye frukt. Deilig rik aroma. Fin lengde. Men er nok nå litt over toppen. Drikk opp
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This continues to be a St. Julien classic. Burly blackberry, cassis, cedar, bell pepper, mint, leather and pencil notes. Suave, yet brawny at the same time. Proper "Claret" in the best sense of the word.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good condition. Needs alot of air (i bottle decanted it for three hours, but needed a bit more time in rhe glass) Nice ruby red colour. Ripe fruit, plums, vanilla and darl berries. Very smooth tannins. Drink now
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Until now I had not had a Leoville Barton that was actually ready to drink. Perfect color, a peak of rounded acidity that rides on top of medium-bodied, red-fruited flavors still with good density and still a touch of firmness. Perfect condition. Took about an hour to open up. Pleasant touch of VA adds even more complexity to lead pencil aroma. Good bottle, and I am interested to see that this has almost completely disappeared from the marketplace.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal - London (Noizé, London): Another cracking bottle from this case. There is a richness and basil pungency to this that charms. Almost a visit to a warm summer greenhouse with the tomato leaf and the flesh of a tomato that has fallen to the path and been trodden on. Palate has cocoa dusted blackcurrants with a little damson and a faint star anise spiciness. Top drawer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ce Léoville Barton 85 était encore foncé, presque corsé et aurait mérité un coup de carafe. J’ai beaucoup aimé et peut se garder encore plusieurs années. Excellent+ (92)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
An embarrassment of steak riches (Chez G): served from magnum. This is just flawless old claret - there’s a kind of openness and generosity that comes with the vintage, but finely drawn detail under that. Hugely enjoyed this and my wine of the flight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really deliciously fully resolved tannins, mostly dried dark fruits with herbal smoke elements. Some tea elements. Would have liked this to be a bit more sturdy, as it softened up a bit too fast for my liking. Great elements though. One more bottle to see if we can get a bit more something something but overall classic claret
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another solid bottle of this, although not as good as my last one. This one came off slightly disjointed but did gain balance with air. Showed it's age a bit more. However it had a little better acidity and structure that made up for the imbalance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So far this is hitting on every cylinder. Uncorked an hour ago. A bit reticent at first but let the glass sit for 30 min. A couple of swirls and some lovely cigar box appeared. Great color on the wine. First sip revealed bright acidity, some red fruit and a bit of graphite. Resolved tannins but still great weight and some structure. Certainly my kind of wine. Although did fall off just a tad over a few hours open. Went down so easily though. I had no problem finishing the bottle which is rare for me. Had figured I would save one glass for the next day. I believe I would have preferred this 5-7 years ago. Final score of 95+pts I think
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over two hours. Started with baking spice, earthy tones. Initially palate thin but still strong acid and good balance. Later some fruit came forward but pieces didn’t fully meld together. Despite the above was very enjoyable bottle and looking forward to few others still have.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In Magnum this time the 1985 Barton was sensational and show tremendous range. Blackberry, cassis and truffles that shift to a position of focused minty intensity and crushed chocolate. Very complex and evolved all evening. A star in the Barton stable at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
En magnum, the ‘85 Léoville Barton impressive, imposing. The nose offers all black fruit - blackberry and cassis, pencil, cedar, coal, Périgord truffle, and iodine. This is a tribute to classic claret, as is the 85 Langoa.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP. In very good condition. Tertiary flavours of leather and old oak furniture. Rich dark fruits supported with a lively line of acid. Drank over two hours and unfurled nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear grenade with brownish hints. Fine and clear. Dusty fruit verging on plums, chocolate, tobacco, and warm wood. Ice. Round and sweet attack, plums, dark cherries, fine acidity, round tannins and a hint of alcohol on the finish. Good length, spicy finish with lots of warm wood, some dry earth and sweet fruit on the end. Long. Very good. After 2-3 hours it evolves into something even better: elegant, sweet and fresh. A beautiful example of well-aged Bordeaux. 92-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine of the night (by some distance). Dark fruits and earthiness there in spades. Great structure to the wine too - could have kept drinking this all night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine needed time to open up. Initially quite light on the palate and a sweet but fresh finish. Easy drinking. Second pour showed a very different personality - more Barton. Black fruits with a tinge of smoke on the nose hint at whats to come. Body was distinctly fuller with markedly increase depth of flavours. Sweetness and freshness remained on finish. Looking forward to third and last pour!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Completely agree with NEWKID. Fully mature and expect this has a few thoroughly enjoyable years left. Once the funk blew off the dark fruits and earth shined. Well balanced and developed over several hours of enjoyment. Will pick up more if possible.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Damn, the nose was beautifull right after opening. 1st of 3 bottles bought at a recent auction. Base of neck fill with slightly depressed cork. This hits all the bases for an aged 35 year old Bordeaux with tannins resolved tertiary notes shinning through. This is definately drinking at its peak and, IMHO, will drink incredibly for the next 4 to 5 years. Lovely wine and what we hope for when we lay a new release down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A terrific bottle of wine. Opened four hours before drinking; the last two were in a decanter. Beautiful dark brick red, with color saturation to the rim. initial hint of wet cardboard on the nose, that dissipated quickly and was replaced by dark red and black fruit along with something between menthol and mint. Smooth and seamless on the palate, with same fruit and mint-menthol as on the nose. An absolute delight, with enough stuffing to carry it through for another four - five years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork was in great shape. Seepage up the cork, but at least 1/2 inch from the top; so well sealed. I could spend a long time swirling and smelling this wine. Cigar box, forest floor, black currants, Amazingly, little bricking. By sight you would never guess this wine is 35 years old. The wine definitely needed some air. At 40 minutes there is a surprising amount of dark and red fruit, some bitter herb, tart acidity, and firm underlying tannic structure. Medium to full body, long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A wonderful bottle of mature claret, perhaps just off its apex but providing enormous pleasure. A deep and satisfying nose of sous bois, red fruit and a little cedar.
Plenty of sweet red fruit on the palate - I want a little acidity in my wines and green notes don’t in and of themselves bother me but it was good to see that this bottle wasn’t overwhelmed with green pepper and had some proper stuffing. Lovely round mouthfeel and good weight and presence on the palate.
Altogether very satisfying. No need to hold these any longer - drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The last few of these have been excellent. Consume three bottles on the past two weeks and each one has been fantastic.
Nose: plum, cassis, cedar, leather, and tack room. Palate: Just beautifully medium bodied, rich and deep. So much packed into the mid-palate with dark fruit, fresh plum, berries, tobacco, cedar and malty chocolate notes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
In my cellar since release, decanted at 4pm and tasted from 6pm through 10pm. Amazingly young looking. Medium, translucent garnet with just a hint of bricking. Powerfully classic Bordeaux nose with saddle leather, dark berries, mint, menthol, plum and chocolate. Very complex, layered and rich on the palate with still bright enough acidity to be mouth watering and totally integrated tannins with a smooth silky texture. Vanilla, cassis, blackberry, graphite, chocolate, mint and leather are highlights of the many layers of flavors this shows. Finish is the only slight disappointment in that it is only about 25 seconds. Wonderfully delicious and lively for its age. By no means just an aged curiosity.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another outstanding 85 Barton. This one was just a bit more red fruited giving black cherry, red plum and dried berry notes. All supported by a beautiful cedar, leather and tobacco core as usual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well, 4th try is the charm - finally a great bottle of this and from 375 at that. Rich, deep, and malty, the nose is packed with cassis, ripe plum, copious cedar shavings, and sous-bois. Svelte, supple palate; the tannins have almost melted away. Finishes very nicely. This comes pretty close to what one would imagine from a synthesis of Leoville Barton and 1985. I've been waiting ages for a good bottle of the 85 Leoville Barton and admittedly poor past performances probably had more to do with poor provenance than anything else.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still very fresh - alive and kicking! Leather, dark fruits, some truffle and undergrowth. A really nice amount of acid and tannin means it is grippy and moreish - the bottle was finished way too quickly. Long cherry fruited finish. Great with and without food (it retained the structure and acidity to deal with five-spiced belly pork).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
To honor Notre Dame Cathedral.1989 Grande Dame and Three 1985 Bordeaux (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group tasting in honor of Notre Dame Cathedral. Nose of saddle leather, cedar, cigar box, black cherry, black berry, red cherry, leather, and a hint of red bell pepper, big body, leather driven, rich tasting, elegant, old time Bordeaux, the best Chateau Leoville Barton I have ever tasted, and a long finish which was the only weak point. Alex, Derrald and I rated this WOTT. Picture of 4 bottles uploaded.
A classic leoville barton wine in an old vintage. The nose has mostly olive aromas,it has more tannins tha you may expect for such an old wine with long aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Good Tuesday, Vol II: What a terrific showing. Still pretty packed with polished fruit, mostly resolved. Drinking so well. Tobacco and black olive, drying cherry fruit. Really tasty. Mature St Julien goodness from a richyear. Really fantastic and seems it will drink well for a bit. Would love more of this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another gorgeous black cherry, red fruit, cedar, cigar and thyme driven classic 85 Barton. Less black fruited notes, some olive tapenade, but this was still quite strong tonight. A hair off the best in this case.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First of a recent auction purchase, decent enough but lacking the stuffing to merit an outstanding rating. Very green, as Englishman's Claret notes below and while I'm not averse to green notes, the lack of fruit in this one leaves it unbalanced and a little harsh. Hoping for better with the remaining bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Pretty Good Alternative (Joan's in the Park, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Double decanted for 1 hour, drank 1+ glass over 90+ minutes. Drank this in a flight with an '85 Saint Pierre. Both wines were in great shape, and there's actually a lot similarities to the wines. But the LB soared to even higher heights. I think Chablis28's note on this is really spot on. I can't add a great deal more other than to echo his thoughts and my previous note. This had a pretty spectacular nose, very complex, a striking perfume emerges as this settles back into the glass; very floral with dried and fresh flowers, pencil - pencil, pencil, on top of the cigar and dusty dried earth. Not to be overlooked is the very pretty mix of red and black fruits. The fruits are pure and and still energetic. This is elegant and harmonious. It is hard to ask for much more. Certainly ready to drink this may still improve, and while I think a quick decant is beneficial, it's not entirely necessary depending on the circumstances. This has everything to be a 50 year wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My WOTN and dam it, I thought I had bought one these recently?!?! Nope! I will next time I see one from a reliable source. Rocknroller / Kevin's btl. This saw a decant and back into the blt before arriving at Joan's In The Park and having the cork removed till we drank it around 90 minutes later. This started out with a bit of herbal mustiness on the nose that had us worried but quickly blew off. Still youthfully powerful and ultra fresh but with fairly resolved elegant structure. The nose was loaded with cigar box, fading red berry aromas, cedar and graphite. The palate was an enticing mix of raspberry, cherry, currants, cedar, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and tea. Terrific energy, balance, concentration and depth. This is still on the upswing and should go a minimum of 5 years more. Guessing the big change may be further relaxation of the structure with a few more years. Its in a very nice place right now though. 95pts Hard to believe this is still on the upswing at age 33!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Saint Julien at the end of its life. Still enjoyable but a bit astringent at the end. Nice but not very special for a wine of this name. Two more bootles to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A solid bottle of Bordeaux but considering the fame of the producer and the vintage a bit on the disappointing side. Fairly classic style with good amounts of fruit, good acid, and melted tannins and great oak integration. Despite being a solid bottle there really was no element that made the wine stand out and was a bit on the forgettable side compared to other Bordeaux wines i've had in the past.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Respectable but not not quite great. Served a few degrees too warm in subpar stemware, although storage for the last 30 years was impeccable. The wine just seemed tired and less vibrant than I would have expected from this Domaine; I’m not sure that more ideal drinking conditions would have made too much of a difference. A 1978 Cos Destournel under identical conditions presented much better. Just short of great is still pretty darn good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The layered and nuanced wine offered sweet fruit, red cherry, raspberry, black currant, blackberry, plum, ginger, cedar, some cinnamon, some tobacco and espresso on the nose and palate, complemented by pleasant vegetal notes, with fresh acidity and superb length. The tannin was still present on the palate. The fresh, medium-bodied wine was very precise, with good balance and concentration and very good complexity. On day two, the wine was smoother, even more balanced and more balsamic. There is plenty of life left and I expect the wine to continue to drink well for a decade at least, probably longer. There might even still be some upside potential. 92+. Recommended.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted together with Montrose 85 and Talbot 86. All very great wines. Leoville Barton a little bit les dominant than the two others. Vanilla, coffee, leather, farmyard. Complexity and plenty of different notes coming out of this wine. Montrose slightly better (score 96), just a little bit more of everything. Talbot 86 slightly less complexity but really powerful - more smell and taste. Scores 96 as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On the level of the best bottles of this with gorgeous Black Cherry, Cassis, Leather, Cigar Wrapper, spice and earth notes. Well balanced and very expressive wine that is classic St. Julien for me.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needed to decant this one longer. Great wine as always with a red/black fruit balance, leather, smoke and a finer body than brawnier Leo Bartons. Last glass was evolved to the right level after an hour to unwind.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Remarkably dense, very powerful but has the st julien elegance. A core of cassis and menthol with some leather but no smoke or meat. A long finish and resolved but still evident tannins. Vibrant acidity. Certainly not going to fall off a cliff soon
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another great 375 of this drinking at a nice point in its maturity. Palate is nicely balanced with ripe blackberry, licorice and smoke yet the acidity pulls red fruited notes and herbs out of the wine as well. A classic Barton that is brawny, but less strapping than the 1986.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Magnum. Glorious, a perfect advert for the beneficial effect of magnums on their contents (and drinker!). All the classic 85 character, lots of blackcurrant fruit, blackcurrant leaf, cedarwood with a fresh mineral edge, but just an extra layer of fruit with a density to it that takes it beyond what a normal bottle of LB 85 delivers. Extra freshness and depth. Superb. *****
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Gorgeous perfumed nose that starts with blackberry, cassis and charcoal giving way to dark florals, cedar, olive and meaty notes. Very nice nose that jumps from the glass with minimal effort. Palate: Classic palate showing ripe black/red fruit notes and great depth. Barton nailed the layered palate feel in 85 and the mid palate is nicely complex at this point. Finish: Goes on for a bit with black cherry, red currant and spice/cedar notes.
