Coravin fun - Leoville Barton and new arrivals

Frank came over for this years Leoville Bartons tasting and to stay on for supper afterwards.

I enjoyed the 1987 more than the 1986 but the 1986 showed better than last time I looked at these...

• 1986 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Initially smells a little almost oxidised and maderised, caramel, bruised apple, leather, earth, mushrooms, sweet spice, a little fruit tea, slightly dried out plum which takes precedence with time in the glass. medium plus intensity acidity, plentiful grippy, floury textured tannins, a little baked black fruit joins the plum on the palate. Long. Better than last tasting but still a bit hmm for me.

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• 1987 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Wetly Autumnal, leaves, a little farmyard, slight pyrazine, red and blackcurrant, a little toast and biscuit, pencil shavings, smells fresh and the palate is very much a reflection of the nose, chalky tannic burr, long, fresh, lovely, a little liquorice here as well. Yum.

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Lots to love here...in a bracket of lovely wines the 1995 was the best of the bracket.

• 1994 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas are dusty, chalky with liquorice and a little rotten meat quality supported by brambles, Ribena and sweet spice, with time wet stone, leather, wet hay, farmyard and slight blood. In the mouth the wine has medium plus intensity acidity, wetly fruit black and red currant fruit, leather, earth, plentiful chalky tannins dry out the palate a little. Long. Nice.

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• 1995 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Aromas of blackcurrant, earth, leather, sweet spice, cedar, polished oak, plums, toast. In the mouth the acid/tannin/flavour balance is near perfect. All carry long. Fleshy, savoury, black fruited, grainy, grippy tannins, lovely. Complete.

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• 1996 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. On the nose this is a slightly riper version of the 1995, concentrated but not jammy black fruits, leather, meaty notes, a touch of liquorice, sweet spice...with time a little pyrazine underpin and chalky minerality. And the palate is like a slightly riper version of the 1995 as well, similar balance but bigger and travels slightly longer, tannins are slightly softer textured but still drag at the palate and there is a sense of warmth here that is pleasing. Lovely.

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• 1998 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Dusty, closed initially but, with time and agitation, blackcurrant, a little chalky minerality, pyrazine, a tiny touch of cellar stink underpins these aromas lending complexity rather than distracting. In the mouth it has medium plus intensity acidity, medium plus intensity chalky, drying tannins which lend a chewy quality to the leathery blackcurrant fruit, long but a bit disjointed. Hmm

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• 1999 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Ripe black fruits; plums, blackcurrant, toast, a little leather, earth, savoury spices, and a slight meaty farmyard note, vanilla, oak a little prevalent here. Medium plus intensity acidity, similar fruit and oak profile on the palate as shows on the nose, tannins are chalky and drying with a touch 'sucking a pebble' and there is some alcohol warmth and cocoa powder on the finish. Time to settle perhaps?

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These wines are showing younger than most of the other wines of a similar age that I've tried from other producers...the 2008 was the best in the bracket.

• 2002 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Aromas of brambles, blackcurrant, a certain slightly compote quality to the fruit, slight cream, biscuit, sweet spice, slight pyrazine, pencil shavings, cedar, cigar box, with time a slightly jubey quality as well as leather and earth. In the mouth the wine has medium plus intensity acidity, it's wetly dilute, black fruit followed by plenty of drying, woody and slightly astringent tannins. Time.

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• 2004 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Plenty of toast oak, vanilla, caramel over blackcurrant, plums and brambles, sweet spice, slight charcuterie notes. And the palate is quite okay as well, drying, oaky (note - good quality oak) tannins are a bit much for the fruit on this tasting for me. Hmm.

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• 2006 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Brambles, blackcurrant, a very slightly jubey black fruit note along with toast, sweet spices, cedar, caramel and a little pencil shavings. Quite liquorice on the palate, wetly soft, quite savoury, tannins are drying chalky and pull at the palate. It's a little dilute. Hmm.

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• 2008 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Closed, a little reductive with notes of burnt rubber. With time, and plentiful agitation, starts to show peppery spiced blackcurrant and plums backed by cream, caramel and vanilla, a little alcohol prickle as well. Medium plus intensity acidity, similar fruit profile, tannins are lighter here, still chalky textured but integrated with the fruit, a little creamy note on the finish. Pleasing.

