Lovely cut with citrus, light red fruit and supple mouthfeel. Good opener

good round and coating mouthfeel with a floral nose. S ome buttery pear, lychees and honeycomb. This needs time to flesh out and build weight but it doesn't have the hollowness in the midpalate that I noted when last tasting an 05 Blanc.

classic Pichon in an "off" vintage. Really nice leather, soft fruit, cedar and deep cassis. It lacks the completeness of the 86s but for immediate consumption (next few years) it represents a lovely example of quality aged bdx and symptomatic of the Baron stable.

Opens with pomp, a lot more forward than some of the other wines. Very seductive and lush, with coaxing fruit elements. Lacks the depth and concentration of its 86 compatriot, but you can see the same floral and feminine qualities. On a plateau of maturity (not quite sure how it evolves, but a pleasure to pop now). 91-92

Slow ox'd for a few hours then decanted for about 1 hr prior to pouring. Wow was this good. Floral, seductive but well knit. Lovely fruit but always light on its feet. It's a weird mix of classic bordeaux with opulence. Simply a great combo.

Double decanted for probably 2-3 hours. Opens a bit hollow, like a sleeping mummy that needs air to resuscitate. Some feared it flawed, but I didn't quite pick up tca. Instead I sat patiently and watched this wine simply gain steam in glass. It kept picking up depth to its nose, effectively coming to life. Typical 80s Gruaud with a lovely melange of cordier funk, cassis and earth. This wine ended up being the most forward, fruit-packed and deep wine of the night. It showed even better than the last time I drank it (approx 2 years ago). Some were off put by the funk, but to me its a signature of this era of GL. My WOTN (a stylistic choice, as the 86s played in the same qualitative band).

Double decanted for 3-4 hours. This is another wine that continued to gain depth and complexity with time. The 86s will indeed be long lived, and I for one am not afraid of the fruit dying off before the tannins resolve (few cases where this may be the case...). Great balance, boardering between austere classic Bordeaux and an introductory maturity plateau. Lovely earthiness with deep red cassis/fruit. I kept going back to this wine. Upside.

Double decanted for 2.5-3 hrs. Opened with a cork in crumbles, largely soaked. Upon decanting, the wine was reticent and shy, but after 30 minutes it began to open up. Probably the most regal in expression out of the stable of 86s. It has a polished and rounded feel that speaks to hierarchical bordeaux (what one expects to find from the big boys). To me, that is lovely, and it really shows off on the palate that is silky, but it lacked some of the unique/idiosyncratic qualities that I found in the GL, Ducru and Montrose. With more air, lovely toffee/coffee, dark cassis and hints of lead. This wine is continuing to evolve and has not reached climax.