Great wine. Best Barton of the 1980's for me. Balanced, fresh and nuanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From memory. Evidently St. Julien. Quite expressive. Violets, leather, cigar, faint barnyard, with a touch of sweetness. After 2,.5 h decant it was more muted (though almost creamy in the mouth) but then as the night went along it opened up nicely. Fruit is still holding up very well. Tannins pretty ripe and plus. Long. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brick red color. Decanted for about 1.5 hours before having the first sip. Flavours are mostly leather, tobaco, cigar and earth. Taste mostly like diluted soya sauce.
Unfortunately the wine didn't evolve a lot over the next 2 hours. The dark fruit flavours started to come out, although still buried in the background. Pretty smooth on palate, tannins have completely resolved and it hardly tastes of anything alcoholic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flannery Beef & Bordeaux (Kali Restaurant): When we first PnP'd, I got overwhelming alcohol on the nose. Then it burned off and the wine aromatics came through. Super balanced on the palate. Classic, dry, great BDX. Lots of life left in this one. Could have used a short decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My favorite Leoville Barton of the decade, the 1985 is utterly charming, offering up an expressive bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, pencil shavings and loamy soil. On the palate, the wine is supple, elegant and beautifully balanced with good depth, intensity and length. Pure pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Although Leoville Barton is one of our favorite vineyards, last time we had a wine from this vintage ( about a year ago) it was disappointing and I was concerned that I let it sit too long before drinking it. This time I decanted it and let it sit for only a half hour or so. It was delightful: good balance and body, nose and color. Complemented our roast beef beautifully. Still lots of life in this wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fading. Color good and still very drinkable but a pale shadow of earlier flavors, light, somewhat balanced, a little cedar and graphite, a little fruit starting to lean towards tart, medium-short finish.
Nothing particularly special anymore except of course its 30+ years old......so that makes it a wow? it has held up well. OK.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still drinking pretty fresh with classic old school BDX nose and flavors. Came towards end of the night and I didn't really give this it's full due. My wife came out the kitchen after cooking bunches of food for 8 of us and I got distracted. I do remember liking it though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tapas & an Embarassment of Riches at Craig's (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red-purple color with a 2mm clear meniscus and no bricking. Splash double decant and poured, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This was spot on lovely, dark red fruits, violets, cassis, graphite, earth, dust. The palate is vibrant and alive, red berries, cassis, full bodied, elegant, gravel, earthy, graphite, firm but round tannins. Great vintage and in a good place but can go for years. 94 to 94+pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for approx. 1 hr. before pouring; A hint of bricking on the rim, otherwise a dark garnet color. Classic, mature St. Julien, smooth with graphite, leather, dark fruits and some cassis. Very smooth, with a richness without being cloying. Tannins have long departed but this is an well-knit wine. Will not improve but may linger on this plateau for quite a while!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It is more like a 20 years old rather than 30! Still very deep dark in colour! Only a hint of orange rim! Nose of purely driven by dark Cabernet fruits, graphite, minerals and leather, showing complexity here! Alluring as well! Very rich on the palate not dense but rich! Quite silky, still a touch of bitterness perhaps from the skin of the grape? Very refreshing, quite pulpy and quite mineral! Sadly, this is my last bottle! I think it will continue to develop and age very nicely! Now to 2025+
It is a bottle to share with my lovely wife who knew me since the year 1985.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
November 2015 - Copenhagen On a 1985 vertical of 16 wines, This was a pleasant surprice, the last time it was dry and not very drinkable, but this excample was plain lovely, quite masculin, St Julien fruit with no sign of age, really ! look like it is 10 years, most like Leoville Las Cases ! Drink 2015-2020
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1975 and 1985 Bordeaux (Dan & Mila's place): Double decanted 60 minutes ahead of serving. Medium dark ruby. As is often the case with Barton, reticent at first but opened over time. At its best some 60 minutes after serving. Focused, structured, fresh. Round, somewhat dark fruit but a pretty bouquet of rose and dark cherry & blackberry. Excellent bottle.
Blind tasting group. All were impressed by the classic Bordeaux nose, leather, cedar, tobacco. Distinct, pleasing sweetness and a harmonious sort of tart cherry , which a member corrected to cassis. Long finish. Superb concentration and finesse. Many guessed it as 1982, with Pichon and Leoville Las Cases mentioned. A very fine bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Whereas the Cos d'Estournel was dead, this needed a few minutes in a decanter to open and strut its stuff. I have always loved the '85 LB, and this bottle was another lovely one and example of why. Aromas of dusty red fruit, cigar box, lavender and rose petals. Red fruit and plum on the palate, followed by tobacco and florals, with a long finish. Gorgeous.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
°°° Bordeaux 1985 °°° (Emmen, Switzerland): Clear intensive red. Leather is dominant in the nose. Good balance of sweetness and acidity, elegant and long with well integrated tannins. Drink - 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind, wine #3. Young and fresh bouquet along with cassis, blackberry, vanilla, sweet toasty oak, licorice. Amazingly still primary on the nose. Good weighty palate, exhibits rich cassis fruits, subtle tobacco and earth. Expressive and youthful palate with good structure. It has seamless balance and finesse that really impressed. Long persistent finish with sweet licorice aftertaste and fine chewy tannins. Very good and young taste like a 90s with good acidity backbone. My WoTN and it holds better than the 1985 Château Gruaud Larose tasted alongside. Ex-Chateau stock could be the reason as it assures the provenance. Hope my own bottle can be equally good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark in colour, not showing much discolouration. More evolution on the palate with notes of cedar, tobacco, spices and nice berry fruit. Quite subtle and elegant rather than overly expressive. Good grip on the palate but no drying tannins, there is plenty of fruit and acidity to keep everything in balance. Very classic. The finish is harmonious and long. An excellent bottle. No rush drinking this at all. 2nd for me, 4th for the group. 92-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Darker than the 85 Palmer that we paired it with. Looks a lot younger. More depth. On the nose, quite "proper"- cassis, cedar and a touch of leather. Still has quite a bit of life in it. Less complex on the nose than the Palmer but more density and grip on the palate. Very good balance and mouth-feel. Good length and flavoursome wine. Exceeded expectations but nothing there to dazzle you- just great, mature 80s Bordeaux (which is not a bad thing!)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum. Bell pepper, light white pepper, old leather, black cherry, dark fruits and dry dark earth on the nose. Smooth and elegant on the palate with red berries emerging with time and cigar box notes. I do not object to the subtle wood notes that others have noted. Drinking well now, I would give this another five years to further develop, at least in the magnum format. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Volle, ausdrucksstarke Nase. Mittler bis voller Körper, runder St. Julien auf sehr hohem Niveau! Super schön gereifter Cabernet mit der typischen, traditionellen Barton Aromatik, langer Abgang. Sehr schöner Wein, wird sich noch einige Jahre halten... Sehr empfehlenswert! 95/100.
Full, expressive nose. Mediator to full-bodied, round St. Julien at a very high level! Super nice mature Cabernet with the typical, traditional Barton aroma, long finish. Very nice wine, will hold a few more years ... Highly recommended! 95/100.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
After having enjoyed half a case of this wine (the previous bottle earlier this year) we hit a bottle that was less than great. Although the color was still good, paired with lamb and compared with a '96 Haut Bages Liberal, it was not distinguished: the body was light and it appeared to be drinking past its prime. I decanted the wine gently about two hours before we had it but will open the next bottle much closer to drinking time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Group New Year's Eve Dinner hosted by Aniko. 5 wines from 1985, thirty years ago. Nose of black cherry fruit, subdued, and earth, more of the same on the palate, tight, touch simple, medium/big body, and medium/long finish. My fifth place wine tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Right out of the bottle had an incredible funk on the nose. After a while it blew off and left a smokey, complex black fruit predominant profile. The palate is classic in that it has black fruits with hints of graphite and cedar. Overall a mature wine that is still showing some fruit, should hold on for a bit more but why wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red. Hint of bricking on edge. Oaky on nose. Pencil box. Cigar box. Initially very woody on the palate. Mellowed after 30 mins in the glass. Became very integrated. Lots of sweet fruits. Blackcurrant to the fore. Not really showing its age. This should keep on drinking nicely for quite some time still, decanting should help.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted due to a cork mishap, though this was almost immediately open for business. Medium crimson color, starting to show signs of maturity at the rim. Unmistakable Bordeaux nose of grape jam, licorice, asian spices, car tire, cigarette butt, sous bois and pencil shavings, with a distinct gravel/slate note. The palate on this hasn't been diminished at all by nearly 30 years in the bottle. This is full-bodied, with concentrated red fruit, tobacco, and a lingering minerality that periodically re-asserts itself on the persistent, 15+ second-long finish. Tannins on this are still present (if smoothly integrated), suggesting another several years of optimal drinking. This is a great wine; I would serve this to someone if they had never tried fully mature Bordeaux and wanted to taste what all the fuss is about.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
More interesting on the nose than the palate, and this is saying something, as I really liked the softening, full bodied, round, cassis, spice, earth and black cherry finish that got better as time wore on. At close to 30 years of age, this is really showing nicely.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've always been a fan of Leoville Barton and this wine did not disappoint. Original Parker review suggested it would still be around in 40 years and it is indeed. Never an overwhelming wine but, as always, well-balanced and full-bodied. A previous reviewer might have had a bad bottle but I'm in no rush to finish our remaining half case.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not near as good as the last bottle. The cork was moldy and wet all he way through. Was light compared to other bottles. Could be on the downside as others have said. I have one more and will drink this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The last glass better than the first by a mile... This wine drank YOUNG. Really crazy- bracing acidity and dry tannins to start but fruit was buried in the background... Decanted for about 90 minutes and enjoyed over the next 3 hours- by the end, currant and blackberry, graphite and tobacco, and tamed acidity and tannins smoothed... Hard edges disappear - a delicious '85...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drunk alongside a 1985 Ducru Beaucaillou and the two were surprisingly similar although the Leovill Barton was more structured, especially early on, although it became fleshier and more fruity as the tannins faded somewhat. A real beauty.
50+5+12+17+8=92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strong right out of the gate; cedar, loam, lots of leather. Supple body, resolved. At peak. Fascinating to drink this side by side with the '86, which is an altogether different wine although both are classic examples of Barton in their way.