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The 2012, like many other left bank 2012's I've tasted, showed really well in this bracket.

• 2011 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Medium plus intensity aromas initially shows toasted oak and baked black fruits, plentiful sweet spice, with time starts to show pretty tones to the fruit and a little cream, a little black coffee note, cedar. In the mouth medium plus intensity acidity, a sense of 'burntness' to the black fruit; perhaps the oak toast combining with the fruit in an odd way. There is also an odd rhubarb note. Tannins are chalky and drying but supper the flavours. Long. okay.

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• 2012 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Pretty, jubey, black and red berry fruit, blackcurrant, raspberry, sweet plums, very pretty fruit nose. With time a touch of fresh sweat, cedar. In the mouth it's much of a muchness with the nose, black and red fruits, sweet spice, the subdued oak does lend a little astringency on the finish. Tannins are chalky and drying but very much playing a supporting role. Long. Elegant. Lovely.

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• 2013 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas are wetly fleshy, a little pyrazine, sweet spice, slight wet clay, muted red and blackberries, slight wild blackcurrant and cherry, cream. Medium plus intensity acidity, similar fruits are a little sour, touch of cream, a slightly herbaceous and bitter underpin. Tannins are chalky and drying. Medium length, oddly compelling.

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• 2014 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  From Coravin. Slightly concentrated black fruits, primarily blackcurrant, liquorice, chocolate, slight marzipan (?), smells 'thick'. Medium plus intensity acidity, plentiful drying, chalky oak tannins, caramel. The fruit is a little lost beneath this for me. Still present but struggling a little. Hmm. It's probably quite reasonable to say that contemplating drinking this would be vinfanticide.

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Pity about the 2012, the 2008 was disappointing and the 2015 was very good.

• 2008 Château le Meynieu

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From Coravin. Menthol, herbaceous, pyarzine underpinned by red and black plum and a little spice, with time the fruit ripens a little on the nose. On the palate it's sourly juicy with a little jubey sour snake note to the fruit. A sense of under ripeness, the medium plus intensity tannins are exceedingly drying and astringent leaving the sensation of dried our fruit. Oh dear.

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• 2012 Château le Meynieu Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From Coravin. Cork taint has its evil fingers around the throat of this wine and has choked most of the life out of it. A little pretty jubey note claws at the taints malign grip...FLAW

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• 2015 Château Lavillotte

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  From Coravin. Pretty blackcurrant, plum, toast a slightly jubey underpin to the fruit, sweet spice, slight mineral notes. Juicy, jubey, a little fruit tea note, tannins are drying and floury textured and persistent with the fruit which all travel long. Yum.

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I initially thought Nebbiolo might be the right way to go but we retreated to the safe hands of Syrah in the end...

• 2015 Massimo Clerico Coste della Sesia Ca' du Leria

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Coste della Sesia

  From Coravin. Pretty red cherry with a little berry and rhubarb note. Very slight dried flowers as well on the nose. Medium plus intensity acidity, sourly fruity, chalky, drying, gritty textured tannins.

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• 2015 Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore - Sassella Riserva

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Sassella

  Aromas of spice, cedar, slight toast, plums, tar, earth, very slight yeast extract and a little sweaty note. Medium plus acidity, there is a slight dried out fruit note that I've note spotted before and the alcohol warmth is a touch intrusive on the finish. Drying, chalky textured tannins, join the acidity, similar flavour profile to the nose. Hmm.

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• 2015 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  Aromas of stalks, black pepper, wet blackberry with a little b ramble and cranberry, jubey notes. Cedar. Medium plus intensity acidity, stalks, sour blackberry, stalks, slightly jubey fruit underpin, white pepper...tannins are silky but drying and persistent. Savoury spiced. Long. Yum.

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The Leoville Bartons showed really well for the most part...pretty joyful experience.

The bracket of Jack Pedro wines was a little disappointing from a Meynieu perspective but the Lavillotte was lovely. I've still to try the Ronceray though.

The supper wines were okay as well.