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1986 Left Bank Bordeaux
Tasted January 19, 2019 by LWI with 523 views
Introduction
With increasing reputation, bottled did get from PnP to 6 hours in wide decanters.
Flight 1 (1 note)
White
1986 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
96 points
Very pale straw color; some beeswax, great depth to it, straws, complex; smooth, chewy, most balanced and long, a hint of candy, complex finish. A wonderful specimen.
Flight 2 (3 notes)
Red
Red
1986 Château Lestage
82 points
Licorice candy, medicine cabinet, brett, unpleasant smell; drying and not very likable.
Flight 3 (3 notes)
Red
1986 Château Marquis de Terme
90 points
Brett, iron, a bit anonymous, licorice, good fruit that evolved and became more elegant with air.
Red
1986 Château Palmer
flawed
At first and intriguing and sweet smell, aka mature strawberries, moderate body, a hint of tannin, seductive. 94p
After 15 minutes, it deteriorated, more brett, collapsing fruit.
After 15 minutes, it deteriorated, more brett, collapsing fruit.
Red
1986 Château Rausan-Ségla
92 points
dark fruit, classic left bank, some flowers; still some tannin, more dark fruit, structured, big bodied, long, a bit rustic.
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Flight 4 (4 notes)
Red
1986 Château Beychevelle
90 points
Artificial candy; a lot of tannin, fresh, quite long, lacking complexity, peculiar.
Red
1986 Château Talbot
95 points
Wonderfully complex nose, some brett though; fresh, long, rather full bodied, youthful, a bit drying finish still, structured.
Red
1986 Château Gruaud Larose
93 points
Bretty but complex bose; medium++ body, a bit drying tannin, complex finish. A more developed bottle than the Talbot, but with clear family resemblance.
Flight 5 (3 notes)
Red
1986 Château Léoville Barton
94 points
Classic tobacco nose, gun powder, complex; fresh, and after a while even perfumed, complex finish.
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Red
1986 Château Léoville Poyferré
93 points
Graphite and dark fruit on the nose; very fine sweetish fruit in the mouth, pleasant, a good core of fruit, long, full bodied, balanced.
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Red
1986 Château Léoville Las Cases
95 points
Graphite, a hint perfume; very well balanced, full bodied and long, pleasant, wonderful and complex finish.
Flight 6 (3 notes)
Red
1986 Château Lynch-Bages
94 points
Tobacco and black currants, obviously youthful; dark fruit, a bit extracted and lacking in detail, could have been longer, but powerful and impressive.
Red
1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
95 points
Licorice candy eucalyptus (strange), dark fruit; surprisingly big bodied, and a lot of fruit, glorious finish.
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Comments (2)
Red
1986 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
92 points
Some brett, a hint of eucalyptus; spicy and deep, but lacking in refinement and complexity.
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Flight 7 (3 notes)
Red
1989 Château Calon-Ségur
90 points
1989 - should have been 1986, a mistake. VA, candied cherries, interesting in a weird way; fresh, but lacks depth and complexity.
Flight 8 (3 notes)
Red
1986 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
92 points
A hint of dried fruit, dark; decent wine, fresh -- but a tad oxidized, tannic.
Red
1986 Château Haut-Brion
96 points
Dark-fruited and complex nose; lovely sweet fruit, comforting, glorious finish, most balanced. Quite full bodied.
Red
1986 Château La Tour Haut-Brion
93 points
Classic and very likable nose; moderate body, structured, old school, complex finish.
Flight 9 (3 notes)
Red
1986 Château Cheval Blanc
96 points
Graphite and dark fruit, deep nose, a hint of mocca; comforting and round, very long and layered. At peak now.
Red
1986 Château Margaux
flawed
Volatile and drying, not holding together well. Others did not find any fault.
Red
1986 Château Latour Grand Vin
92 points
Serious and deep nose, fresh, but a bit rustic, green bell peppers.
Flight 10 (2 notes)
Red
1986 Château Lafite Rothschild
97 points
Minty nose, very detailed, some classic graphite, quite developed; tight and fresh, not very generous, and the acidity makes it a tad unbalanced. However, gloriously complex finish.
Red
1986 Château Mouton Rothschild
98 points
Serious and deep nose with classic combination of graphite and black currants, also most complex, some bonfire; wonderful fullish fruit in the mouth, youtful, a lot of swirling brings out a complex finish.
Flight 11 (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1986 Château Suduiraut
93 points
Fresh and spicy nose, frsh; only moderately bodied and moderately sweet, stylish, bitter finish.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1986 Château d'Yquem
97 points
Caramel and spices, complex nose with some varnish; full bodied, smooth --- but with balancing acidity, extremely long, complexity in tons.
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Closing
1986 is a classic vintage, but with more fruit than many claims that it does. Most are drinkable now, even Lafite and Mouton with long decants. Most wines will easily last 15-30 years.