With Mike, Mark, and Aaron. 1.5-2 hr decant. Bottle variation at work - this was much better than a bottle I had a couple of years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): Not sure what to make of this wine. I admired the concentration and weight of the wine and it did have some interesting secondary notes of an aged Bordeaux, but it also had a hard to describe, jagged, disjointed character to it. Not Rated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
CT blind group tasting at my place (Vernon, CT): Not a great showing. A weird, funky, almost ashy topnote over the fruit, and none of the complexity and finesse I'd expect from this producer. Don't think this is a representative bottle, as I've had a lot better from Barton.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over 2+ hours. I kept hoping this would improve. Very narrow nose of earth, wood and some muddled fruit. The palate was also very thin and had an odd rubbery taste. This was not corked or oxidized--it just wasn't good. Short angular finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1985 Bordeaux Blind (Berkeley): Group's #5; my #7; 2 first; 3 second; 1 third; 2 last. Aromas and flavors of tart dark fruits, oak, and leather. Medium-bodied, with excessive acidity, and a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fantastic wine-its all there despite the age (magnum) . Opened and double decanted and then poured and drunk with dinner straight away. I have drunk this wine on a few occasions in the past and sadly it is on the road down but still a wonderful drink!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rupert's 1985 'Super Seconds' (The Medlar, London): A touch sweeter, almost some vanilla on the nose. Good weight of fruit. Cedar and a touch of sandalwood. Seems more earthy now and a little lean. Initially thought St Julien but maybe something like Montrose? Some discussion of TCA but I don't think so, just a little lean. An underwhelming bottle of this. ***
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted upon opening, tannic and Green. Surprised at how much of a monster this is at 26. Continued to taste over the next 4 hours. Started to soften around 3 hours and wish I would have waited until 4 to start drinking. At 4 the green pepper is gone and the wine Is deep red with a bouquet of cherry some barnyard funk plus hints of vanilla and spice. Full bodied with fruit, tannins and acid to last for many more years. I'll wait for 2 or 3 years before I drink another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a pristine bottle purchased upon release, This wine looked strong wth a red/purple center and just a touch of orange at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose featured red & black fruits, mocha, soil, and some fruit cake.
While it was drinkable from the start, this wine took 4 hours to show its true personality. After the ripe, nicely sculpted entry, it showed a sappy mid-palate and a long finsh. The acidity was strong and the tannins were round but firm. In fact, I would say that this wine's best days are still ahead. While it will probably never be a 95 point (or higher) wine. It is an attractive wine that should move up a point or two with 5 or more years. It will easily last 10-20 more if well stored.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep garnet color, some bricking on the edge, muted nose of mixed black fruit. Seems old and dull initially, but begins to open and resolve within 30 minutes. Fruit is blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and some highlights of red raspberry and cherry with some cedar and barnyard. The fruit is muted as you would expect for a 25 year old wine and is well integrated, very mature, fully rounded, medium weight, medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still closed and tannic, with aromas of leather and flowers. Beautiful mature St Julien, should have decanted at least 2 hours ahead... Very long and elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Papi Birthday Dinner (The Papies, London): From magnum and double decanted 2 hours ahead of time. Decanting required. For most WOTN ( vs Cos 86, Montrose 96). Big and reserved on open but after the 2 hours this became a beautiful wine. Lots of floral elements on the nose that blend beautifully with fruit. Very expressive and maintains it for a few hours. Great mouthfeel, long, round and very much alive. Another great showing from a 1985 St Julien ( St Juliens from 85 are delicious) . This wine drinks perfectly now and will continue easily for another 5yrs+. Funny when you think the 85 was predicted to be a short year... In General if you like elegant 80s bordeaux this is a great find along with the cos 86. 93+ maybe 94.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank a lot better than I thought it would but it's definitely on its last legs as it aged noticeably after sitting in the glass for 30 minutes. Noted saddle leather, strawberry, and spice but lacked a balanced acidity to really carry it through. Tannin
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Peach Farm for Albert's exam. Very much the same as my 7/2/2006 note, and just as good. Drinking beautifully still. My last bottle, and one of the best $15 I ever spent. If you have more, there's no hurry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Tasting #2: Plenty of fruit left, but both bottles we had were fractionally corked. Most of it blew away though, and the wine was still most pleasant. A pristine bottle of this should still be very drinkable, and certainly not past its prime for a good few years.
Would have been 92 points without the taint, and I've scored it as such.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
An Evening of Bordeaux (The Anvil Club, East Dundee, IL): Decanted just before we left for the restaurant, and I was worried as it displayed a slightly cooked aroma; however a more experienced taster thought it would be just fine. By the time it was tasted two hours later, it had changed completely- Rich was right n his assessment. Aromas of leather, plum and blackberry. Well-balanced, with soft tannins and flavors of red currants, leather and earth. Gorgeous fruit. Lacked the floral qualities that made the previous bottle so wonderful, but this is still fine juice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Post-boards-celebration (Watertown): Mature; somewhat subdued nose but bright red fruits, flinty, earthen, nice wood quality, a bit balsamic. Similar on the palate. With air, a nice leathery component, spicebox. Probably better a few years back. Good, but not great; questionable QPR here but the Broadbent notes suggest some bottle variation so...
3.5-4/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red in color with a bit of mahogany on the edge and a surprising brightness to the color. Nose is mixed dark red fruit. The fruit is mostly lost here with only a mixed red taste remaining. Some raisin and leather, lots of earth and a fair amount of dry tannins still left. Enjoyable and obviously well made, but not the bottle it must have been 5-10 years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
this bottle was not in a1 condition with a strange metallic note lurking. underneath this was a lovely, sweet, ripe mature bordeaux with the easy charm of so many '85's
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
really perfect- dark red; drank along side a 2000 model and i would have been hard pressed to say this was 15 yrs. older- the only give away was the taste- full bodied, thick texture, relatively high acidity but sweet tannins; cherry and plum with a hint of mint and licorice; just starting to develop some leathery, smoky tones- a beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle, cellared in pristine fashion since release, appeared remarkably youthful in color for a 25-year-old wine. Deep red-garnet with a garnet rim, after 30 minutes in decanter it was showing a very intense bouquet of leather, black tea, black plums, Asian spices and cigar box. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, melted tannins and a silky mouth texture. The wine was consumed over 3-4 hours and did not lose its edge during the entire time. The flavors mirrored the nose and the finish was long and smooth. An absolutely spectacular bottle of this wine. It is said that there are no good 25-year-old wines, only good bottles. This one was spot-on! Drink now-12/20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was somewhat linear but still quite good. The deep ruby color did not show its age at all. On the nose I immediately noticed a moist tobacco touch along with spice and currant. On the pallet the wine matched the nose with the addition of a touch sour cherry and a slight metallic mouth feel and a moderately long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
second bottle tried, first one was tasted in 2007. This had different provenance, but experience was similar to the last bottle: quite perfumed at the start, died down and then came back with a bang at the end of the bottle. Fully mature now, but still at the top of it's drinking window and will probably drink well for another three or four years. Not a blockbuster, but not a difficult old schooler either. Just a very nice bottle of Bordeaux wine. Perhaps a tad more elegant than the usual Barton style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1985 Bordeaux tasting of five wines, second place, tie broke based on complexity of taste, Lovely, rich saddle leather nose, more of the same on the palate, youngest wine tasted this afternoon, needs three to five years to reach its peak, medium/long/long finish. Very lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Still looks surprisingly young in the glass - deep ruby, nearly purple in the center. Fantastic aromas and bouquet, as usual, with floral notes, dark fruit, and a bit of cedar, although it did require a bit of coaxing to really get the full effect. Flavors of black cherry, blackcurrant, plum and dried violets that evolved in the glass to include some pepper and tobacco later on. Medium-length and decent, though not phenomenal, finish. Showing wonderfully on the whole right now and should impress just about anyone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In general, consistent with prior tasting note, though the consensus was that the 1986 Lynch-Bages beat this out for wine of the night. Well-balanced. Still has some structure. Drinking very well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is really in a great spot right now. I was shocked at how young it looked in the glass. Good nose of flowers and dark fruit. I was impressed that the tannins have had time to resolve nicely while at the same time the fruit remained very vibrant and flavorful. This would have benefitted from better stemware at the restaurant, but it was easily everyone's wine of the night anyway.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Came out of the bottle smoking, than died then became spectacular again! Cedar, cherry, pepper, leather, nice resolved tannins with the pepper really coming thru on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Holiday Party (Jeff): Dark ruby color. Perfumed floral nose of black fruit. Tastes of blackberry, currant, mocha and violets. Medium bodied. Great balance. Great depth and complexity in the mid palate and finish. Quite elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slight fade at the rim - hard to believe this is 23 years old! Bright ruby core. Luscious nose of Velvety cassis and cedar. Classic St Julien. Fine balance on the palate - delcious cherry fruits and sweet tobacco notes. Elegant and medium bodied. A wonderful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jeroboam Club: Ch. Leoville Barton Vertical (Averys, Bristol): Bright gleaming red-plum colour. Roasted, toasty notes on the initially fumey nose, but lying underneath a true kaleidoscope of flavours: cassis fruit, some secondary fruit development, mint, cedar... A textbook example of what one looks for from the nose of a fine claret. Wow! Round, sweet and mouthfilling on the palate, yet with only medium weight and with relatively high acidity compared with other vintages. Great elegance and balance, and very well integrated tannins. A wine at the top of its game.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
IWFSC 732nd Dinner (Primehouse): Full deep purple. Wonderful rich spicy cedar nose with some black spice. Nice round sweet black fruit with some spice as well. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I do not have a trained nose or taste but I have to say this is the best Bordeaux I have ever had (I am a cali cab drinker but got this from my dad's cellar). It is drinking absolutely wonderful now but in my opinion is at the end of its prime. The cork had sepage and had only about 1/8" left before sepage hit air. Great Wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is drinking well right now. It was much more aromatic than I had expected. Very balanced. Was expecting more musty smells, but none of that occured. we finished off dinner with a rum raisin creme brulee and it helped finish off this wine quite nicely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Muscular and dense, yet surprisingly youthful. The wine is deep rich red, showing a bright nose of mostly cigars and pencil. The palette has dark fruits, currents, cherries, tobacco and even a hint of chocolate, leading to a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leoville-Barton Vertical (Nook): The most aromatic wine so far and a surprise performance from this underdog outclassing its flightmate, the 1982. This is every bit as rich as the 1982 and while the fruit profile isn't quite as dark, the wine is no leaner and the tannins are better resolved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Probably the best of Leoville Barton for current drinking, this is a beautiful mature claret showing cassis, cigar box, leather and cedar notes. Perfectly balanced and elegant with nicely resolved ripe tannins, the wine has a wonderful mouthfeel and a nice lengthy finish. Last bottle :(.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely bloody garnet colour; cigarbox , cedar and some leather on the nose; classic mature claret with nice sweet fruit on the palate. Elegant, refined and classic. A lovely 1985 and drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
As a guest, and witness to the Opus One Vertical, I had to bring something to compare to the Opus One '85. This was my attempt. It was much better than the last bottle. Green, but rich, and almost no signs of age. Cheers to Damon & Tami's new digs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich deep color -- no signs of age; the nose is amazing -- signature bordeaux nose (earthy; a little green (in a good way); coffee grounds; almost a whisp of cinnamon); the taste is smooth, yet rich, complex and surprisingly full; the fruit is there, but is richly surrounded by the tanic sweet earthy notes. These are first impressions. I will come back to this review after this opens a bit more. A couple of hours later, this has really settled in nicely -- cassis has emerged; hint of chocolate; and the wonderful earthy signature nose is ever present. Bottom line -- amazingly young for a 22-year old wine. Wonderfully fun.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Earthy notes at first, but generally pretty fresh and racy. Lots of fruit for its age, and smooth vanilla notes on the finish. Definitely the cassis that others have tasted. Surprisingly youthful. Sight herbal and tobacco notes as well. Drinking great now...don't wait on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has always been my favorite Barton (although on this night it was surpassed by the '90). Balanced, crisp, well-delineated, very long. Textbook St. Julien. It's fully mature, but should hold at this level for ten years or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leoville Barton Vertical; 12/4/2006-12/5/2006 (Spencer's): Really special, fully mature but definitely not on the decline. Aromas of soy sauce, subtle vanilla-oak, and cassis. Super long finish with finely integrated ripe tannins. Considering its age, fruit profile was quite impressive. Good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was opened by Mark when we got together for dinner. Sue chose this bottle from Mark's list, and it turned out to be a killer choice. Deep garnet color turning pink to clear just at the rim, it doesn't look at all like a 21-year old wine. The aromatics are elegant and perfumed, with rose petals and cherries. The palate is impeccably balanced, with an abundance of sweet red fruit. Killer stuff, immensely enjoyable now, and I can't imagine it won't hold at this level for quite a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Always good, but this was the best bottle I've had. Just bricking at the rim. Great bouquet of dark red fruits, flowers and forest. Glorious "sweet" fruit, just enough funk to add interest. Great balance. A long finish. Terrific. No hurry to drink but can't imagine it can get much better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Alas, I think this is my last bottle of a fine case, and boy oh boy was this wine drinking swell. The cork slid out fairly easily as opposed to the usually crumbly affair I face when opening up an old bottle stored under my lousy conditions. The wine was suberb - overflowing with fruit, and yes cassis and balance and smoothness and beautiful color and not a tinge of over-the-hillness. Ah - it was nice to share with five others - but, on the other hand, too bad there were so many of us. I would drink it again and again (particularly at the pre-shipping price I paid way back when) if I had only had more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A magnificent claret, this bottle showed beautifully. The wine opened up with a big nose of cassis and dark fruits and then followed through on the palate. This wine is probably nearing it's peak drinking window but in no danger of going anywhere. The tannins were fine grained and slightly sweet and somewhat resolved but there was definitely a bit of structure left. Secondary notes were poking through and the wine evolved nicely in the glass over a couple hours. Very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drink this now! Beautiful washed ruby red. Delicate but pleasant nose with hits of tobacco. Drinks well, light tannin, medium finish. Complex and layered with cedar, mineral, herbs and a nice fruit with current.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind 1985 Bordeaux vs. CA (Cabernet) Tasting (Chicago IL): Blind 85 Bordeaux vs. CA tasting. Dark fruit from nose through finish, so still quite primary. Interesting spice on nose that also returns on the finish. Big tannic structure comes out in middle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
San Francisco Bay Area Leoville Barton Vertical (Moraga): Medium ruby red with the faintest trace of browning near the rim. The nose on this wine was reticent at first, but with time in the glass it gradually expanded to reveal the classic profile of damp earth, Cuban cigar, and a distinct note of bell pepper lurking in the background. In the mouth, the tasting group commented on the rather striking red fruits mixed with darker fruit, which combined with nicely balanced acidity, fine tannins, and ripe fruit. This wine just kept getting better and better in the glass and ended up the second favorite of most of the tasters, at least for drinking now. Certainly impressive for its delineation and its overall impeccable balance. Many tasters thought this showed as far younger than the 1982, but in my opinion it was more or less in the same age group, but with less aggressive tannins and slightly less intense flavors. Certainly a well stored bottle like this one will last some years, but it is drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some Recent Notes: Tuscany, Burgundy and St Julien; 8/11/2005-9/22/2005: Chez Bruce again, with slow cooked veal, fantastic. Won't get better tan this, for me at it highest peak, subtley rich and ripe with an awesome graphite seamed cassis heart and a backbone of glourious earthy strength. Oozes breeding and class.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal (Bouley, NYC): Rich, warm with lots of dark rubber, tar. Smooth. Dark tannins. Thick fruit, lots of it. Richer but less complex than others in the flight. Short finish. B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big Burg Weekend - Mortet, Grivot, Dauvissat etc and some Clarets for the unbelievers; 3/11/2005-3/13/2005 (My dining room): This is proper Yorkshire Claret, rugged, no-nonsense, masculine (no poncy aftershave wearer this boy) but with a generous heart and a soft side that has to be coaxed out of it. A little harder on the attack than the GPL, the fruit wiry and lithe with real mineral and earthy middle. Finishes generously and the tannins are ripe and juicy even at 20 years old. Gotta love the Fink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very attractive looking wine with a bright cherry red colour. Strong and intriguing nose, shows character of blackcurrant fruit and leaf together with tobacco and mint notes. Extremely complex and really makes you look forward to putting the wine in your mouth. Full bodied and showing a very ripe character, without being jammy. Beautifully balanced with a strong herbal/herbaceous edge balancing the full cassis dominated palate. On top of this some secondary cedar wood character adds further interest. The finish is fantastic, very long and full of fruit but showing a fantastic palate cleansing character. An absolutely beautiful claret and for me edges Margaux to be the Wine of the Tasting. A (CECWINE)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at Tapenade with Rob Norberg (and family), Linda Brewton and David Derby. Bright disc. Medium garnet with orange rim. Clean nose, showing intense complex aromas of black tea, meat, cedar, cherry, damp earth and exotic spices. The tannins have all but melted away and this medium-bodied wine shows similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright disc. Medium red with orange rim. Clean nose of meat, plum, cherry, leather and light cigar box. Medium-bodied, with good acid, melted tannins, long smooth finish. Outstanding at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nearly opaque ruby with brick rim. Initial nose upon opening bottle shows intense ripe plum, black cherry, wood and herbs. Nose opens up further after 30 minutes to include cigar and mint. Medium to full body with high acidity, medium soft tannins and a long, slightly acidic finish. Probably entering plateau phase.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Insignia Vertical @ Surf Village (Milford): Medium red, some lightening on the rim. Some herbs and vegetal aspects on the nose and palate. OK, wine if you can bear the weirdness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
9 Bordeaux Tasted (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Very nice, fruity, dusty nose, lots of dust, vanilla, simple fruit, soft tannins on a nice, medium finish. My #6 tied of 9, Group #5.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at Brasserie. Deep ruby with brick rim. Intense nose of clove, cherry, tobacco and anise. Medium body palate which shows similar flavors. Nice fruit/complexity/tannin combo. Long, smooth finish. Cathleen's "favorite of all time." This wine is drinking so nice right now, but will likely hold for several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
With K and Miranda at home at dinner (stew). Very good ruby color. Excellent legs. Sticks to the glass. Nose is very nice. Just like an excellent Bordeaux should be. Soft, with the Merlot qualities of the blend coming out. Beautiful, flowery bouquet. Feminine and extremely fragrant. Plate is almost the equal of the nose. This is superlative wine--certainly the best Leoville-Barton I have ever tasted, and bears out the promise this wine showed when tasted years ago (1987?) at K&L. The 85' are for real! Excellent fruit. 5-12-16-8: 91/100.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/13/2024 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Amazing wine, the nose is opulent full of blackberry jam, some greenness and lots of tobacco soft sweet tannins and wonderful mouthfeel. Tasted next to the 2001 Barton which wasn’t nearly as good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2024 - etellef Likes this wine:
A little bit over the top… but improved after an hour in the carafe. Very classic on the nose so it was easy to recognize the classic Bordeaux. But nothing to save. Drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2024 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 93 Points
Savoury fresh and tannic with flavours of cedar and blackcurrant but slightly marred by a hint of Brett. I loved the spiciness, structure and development on the palate through to a long lasting finish. The balance and weight were just perfect. A beautiful claret that would have scored even higher but for the “B” word. CHP 93 pts
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2023 - AudunG wrote: 93 Points
Aromas leaning towards light red with leather, pencil, pepper and pine needles. Tannic, structural and a bit sturdy on the palate, which reflect the old fashioned style at the chateau.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2023 - etellef Likes this wine:
Korken var veldig dårlig og gikk i oppløsning så fryktet det værste… Men var ikke oksidert men med fortsatt mye frukt. Deilig rik aroma. Fin lengde. Men er nok nå litt over toppen. Drikk opp
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
This continues to be a St. Julien classic. Burly blackberry, cassis, cedar, bell pepper, mint, leather and pencil notes. Suave, yet brawny at the same time. Proper "Claret" in the best sense of the word.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2023 - Fjedds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect. At its peak window. Will stay this way for some time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2023 - Fjedds wrote: 90 Points
Good condition. Needs alot of air (i bottle decanted it for three hours, but needed a bit more time in rhe glass) Nice ruby red colour. Ripe fruit, plums, vanilla and darl berries. Very smooth tannins. Drink now
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2023 - beef1020 wrote:
Oxidized
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2023 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
This is drinking very well right now! Feels surprisingly young for a 1985!!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2023 - Force5 Likes this wine:
Until now I had not had a Leoville Barton that was actually ready to drink. Perfect color, a peak of rounded acidity that rides on top of medium-bodied, red-fruited flavors still with good density and still a touch of firmness. Perfect condition. Took about an hour to open up. Pleasant touch of VA adds even more complexity to lead pencil aroma. Good bottle, and I am interested to see that this has almost completely disappeared from the marketplace.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 94 Points
Simon Beatty's Memorial Dinner - Table 2 - Richebourg (Noizé, London): Another super bottle from this case. Fully mature, savoury with dark fruits and cedar. Some charming greenness and a little giant caper. Palate has more of the same and lovely texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2023 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still wonderfully elegant, balanced and rewarding. On the tail end of its drinking window but will probably hold for another 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 94 Points
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal - London (Noizé, London): Another cracking bottle from this case. There is a richness and basil pungency to this that charms. Almost a visit to a warm summer greenhouse with the tomato leaf and the flesh of a tomato that has fallen to the path and been trodden on. Palate has cocoa dusted blackcurrants with a little damson and a faint star anise spiciness. Top drawer.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2023 - dzitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ce Léoville Barton 85 était encore foncé, presque corsé et aurait mérité un coup de carafe. J’ai beaucoup aimé et peut se garder encore plusieurs années. Excellent+ (92)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2022 - lozatron Likes this wine:
An embarrassment of steak riches (Chez G): served from magnum. This is just flawless old claret - there’s a kind of openness and generosity that comes with the vintage, but finely drawn detail under that. Hugely enjoyed this and my wine of the flight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2022 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely complex nose of dried herbs, bay leaves and red fruit jam. Superbly balanced, elegant, soft tannins and medium length. A classic mature Claret.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2022 - bbq_grandcru wrote: 92 Points
Lighter body. Very nice secondary and tertiary dark fruit flavors. Graphite pencil shavings are prominent and delightful.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2022 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really deliciously fully resolved tannins, mostly dried dark fruits with herbal smoke elements. Some tea elements. Would have liked this to be a bit more sturdy, as it softened up a bit too fast for my liking. Great elements though. One more bottle to see if we can get a bit more something something but overall classic claret
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2022 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light body and slightly thin, but in a good spot with nice fruit, acidity and balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2022 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another solid bottle of this, although not as good as my last one. This one came off slightly disjointed but did gain balance with air. Showed it's age a bit more. However it had a little better acidity and structure that made up for the imbalance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2022 - jdlee1232 wrote: 90 Points
Still Good energy and grip. Surprisingly youthful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2022 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 95 Points
So far this is hitting on every cylinder. Uncorked an hour ago. A bit reticent at first but let the glass sit for 30 min.
A couple of swirls and some lovely cigar box appeared. Great color on the wine. First sip revealed bright acidity, some red fruit and a bit of graphite. Resolved tannins but still great weight and some structure. Certainly my kind of wine. Although did fall off just a tad over a few hours open. Went down so easily though. I had no problem finishing the bottle which is rare for me. Had figured I would save one glass for the next day. I believe I would have preferred this 5-7 years ago. Final score of 95+pts I think
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2022 - mrharlow Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over two hours. Started with baking spice, earthy tones. Initially palate thin but still strong acid and good balance. Later some fruit came forward but pieces didn’t fully meld together. Despite the above was very enjoyable bottle and looking forward to few others still have.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2022 - Chaochao Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Pencil lead, graphite, stones, hard mouth coating tannins, violets, blackberries. Inky, ferrous and heavy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2022 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
In Magnum this time the 1985 Barton was sensational and show tremendous range. Blackberry, cassis and truffles that shift to a position of focused minty intensity and crushed chocolate. Very complex and evolved all evening. A star in the Barton stable at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
En magnum, the ‘85 Léoville Barton impressive, imposing. The nose offers all black fruit - blackberry and cassis, pencil, cedar, coal, Périgord truffle, and iodine. This is a tribute to classic claret, as is the 85 Langoa.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - Corporateslaves Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. In very good condition. Tertiary flavours of leather and old oak furniture. Rich dark fruits supported with a lively line of acid. Drank over two hours and unfurled nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2021 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
From magnum. Darker colour and fruit profile than the 83 palmer. Tiny bit grippy still on the finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2021 - NI1234 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tjanksgiving ‘21. Decanted 6 hours - excellent!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2021 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 94 Points
Even better than my last one. On its plateau for a while still
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2021 - dagij Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear grenade with brownish hints. Fine and clear. Dusty fruit verging on plums, chocolate, tobacco, and warm wood. Ice. Round and sweet attack, plums, dark cherries, fine acidity, round tannins and a hint of alcohol on the finish. Good length, spicy finish with lots of warm wood, some dry earth and sweet fruit on the end. Long. Very good. After 2-3 hours it evolves into something even better: elegant, sweet and fresh. A beautiful example of well-aged Bordeaux. 92-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2021 - Wrighty Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wine of the night (by some distance). Dark fruits and earthiness there in spades. Great structure to the wine too - could have kept drinking this all night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2021 - iainlo@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine needed time to open up. Initially quite light on the palate and a sweet but fresh finish. Easy drinking. Second pour showed a very different personality - more Barton. Black fruits with a tinge of smoke on the nose hint at whats to come. Body was distinctly fuller with markedly increase depth of flavours. Sweetness and freshness remained on finish. Looking forward to third and last pour!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2021 - stinkycook Likes this wine:
Drinking very well
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2021 - jyensan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Completely agree with NEWKID. Fully mature and expect this has a few thoroughly enjoyable years left. Once the funk blew off the dark fruits and earth shined. Well balanced and developed over several hours of enjoyment. Will pick up more if possible.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2021 - g-man wrote: 93 Points
Damn, the nose was beautifull right after opening. 1st of 3 bottles bought at a recent auction. Base of neck fill with slightly depressed cork. This hits all the bases for an aged 35 year old Bordeaux with tannins resolved tertiary notes shinning through. This is definately drinking at its peak and, IMHO, will drink incredibly for the next 4 to 5 years. Lovely wine and what we hope for when we lay a new release down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2020 - newkid Likes this wine: 93 Points
A terrific bottle of wine. Opened four hours before drinking; the last two were in a decanter. Beautiful dark brick red, with color saturation to the rim. initial hint of wet cardboard on the nose, that dissipated quickly and was replaced by dark red and black fruit along with something between menthol and mint. Smooth and seamless on the palate, with same fruit and mint-menthol as on the nose. An absolute delight, with enough stuffing to carry it through for another four - five years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2020 - jdlee1232 wrote: 92 Points
Maybe a little past it’s prime but still delightful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2020 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plum, very rich and enjoyable. At under 200.00 this is a steal.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2020 - CabinConnoisseur wrote: 94 Points
Cork was in great shape. Seepage up the cork, but at least 1/2 inch from the top; so well sealed. I could spend a long time swirling and smelling this wine. Cigar box, forest floor, black currants, Amazingly, little bricking. By sight you would never guess this wine is 35 years old. The wine definitely needed some air. At 40 minutes there is a surprising amount of dark and red fruit, some bitter herb, tart acidity, and firm underlying tannic structure. Medium to full body, long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2020 - PJRONeill wrote: 94 Points
A wonderful bottle of mature claret, perhaps just off its apex but providing enormous pleasure. A deep and satisfying nose of sous bois, red fruit and a little cedar.
Plenty of sweet red fruit on the palate - I want a little acidity in my wines and green notes don’t in and of themselves bother me but it was good to see that this bottle wasn’t overwhelmed with green pepper and had some proper stuffing. Lovely round mouthfeel and good weight and presence on the palate.
Altogether very satisfying. No need to hold these any longer - drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2020 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
The last few of these have been excellent. Consume three bottles on the past two weeks and each one has been fantastic.
Nose: plum, cassis, cedar, leather, and tack room. Palate: Just beautifully medium bodied, rich and deep. So much packed into the mid-palate with dark fruit, fresh plum, berries, tobacco, cedar and malty chocolate notes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2020 - Crimson25 wrote: 94 Points
3 hour decant
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2020 - sunnylea57 wrote: flawed
Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
In my cellar since release, decanted at 4pm and tasted from 6pm through 10pm. Amazingly young looking. Medium, translucent garnet with just a hint of bricking. Powerfully classic Bordeaux nose with saddle leather, dark berries, mint, menthol, plum and chocolate. Very complex, layered and rich on the palate with still bright enough acidity to be mouth watering and totally integrated tannins with a smooth silky texture. Vanilla, cassis, blackberry, graphite, chocolate, mint and leather are highlights of the many layers of flavors this shows. Finish is the only slight disappointment in that it is only about 25 seconds. Wonderfully delicious and lively for its age. By no means just an aged curiosity.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Another outstanding 85 Barton. This one was just a bit more red fruited giving black cherry, red plum and dried berry notes. All supported by a beautiful cedar, leather and tobacco core as usual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Well, 4th try is the charm - finally a great bottle of this and from 375 at that. Rich, deep, and malty, the nose is packed with cassis, ripe plum, copious cedar shavings, and sous-bois. Svelte, supple palate; the tannins have almost melted away. Finishes very nicely. This comes pretty close to what one would imagine from a synthesis of Leoville Barton and 1985. I've been waiting ages for a good bottle of the 85 Leoville Barton and admittedly poor past performances probably had more to do with poor provenance than anything else.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: flawed
Maderized. Seepage above cork, but not into foil.
Balsamic, faded fruit. No recovery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2019 - NickA Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still very fresh - alive and kicking! Leather, dark fruits, some truffle and undergrowth. A really nice amount of acid and tannin means it is grippy and moreish - the bottle was finished way too quickly. Long cherry fruited finish. Great with and without food (it retained the structure and acidity to deal with five-spiced belly pork).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
To honor Notre Dame Cathedral.1989 Grande Dame and Three 1985 Bordeaux (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group tasting in honor of Notre Dame Cathedral. Nose of saddle leather, cedar, cigar box, black cherry, black berry, red cherry, leather, and a hint of red bell pepper, big body, leather driven, rich tasting, elegant, old time Bordeaux, the best Chateau Leoville Barton I have ever tasted, and a long finish which was the only weak point. Alex, Derrald and I rated this WOTT. Picture of 4 bottles uploaded.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/10/2019 - Binkey wrote: 92 Points
A classic leoville barton wine in an old vintage.
The nose has mostly olive aromas,it has more tannins tha you may expect for such an old wine with long aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2019 - decaturwinedude wrote: 95 Points
A Good Tuesday, Vol II: What a terrific showing. Still pretty packed with polished fruit, mostly resolved. Drinking so well. Tobacco and black olive, drying cherry fruit. Really tasty. Mature St Julien goodness from a richyear. Really fantastic and seems it will drink well for a bit. Would love more of this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2018 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Another gorgeous black cherry, red fruit, cedar, cigar and thyme driven classic 85 Barton. Less black fruited notes, some olive tapenade, but this was still quite strong tonight. A hair off the best in this case.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2018 - PJRONeill wrote: 88 Points
First of a recent auction purchase, decent enough but lacking the stuffing to merit an outstanding rating. Very green, as Englishman's Claret notes below and while I'm not averse to green notes, the lack of fruit in this one leaves it unbalanced and a little harsh. Hoping for better with the remaining bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
A Pretty Good Alternative (Joan's in the Park, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Double decanted for 1 hour, drank 1+ glass over 90+ minutes. Drank this in a flight with an '85 Saint Pierre. Both wines were in great shape, and there's actually a lot similarities to the wines. But the LB soared to even higher heights. I think Chablis28's note on this is really spot on. I can't add a great deal more other than to echo his thoughts and my previous note. This had a pretty spectacular nose, very complex, a striking perfume emerges as this settles back into the glass; very floral with dried and fresh flowers, pencil - pencil, pencil, on top of the cigar and dusty dried earth. Not to be overlooked is the very pretty mix of red and black fruits. The fruits are pure and and still energetic. This is elegant and harmonious. It is hard to ask for much more. Certainly ready to drink this may still improve, and while I think a quick decant is beneficial, it's not entirely necessary depending on the circumstances. This has everything to be a 50 year wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
My WOTN and dam it, I thought I had bought one these recently?!?! Nope! I will next time I see one from a reliable source. Rocknroller / Kevin's btl. This saw a decant and back into the blt before arriving at Joan's In The Park and having the cork removed till we drank it around 90 minutes later. This started out with a bit of herbal mustiness on the nose that had us worried but quickly blew off. Still youthfully powerful and ultra fresh but with fairly resolved elegant structure. The nose was loaded with cigar box, fading red berry aromas, cedar and graphite. The palate was an enticing mix of raspberry, cherry, currants, cedar, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and tea. Terrific energy, balance, concentration and depth. This is still on the upswing and should go a minimum of 5 years more. Guessing the big change may be further relaxation of the structure with a few more years. Its in a very nice place right now though. 95pts Hard to believe this is still on the upswing at age 33!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2018 - Bedi wrote:
Classic Saint Julien at the end of its life. Still enjoyable but a bit astringent at the end. Nice but not very special for a wine of this name. Two more bootles to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2018 - englishman's claret wrote:
So very green - yikes. capsicum, capsicum, capsicum. Not all bottles are like this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2018 - aChave wrote: 93 Points
Highly fragrant on opening. Mature, but good structure yet. A lot going on. Deep fruit with an expansive mouth feel. Classic Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2018 - sung251 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A solid bottle of Bordeaux but considering the fame of the producer and the vintage a bit on the disappointing side. Fairly classic style with good amounts of fruit, good acid, and melted tannins and great oak integration. Despite being a solid bottle there really was no element that made the wine stand out and was a bit on the forgettable side compared to other Bordeaux wines i've had in the past.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2018 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:
Respectable but not not quite great. Served a few degrees too warm in subpar stemware, although storage for the last 30 years was impeccable. The wine just seemed tired and less vibrant than I would have expected from this Domaine; I’m not sure that more ideal drinking conditions would have made too much of a difference. A 1978 Cos Destournel under identical conditions presented much better. Just short of great is still pretty darn good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2018 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
The layered and nuanced wine offered sweet fruit, red cherry, raspberry, black currant, blackberry, plum, ginger, cedar, some cinnamon, some tobacco and espresso on the nose and palate, complemented by pleasant vegetal notes, with fresh acidity and superb length. The tannin was still present on the palate. The fresh, medium-bodied wine was very precise, with good balance and concentration and very good complexity. On day two, the wine was smoother, even more balanced and more balsamic. There is plenty of life left and I expect the wine to continue to drink well for a decade at least, probably longer. There might even still be some upside potential. 92+. Recommended.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - Prinsen wrote: 95 Points
Tasted together with Montrose 85 and Talbot 86. All very great wines. Leoville Barton a little bit les dominant than the two others. Vanilla, coffee, leather, farmyard. Complexity and plenty of different notes coming out of this wine. Montrose slightly better (score 96), just a little bit more of everything. Talbot 86 slightly less complexity but really powerful - more smell and taste. Scores 96 as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2017 - NI1234 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 6 hours prior to Thanksgiving dinner. 1 bottle was corked, but others were fantastic. Not much time left on any remaining bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
On the level of the best bottles of this with gorgeous Black Cherry, Cassis, Leather, Cigar Wrapper, spice and earth notes. Well balanced and very expressive wine that is classic St. Julien for me.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 92 Points
Needed to decant this one longer. Great wine as always with a red/black fruit balance, leather, smoke and a finer body than brawnier Leo Bartons. Last glass was evolved to the right level after an hour to unwind.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2017 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Remarkably dense, very powerful but has the st julien elegance. A core of cassis and menthol with some leather but no smoke or meat. A long finish and resolved but still evident tannins. Vibrant acidity. Certainly not going to fall off a cliff soon
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Another great 375 of this drinking at a nice point in its maturity. Palate is nicely balanced with ripe blackberry, licorice and smoke yet the acidity pulls red fruited notes and herbs out of the wine as well. A classic Barton that is brawny, but less strapping than the 1986.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2017 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
Magnum. Glorious, a perfect advert for the beneficial effect of magnums on their contents (and drinker!). All the classic 85 character, lots of blackcurrant fruit, blackcurrant leaf, cedarwood with a fresh mineral edge, but just an extra layer of fruit with a density to it that takes it beyond what a normal bottle of LB 85 delivers. Extra freshness and depth. Superb. *****
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2017 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
The nose (A-) is definitely more impressive than the palate (B++).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Gorgeous perfumed nose that starts with blackberry, cassis and charcoal giving way to dark florals, cedar, olive and meaty notes. Very nice nose that jumps from the glass with minimal effort. Palate: Classic palate showing ripe black/red fruit notes and great depth. Barton nailed the layered palate feel in 85 and the mid palate is nicely complex at this point. Finish: Goes on for a bit with black cherry, red currant and spice/cedar notes.
Great wine. Best Barton of the 1980's for me. Balanced, fresh and nuanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2017 - BSA Likes this wine: 93 Points
From memory. Evidently St. Julien. Quite expressive. Violets, leather, cigar, faint barnyard, with a touch of sweetness. After 2,.5 h decant it was more muted (though almost creamy in the mouth) but then as the night went along it opened up nicely. Fruit is still holding up very well. Tannins pretty ripe and plus. Long. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2017 - hajoha wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux 1985 horisontal (Oslo): Litt tight og frukten er noe hard.
Har mye å gå på.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2017 - rlove wrote: flawed
Cooked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2017 - vinhslee wrote: 88 Points
Over the peak already.
High bottle neck fill, well soaked cork.
Brick red color. Decanted for about 1.5 hours before having the first sip. Flavours are mostly leather, tobaco, cigar and earth. Taste mostly like diluted soya sauce.
Unfortunately the wine didn't evolve a lot over the next 2 hours. The dark fruit flavours started to come out, although still buried in the background. Pretty smooth on palate, tannins have completely resolved and it hardly tastes of anything alcoholic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2017 - tcarter Likes this wine: 96 Points
Flannery Beef & Bordeaux (Kali Restaurant): When we first PnP'd, I got overwhelming alcohol on the nose. Then it burned off and the wine aromatics came through. Super balanced on the palate. Classic, dry, great BDX. Lots of life left in this one. Could have used a short decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2016 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 94 Points
My favorite Leoville Barton of the decade, the 1985 is utterly charming, offering up an expressive bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, pencil shavings and loamy soil. On the palate, the wine is supple, elegant and beautifully balanced with good depth, intensity and length. Pure pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2016 - adanacsim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Although Leoville Barton is one of our favorite vineyards, last time we had a wine from this vintage ( about a year ago) it was disappointing and I was concerned that I let it sit too long before drinking it. This time I decanted it and let it sit for only a half hour or so. It was delightful: good balance and body, nose and color. Complemented our roast beef beautifully. Still lots of life in this wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2016 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 87 Points
Fading. Color good and still very drinkable but a pale shadow of earlier flavors, light, somewhat balanced, a little cedar and graphite, a little fruit starting to lean towards tart, medium-short finish.
Nothing particularly special anymore except of course its 30+ years old......so that makes it a wow? it has held up well. OK.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Still drinking pretty fresh with classic old school BDX nose and flavors. Came towards end of the night and I didn't really give this it's full due. My wife came out the kitchen after cooking bunches of food for 8 of us and I got distracted. I do remember liking it though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Tapas & an Embarassment of Riches at Craig's (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red-purple color with a 2mm clear meniscus and no bricking. Splash double decant and poured, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This was spot on lovely, dark red fruits, violets, cassis, graphite, earth, dust. The palate is vibrant and alive, red berries, cassis, full bodied, elegant, gravel, earthy, graphite, firm but round tannins. Great vintage and in a good place but can go for years. 94 to 94+pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2016 - vinolovers wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for approx. 1 hr. before pouring; A hint of bricking on the rim, otherwise a dark garnet color. Classic, mature St. Julien, smooth with graphite, leather, dark fruits and some cassis. Very smooth, with a richness without being cloying. Tannins have long departed but this is an well-knit wine. Will not improve but may linger on this plateau for quite a while!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2016 - Tao wrote: 95 Points
It is more like a 20 years old rather than 30! Still very deep dark in colour! Only a hint of orange rim! Nose of purely driven by dark Cabernet fruits, graphite, minerals and leather, showing complexity here! Alluring as well! Very rich on the palate not dense but rich! Quite silky, still a touch of bitterness perhaps from the skin of the grape? Very refreshing, quite pulpy and quite mineral! Sadly, this is my last bottle! I think it will continue to develop and age very nicely! Now to 2025+
It is a bottle to share with my lovely wife who knew me since the year 1985.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2015 - In2wines wrote: 93 Points
November 2015 - Copenhagen
On a 1985 vertical of 16 wines, This was a pleasant surprice, the last time it was dry and not very drinkable, but this excample was plain lovely, quite masculin, St Julien fruit with no sign of age, really ! look like it is 10 years, most like Leoville Las Cases !
Drink 2015-2020
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2015 - aChave Likes this wine: 94 Points
1975 and 1985 Bordeaux (Dan & Mila's place): Double decanted 60 minutes ahead of serving. Medium dark ruby. As is often the case with Barton, reticent at first but opened over time. At its best some 60 minutes after serving. Focused, structured, fresh. Round, somewhat dark fruit but a pretty bouquet of rose and dark cherry & blackberry. Excellent bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/15/2015 - oncocyte wrote: 96 Points
Blind tasting group. All were impressed by the classic Bordeaux nose, leather, cedar, tobacco. Distinct, pleasing sweetness and a harmonious sort of tart cherry , which a member corrected to cassis. Long finish. Superb concentration and finesse. Many guessed it as 1982, with Pichon and Leoville Las Cases mentioned. A very fine bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2015 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Whereas the Cos d'Estournel was dead, this needed a few minutes in a decanter to open and strut its stuff. I have always loved the '85 LB, and this bottle was another lovely one and example of why. Aromas of dusty red fruit, cigar box, lavender and rose petals. Red fruit and plum on the palate, followed by tobacco and florals, with a long finish. Gorgeous.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
°°° Bordeaux 1985 °°° (Emmen, Switzerland): Clear intensive red. Leather is dominant in the nose. Good balance of sweetness and acidity, elegant and long with well integrated tannins. Drink - 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2015 - hkm520240 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, wine #3. Young and fresh bouquet along with cassis, blackberry, vanilla, sweet toasty oak, licorice. Amazingly still primary on the nose.
Good weighty palate, exhibits rich cassis fruits, subtle tobacco and earth. Expressive and youthful palate with good structure. It has seamless balance and finesse that really impressed. Long persistent finish with sweet licorice aftertaste and fine chewy tannins. Very good and young taste like a 90s with good acidity backbone. My WoTN and it holds better than the 1985 Château Gruaud Larose tasted alongside. Ex-Chateau stock could be the reason as it assures the provenance. Hope my own bottle can be equally good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Very dark in colour, not showing much discolouration. More evolution on the palate with notes of cedar, tobacco, spices and nice berry fruit. Quite subtle and elegant rather than overly expressive. Good grip on the palate but no drying tannins, there is plenty of fruit and acidity to keep everything in balance. Very classic. The finish is harmonious and long. An excellent bottle. No rush drinking this at all. 2nd for me, 4th for the group. 92-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2015 - dchain Likes this wine: 92 Points
Darker than the 85 Palmer that we paired it with. Looks a lot younger. More depth. On the nose, quite "proper"- cassis, cedar and a touch of leather. Still has quite a bit of life in it. Less complex on the nose than the Palmer but more density and grip on the palate. Very good balance and mouth-feel. Good length and flavoursome wine. Exceeded expectations but nothing there to dazzle you- just great, mature 80s Bordeaux (which is not a bad thing!)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Bell pepper, light white pepper, old leather, black cherry, dark fruits and dry dark earth on the nose. Smooth and elegant on the palate with red berries emerging with time and cigar box notes. I do not object to the subtle wood notes that others have noted. Drinking well now, I would give this another five years to further develop, at least in the magnum format. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2015 - md20 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Volle, ausdrucksstarke Nase. Mittler bis voller Körper, runder St. Julien auf sehr hohem Niveau! Super schön gereifter Cabernet mit der typischen, traditionellen Barton Aromatik, langer Abgang. Sehr schöner Wein, wird sich noch einige Jahre halten... Sehr empfehlenswert! 95/100.
Full, expressive nose. Mediator to full-bodied, round St. Julien at a very high level! Super nice mature Cabernet with the typical, traditional Barton aroma, long finish. Very nice wine, will hold a few more years ... Highly recommended! 95/100.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2015 - adanacsim wrote: 85 Points
After having enjoyed half a case of this wine (the previous bottle earlier this year) we hit a bottle that was less than great. Although the color was still good, paired with lamb and compared with a '96 Haut Bages Liberal, it was not distinguished: the body was light and it appeared to be drinking past its prime. I decanted the wine gently about two hours before we had it but will open the next bottle much closer to drinking time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
Wine Group New Year's Eve Dinner hosted by Aniko. 5 wines from 1985, thirty years ago. Nose of black cherry fruit, subdued, and earth, more of the same on the palate, tight, touch simple, medium/big body, and medium/long finish. My fifth place wine tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2014 - Bill Bucklew wrote: 93 Points
Right out of the bottle had an incredible funk on the nose. After a while it blew off and left a smokey, complex black fruit predominant profile. The palate is classic in that it has black fruits with hints of graphite and cedar. Overall a mature wine that is still showing some fruit, should hold on for a bit more but why wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2014 - PC73 wrote: 92 Points
Deep red. Hint of bricking on edge.
Oaky on nose. Pencil box. Cigar box.
Initially very woody on the palate. Mellowed after 30 mins in the glass. Became very integrated. Lots of sweet fruits. Blackcurrant to the fore.
Not really showing its age. This should keep on drinking nicely for quite some time still, decanting should help.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2014 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted due to a cork mishap, though this was almost immediately open for business. Medium crimson color, starting to show signs of maturity at the rim. Unmistakable Bordeaux nose of grape jam, licorice, asian spices, car tire, cigarette butt, sous bois and pencil shavings, with a distinct gravel/slate note. The palate on this hasn't been diminished at all by nearly 30 years in the bottle. This is full-bodied, with concentrated red fruit, tobacco, and a lingering minerality that periodically re-asserts itself on the persistent, 15+ second-long finish. Tannins on this are still present (if smoothly integrated), suggesting another several years of optimal drinking. This is a great wine; I would serve this to someone if they had never tried fully mature Bordeaux and wanted to taste what all the fuss is about.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2014 - fournet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well right now. Tannins integrated. Licorice and blackberry on the finish. Alcohol understated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
More interesting on the nose than the palate, and this is saying something, as I really liked the softening, full bodied, round, cassis, spice, earth and black cherry finish that got better as time wore on. At close to 30 years of age, this is really showing nicely.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2014 - adanacsim Likes this wine: 92 Points
I've always been a fan of Leoville Barton and this wine did not disappoint. Original Parker review suggested it would still be around in 40 years and it is indeed. Never an overwhelming wine but, as always, well-balanced and full-bodied. A previous reviewer might have had a bad bottle but I'm in no rush to finish our remaining half case.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2014 - MarkMich wrote: 88 Points
Not near as good as the last bottle. The cork was moldy and wet all he way through. Was light compared to other bottles. Could be on the downside as others have said. I have one more and will drink this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2014 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Platinum Tasting - Wines that go well with steak (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Generous, gorgeous nose (A-/A). Excellent palate (B++).
My #3, Group's #3 (39 pts). Tasted blind.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2013 - jonnyoro wrote: 95 Points
The last glass better than the first by a mile... This wine drank YOUNG. Really crazy- bracing acidity and dry tannins to start but fruit was buried in the background... Decanted for about 90 minutes and enjoyed over the next 3 hours- by the end, currant and blackberry, graphite and tobacco, and tamed acidity and tannins smoothed... Hard edges disappear - a delicious '85...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2013 - Tad GW Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drunk alongside a 1985 Ducru Beaucaillou and the two were surprisingly similar although the Leovill Barton was more structured, especially early on, although it became fleshier and more fruity as the tannins faded somewhat. A real beauty.
50+5+12+17+8=92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2013 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Strong right out of the gate; cedar, loam, lots of leather. Supple body, resolved. At peak. Fascinating to drink this side by side with the '86, which is an altogether different wine although both are classic examples of Barton in their way.
With Mike, Mark, and Aaron. 1.5-2 hr decant. Bottle variation at work - this was much better than a bottle I had a couple of years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
TTTG (very brief notes) (Vernon, CT): Likely flawed. A metallic, chemical character dominated. Beneath it, medium-bodied, pronounced, luscious palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2013 - mdefreitas wrote:
Blind Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): Not sure what to make of this wine. I admired the concentration and weight of the wine and it did have some interesting secondary notes of an aged Bordeaux, but it also had a hard to describe, jagged, disjointed character to it. Not Rated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2013 - salil wrote:
CT blind group tasting at my place (Vernon, CT): Not a great showing. A weird, funky, almost ashy topnote over the fruit, and none of the complexity and finesse I'd expect from this producer. Don't think this is a representative bottle, as I've had a lot better from Barton.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 86 Points
Drank over 2+ hours. I kept hoping this would improve. Very narrow nose of earth, wood and some muddled fruit. The palate was also very thin and had an odd rubbery taste. This was not corked or oxidized--it just wasn't good. Short angular finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2012 - psrv wrote: 87 Points
1985 Bordeaux Blind (Berkeley): Group's #5; my #7; 2 first; 3 second; 1 third; 2 last. Aromas and flavors of tart dark fruits, oak, and leather. Medium-bodied, with excessive acidity, and a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2012 - senex Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic wine-its all there despite the age (magnum) . Opened and double decanted and then poured and drunk with dinner straight away. I have drunk this wine on a few occasions in the past and sadly it is on the road down but still a wonderful drink!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2012 - LMK wrote: 82 Points
Flat will be the best description. It was not oxidized though there were hints that it was starting to go. A poor bottle, very disappointed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2012 - Rupert wrote:
1985 super seconds tasted blind (Medlar, Chelsea, London): Lactic nose, unclean middle, grippy finish. Probably corked, but certainly an earthy wiry claret of little charm
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2012 - SimonG wrote: 87 Points
Rupert's 1985 'Super Seconds' (The Medlar, London): A touch sweeter, almost some vanilla on the nose. Good weight of fruit. Cedar and a touch of sandalwood. Seems more earthy now and a little lean. Initially thought St Julien but maybe something like Montrose? Some discussion of TCA but I don't think so, just a little lean. An underwhelming bottle of this. ***
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2012 - raginbajan wrote: 95 Points
Excellent bottle! Dark in color, rich, juicy and fresh. This held its own next to a 1990 Lynch. Very impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2012 - Atreyu wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic bottle, pure soft red fruit, still going strong. Essence of liquorice and cedar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2011 - MarkMich wrote: 93 Points
Tasted upon opening, tannic and Green. Surprised at how much of a monster this is at 26. Continued to taste over the next 4 hours. Started to soften around 3 hours and wish I would have waited until 4 to start drinking. At 4 the green pepper is gone and the wine Is deep red with a bouquet of cherry some barnyard funk plus hints of vanilla and spice. Full bodied with fruit, tannins and acid to last for many more years. I'll wait for 2 or 3 years before I drink another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2011 - sooper65 wrote: 92 Points
quite extraordinary that this wine is still SO alive. Classically bordeaux, and really huge respect to Anthony Barton
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2011 - jcoleman wrote: 91 Points
in gentle decline now. this has been a fantastic wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2011 - geb wrote: 96 Points
wine opened up and was awesome
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2011 - MRichman wrote:
Kiwi-In-My-Future offline (La Fonda del Sol, NYC): Lush with some iron and sweetness in the core. Muscular and a little angular for a 1985. Strong.
A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2011 - stantheman wrote: 92 Points
Still lively with good fruit and fantastic structure. Thank you Cliff!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2011 - fclarity wrote: 92 Points
From a pristine bottle purchased upon release, This wine looked strong wth a red/purple center and just a touch of orange at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose featured red & black fruits, mocha, soil, and some fruit cake.
While it was drinkable from the start, this wine took 4 hours to show its true personality. After the ripe, nicely sculpted entry, it showed a sappy mid-palate and a long finsh. The acidity was strong and the tannins were round but firm. In fact, I would say that this wine's best days are still ahead. While it will probably never be a 95 point (or higher) wine. It is an attractive wine that should move up a point or two with 5 or more years. It will easily last 10-20 more if well stored.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2011 - vine20 wrote: 89 Points
Similar initially to my notes of 3/31/11, but the fruit did not open up as well; it remained a bit dull.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2011 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet color, some bricking on the edge, muted nose of mixed black fruit. Seems old and dull initially, but begins to open and resolve within 30 minutes. Fruit is blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and some highlights of red raspberry and cherry with some cedar and barnyard. The fruit is muted as you would expect for a 25 year old wine and is well integrated, very mature, fully rounded, medium weight, medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2011 - Flavito wrote: 93 Points
Still closed and tannic, with aromas of leather and flowers. Beautiful mature St Julien, should have decanted at least 2 hours ahead... Very long and elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Papi Birthday Dinner (The Papies, London): From magnum and double decanted 2 hours ahead of time. Decanting required.
For most WOTN ( vs Cos 86, Montrose 96). Big and reserved on open but after the 2 hours this became a beautiful wine. Lots of floral elements on the nose that blend beautifully with fruit. Very expressive and maintains it for a few hours. Great mouthfeel, long, round and very much alive. Another great showing from a 1985 St Julien ( St Juliens from 85 are delicious) . This wine drinks perfectly now and will continue easily for another 5yrs+. Funny when you think the 85 was predicted to be a short year...
In General if you like elegant 80s bordeaux this is a great find along with the cos 86. 93+ maybe 94.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2010 - nycebo wrote: 81 Points
Drank a lot better than I thought it would but it's definitely on its last legs as it aged noticeably after sitting in the glass for 30 minutes. Noted saddle leather, strawberry, and spice but lacked a balanced acidity to really carry it through. Tannin
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2010 - cweiss wrote:
Peach Farm for Albert's exam. Very much the same as my 7/2/2006 note, and just as good. Drinking beautifully still. My last bottle, and one of the best $15 I ever spent. If you have more, there's no hurry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2010 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine Tasting #2: Plenty of fruit left, but both bottles we had were fractionally corked. Most of it blew away though, and the wine was still most pleasant. A pristine bottle of this should still be very drinkable, and certainly not past its prime for a good few years.
Would have been 92 points without the taint, and I've scored it as such.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2010 - ed-d wrote: 92 Points
Stewed prune on the nose. Very youthful on the palate with prune & black currant flavors as well as leather & brown spice. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2010 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
An Evening of Bordeaux (The Anvil Club, East Dundee, IL): Decanted just before we left for the restaurant, and I was worried as it displayed a slightly cooked aroma; however a more experienced taster thought it would be just fine. By the time it was tasted two hours later, it had changed completely- Rich was right n his assessment. Aromas of leather, plum and blackberry. Well-balanced, with soft tannins and flavors of red currants, leather and earth. Gorgeous fruit. Lacked the floral qualities that made the previous bottle so wonderful, but this is still fine juice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2010 - englishman's claret wrote:
Post-boards-celebration (Watertown): Mature; somewhat subdued nose but bright red fruits, flinty, earthen, nice wood quality, a bit balsamic. Similar on the palate. With air, a nice leathery component, spicebox. Probably better a few years back. Good, but not great; questionable QPR here but the Broadbent notes suggest some bottle variation so...
3.5-4/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2010 - vine20 wrote: 89 Points
Deep red in color with a bit of mahogany on the edge and a surprising brightness to the color. Nose is mixed dark red fruit. The fruit is mostly lost here with only a mixed red taste remaining. Some raisin and leather, lots of earth and a fair amount of dry tannins still left. Enjoyable and obviously well made, but not the bottle it must have been 5-10 years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2010 - jaggeral1 wrote: 90 Points
this bottle was not in a1 condition with a strange metallic note lurking. underneath this was a lovely, sweet, ripe mature bordeaux with the easy charm of so many '85's
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2010 - jonnyoro wrote: 96 Points
really perfect- dark red; drank along side a 2000 model and i would have been hard pressed to say this was 15 yrs. older- the only give away was the taste- full bodied, thick texture, relatively high acidity but sweet tannins; cherry and plum with a hint of mint and licorice; just starting to develop some leathery, smoky tones- a beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 95 Points
This bottle, cellared in pristine fashion since release, appeared remarkably youthful in color for a 25-year-old wine. Deep red-garnet with a garnet rim, after 30 minutes in decanter it was showing a very intense bouquet of leather, black tea, black plums, Asian spices and cigar box. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, melted tannins and a silky mouth texture. The wine was consumed over 3-4 hours and did not lose its edge during the entire time. The flavors mirrored the nose and the finish was long and smooth. An absolutely spectacular bottle of this wine. It is said that there are no good 25-year-old wines, only good bottles. This one was spot-on! Drink now-12/20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2010 - Surfer714 wrote:
young looking wine.... great aroma.... enjoyed it...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2009 - curtr wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2009 - mmoritz wrote: 92 Points
This wine was somewhat linear but still quite good. The deep ruby color did not show its age at all. On the nose I immediately noticed a moist tobacco touch along with spice and currant. On the pallet the wine matched the nose with the addition of a touch sour cherry and a slight metallic mouth feel and a moderately long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2009 - Atreyu wrote: 92 Points
second bottle tried, first one was tasted in 2007. This had different provenance, but experience was similar to the last bottle: quite perfumed at the start, died down and then came back with a bang at the end of the bottle. Fully mature now, but still at the top of it's drinking window and will probably drink well for another three or four years. Not a blockbuster, but not a difficult old schooler either. Just a very nice bottle of Bordeaux wine. Perhaps a tad more elegant than the usual Barton style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2009 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
1985 Bordeaux tasting of five wines, second place, tie broke based on complexity of taste, Lovely, rich saddle leather nose, more of the same on the palate, youngest wine tasted this afternoon, needs three to five years to reach its peak, medium/long/long finish. Very lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Still looks surprisingly young in the glass - deep ruby, nearly purple in the center. Fantastic aromas and bouquet, as usual, with floral notes, dark fruit, and a bit of cedar, although it did require a bit of coaxing to really get the full effect. Flavors of black cherry, blackcurrant, plum and dried violets that evolved in the glass to include some pepper and tobacco later on. Medium-length and decent, though not phenomenal, finish. Showing wonderfully on the whole right now and should impress just about anyone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 91 Points
In general, consistent with prior tasting note, though the consensus was that the 1986 Lynch-Bages beat this out for wine of the night. Well-balanced. Still has some structure. Drinking very well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 93 Points
This wine is really in a great spot right now. I was shocked at how young it looked in the glass. Good nose of flowers and dark fruit. I was impressed that the tannins have had time to resolve nicely while at the same time the fruit remained very vibrant and flavorful. This would have benefitted from better stemware at the restaurant, but it was easily everyone's wine of the night anyway.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2009 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
IWFSC 743rd Dinner (Les Nomades): Wonderful classic bordeaux nose. Delicious red fruit palate with some cedar notes. Still showing young - very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - jivey wrote: 94 Points
Came out of the bottle smoking, than died then became spectacular again! Cedar, cherry, pepper, leather, nice resolved tannins with the pepper really coming thru on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 96 Points
cedar, licorice, pepper nose, nice body, great balance with complexity, long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 94 Points
plum, tobacco, blackberry. nicely mature. one of my favorite chateau.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - kstoddard wrote: 94 Points
Holiday Party (Jeff): Dark ruby color. Perfumed floral nose of black fruit. Tastes of blackberry, currant, mocha and violets. Medium bodied. Great balance. Great depth and complexity in the mid palate and finish. Quite elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - jryoung wrote: flawed
corked, fortunately the other bottle we opened was fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2008 - jryoung wrote:
Another fantastic left bank '85. Dark fruit, cedary nose. Smooth mouthfeel, with nice acidity, leather, cedar, mature cab flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2008 - Aiko165 wrote: 92 Points
Great, w/ C&M
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2008 - vespasian wrote: 93 Points
Slight fade at the rim - hard to believe this is 23 years old! Bright ruby core. Luscious nose of Velvety cassis and cedar. Classic St Julien. Fine balance on the palate - delcious cherry fruits and sweet tobacco notes. Elegant and medium bodied. A wonderful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2008 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Leoville Barton vertical 1863 - 2005 (Institute of Directors, London): Stalky nose, but lots of substance on the palate, savoury, layered, enticing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2008 - wineamateur wrote: 93 Points
Jeroboam Club: Ch. Leoville Barton Vertical (Averys, Bristol): Bright gleaming red-plum colour. Roasted, toasty notes on the initially fumey nose, but lying underneath a true kaleidoscope of flavours: cassis fruit, some secondary fruit development, mint, cedar... A textbook example of what one looks for from the nose of a fine claret. Wow! Round, sweet and mouthfilling on the palate, yet with only medium weight and with relatively high acidity compared with other vintages. Great elegance and balance, and very well integrated tannins. A wine at the top of its game.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
IWFSC 732nd Dinner (Primehouse): Full deep purple. Wonderful rich spicy cedar nose with some black spice. Nice round sweet black fruit with some spice as well. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2008 - VCvino wrote: 94 Points
I do not have a trained nose or taste but I have to say this is the best Bordeaux I have ever had (I am a cali cab drinker but got this from my dad's cellar). It is drinking absolutely wonderful now but in my opinion is at the end of its prime. The cork had sepage and had only about 1/8" left before sepage hit air. Great Wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2007 - dave smigielski wrote: 90 Points
This is drinking well right now. It was much more aromatic than I had expected. Very balanced. Was expecting more musty smells, but none of that occured. we finished off dinner with a rum raisin creme brulee and it helped finish off this wine quite nicely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2007 - curtr wrote: 91 Points
Very expressive bouquet. Medium body wine showing very well now. At peak drinkability and should last for three more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2007 - Fielding wrote: 96 Points
Muscular and dense, yet surprisingly youthful. The wine is deep rich red, showing a bright nose of mostly cigars and pencil. The palette has dark fruits, currents, cherries, tobacco and even a hint of chocolate, leading to a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2007 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
Leoville-Barton Vertical (Nook): The most aromatic wine so far and a surprise performance from this underdog outclassing its flightmate, the 1982. This is every bit as rich as the 1982 and while the fruit profile isn't quite as dark, the wine is no leaner and the tannins are better resolved.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2007 - KRB wrote: 95 Points
Probably the best of Leoville Barton for current drinking, this is a beautiful mature claret showing cassis, cigar box, leather and cedar notes. Perfectly balanced and elegant with nicely resolved ripe tannins, the wine has a wonderful mouthfeel and a nice lengthy finish. Last bottle :(.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2007 - SimonG wrote:
Lovely bloody garnet colour; cigarbox , cedar and some leather on the nose; classic mature claret with nice sweet fruit on the palate. Elegant, refined and classic. A lovely 1985 and drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2007 - A&C wrote: 91 Points
As a guest, and witness to the Opus One Vertical, I had to bring something to compare to the Opus One '85. This was my attempt. It was much better than the last bottle. Green, but rich, and almost no signs of age. Cheers to Damon & Tami's new digs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2007 - A&C wrote: 93 Points
Rich deep color -- no signs of age; the nose is amazing -- signature bordeaux nose (earthy; a little green (in a good way); coffee grounds; almost a whisp of cinnamon); the taste is smooth, yet rich, complex and surprisingly full; the fruit is there, but is richly surrounded by the tanic sweet earthy notes. These are first impressions. I will come back to this review after this opens a bit more. A couple of hours later, this has really settled in nicely -- cassis has emerged; hint of chocolate; and the wonderful earthy signature nose is ever present. Bottom line -- amazingly young for a 22-year old wine. Wonderfully fun.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2007 - winestork wrote: flawed
Extremely flawed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2007 - johnphinney8 wrote: 93 Points
Earthy notes at first, but generally pretty fresh and racy. Lots of fruit for its age, and smooth vanilla notes on the finish. Definitely the cassis that others have tasted. Surprisingly youthful. Sight herbal and tobacco notes as well. Drinking great now...don't wait on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2007 - djb wrote: flawed
Possibly corked, or otherwise flawed...a few hints of quality, but little fruit was in evidence after a 3-hour decant and 3+ hour in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2007 - Tree512 wrote: 86 Points
Extremely green, almost like a 1993. Very dark and rich for a 1985, I doubt it was flawed. Still, it didn't taste like a 1985 or a Leoville Barton.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2006 - The Wine Bum wrote:
Last bottle of this and it remains a firm favourite, rich, complex and rewarding with St Julien flesh and Barton rigour. Lovely and a point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2006 - Spencer wrote: 95 Points
This has always been my favorite Barton (although on this night it was surpassed by the '90). Balanced, crisp, well-delineated, very long. Textbook St. Julien. It's fully mature, but should hold at this level for ten years or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2006 - ERoss wrote: 93 Points
Leoville Barton Vertical; 12/4/2006-12/5/2006 (Spencer's): Really special, fully mature but definitely not on the decline. Aromas of soy sauce, subtle vanilla-oak, and cassis. Super long finish with finely integrated ripe tannins. Considering its age, fruit profile was quite impressive. Good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2006 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
This was opened by Mark when we got together for dinner. Sue chose this bottle from Mark's list, and it turned out to be a killer choice. Deep garnet color turning pink to clear just at the rim, it doesn't look at all like a 21-year old wine. The aromatics are elegant and perfumed, with rose petals and cherries. The palate is impeccably balanced, with an abundance of sweet red fruit. Killer stuff, immensely enjoyable now, and I can't imagine it won't hold at this level for quite a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2006 - TCONVineyard wrote: 94 Points
Let it breathe for an hour or 2 then enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2006 - Rupert wrote: 89 Points
Cedar and coal on nose at first, but on palate much softer, warm, chestnutty, fully mature
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2006 - cweiss wrote:
Always good, but this was the best bottle I've had. Just bricking at the rim. Great bouquet of dark red fruits, flowers and forest. Glorious "sweet" fruit, just enough funk to add interest. Great balance. A long finish. Terrific. No hurry to drink but can't imagine it can get much better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2006 - boss wrote: 95 Points
Alas, I think this is my last bottle of a fine case, and boy oh boy was this wine drinking swell. The cork slid out fairly easily as opposed to the usually crumbly affair I face when opening up an old bottle stored under my lousy conditions. The wine was suberb - overflowing with fruit, and yes cassis and balance and smoothness and beautiful color and not a tinge of over-the-hillness. Ah - it was nice to share with five others - but, on the other hand, too bad there were so many of us. I would drink it again and again (particularly at the pre-shipping price I paid way back when) if I had only had more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2006 - KRB wrote: 95 Points
A magnificent claret, this bottle showed beautifully. The wine opened up with a big nose of cassis and dark fruits and then followed through on the palate. This wine is probably nearing it's peak drinking window but in no danger of going anywhere. The tannins were fine grained and slightly sweet and somewhat resolved but there was definitely a bit of structure left. Secondary notes were poking through and the wine evolved nicely in the glass over a couple hours. Very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2006 - tomtomdc wrote: 92 Points
Drink this now! Beautiful washed ruby red. Delicate but pleasant nose with hits of tobacco. Drinks well, light tannin, medium finish. Complex and layered with cedar, mineral, herbs and a nice fruit with current.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Blind 1985 Bordeaux vs. CA (Cabernet) Tasting (Chicago IL): Blind 85 Bordeaux vs. CA tasting. Dark fruit from nose through finish, so still quite primary. Interesting spice on nose that also returns on the finish. Big tannic structure comes out in middle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Three Format Winston Churchill 1988 Tasting (and others...) (Snows, London): Bright, high fruit, great mineral core, some brooding mushroom. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2005 - CSteefel wrote:
San Francisco Bay Area Leoville Barton Vertical (Moraga): Medium ruby red with the faintest trace of browning near the rim. The nose on this wine was reticent at first, but with time in the glass it gradually expanded to reveal the classic profile of damp earth, Cuban cigar, and a distinct note of bell pepper lurking in the background. In the mouth, the tasting group commented on the rather striking red fruits mixed with darker fruit, which combined with nicely balanced acidity, fine tannins, and ripe fruit. This wine just kept getting better and better in the glass and ended up the second favorite of most of the tasters, at least for drinking now. Certainly impressive for its delineation and its overall impeccable balance. Many tasters thought this showed as far younger than the 1982, but in my opinion it was more or less in the same age group, but with less aggressive tannins and slightly less intense flavors. Certainly a well stored bottle like this one will last some years, but it is drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2005 - ClausN wrote: 95 Points
Powerful, cigar box, blackcurrant, matured but with several years on top still
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2005 - The Wine Bum wrote:
Some Recent Notes: Tuscany, Burgundy and St Julien; 8/11/2005-9/22/2005: Chez Bruce again, with slow cooked veal, fantastic. Won't get better tan this, for me at it highest peak, subtley rich and ripe with an awesome graphite seamed cassis heart and a backbone of glourious earthy strength. Oozes breeding and class.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2005 - Mlermontov wrote: 88 Points
Roy in NYC part 1: "The Brothers" at Tribeca (Tribeca Grill): great nose but bell pepper palate. the peppers subsided a bit with time or maybe the other notes took over more...very masculine wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal (Bouley, NYC): Rich, warm with lots of dark rubber, tar. Smooth. Dark tannins. Thick fruit, lots of it. Richer but less complex than others in the flight. Short finish.
B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2005 - The Wine Bum wrote:
Big Burg Weekend - Mortet, Grivot, Dauvissat etc and some Clarets for the unbelievers; 3/11/2005-3/13/2005 (My dining room): This is proper Yorkshire Claret, rugged, no-nonsense, masculine (no poncy aftershave wearer this boy) but with a generous heart and a soft side that has to be coaxed out of it. A little harder on the attack than the GPL, the fruit wiry and lithe with real mineral and earthy middle. Finishes generously and the tannins are ripe and juicy even at 20 years old. Gotta love the Fink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2005 - Jeff W wrote:
Linden vertical.
Mid ruby - fading slightly. Intense but austere fruit. Keen acidity. Slightly hot. Overabundant tannins. vg
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2003 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
BORDEAUX NOSE, EARTHINESS, BLACKBERRY, AND CURRANTS. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE, CONTINUED TO IMPROVE IN THE GLASS. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2003 - tendring wrote:
Rich fruit, soft tannins, balanced, medium length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2003 - TGHaddon wrote:
A very attractive looking wine with a bright cherry red colour. Strong and intriguing nose, shows character of blackcurrant fruit and leaf together with tobacco and mint notes. Extremely complex and really makes you look forward to putting the wine in your mouth. Full bodied and showing a very ripe character, without being jammy. Beautifully balanced with a strong herbal/herbaceous edge balancing the full cassis dominated palate. On top of this some secondary cedar wood character adds further interest. The finish is fantastic, very long and full of fruit but showing a fantastic palate cleansing character. An absolutely beautiful claret and for me edges Margaux to be the Wine of the Tasting. A (CECWINE)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at Tapenade with Rob Norberg (and family), Linda Brewton and David Derby. Bright disc. Medium garnet with orange rim. Clean nose, showing intense complex aromas of black tea, meat, cedar, cherry, damp earth and exotic spices. The tannins have all but melted away and this medium-bodied wine shows similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 95 Points
Bright disc. Medium red with orange rim. Clean nose of meat, plum, cherry, leather and light cigar box. Medium-bodied, with good acid, melted tannins, long smooth finish. Outstanding at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/1999 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Nearly opaque ruby with brick rim. Initial nose upon opening bottle shows intense ripe plum, black cherry, wood and herbs. Nose opens up further after 30 minutes to include cigar and mint. Medium to full body with high acidity, medium soft tannins and a long, slightly acidic finish. Probably entering plateau phase.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 79 Points
Insignia Vertical @ Surf Village (Milford): Medium red, some lightening on the rim. Some herbs and vegetal aspects on the nose and palate. OK, wine if you can bear the weirdness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/1999 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 89 Points
9 Bordeaux Tasted (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Very nice, fruity, dusty nose, lots of dust, vanilla, simple fruit, soft tannins on a nice, medium finish. My #6 tied of 9, Group #5.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/1996 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 98 Points
Tasted at Brasserie. Deep ruby with brick rim. Intense nose of clove, cherry, tobacco and anise. Medium body palate which shows similar flavors. Nice fruit/complexity/tannin combo. Long, smooth finish. Cathleen's "favorite of all time." This wine is drinking so nice right now, but will likely hold for several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/1995 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 85 Points
1985 Bordeaux Tasting 10 Wines+ 1986 Gruaud Larose+1967 Chateau Suduiraut (Lafayette, Ca.): Sweet cherry fruit on the nose, very fruity on the palate, slightly astringent due to medium amount of harsh tannins, needs 5 years to peak. My #10 and Group #10.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/1992 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 91 Points
With K and Miranda at home at dinner (stew). Very good ruby color. Excellent legs. Sticks to the glass. Nose is very nice. Just like an excellent Bordeaux should be. Soft, with the Merlot qualities of the blend coming out. Beautiful, flowery bouquet. Feminine and extremely fragrant. Plate is almost the equal of the nose. This is superlative wine--certainly the best Leoville-Barton I have ever tasted, and bears out the promise this wine showed when tasted years ago (1987?) at K&L. The 85' are for real! Excellent fruit. 5-12-16-8: 91/100.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment