Very different from the 1989 we had SBS with this tonight. A bit muted and closed upon opening but with a sold core of stuffing so this went through a good 2.5-3 hr decant before consumption which was a good start. At that point I found it more approachable then the 1995 we had in late December. Overall a solid bottle with red and black fruit and nicely developed secondary scents and flavors, cigar box cedar and tobacco and Autumn leafs, leather all with a good medium body and an old school style Bordeaux which kept getting better with the last sip several hrs later the most enjoyable. A bit more roundness and plushness would have brought this into the league of the better vintages, but a nice effort nonetheless for a though year in the left bank. A good bet for current consumption and relative value.
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An elegant wine with notes of black raspberry, cassis, cedar and graphite. Tannins are well integrated and this wine has a nice mouthfeel and long finish. Still youthful. Paired with grilled sirloin steaks.
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Palate fatigue kind of hit me by this bottle. I remember this as a very correct left bank, with plenty of fruit, not criminally young to drink but definitely youthful, and rather polished and poised. Now thinking back, these were classic indicators of Las Cases in an average vintage.
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Boxing day at Caroline's: Didn't realise I had this a couple of times before, but guessed at least got the ballpark of the vintage right this time as I thought it to be from the late '90s/early '00s. Slightly more modern and unready than the previous two experiences, dark cassis and blackcurrant fruit. Didn't really move me.
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Sleeping in my wine fridge for more than two decades! Decant it for about an hour, dark ruby colour, strong aroma of cedarwood cabinet, spicy, sweet nutty black fruits! The palate is deep, rich, slightly tight, and a little spicy! The journey had just begun with at least more than two decades to go! Definitely a great classic.
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This needed every bit of 6 hours of decanting. Once it opened, beautiful balance of structure, acid and cassis. Wine is in a perfect drinking window right now. Just give it plenty of time to breathe.
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Lots of prunes and cooked fruit on the nose, overripe with a touch of oxidation. Not sure it was a representative bottle. I am very very sensitive to this in a Bordeaux and since overripness/oxidation is not something that wine makers seek in this region, I always consider it a flaw.
Nose a bit quiet but only open about an hour or so. I get nice dark fruits minerality. Aged leather. Lovely palate. Integrated dark fruits, cedar, sweet leather. Long finish. 93
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Bottle was not flawed (I know cork taint and Brett) but the wine seemed very tired. A lot of cigar box and fine leather with very little fruit. Any fruit was nondescript and lacking berry type characteristics - perhaps if anything tasting of oxidation. From other notes I suspect this bottle was not cellared well and it was also in my view a mistake to serve it with cheese which didn't help the wine show any of its remaining merit. I'm scoring it nonetheless as researchers need to be aware that not all bottles come out of the cellar in perfect condition.
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As left bank Bordeaux goes, this was pretty classic and for me, emblematic of the vintage which always shows a tiny bit of volatile acidity and ballpoint pen/inkwell nuances. It is dark fruited with blackberry and black currant without any roasted notes and remains in excellent balance. This could go another 5 to 10 years with ease but the tannins are melted and supple now.
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Sadly corked. I still got some decent fruit and this would have been outstanding if not flawed. Why they still use cork is beyond me. Screw cap or diam would be better
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Paired with tenderloin filet and mushrooms, with about 1 hr of decanting. Completed head to head with ‘98 Lynch Bages, and the Lynch Bages was the clear winner this night. The nose on the Las Cases was completely absent for the first 30 minutes of decanting, after which it began to open up beautifully. The mouth was dominated by tertiary flavors, with little remaining fruit. It was a fine wine that stood up well to the dinner and didn’t require excess decanting time, but it would have been better remembered if it didn’t have competition. At half the price (current auction prices) of the Las Cases, I’m hunting for Lynch Bages for this vintage.
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I forgot I had this before and couldn't resist. But judging from my last record this bottled had fared better. Does all tricks in the aged Bordeaux-book and leaves you content, if not flabbergasted.
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Unusually forward for a Las Cases, with the tannin already tamed, this is already drinking superbly with a couple of hours in the decanter to blow off some initial greenness. 1998 really belonged to the right bank in Bordeaux, but Las Cases was one of the few left bank highlights. Taste profile is as per previous notes, and this should stay at this level for at least another decade.
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8th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, bit more monolithic and tight than January's outstanding bottle, all the right elements and usual LLC class, upside yet, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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Felix's birthday celebration: Only had a small taste of this. Incredibly pure and vibrant fruit for a weaker vintage. Tasted much younger than it actually was, and I thought this was from a stronger year like 2005. EDIT: Just realised I had this wine before and had very similar impressions. Also guessed a warm vintage the last time but on this occasion the greenness wasn't apparent.
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Classic Bordeaux palate and nose. Elegance and depth, great balance of fruit and structure. Given this is Las Cases I had expected the structure to be more prominent but this had a surprising amount of fruit (damson and blueberry) that was able to carry the structure and give a lot of pleasure today. Long and complex, can drink now and will last for another 20 years.
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Beautiful black currant fruit to the nose with a touch of a savory. More on the savory right now, but still going strong and delicious. Lower alcohol and no harsh tannins.
In Bordeaux, the tannins are not covered by sweetness.
In the end of 1998 it was rainy. But its beautiful to drink now and doesn't show a crumbling tannic structure or fading away. Going strong now I am being told. He notes it could go another 10 - 15 years. All their wines are built to age slowly.
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Big nose and it’s all there - cassis, graphite and cedar. But the fruit is thinning and both alcohol and acid is starting to poke out. Watery at the end this bottle was sourced from the chateau 2017. I wouldn’t keep this any longer. And I would have food with it
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Great nose of tobacco, bramble, dark red crushed fruit, and smoke. Palate has a dash of bright strawberry, not much tannin but a heavy handed dose of acidity and flair. Finish is medium and fair. I quote like this but blind there is no chance I could guess Saint Julien.
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From a 375. Nice wine, though not super concentrated : complex.
Fairly light colored, wouldn’t thin this a cab based wine. Nose is very red fruit, cedar, tomatoes, touch of Smokey wood. Palate also quite red fruit dominant with a touch of green pepper and spice. Very nice acidity and pleasant finish. No noticeable tannins.
Definitely less concentrated and more red fruited than other LLC I’ve had, seems almost a touch diluted. Could easily be mistaken for a heavier pinot or northern Rhône wine. Despite this it’s quite nice and mellow and drinking well now.
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7th of 12, opened 2 hours then decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, back on top form and rounding out nicely and surprisingly accessible for LLC of this age, cassis, cedar and other usual secondaries, sweetish quite creamy/soft mid palate, usual length and persistence and class, some upside, longish life, if not cut from quite the same cloth as 96, 90, 86 and 82 etc. F+ (18).
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BYO Litteraturhuset (Litteraturhuset i Oslo): Dyp, mørk og tett farge uten tegn til aldring. Sødmefull duft av solbær, blyantspiss (bly) og hint av lakris. Ungdommelig på duft. Sødmefullt anslag, meget fruktig, nesten leskende, samtidig tung og fyldig. Den slår til med imponerende kraft og god "punch". Kveldens røde
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This wine just keeps getting better. Decanted for 2 hours and then further time in the glasses, a much better experience than my previous encounters. I wasn't much of a fan of this vintage in the past but it has developed considerable nuance and was really quite a delight.
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This is surprisingly evolved for a Las Cases, but it does need about 3 hours in the decanter to lose its initial greenness. However, once this is blown off it is a wonderful wine and not typical of the estate. Red cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and cedar notes are rich on the nose and palate. The tannin has sweetened and it is silky on the mouth with a good balanced finish. I could almost imagine I was drinking a Palmer if I closed my eyes. A lot of the left bank wines from 1998 are beginning to drink at their peak, and I do question whether this wine can stay at its best for longer than 5 or 10 years.
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This was my second bottle. When opened, the nose was a bit reticent so left it to decant for 30 mins and then poured it back into the bottle. This was the last wine of the night and got to breathe for about 2 hrs in the bottle and developed too much greenness on the nose. It was a bit offputting but further aeration in the decanter mellowed out the greenness a bit but it didn't blow off completely. I think this is a bottle variation as the last bottle I didn't have this issue.
On the palate, it had impeccable concentration and balance. It is drinking at its peak which I think will hold easily for 5-7 years. This is one of the best Las Cases for current consumption given the price is more affordable than 1990 and other big vintages (which is still my WOTY). 93+ 2 points if this was a better bottle with limited greenness.
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Dinner at Dibbs's: The awfully green nose reminded me of the Sassicaia 1999 I had a month back but I placed this as a left-bank Bordeaux based on the classic palate that didn't betray much sweetness. I guessed this was a warm vintage from the ripeness of fruit so combining this with the greenness I went for Sociando 03 - oops.
It's funny how both Las Cases I've had so far did not play up to the stereotype of Las Cases being never ready. On the contrary, the 90 and this were full of juicy, ripe red fruits and silky tannins, rather the imposing structured monster that I've been led to believe. Impeccable balance and a richness to the palate that underscored its pedigree, just that the greenness both on the nose and the palate (less so) was rather distracting.
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Currently one of the best bordeuax I have ever had. A wine that lived up to the high expectations placed on it. Really intense nose. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon gave a predominance of dark berry fruit and underbrush with cedar, tobacco and spicy fruit framework. Very full in the mouth with well balanced tannins. Very prolonged and intense persistence. Wine that won over a friend who is not a Cabernet Sauvignon lover.
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Our first LLC. Decanted, poured an hour later and drank over the next couple of hours. Was surprised at how young it tasted. Fruity, but not weighty, it was light like a pinot while retaining the characteristic bdx nose. The promise of the nose was offset with minor disappointment of the mouthfeel and mid-palate flavors. The finish though was long and satisfying. All in all, I'd have to say we opened it too soon. The flavor today won't turn south anytime soon. My guess is that it's at a plateau. Only time will tell if improvement is on the horizon. Still a very enjoyable 93, but not the blockbuster we were hoping for.
Oh Dear Lord. To say this wine is deep is a HUGE understatement. Decant it. Let it breathe. Then just sit back and let the vino coat your tongue like a soft blanket on a cold January night. Pair it with something with something with a kick to it, like a medium rare steak with salt & black pepper rub.
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This is developed well over the wines, putting on more weight and complexity. Now, you find a ready-to-go Las Cases delivering a complex set of aromatics; black and red currants, smoke, cigar box, wet earth, cedar, and tobacco. The wine is full, firm, stoic and also fresh. Classic in style, the finish is all about its freshness and lifted characteristics that come along with its chewy, bright, red, spicy fruits. An hour or 2 of air will help. The wine blends 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, 12.9% ABV.
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First bottle from a full case purchased at auction in 2007. Pristine condition. Not decanted, opened four hours in advance. Medium deep ruby red, youthful for age, very little browning at the edges; classic Saint-Julien nose, cedar and tobacco, good fruit and minerally freshness, perfectly integrated oak, youthful; the vibrant palate is medium-bodied, on the lighter side for LLC, both in body and flavour intensity, with sticky but finely grained tannins; lovely blackcurrant fruit on the finish, with a whiff of green. A good rather than great LLC, on its plateau of maturity with no end in sight. In fact, it may surprise us in 10 years' time...
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This is an early developer for the estate which is notorious for its glacial pace towards majority, and is far more forward than the previous wines in 1990s. It is a wonderful drink, and is firmly in its drinking window, but still needs a few hours in the decanter to enjoy it at its best. It is a deep nose packed with blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry with dark fruits, tobacco and cedar on the palate. The tannin is robust but perfectly balanced, and complex and multi layered. The finish does not quite match the rest of the wine, and while perfectly integrated, is on the shorter side. It will continue to develop, but this is open for business with adequate aeration.
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Decanted 2.5 hours. Firmly structured Medoc with plentiful ripe acid, leather, white pepper, granite, very long finish. An intellectual and masculine wine from a winery known for slow development. This is a broad-shouldered drink with plenty of savory flavor and will appeal much more to Rhone lovers than to Napa cultists.
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Another Sat Night @ RV!: See previous notes. Tonight's bottle is drinking much younger than the previous ones tasted. In fact, this tasted younger than the 2001 drank alongside tonight. So good!
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Dark and very dense - hallmark of las Cases. Decanted 2-3hrs but just kept opening as it was drunk indicating it needs a lot of air. Despite the year a lot of weight still to this wine. Feels more Paulliac than Saint Julien. Now nicely integrated with soft tannins despite the wines overall density. Complex and long.. unfortunately my last bottle.
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6th of 12, decanted 3 hours, perfect cork and level, fab structure and nuance if a little hollow against pheasant (seemed to need more sweetness mid palate), much more to it and somehow sweeter against goat's cheese, so as so often final glass the best, still a tad on austere side, scope yet to show more though not the longevity of a 96 if ahead of the 99. F+ (18).
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Ripe black currants, blackberries, dark chocolate kirsch. Dried tobacco leaves and cedar cigar box. Medium + body. Tannins are pretty chilled out. Pair with a nice steak
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This had closed down a year ago after drinking fabulously, but it now seems to be coming through this dumb phase and taking on complexity on the palate again. In many ways it is a very untypical Las Cases in that it is very fruit driven and developed for its age. The nose is all about blackcurrant, black cherry and subtle hints of vanilla, with tobacco, dark fruits, and cedar dominating the palate. The tannin is robust but well balanced, and while displaying good development has improvement ahead of it. The finish pushes 30 seconds and is harmonious with a lingering flavour of mint. This benefitted from a few hours in the decanter, and is very approachable now, but will continue to mature.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Cherry, red fruit, graphite, cassis. Smooth tannins. Elegant, quite nicely aged. more than enjoyable but nonetheless lacking some complexity. Difficult vintage of course. And the price for this vintage is not as steep as bigger vintages. All true. I just can’t help thinking that there should be a better deal Out there for €130,-. Had a hard time scoring this. I don’t see the high scores giving here before me. I’m sticking with 91, possibly 92.
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A fine wine for sure, but also a little frustrating. If this could just turn the corner to complexity/development it would be mind blowing. Beautiful black cherry, cassis, and oak on the nose and palate with a very long and velvet finish. Not much else...maybe a touch of pencil and tobacco. It displays the pedigree of Las Cases in structure and class, but is just short on tangible delineation of the wave of flavors that we all love. LLC can be so frustrating, you drink an amazing 85 or 90, and then get whacked on the palate by a stubborn 86, 95, 96...I still prefer Ducru and Gruaud Larose from St Julien.
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2nd try: Nose of black fruits, tobacco leaves, green pepper. Tasted black fruits, mint leaves, pencil shavings, with tobacco and green pepper tertiaries. Long menthol finish. Fine tannins. Structured and elegant. Classic Bordeaux. Enjoyed this thoroughly again. Open now
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Elegantly balanced scent of cedarwood, sawdust, paper, pepper, tobacco leaves, vanilla and black berries. If this was available as an Eau de Parfum I would wear it.
On the palate medium to light bodied black berry entrance followed by a fair bit of greenery and strong black tea sitting in the middle of the taste experience like a bitter obstacle. The beautiful thing about this is though that once you have scaled it the kinetic energy acquired launches you into an incredibly long super dry, sparkling and inspiring finish. Tannins are sticky and just at the perfect intensity. Fruit remains strictly in the background.
I figure you have to approach this with heightened senses and an appreciation for character. This is not the Justin Bieber of Bordeaux wines, neither is it a vintage that will stand out in vertical or horizontal tastings but it has its own old-school class. The quality focus of its producers is apparent throughout.
Lastly, at its current age there seems to be quite a bit of bottle to bottle variation. I tasted a total of three bottles in the last two months and all were different in the quality of the wood aromas and the intensity of the green. I would rate them 97, 93 and 94. Thats an 95 on average.
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Black fruits, truffle, wet stones bouquet. Tasted black fruits, mint leaves, truffles, gravel, wet stones, with tobacco and pepper tertiaries. This is rather fruit forward and unlike other LLCs I’ve tasted, but not in a bad way. In fact, the crowd enjoyed it and definitely top 3 tonight, alongside Palmer 1995 and LLC 2006. Long menthol and mint leaf finish which goes on and on. Structured. Good stuff. In its prime now so open up.
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From Mag, no decant, in direct comparison to 2001 Comtesse seemed a bit tired already on the palate (or I was abit tired already). Last Bordeaux of the night, I slightly preferred the Comtesse
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Dinner@BA: Blind. A more lifted, expressive nose than the 95 alongside, tenor versus baritone. A little firmer on the palate, still a little surly and needing time to unfurl properly. Lots here though, but feels a little off the pace cf the 95. ****
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Amazing wine with a beautiful aroma with lots of fruit and pencil shave. Mouthfeel is just amazing with Cabernet notes of black currants, pencil shave and deep and lovely fruit.
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Luftet i 3 timer før konsum. Klassisk farge med svakt begynnende oransje kant. Fantastisk aroma med modent tilsnitt og elementer av lær, espresso, sigar, solbær, blåbær, cola og sjokolade. I munn har den god konsentrasjon, tydelige, men integrerte tanniner. Finner de samme elementene som i aroma. Stor vin som dekker hele munnen(har ikke ett bedre ord). Sitter lenge. God "old school" Bordeaux.
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5th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle in 12/17, flavour profile similar to 96 on same night, though slightly less to the 98, if further along its maturity curve and the better drink on the night, both still very much on the cassis fruit with secondaries yet to develop. F+ (18).
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Darker color with brick rim; incense, Bordeaux funk, green pepper, cigar tobacco, cedar, a bit of chocolate shows good richness for a more difficult year; the palate doesn’t deliver what the nose suggests, cedary tannin, a touch more lean in the fruit dept., feels a bit hollow acidic and on the edge of aging out.
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I've scored this a couple of points lower than a year ago, as it seems to have slightly closed down. It still is remarkably forward for the estate, with deep aromas of blackcurrant, cedar and old leather. It has exceptional balance on palate and a lengthy harmonious finish. However, the palate has become a little tight, and I think I will leave it another year to come through this dumb phase.
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bright red colour - very little fading Smells so classically claret, red fruit and pencil shavings Firm tannins, this is quite austere but rather marvellous at the same time. There's lovely fruit underneath and it's so fresh and vibrant. Hard to believe this is 21 years old. I think it might be immortal.
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13% ABV. Deep red with no lightening at the rim. The first bottle was corked, but the second displayed aromas of cassis, leather, pipe tobacco and aromatic herbs. On the palate, there is medium body, lots of minerals, blackcurrants, red cherries and earth. Still lots of tannin on the long, refreshing finish. This is just entering its early drinking window, and I suspect that more bottle age will be quite beneficial here. A classic and thoroughly enjoyable—if somewhat old school—Bordeaux. 92.
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With K&O, vertical of Leoville Las Cases with other wines sprinkled in...This had a brief decant, drank over a couple hours.
Dark red/purple core. Nose of dark fruits, pencil shaving, mushroom and saline notes. Palate showing blackberry, currant, mineral,earth notes. Medium weight and finish.
The wine is still a bit backward at this stage, would have benefited from a much longer decant on this tasting. Definitely has a way to go, would probably be best to try again in a few years. Wine has upside but would let it rest
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This bottle had not been stored properly for any portion of it's life, according to the friend who had it, so I didn't have high hopes for it. It actually turned out to be very lovely and not at all compromised. A beautiful and elegant Bordeaux.
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Joanne Bordeaux Trip 2018 (Bordeaux): (Limited Notes and no official scores, as this was blind tasting with Jean Hubert Delon.) The '98 whet our appetites for what was to come, showing its class in spades. It's drinking beautifully already, yet still quite youthful for it's age. There's a richness here that coated the palate with chewy dark fruits, yet ended fresh and refined.
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Twenty years and still kicking... Drank to celebrate our 15th anniversary last night. Plenty of rich red fruits, smooth tannins great balance of finesse and acidity... I'd say it's drinking extremely well right now... Old style Bordeaux at its best, you can taste the history here! Cabernet Franc is apparent on the mid to end pallet... This was always one of my favorite QPR vintages, and for the best of wines, which this clearly is, still standing and very enjoyable. I had 3 in my cellar as of 2015, popped one then and it seems to be as good as it was 3 years ago.. One left!
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Drank to celebrate 20th anniversary. 8 bottles left for future celebrations. I was surprised by how dark it was at 20. Thought it might be gett8ng a little bricking, but no. Graphite, currants, cedar box. A fine wine with plenty left.
cork was totally saturated opened it before going to Ruth's Chris with Sam and the baby Decanted for 30 mins; not great but approachable Bottle may have been a little off
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As per previous note, at present this is out drinking the 1995 and 1996, and is surprisingly advanced for the estate. The fruit is very forward but not overwhelming with typical dark berry flavours. The tannin is sweetened but still keeping a typical steeliness, and there are excellent layers of complexity with an almost perfect balance and a good 20+ seconds finish. This is absolutely ready to be enjoyed now with some time in the decanter, but will continue to develop and should be drinking at its peak for the next decade.
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Has been in my cellar since new. Took 2 hours to open up. Thereafter was delightful. Went well with Tete d'mua cheese and then even good with Teriyaki chicken!
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4th of 12, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, just lost in shoot out v more elegant and complex, if lighter, Ducru 98. A tad more generous than my August note but still backward (as befits LLC). On a 10 year view this may well develop into the better wine as the underlying complexity can be perceived if currently overwhelmed by the energy of the fruit. F+ (18).
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A fine wine for the vintage, I believe that this is one of the top left bank wines of 1998. Classic Las Cases, if missing some of the complexity of 85 and 90. Cassis, graphite, tobacco, and earth on the nose, I am not sure if there is any future development left. On the palate it is a typical LLC with big structure and a very long finish. If it gained some complexity on the palate this wine would really reach another level. Probably won't happen, but still a really enjoyable wine. 93+ Pts
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Drank in Paris. First learning was it is not just 'Las Cases' with them but the Leoville is in fact quite important to put in front. Overall I thought this was a fine wine. There was quite a bit of less positive feedback from the group I was tasting with, but to me it was kindof a standard aged Bordeaux. Not really a standout, but nothing wrong with it either. Fruit faded, but still hints. Lots of the leather and cigar bar, etc. Totally fine.
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3rd of 12, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, still youthful and primary, but with LLC class and quality of fruit, very cassis yet, hint of silk, nice balancing acidity makes it almost refreshing, otherwise as my December '15 note. Should improve from current F+ (18).
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Tobacco, gravel and cedar on the nose. Still firm on the palate but there are fine flavors of black fruits, gravel and licorice. This is a nice medium-bodied vintage of LLC that still needs time as the tannins are still formidable. 92+
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Wonderfully aromatic out of the bottle, vanilla, blackberry, black currant, raspberry, cherry, all very smooth, and a veritable fruit basket perfectly blended. Pure and balanced in the mouth and through the finish. Subtle licorice and cassis make this classic a delight. Needs decanting and time to open and reveal all it has to give.
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Fairly deep colour; elegant, forward nose; soft, attractive, blackcurrant fruit, slightly creamy, with medium plus intensity and good length. A very stylish wine, which has shed some of its earlier burliness to give a fine claret, probably at its best about now.
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Drinking at peak. Cassis that comes across as rather red fruited with silky mouthfeel and refined tannins. Secondary traits are more floral than mineral, with a hint of herbs, but this is very well balanced and utterly satisfying.
Except a 94 - great old world taste and smell - what a treat!
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Drinking at peak. Cassis that comes across as rather red fruited with silky mouthfeel and refined tannins. Secondary traits are more floral than mineral, with a hint of herbs, but this is very well balanced and utterly satisfying.
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A complete coincidence to be served blind against the 89 Leoville barton
An eerily similar nose, but a little more red fruited and perfumed than the elder Leoville Barton. Beautiful and understated with more finesse. Cassis, pencil shaving and some wet bricks. Drinking at peak. More grace and finesse than the Barton, maybe painted with a slightly finer brush. Both showing terrifically.
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Deep and dark in the glass; almost black. An incredible nose that is surprisingly floral and filled with perfume. Soft and velvety in the mouth with well integrated tannins. Just at the start of its drinking window which should last a couple of decades. Drink now to 2030+
*Drank to celebrate the birth of my son.
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Wine tasting with 10 others and this was a very good bottle and everyone agreed. It was still dark with lots of blackcurrant a bit of pencil shavings and cedarbox. It was still fresh and had a bit of tannin left to resolve, but it was full and had fruit and structure. This has still got 10 years plus on it. 93 points.
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Surprisingly evolved for a Las Cases at this age, it is definitely ready to be drunk and appreciated to the full, and easily out drinking the 1995 and 1996 at this stage. Heady with aromas of blackcurrent, blackberry, and cassis, on the palate it is full of fruit and typical Bordeaux mustiness. The tannin is resolved but still with a steeliness to remind you what you are drinking and completes with a satisfying finish. A great wine and one that doesn't really need more than an hour or two in the decanter.
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Gedronken met mijn wijnvrienden samen met stoofpotje van hert. 3 uur vooraf geopend en 1 uur vooraf gedecanteerd , prachtige neus stal , tabak en oud leer. Zwart fruit is mooi geïntrigeerd , kan zeker nog paar jaar mee , denk wel dat deze nu op zijn top is , was mijn voorlaatste fles van 12
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Surprisingly accessible with plenty of air - opened six hours ahead and decanted for two, it had some decent breadth on the nose and palate, with notes of black fruits and graphite, and gave plenty of pleasure which isn't always the case with a "young" LLC. At the early stages of its drinking window, and showing plenty of class but with more to give with time.
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Stunning. retrospective note for a bottle drunk in 2014. decanted for 4 hours prior and consumed over 2 hrs. a robust wine that will drink well for 10 years yet.
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Tasted blind along side the 1998 Leoville Barton and 1998 Leoville Poyferre from half bottles. This wine was the last pour from a coravinned bottle that had been sitting with 1/4 left for months. I really expected it to have faded, but in the blind tasting I never would have suspected this bottle to be the coravinned one. (I swapped the Poyferre & LLC in my guesses and got the Barton right.) Of the bat, the nose was rich black fruit, cassis, and a spicy note which I've noted in a number of LLC vintages before (1985, 2008). Of the three Leovilles, this evolved the most, showing redder fruit, cigar, oak, nutty notes, some green components, at different times over a few hours. The palate was fruit and rolled tobacco, with a little tannin left and a nice mouth feel. This wine was the best of the three Leovilles. I'd say it is at its peak now.
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2nd of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level - this wine has happily filled out since my note of April 14 and is now beginning to drink well, cassis fruit to the fore on nose and palate and just a bit too broad (as yet) for better than fine plus (18/20)........it played second fiddle to impressive Ducru 96!
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Bottle 11 of 12. While mostly consistent with my last note, I do see the wine improving since the last time I enjoyed it. Still need to decant about 1 hour before serving. Fruits are better integrated and it evolves into a well rounded Las cases. Favorite among the ladies while I prefer the '96 Pichon lalande served alongside this beauty. Excellent!
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Excellent claret... Popped and poured. Quite lovely silky refined very las cases and perfectly aged. If you are looking for a classic Las Cases, consider this one. It's a bargain at $105ea which was my cost. Probably goes for more and would be worth it. I'd drink what your holding now as I don't think anything else is on its horrizon ... Still holding up very well and with plenty of rich cherry fruit, touch of leather and chewiness ...
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A pleasant wine, though totally uninspiring and one dimensional without any finesse or memorable notes. Consumed with a delicious beef stew. Slightly dusty tannins, lack of focus on what should have been a more pronounced fruit element. Wish I could find something better to say about this wine. My bottle was stored perfectly and had a high neck fill. Compare this Leoville to a $35 Bordeaux in a blind test and come away with a toss-up. The current price is way out of line with what you're getting in the bottle. There are plenty of classified wines that leave you wondering what the workers at the chateaus were doing while they were making the wine that year, and this is such an example. I suggest that nobody waste his/her time with this vintage for the above reasons.
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Classy nose of red fruit. Palate missing something to really balance it, but overall pretty nice to accompany the roast beef. Good but not great. 88. Drink now to 2020.
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Folks, this is a wonderful left bank 1998. Just entering maturity, you could not ask for more, especially considering the current price. I could whiff the nose all night long. Wonderful notes of faint green pepper, cedar, graphite, cassis, tobacco, and pencil that would do a Pauillac proud. Long, rich palate with everything above, plus intense fruit and a finish that lasted close to 45 seconds. I have always reckoned that Las Cases (and Ducru) should be elevated to first growth status, and this "average" year example only confirms my mindset. 95+ Pts
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Its still young and a bit tight at the open. Decanted for 1 hour and the wine started to become alive. Dark ruby color with a classic bouquet of cassis, mint plum and chocolate. Perfect balance of berries, plum and currant flavours with medium tannins and long finish. I'm sure this will improve in time, will try in 3-5 years, when it enters its optimal drinking plateau
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Tasted blind. Has strong character of St. Julien but all people guessed it is a 80's wine. Las cases is famous of hard to open, but this bottle opened nicely after the cock pulled out an hour. Much like 1996 Gruaud Larose, with strong characters of wood and earth, but it is slightly more powerful and with perfume like aromas. Very nice.
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Upon uncorking, that typical Leoville smell came floating up the bottle. Decided to decant to get more O2 inside and see what would happen. Though I took a small nip from the glass first - and wow, great wine.
I can't really pinpoint why I do like Leoville Las Cases, but its just the combination. Great nose, great flavour and the wine lingers quite long in your mouth.
This vintage is very much ready to enjoy right now or keep cellared - its up to you.
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Decanted half an hour in advance. A deep colour; blackcurrant and spice on the nose. The palate is quite dense and rich, with some slightly dusty tannin on the finish, which is long. This is attractive drinking now, but should keep well.
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first of 12, decanted one hour, perfect fill, glossy deepish garnet, purple rim, nose very primary, blackcurrant driven, classy mid weight on palate, long and nice balance, some unresolved tannin, just a little pinched but should fill out and improve with a couple more years whilst lacking the underlying richness of a top vintage. At present only fine (17.5/20).
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mature Bordeaux wine evening (Spices delicatessen): dark red-purple-black. classic good St. Julien aroma of leather, floral earthiness with red & black forest fruits. Med-full bodied, pleasant mid palate, dark red fruits and cassis, good acidity, slightly mineral, soft & gentle tannins, med-long finish. Very enjoyable but low value for money.
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After decanting for 30+ minutes, this had a nice expressive nose, and was a polished medium bodied wine, with nice structure showing cherry and dark red fruit.
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The wine lost its merit within an hour of opening. Very soft tannins, wonderful bouquet of oak and leather, classic clean taste from bordeaux but after an hour its taste went flat, I unfortunately over paid for this.
Last taste five years ago. What a transformation! Elegant nose with slight acetic lift. Red and black currant fruit with red apple brightness. Florality, pencil shavings, bitter herb touch, nice whiff of brett, a hint of toffee and some wood. Medium bodied palate with balanced acidity and velvety tannins. Red currants and strawberries with some orange rind. Caramel and dusty wood that doesn't now come through that toasted. Mid-length. Tasted blind and this was one of my favourites of the bunch. Elegant and subtle. But maybe underperforming as well. The volume didn't seem right when the wine was revealed.
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Anything Goes: Cepages Tasting Group (12th Street Osteria, New York City): Drank blind. Dave's contribution. Dark ruby color showing no signs of age. Very expressive nose of coffee, tar and dark fruits, perhaps some cassis. Lead pencil and coffee is immediately noticed on the palate. I was somewhat surprised at the copious amounts of ripe fruit here (I mistook this wine for the 2000 bordeaux for this reason). Smooth tannins with lots of leather, tar and earthiness here making for a wonderfully complex, delicious glass of wine with excellent length. Great showing for an allegedly so-so right bank vintage.
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A very nice St-Julien. I want to call it a "solid" effort but that would be misleading as it is somewhat light bodied. It comes off very well on the palette but then just kind of leaves you hanging. It's not that the finish is short; there just isn't much to it. Still, it's very pleasant. Popped, waited an hour, and then drank over three hours.
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Mature but not old, with intense blackcurrant fruit and classic claret overtones. This is quite powerful and muscular, rather than elegant: rich, concentrated and a bit burly.
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Tasted blind in the series w/ Angelus 1994, Cheval Blanc 1994 and Figeac 1990:
Deep intesive red. Nice nose of black currant and cherries. In the mouth all a bit unbalanced and a disturbing tartiness to it. Harsh tannins. Weakest out of the series. Maybe in a difficult phase?
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Bright, cranberry and cassis fruits are in abundance. There is a tart quality to the fruit that is exacerbated by a touch of green flavors. The tannins are noticeable. The wine is beefy, fresh and masculine in nature. Clearly, there is a lot of raw material in this wine. But it's not charming and lacks elegance. Perhaps time will be generous with this wine. It cannot hurt. But I would not bet the ranch on it. Fans of what’s considered traditional, old school, tannic Bordeaux wine will like this a lot more than I did.
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mature Bordeaux wine evening (Wine-Bar, Nahalat Binyamin, TLV): dark red-purple-black. classic good St. Julien aroma of leather, floral earthiness with red & black forest fruits. Med-full bodied, pleasant mid palate, dark red fruits and cassis, good acidity, slightly mineral, soft & gentle tannins, med-long finish. Very enjoyable but low value for money.
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20 Vintages of Château Léoville Las Cases: Appeared somewhat closed, but wonderful black fruit and bonfire smoke on the nose; the mouth does not deliver completely what the nose promised, albeit a fine finish.
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Last of my LLC bottles for this vintage. Deep crimson, blackish core, very slight signs of aging. On the nose, slightly austere even after 2 hours in decanter, leather, crushed rocks, cassis and shy hints of flowers. Typical LLC suave attack on the palate, nice mid palate filled with dark red fruits and cassis, slight zest, medium to full bodied, good acidity, slightly mineral, but doesn't have that long finish that I love some much about this wine. Would need to revisit in 5 - 10 years if I replenish my stock.
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Good leather, tobacco and earth on the palette. Rather austere overall despite some sweetness of fruit. Disjoint and a bit clunky for an LLC. Disappointing.
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Non-blind. Dbl-decanted over 5 hrs. At Le Manoir (Hiroo, Tokyo). Impression: Outstanding with WOW! We found the nose shy with pure red fruits, as in tart cherry-cassis and some forest floor with wet leaves. On the palate this is an M-bodied, cherry-cassis style Bordeaux in the pure-berry-style. As Papies say: Gentle. However, it has a minor army of tannin and strength that will be released and transformed over the years. Not the greatest LLC, has poor-poor-poor and bleak QPR, but what can you do when you're in love? But ought to be noticeably better as a mature wine. (Also makes you wonder what some of the previous tasters got in their glasses.) (Wife: 91p.) 2 btls to go. Next one in approx 2020.
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This '98 Las Cases is a nicely structured, classic St. Julien claret with restrained black fruit, lead pencil and cedar notes and a long finish. It seems to be just entering its prime and classic Bordeaux lovers will enjoy immensely. Give it a 2 hour decant though as it takes some time to emerge as you might expect.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS #074; Bordeaux: St. Julien (By BS): Beautiful bouquet with dark as well as some red forest fruits and a beautiful dose of vanilla. On the palate a concentrated wine with beside the fruits, chocolate and coffee. Early maturity now and a beautiful and complex wine. 92+
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Decanted 3 hours before serving. Blackcurrant lead pencil fruit, but at the same time acidity and harsh tannin. The wine is not in balance. I kept a small bottle with screwcap for a few days but it didn´t improve. Already starting to decline? I expected more from this producer.
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Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): Much like the 99 we had earlier this week this has a pretty and open nose to start. Floral, cedar, light earthy notes . Very elegant wine quite accessible and enjoyable at the moment.Mid weight , good claret , gentle in a way and very pure. A touch dry. Pretty good for a 98 and we really liked it. 93
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Dark garnet. Nose of blackberry, cassis, graphite, leather, earth and oak. Ripe medium to full palate of blackberry, cassis, minerals, and toasty oak. Really big mid-palate. Excellent length. Sweet tannins. Unmistakably Bordeaux. Not fully mature.
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Deep dark ruby. Pencil lead, cassis, cherry and herbs. Abundant tannins very fine-grained but drying. Well-structured and concentrated medium body. Nicely balanced.
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This is just about mature, with ripe blackcurrant, plum and cherry fruit, some overtones of cedar and oak, good depth and a fresh, lively finish. Not the richest claret, in fact perhaps a touch lean in places, but it is certainly fine and may yet develop.
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The nose starts up with splash of strong cassis flavors. Then came in smoke, pencil shavings, blackberry and violette. Beautiful and elegant bordeaux nose if a little restraint. On the palate this las cases is totally elegant and maybe lacking in profoundness. Maybe its the vintage that was not especially great for the medoc. It is very complex however, with pencil shavings, cassis, blackberry, smoke, cigar box and sweet cherry. The more the time pass the better the wine got. I don't think the wine fully opened up over the course of our tasting. The wine still felt overly tannic as well.
This is clearly a great wine however.
92+
Voila !
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getting there and no rush to drink it yet as it only enters it's drinking window. Keeping hands off it for another 5 years might be a good idea. Jamie, thank you!
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Deep colour; intense, concentrated, fairly mature fruit; complex and long. The only negative was that it tired a bit and became a touch elderly, but the initial impression was very favourable.
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Unfortunately took this bottle to a restaurant so was not decanted or aerated for more than an hour, a pity as this was barely enough time for the wine to open up especially that the previous bottle we had before this bottle was a nice 1986 Beychevelle. I've had a variety of left bank 1998s to date and noticed these need at least 2-3 hours of aeration before they truly settle and open up. Won't make the same mistake with my remaining bottles.
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Outstanding wine. Decanted / aerated for 2 hours, beautiful dark ruby color, black at the core, excellent nose of black and dark red fruits, sweet tobacco, licorice. Velvety entry on the palate, full bodied, coats the palate with multiple layers of blackberries, blue berries, cassis, coffee and licorice and a long savoury finish. First growth quality!
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Decanted and drank over 3 hours. A very pretty nose of red fruit, some iron notes and leather. The nose was not huge, but present for sure. The palate matched with a clean silky texture, nice acidity, integrated tannin but with a somewhat shallow mid palate. For me, this did not get noticeably better with air, maybe slightly. In a good place right now, but will clearly hold for several years.
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Decanted for about 2 hours. Bricky ruby. Persistent nose of currant, cassis, forest floor, blackberry, and a hint of cedar. Smoothly textured layers of mulberry, red currant, moca, and tobacco on the palate, building slowly with air to yield a satisfying degree of concentration and sweet grip. Tannins serious but beginning to smooth off. Low-to-moderate acidity. Long, feathery finish with echoes of earth and red fruit. Not a blockbuster, but a class act perhaps in the middle of its drinking window.
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Beautifully balanced wine with pensil lead, ripe berries, smoke and a long finish. Won´t get much better in my opinion. And why wait? This is delicious!
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Black currant and blackberries crushed and combined beautifully oozing licorice and minerals in a soft velvet finish. Ready and willing to be drunk NOW.
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(Old note) Tight, complex and still young nose. Dark fruit, dark chocolate, toasty oak and almost coco-like hints. Strangely atypical. Full and tannic. Still young and tight palate. Quite shy. No blockbuster. Plum, cedar, sweet liquorice. No maturity notes. Will it ever bloom?
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Surprised by the youthful feel to this wine, firm and sturdy tannins, tight, muscular, chewy, chunky. Fruit is restrained and austere, closed. This wine is all about structure and terroir not fruit. This may not sound good to some, but I found it compelling. I thought this wine had reached the early part of its maturity but its not even close. One can only hope this wine integrates with more time.
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A classic bouquet of cassis, dark cherries emerged after an hour of decanting. Mouthfeel is lush yet slightly sour with delicate tannins leading into a decent and relatively long finish. It did take time for the nose to open up a bit but it never fully did to the extent I wished for. Has it reached a plateau? Probably, but the elegant/subtle structure makes this a highly enjoyable drink still. Overall slightly more austere than Poyferre.
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(Dinner at David & Jackie's) Opened for an hour but not decanted. Drank after a 89 Figeac which further emphasize the youth of this wine. It was tight, great structure and smooth but young. It was darkish ruby in colour, nose of dark fruits, some cherry and a hint of tobacco. Drinking tight but it shows it class and promises more with patience. Its still a young wine and I wont be opening my next bottle for 5+ yrs at least. 91 pts now but potential for far more as it evolves
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Leslie visits Cleveland - Part 1 (Loren's home): Slowly aired for around 6 hours. Ruby in color. The nose is nice with cassis, pencil lead and some tobacco. On the palate, this is a very good wine, but not the heights that LLC can reach. It is mature and the fruit is just starting to fade. A lot of complexity here, but it takes concentration to really pick out all the layers. Great match with the food. I did like this more than the crowd.
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See previous notes. Really on the sweet spot in many ways, only if you decant for at least two hours. More tobacco showing than before. Such a beautiful Las Cases for casual consumption. Enticing. Drink 2012 - 2030.
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The cork was half way stained but intact.Decanted for 2 hours.Seemed initially restrained.Reticent nose with some oak,pencil lead and dark fruit.Pretty oaky and harsh on the palate,giving some pencil lead and dark fruit.Perhaps brawny and masculine but rather monolithic and dull as well.Quite a disappointment given the price.This was either way too young or somehow defective,though it didn´t seemed corked to me.Reminded actually of some young and cheap oak smothered bdx.Won´t score it.
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Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): Full purple ruby colour. Slightly cheesey, herbaceous nose. Some discussion about corkiness. A bit mute to start with and then the corkiness is more obvious. A bit of a bruiser still beneath the taint.
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Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): A brawny wine but unexpectedly accessible. With more time we get really lush notes of wild berries, mulberry and cassis married with mocha and cedar/cigar box. Pauillacian in many ways but it was neverthelss outshown by the Figeac. This has a hidden floral element that the left bank successes of the vintage seem to have. I think in time it will emerge as a wonderful aspect of the wine.
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Dark red; closed nose to begin with, but opening up after a couple of hours - really changing during the evening from good to better to very good; concentrated, dark berries, rounded tannins, dense, masculine; evolving minute by minute
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Decanted for two hours using a funnel. See previous notes. I really enjoy the tannins - fruity and candied. Two years will not hurt, but if you do decide to consume this St. Julien goddess - please decant. A very androgynous wine. Drink 2012 -.
Drank along with '06 Novelty Hill (93 pts) & '04 Montrose (93 pts). This was the protagonist during the Cabernet episode.
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Wine dinner - Martindale Hall, Clare Valley SA. Awesome lineup: 82 Evangile, 85 Lafite, 86 Yquem, 86 Grange, 88 Meo-Carmuzet Nuits St Georges, 88 Grange, 90 Brunel Centenaire, 95 Dominus, 95 Monte Bello, 96 Hill of Grace, 98 Las Cases, 99 Leoville Barton, 02 Grange, 04 Cristom "Jessie", 04 Torbreck Run Rig.
Las Cases: cork in perfect nick. Double decant 4 hours prior to drinking. Colour inky black-purple. Initial nose of dark black fruits, tar, graphite and minerals. Palate of rich and brooding mulberries and blackberries, some charred meat and a hint of mintiness. Stern but fine tannic finish with tremendous length. A profound wine with its best yet to come.
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This time less interesting then the last one. cigar box, pepper and dark fruit including aromas. After 2 hours of decantation starts being less powerfull, and some flower aromas open up. Drink now - 2015
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decanted thrugh a vinturi 1 hour prior. the cork was pristine. the color fresh deep violet-red. classic bordeaux nose for me, no funk but cedar/camphor. Palate had the cool minerality of St Julien with cassis and balanced fruit. medium finish. top notch but somewhat stolid bordeaux.92
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Decanted for 1 1/2 hours, using a funnel. Dark violet with a garnet rim. Seductive black cherry, blackberry jam, hot mineral rocks and plumeria. As the wine opens, the nose does as well with a certain level of cadency. Very pretty. Great concentration for the vintage. This Medoc really shines in a year that wasn't so kind to a lot of the chateaux that were cabernet based and had to pick later, during the unfortunate rain. The tannins are juicy and candied-like. Nice 30 second+ finish. Still could use two more years of bottle time, yet with the right coaxing, can be rather enjoyable now. Drink 2012 -.
Las Cases: A Super-Second, which has been putting out First Growth quality every vintage since 1982. Only La-Mission Haut-Brion is in the same league, of the "non-First's" of the Left Bank. This is as good as the '98 Latour and just under the '98 Lafite. Justice would be achieved if this stupendous and exemplary terroir from St. Julien became a First Growth.
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1998 First Growths, Some SuperSeconds and Right Bank Equivalents (Goedhuis 2010 Charity Wine Dinner, Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane): Very dark, full colour (only Latour is comparable tonight). On the nose deep, dark & brooding; fruit and gravel are in there somewhere as well, along with Heathcliff and Gordon Brown. On the palate a very complete wine, well-balanced but reticent at this stage, the tannins still showing but in harmony with the fruit and the minerality. Feels slightly like a sleeping monster tonight, certainly it needs more time, but I think it will turn out very well in a somewhat austere way. A big wine.
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This time the nose and the taste matched up. The more it aired, the better the taste. This could perhaps be cellared another 10 years or more. It was incredible, but mostly the long cherry finish stands out.
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French Wine Tasting in Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C. (Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C.): What a difference with this wine. Much more substantial than the Ducru, much less "St. Julien". We are reminded that here we have a Pauillac imposter . But it is also sweet, in the sense that you get black cherry and cassis as jam like flavors, without the wine itself being jammy. Am I making sense here? Anyway, lots of chutzpah but also very structured. Another fine 1998 from the Left Bank (I am generally not a fan of Left Bank 1998s).
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Has entered maturity. Needs two or three more years and it will last decades. Mineral, especially in the mouth. Beautiful plum. Very good, still a little bit shy.
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Still showing deep colour intensity. Palate of rich cedar and black fruit. Tannins still quite firm and drying. Blackcurrant and mineral finish of 15 seconds+. Will look forward to trying my other bottle in 3 to 5 years. Very much a food wine at this time.
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Beautiful nose, with lots of dark and luscious fruit. The first taste, without decanting, was less forward, slightly tannic, earthy and bold, but somewhat less impressive than the gorgeous smell. An hour of decanting did not change my opinion of the taste, but just because it didn't live up to the stellar nose, didn't mean that the taste wasn't impressive. It was; quite.
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Dark ruby color with noticeable purple at the edges. The nose started off tight as expected, but really blossomed after a couple hours in the glass. Focused blueberry on the nose and palate. Palate shows a greater elegance and depth compared to other 98 left banks I have tried. Silky and long on the finish, this wine shows great potential. 94++
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This had a wow nose. I could not stop smelling it, and I feared the palate would not live up to the nose. As it turned out, the palate lacked the power that the nose exuded, but was still attractive with floral and fruit that became more lush with time in the glass. It had a beautiful finish, and was an ideal accompaniment to the baby lamb chops
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Deep dark ruby with nearly no rim. A subtle nose exhibits classic black currant accompanied by intense graphite and smoked cedar. Abundant, firm tannins are fine-grained and fully integrated in the medium full body. This wine is still youthful and displays outstanding concentration. Drink to 2030.
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This wine comes with an unbelievable great nose of earth and fruit and just everything. This is why you need the Riedel Bordeaux - you can't stop to put your nose deep into it. (for me a 99pts nose)! However the wine seems to be to young still, somehow closed even after 2 hours of decanting. A nice stony, grahite taste. Good balance and indeed enjoyable but would expect more in some years time... hence would revisit the wine only in 2-3 years.
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classic claret in a year not renowned for the left bank. This wine drank well, with a nose of restrained fruit, mushrooms and loam. Mouthfeel was medium bodied, zippy acid on the front, and crushed rocks and fruit coating the midpalate. Hindpalate was with hints of coffee and earth. Finish was moderate.
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Ripe cassis nose with an overdose of charred oak. Leather and chocolate. Fullbodied and concentrated intense palate with dark fruit and again a shitload of mocha oak. Long and straightforward aftertaste. Unpleasent. Needs a whole lot of time. And will it eventually surface as a winner? I sure wouldn't bet on it.
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Bought 10 months before serving. Aromatically closed until decanted for an hour, then St. Julien expressions of cassis, dark cherry, and lead pencil emerge in abundance. Very youthful in appearance, but not overly concentrated, with a medium-full mouthfeel, and tannins starting to integrate. Long finish, and delicious. I would expect this 11 year young Bordeaux to run another 5 years before full maturity, and have more than a decade in reserve. Such deliberate, long-lived wines are a treat. Compared to the 2004, the latter is more concentrated with subjectively higher quality fruit. Both are on the market in the $100-120 range, and are great for the cellar or the table.
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Tied w/ Lafite for first amongst the 11 Bordeaux in this tasting of thirty five + wines from 1998. Possibly WOTN. Heady, sexy nose, great texture, and some classic flavors with the kind of lingering finish that just makes you close your eyes and wish the earth could stop spinning for a bit. We've had deeper wines from better years, but dang this is is good!
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With the possibility to get them at a very good price, I decided to open one to check on their condition for potential additional buys. Of course, as you would expect this is very very young and was tight as hell when opened. After 2h in decanter, it started showing some signs of what a fine wine it will be in a few years. Dark ruby red, elegant and fruity nose with plenty of red crushed berries with mineral notes. Some smoky and earthy notes started to show after 4 hours. Med body, fresh acidity, smooth tannins, structured and elegant, rather fruit forward for the moment with light mineral and smoky notes, it needs some time to develop but looks great with an already quite lenghty finish. Don't touch for another 6-8 years minimum.
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Inky purple color with an aroma of cherries and dark raspberry. Smoke and graphite circle the rich concentrated fruit. Balanced and delicious in the mouth.
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The scent of the wine was outstanding as always. Lead-pencil, smoke, blackberries and flowers. Too bad the taste is still slightly out of balance in my opinion. Not as much as last year as I tasted this but this wine was in a better state a couple of years ago... I think it´s going to be back in form in 5 years. But still very classy and always a pleasure to taste. Decanted 3 hours.
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Crown Fall 07 Upscale Tasting (Boca Raton, FL): Still some tannins to resolve with more time, but drinking OK now, with nice complexity and intensity, with prominent notes of graphite, stones, and dark fruit.
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This wine is drinking beatifully but tastes like it has plenty of legs to remain in the cellar. Great concentrated fruit, silky mouthfeel and wonderful finish.
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Drank this along with the 1998 Clos du Marquis. This definitely had more tannins and a more complex mid-palate. On the next day, it held up better the Clos du Marquis. IMO, for 1/3 the price, I would go with the Clos du Marquis.
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(at The Modern – NYC) Classic bordeaux. Took a good fifty minutes to show itself. Black current, smoke and stones on the nose. Full, but reserved flavors on the palate. An early drinking vintage for this wine, but is certainly las cases in breed. (91)
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Farewell to a Friend: This wine is incredibly classy. The aromas of pencil shavings, iodine, graphite, gravel and juicy blackberry really burst out of the glass. The palate is serious and youthful, but has superior balance and is a delicious joy to drink. Great length and so open and enjoyable compared to what I had imagined that it may be and it still has the potential to get better.
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Nice deep red, bright floral bouquet, med bodied, very acidic and tannic still...Drank fairly quickly in a pop and pour mode through dinner so I would've like to have tried a glass after 4 hours as the fruit was there and it seemed to be a layered complex wine, albeit a bit tangled up
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Dinner and Fine, Aged Wine at Le Francais (Wheeling, IL): Dark ruby to purple color with an open nose of red currants and spice. Palate is full of currants, cedar, green herbs and earth (love that flavor profile). Good fruit levels and bright supporting acid. Very nice - especially given the vintage.
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This wine is as good as any Bordeaux that I have tasted. Very well-balanced, and firm tannins that soften with time in the glass. It has concentrated black fruit character and nice minerality. It tastes to me as if it is just reaching the beginnig of its drinking age, and will likely continue to get better for several years.
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I thought this was a second wine when I drank it. I kept thinking it was maybe the best bordeaux I had had to date with the exception of needing a bit more age. It had rich dark fruit flavors dominated by black cherry. Charcoal, graphite and gravel. I couldn't detect any tobacco or leather yet. Wish I had a few more bottles to cellar.
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Decanted 6 hours in advance of drinkiing. Very dark ruby red. A blast of very pure, very powerful cassis aroma comes from the decanter immediately. Later in the glass, the nose is more subdued (maybe I should have skipped the decanting?), but the Cabernet aromas of cassis and graphite are still there, with the faintest suggestion of tobacco and leather on the nose indicating that this wine is just beginning to come around. In the mouth, there are more indications that this wine is just beginning to transform, with the powerful, brightly delineated Cabernet flavors showing signs of the intensification and brightening that comes with bottle age. The attack of this wine is quite impressive, but the follow through seems to be missing something--almost like those scenes in Star Wars where they hit the button to go in to hyper-space, only to hear a grinding noise as their space ship fails to deliver. In fact, this wine is somewhat surprising in the way that it combines an initial attack with real definition and flavor intensity, only to have this followed by a short finish. Still, the mid-palate expression is very good, so I am left wondering what to think of this wine...
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Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Dark opaque red. The nose showed lead pencil and pain grille. This was full bodied and tasted of ripe red fruit. This was still tannic and had a nice lingering finish.
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Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque purple robe and purple rim. Clean nose, showing moderately-intense earth, cedar, minerals, pencil and blackberries. High acidity and medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ample but very well-integrated tannins. Similar flavors as nose. Long, smooth finish. Very nice now, but destined to improve with patience.
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1/21/2024 - bon vivant wrote: 93 Points
Very different from the 1989 we had SBS with this tonight. A bit muted and closed upon opening but with a sold core of stuffing so this went through a good 2.5-3 hr decant before consumption which was a good start. At that point I found it more approachable then the 1995 we had in late December. Overall a solid bottle with red and black fruit and nicely developed secondary scents and flavors, cigar box cedar and tobacco and Autumn leafs, leather all with a good medium body and an old school style Bordeaux which kept getting better with the last sip several hrs later the most enjoyable. A bit more roundness and plushness would have brought this into the league of the better vintages, but a nice effort nonetheless for a though year in the left bank. A good bet for current consumption and relative value.
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1/7/2024 - spendergast Likes this wine: 95 Points
An elegant wine with notes of black raspberry, cassis, cedar and graphite. Tannins are well integrated and this wine has a nice mouthfeel and long finish. Still youthful. Paired with grilled sirloin steaks.
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12/28/2023 - djhammond wrote: 95 Points
Although a few hours of decanting is needed, this is unusually forward for the estate. Taste profile is as per previous note.
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12/28/2023 - wineton.mee wrote: 92 Points
Palate fatigue kind of hit me by this bottle. I remember this as a very correct left bank, with plenty of fruit, not criminally young to drink but definitely youthful, and rather polished and poised. Now thinking back, these were classic indicators of Las Cases in an average vintage.
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12/26/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 92 Points
Boxing day at Caroline's: Didn't realise I had this a couple of times before, but guessed at least got the ballpark of the vintage right this time as I thought it to be from the late '90s/early '00s. Slightly more modern and unready than the previous two experiences, dark cassis and blackcurrant fruit. Didn't really move me.
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12/26/2023 - spjt01@aol.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tannins still firm -still developing with a hard finish.
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12/26/2023 - Tao wrote: 95 Points
Sleeping in my wine fridge for more than two decades! Decant it for about an hour, dark ruby colour, strong aroma of cedarwood cabinet, spicy, sweet nutty black fruits! The palate is deep, rich, slightly tight, and a little spicy! The journey had just begun with at least more than two decades to go! Definitely a great classic.
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12/17/2023 - AJCowen Likes this wine: 98 Points
This needed every bit of 6 hours of decanting. Once it opened, beautiful balance of structure, acid and cassis. Wine is in a perfect drinking window right now. Just give it plenty of time to breathe.
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12/6/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: flawed
Lots of prunes and cooked fruit on the nose, overripe with a touch of oxidation. Not sure it was a representative bottle. I am very very sensitive to this in a Bordeaux and since overripness/oxidation is not something that wine makers seek in this region, I always consider it a flaw.
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12/3/2023 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose a bit quiet but only open about an hour or so. I get nice dark fruits minerality. Aged leather. Lovely palate. Integrated dark fruits, cedar, sweet leather. Long finish. 93
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11/15/2023 - F1NUT wrote: 80 Points
Bottle was not flawed (I know cork taint and Brett) but the wine seemed very tired. A lot of cigar box and fine leather with very little fruit. Any fruit was nondescript and lacking berry type characteristics - perhaps if anything tasting of oxidation. From other notes I suspect this bottle was not cellared well and it was also in my view a mistake to serve it with cheese which didn't help the wine show any of its remaining merit. I'm scoring it nonetheless as researchers need to be aware that not all bottles come out of the cellar in perfect condition.
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9/23/2023 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
As left bank Bordeaux goes, this was pretty classic and for me, emblematic of the vintage which always shows a tiny bit of volatile acidity and ballpoint pen/inkwell nuances. It is dark fruited with blackberry and black currant without any roasted notes and remains in excellent balance. This could go another 5 to 10 years with ease but the tannins are melted and supple now.
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7/1/2023 - Brian Glas wrote: flawed
Sadly corked. I still got some decent fruit and this would have been outstanding if not flawed. Why they still use cork is beyond me. Screw cap or diam would be better
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6/30/2023 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: flawed
Sadly corked.
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6/23/2023 - Luckey Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired with tenderloin filet and mushrooms, with about 1 hr of decanting. Completed head to head with ‘98 Lynch Bages, and the Lynch Bages was the clear winner this night. The nose on the Las Cases was completely absent for the first 30 minutes of decanting, after which it began to open up beautifully. The mouth was dominated by tertiary flavors, with little remaining fruit. It was a fine wine that stood up well to the dinner and didn’t require excess decanting time, but it would have been better remembered if it didn’t have competition. At half the price (current auction prices) of the Las Cases, I’m hunting for Lynch Bages for this vintage.
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5/29/2023 - Eriklainen wrote:
I forgot I had this before and couldn't resist. But judging from my last record this bottled had fared better. Does all tricks in the aged Bordeaux-book and leaves you content, if not flabbergasted.
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2/16/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Unusually forward for a Las Cases, with the tannin already tamed, this is already drinking superbly with a couple of hours in the decanter to blow off some initial greenness. 1998 really belonged to the right bank in Bordeaux, but Las Cases was one of the few left bank highlights. Taste profile is as per previous notes, and this should stay at this level for at least another decade.
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1/8/2023 - Sticks62 wrote: 94 Points
Ok
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12/10/2022 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
8th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, bit more monolithic and tight than January's outstanding bottle, all the right elements and usual LLC class, upside yet, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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10/17/2022 - mighl Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent balance with a beautiful nose. Drinking well right now.
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9/24/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 93 Points
Felix's birthday celebration: Only had a small taste of this. Incredibly pure and vibrant fruit for a weaker vintage. Tasted much younger than it actually was, and I thought this was from a stronger year like 2005. EDIT: Just realised I had this wine before and had very similar impressions. Also guessed a warm vintage the last time but on this occasion the greenness wasn't apparent.
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7/31/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic Bordeaux palate and nose. Elegance and depth, great balance of fruit and structure. Given this is Las Cases I had expected the structure to be more prominent but this had a surprising amount of fruit (damson and blueberry) that was able to carry the structure and give a lot of pleasure today. Long and complex, can drink now and will last for another 20 years.
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6/15/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Beautiful black currant fruit to the nose with a touch of a savory. More on the savory right now, but still going strong and delicious. Lower alcohol and no harsh tannins.
In Bordeaux, the tannins are not covered by sweetness.
In the end of 1998 it was rainy. But its beautiful to drink now and doesn't show a crumbling tannic structure or fading away. Going strong now I am being told. He notes it could go another 10 - 15 years. All their wines are built to age slowly.
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5/19/2022 - Eriklainen wrote:
Big nose and it’s all there - cassis, graphite and cedar. But the fruit is thinning and both alcohol and acid is starting to poke out. Watery at the end this bottle was sourced from the chateau 2017. I wouldn’t keep this any longer. And I would have food with it
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4/23/2022 - jacobg wrote: 95 Points
Drink in 5-10 years
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4/8/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 93 Points
1 hour decant
Great nose of tobacco, bramble, dark red crushed fruit, and smoke. Palate has a dash of bright strawberry, not much tannin but a heavy handed dose of acidity and flair. Finish is medium and fair. I quote like this but blind there is no chance I could guess Saint Julien.
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2/5/2022 - HFLED Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a 375. Nice wine, though not super concentrated : complex.
Fairly light colored, wouldn’t thin this a cab based wine. Nose is very red fruit, cedar, tomatoes, touch of Smokey wood. Palate also quite red fruit dominant with a touch of green pepper and spice. Very nice acidity and pleasant finish. No noticeable tannins.
Definitely less concentrated and more red fruited than other LLC I’ve had, seems almost a touch diluted. Could easily be mistaken for a heavier pinot or northern Rhône wine. Despite this it’s quite nice and mellow and drinking well now.
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1/23/2022 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
7th of 12, opened 2 hours then decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, back on top form and rounding out nicely and surprisingly accessible for LLC of this age, cassis, cedar and other usual secondaries, sweetish quite creamy/soft mid palate, usual length and persistence and class, some upside, longish life, if not cut from quite the same cloth as 96, 90, 86 and 82 etc. F+ (18).
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12/6/2021 - GuWin wrote: 94 Points
BYO Litteraturhuset (Litteraturhuset i Oslo): Dyp, mørk og tett farge uten tegn til aldring. Sødmefull duft av solbær, blyantspiss (bly) og hint av lakris. Ungdommelig på duft. Sødmefullt anslag, meget fruktig, nesten leskende, samtidig tung og fyldig. Den slår til med imponerende kraft og god "punch". Kveldens røde
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11/25/2021 - HarveyManfrenjensenden Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine just keeps getting better. Decanted for 2 hours and then further time in the glasses, a much better experience than my previous encounters.
I wasn't much of a fan of this vintage in the past but it has developed considerable nuance and was really quite a delight.
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10/28/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is surprisingly evolved for a Las Cases, but it does need about 3 hours in the decanter to lose its initial greenness. However, once this is blown off it is a wonderful wine and not typical of the estate. Red cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and cedar notes are rich on the nose and palate. The tannin has sweetened and it is silky on the mouth with a good balanced finish. I could almost imagine I was drinking a Palmer if I closed my eyes. A lot of the left bank wines from 1998 are beginning to drink at their peak, and I do question whether this wine can stay at its best for longer than 5 or 10 years.
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9/26/2021 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was my second bottle. When opened, the nose was a bit reticent so left it to decant for 30 mins and then poured it back into the bottle. This was the last wine of the night and got to breathe for about 2 hrs in the bottle and developed too much greenness on the nose. It was a bit offputting but further aeration in the decanter mellowed out the greenness a bit but it didn't blow off completely. I think this is a bottle variation as the last bottle I didn't have this issue.
On the palate, it had impeccable concentration and balance. It is drinking at its peak which I think will hold easily for 5-7 years. This is one of the best Las Cases for current consumption given the price is more affordable than 1990 and other big vintages (which is still my WOTY). 93+ 2 points if this was a better bottle with limited greenness.
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9/25/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Dinner at Dibbs's: The awfully green nose reminded me of the Sassicaia 1999 I had a month back but I placed this as a left-bank Bordeaux based on the classic palate that didn't betray much sweetness. I guessed this was a warm vintage from the ripeness of fruit so combining this with the greenness I went for Sociando 03 - oops.
It's funny how both Las Cases I've had so far did not play up to the stereotype of Las Cases being never ready. On the contrary, the 90 and this were full of juicy, ripe red fruits and silky tannins, rather the imposing structured monster that I've been led to believe. Impeccable balance and a richness to the palate that underscored its pedigree, just that the greenness both on the nose and the palate (less so) was rather distracting.
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8/1/2021 - phgnan wrote: 96 Points
Currently one of the best bordeuax I have ever had. A wine that lived up to the high expectations placed on it. Really intense nose. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon gave a predominance of dark berry fruit and underbrush with cedar, tobacco and spicy fruit framework. Very full in the mouth with well balanced tannins. Very prolonged and intense persistence.
Wine that won over a friend who is not a Cabernet Sauvignon lover.
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7/8/2021 - gsomers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Our first LLC. Decanted, poured an hour later and drank over the next couple of hours. Was surprised at how young it tasted. Fruity, but not weighty, it was light like a pinot while retaining the characteristic bdx nose. The promise of the nose was offset with minor disappointment of the mouthfeel and mid-palate flavors. The finish though was long and satisfying. All in all, I'd have to say we opened it too soon. The flavor today won't turn south anytime soon. My guess is that it's at a plateau. Only time will tell if improvement is on the horizon. Still a very enjoyable 93, but not the blockbuster we were hoping for.
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5/19/2021 - josephkolinsky Likes this wine: 95 Points
Oh Dear Lord. To say this wine is deep is a HUGE understatement. Decant it. Let it breathe. Then just sit back and let the vino coat your tongue like a soft blanket on a cold January night. Pair it with something with something with a kick to it, like a medium rare steak with salt & black pepper rub.
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4/21/2021 - plitton wrote:
Larry and Nancy's Bordeaux Dinner (University Club, Chicago): Pencil shavings in the nose. Dark in the glass. Hint of cedar and forest floor. Smells young and foreshadows great aging potential. Delicate but a tight.
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4/8/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
This is developed well over the wines, putting on more weight and complexity. Now, you find a ready-to-go Las Cases delivering a complex set of aromatics; black and red currants, smoke, cigar box, wet earth, cedar, and tobacco. The wine is full, firm, stoic and also fresh. Classic in style, the finish is all about its freshness and lifted characteristics that come along with its chewy, bright, red, spicy fruits. An hour or 2 of air will help. The wine blends 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, 12.9% ABV.
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2/7/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
First bottle from a full case purchased at auction in 2007. Pristine condition. Not decanted, opened four hours in advance. Medium deep ruby red, youthful for age, very little browning at the edges; classic Saint-Julien nose, cedar and tobacco, good fruit and minerally freshness, perfectly integrated oak, youthful; the vibrant palate is medium-bodied, on the lighter side for LLC, both in body and flavour intensity, with sticky but finely grained tannins; lovely blackcurrant fruit on the finish, with a whiff of green. A good rather than great LLC, on its plateau of maturity with no end in sight. In fact, it may surprise us in 10 years' time...
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1/27/2021 - djhammond wrote: 95 Points
This is an early developer for the estate which is notorious for its glacial pace towards majority, and is far more forward than the previous wines in 1990s. It is a wonderful drink, and is firmly in its drinking window, but still needs a few hours in the decanter to enjoy it at its best. It is a deep nose packed with blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry with dark fruits, tobacco and cedar on the palate. The tannin is robust but perfectly balanced, and complex and multi layered. The finish does not quite match the rest of the wine, and while perfectly integrated, is on the shorter side. It will continue to develop, but this is open for business with adequate aeration.
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12/29/2020 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours. Firmly structured Medoc with plentiful ripe acid, leather, white pepper, granite, very long finish. An intellectual and masculine wine from a winery known for slow development. This is a broad-shouldered drink with plenty of savory flavor and will appeal much more to Rhone lovers than to Napa cultists.
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12/12/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Another Sat Night @ RV!: See previous notes. Tonight's bottle is drinking much younger than the previous ones tasted. In fact, this tasted younger than the 2001 drank alongside tonight. So good!
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10/29/2020 - RN Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark and very dense - hallmark of las Cases. Decanted 2-3hrs but just kept opening as it was drunk indicating it needs a lot of air. Despite the year a lot of weight still to this wine. Feels more Paulliac than Saint Julien. Now nicely integrated with soft tannins despite the wines overall density. Complex and long.. unfortunately my last bottle.
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8/13/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 92 Points
this is lovely - certainly needs decanting, it grows in the glass - mature, long and complex, it may well get better - no rush
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6/6/2020 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
6th of 12, decanted 3 hours, perfect cork and level, fab structure and nuance if a little hollow against pheasant (seemed to need more sweetness mid palate), much more to it and somehow sweeter against goat's cheese, so as so often final glass the best, still a tad on austere side, scope yet to show more though not the longevity of a 96 if ahead of the 99. F+ (18).
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4/3/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
One last dance (before CB) @ CHL: See previous notes
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3/24/2020 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 95 Points
Ripe black currants, blackberries, dark chocolate kirsch. Dried tobacco leaves and cedar cigar box. Medium + body. Tannins are pretty chilled out. Pair with a nice steak
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3/10/2020 - Ianjaig wrote: 90 Points
(GG Tasting, 1 Glass) - Closed nose, sweeter than the 04 or 09, much shorter finish, a tad thinner (?)
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1/29/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This had closed down a year ago after drinking fabulously, but it now seems to be coming through this dumb phase and taking on complexity on the palate again. In many ways it is a very untypical Las Cases in that it is very fruit driven and developed for its age. The nose is all about blackcurrant, black cherry and subtle hints of vanilla, with tobacco, dark fruits, and cedar dominating the palate. The tannin is robust but well balanced, and while displaying good development has improvement ahead of it. The finish pushes 30 seconds and is harmonious with a lingering flavour of mint. This benefitted from a few hours in the decanter, and is very approachable now, but will continue to mature.
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1/6/2020 - danckie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Cherry, red fruit, graphite, cassis. Smooth tannins.
Elegant, quite nicely aged. more than enjoyable but nonetheless lacking some complexity. Difficult vintage of course. And the price for this vintage is not as steep as bigger vintages. All true. I just can’t help thinking that there should be a better deal Out there for €130,-. Had a hard time scoring this. I don’t see the high scores giving here before me. I’m sticking with 91, possibly 92.
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12/24/2019 - Jamie Manley wrote: 93 Points
A fine wine for sure, but also a little frustrating. If this could just turn the corner to complexity/development it would be mind blowing. Beautiful black cherry, cassis, and oak on the nose and palate with a very long and velvet finish. Not much else...maybe a touch of pencil and tobacco. It displays the pedigree of Las Cases in structure and class, but is just short on tangible delineation of the wave of flavors that we all love. LLC can be so frustrating, you drink an amazing 85 or 90, and then get whacked on the palate by a stubborn 86, 95, 96...I still prefer Ducru and Gruaud Larose from St Julien.
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11/6/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2nd try: Nose of black fruits, tobacco leaves, green pepper. Tasted black fruits, mint leaves, pencil shavings, with tobacco and green pepper tertiaries. Long menthol finish. Fine tannins. Structured and elegant. Classic Bordeaux. Enjoyed this thoroughly again. Open now
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10/18/2019 - Jumbo-Jet Likes this wine: 95 Points
Elegantly balanced scent of cedarwood, sawdust, paper, pepper, tobacco leaves, vanilla and black berries. If this was available as an Eau de Parfum I would wear it.
On the palate medium to light bodied black berry entrance followed by a fair bit of greenery and strong black tea sitting in the middle of the taste experience like a bitter obstacle. The beautiful thing about this is though that once you have scaled it the kinetic energy acquired launches you into an incredibly long super dry, sparkling and inspiring finish. Tannins are sticky and just at the perfect intensity. Fruit remains strictly in the background.
I figure you have to approach this with heightened senses and an appreciation for character. This is not the Justin Bieber of Bordeaux wines, neither is it a vintage that will stand out in vertical or horizontal tastings but it has its own old-school class. The quality focus of its producers is apparent throughout.
Lastly, at its current age there seems to be quite a bit of bottle to bottle variation. I tasted a total of three bottles in the last two months and all were different in the quality of the wood aromas and the intensity of the green. I would rate them 97, 93 and 94. Thats an 95 on average.
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7/5/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Black fruits, truffle, wet stones bouquet. Tasted black fruits, mint leaves, truffles, gravel, wet stones, with tobacco and pepper tertiaries. This is rather fruit forward and unlike other LLCs I’ve tasted, but not in a bad way. In fact, the crowd enjoyed it and definitely top 3 tonight, alongside Palmer 1995 and LLC 2006. Long menthol and mint leaf finish which goes on and on. Structured. Good stuff. In its prime now so open up.
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7/2/2019 - Stefan75 wrote: 92 Points
From Mag, no decant, in direct comparison to 2001 Comtesse seemed a bit tired already on the palate (or I was abit tired already). Last Bordeaux of the night, I slightly preferred the Comtesse
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6/22/2019 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Dinner@BA: Blind. A more lifted, expressive nose than the 95 alongside, tenor versus baritone. A little firmer on the palate, still a little surly and needing time to unfurl properly. Lots here though, but feels a little off the pace cf the 95. ****
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5/26/2019 - ZaphodB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Amazing wine with a beautiful aroma with lots of fruit and pencil shave. Mouthfeel is just amazing with Cabernet notes of black currants, pencil shave and deep and lovely fruit.
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5/18/2019 - Bernt Olav wrote: 93 Points
Luftet i 3 timer før konsum. Klassisk farge med svakt begynnende oransje kant. Fantastisk aroma med modent tilsnitt og elementer av lær, espresso, sigar, solbær, blåbær, cola og sjokolade. I munn har den god konsentrasjon, tydelige, men integrerte tanniner. Finner de samme elementene som i aroma. Stor vin som dekker hele munnen(har ikke ett bedre ord). Sitter lenge. God "old school" Bordeaux.
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4/20/2019 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
5th of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle in 12/17, flavour profile similar to 96 on same night, though slightly less to the 98, if further along its maturity curve and the better drink on the night, both still very much on the cassis fruit with secondaries yet to develop. F+ (18).
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3/29/2019 - Rezy13 wrote:
Darker color with brick rim; incense, Bordeaux funk, green pepper, cigar tobacco, cedar, a bit of chocolate shows good richness for a more difficult year; the palate doesn’t deliver what the nose suggests, cedary tannin, a touch more lean in the fruit dept., feels a bit hollow acidic and on the edge of aging out.
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2/20/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
I've scored this a couple of points lower than a year ago, as it seems to have slightly closed down. It still is remarkably forward for the estate, with deep aromas of blackcurrant, cedar and old leather. It has exceptional balance on palate and a lengthy harmonious finish. However, the palate has become a little tight, and I think I will leave it another year to come through this dumb phase.
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2/7/2019 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
bright red colour - very little fading
Smells so classically claret, red fruit and pencil shavings
Firm tannins, this is quite austere but rather marvellous at the same time. There's lovely fruit underneath and it's so fresh and vibrant. Hard to believe this is 21 years old. I think it might be immortal.
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1/31/2019 - J o e wrote: 92 Points
13% ABV. Deep red with no lightening at the rim. The first bottle was corked, but the second displayed aromas of cassis, leather, pipe tobacco and aromatic herbs. On the palate, there is medium body, lots of minerals, blackcurrants, red cherries and earth. Still lots of tannin on the long, refreshing finish. This is just entering its early drinking window, and I suspect that more bottle age will be quite beneficial here. A classic and thoroughly enjoyable—if somewhat old school—Bordeaux. 92.
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1/12/2019 - walkerjfw wrote: 92 Points
With K&O, vertical of Leoville Las Cases with other wines sprinkled in...This had a brief decant, drank over a couple hours.
Dark red/purple core. Nose of dark fruits, pencil shaving, mushroom and saline notes. Palate showing blackberry, currant, mineral,earth notes. Medium weight and finish.
The wine is still a bit backward at this stage, would have benefited from a much longer decant on this tasting. Definitely has a way to go, would probably be best to try again in a few years. Wine has upside but would let it rest
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12/3/2018 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 93 Points
Epitome of young unsmoked cigar. Great but better in another 20 years .... and it's already 20 years old.
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11/25/2018 - PIntag wrote:
This bottle had not been stored properly for any portion of it's life, according to the friend who had it, so I didn't have high hopes for it.
It actually turned out to be very lovely and not at all compromised. A beautiful and elegant Bordeaux.
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6/24/2018 - Burgundynick wrote: 93 Points
Very similar to Marquis Du vin's comments, sadly it was my last bottle, he has 1 left! 93 points
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6/20/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:
Joanne Bordeaux Trip 2018 (Bordeaux): (Limited Notes and no official scores, as this was blind tasting with Jean Hubert Delon.) The '98 whet our appetites for what was to come, showing its class in spades. It's drinking beautifully already, yet still quite youthful for it's age. There's a richness here that coated the palate with chewy dark fruits, yet ended fresh and refined.
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6/7/2018 - Marquis du Vin wrote: 95 Points
Twenty years and still kicking... Drank to celebrate our 15th anniversary last night. Plenty of rich red fruits, smooth tannins great balance of finesse and acidity... I'd say it's drinking extremely well right now... Old style Bordeaux at its best, you can taste the history here! Cabernet Franc is apparent on the mid to end pallet... This was always one of my favorite QPR vintages, and for the best of wines, which this clearly is, still standing and very enjoyable. I had 3 in my cellar as of 2015, popped one then and it seems to be as good as it was 3 years ago.. One left!
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6/6/2018 - brianngibson wrote: 93 Points
Drank to celebrate 20th anniversary. 8 bottles left for future celebrations. I was surprised by how dark it was at 20. Thought it might be gett8ng a little bricking, but no. Graphite, currants, cedar box. A fine wine with plenty left.
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5/2/2018 - redknife wrote:
cork was totally saturated opened it before going to Ruth's Chris with Sam and the baby
Decanted for 30 mins; not great but approachable
Bottle may have been a little off
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4/18/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
As per previous note, at present this is out drinking the 1995 and 1996, and is surprisingly advanced for the estate. The fruit is very forward but not overwhelming with typical dark berry flavours. The tannin is sweetened but still keeping a typical steeliness, and there are excellent layers of complexity with an almost perfect balance and a good 20+ seconds finish. This is absolutely ready to be enjoyed now with some time in the decanter, but will continue to develop and should be drinking at its peak for the next decade.
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2/28/2018 - RicardoLevy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Has been in my cellar since new. Took 2 hours to open up. Thereafter was delightful. Went well with Tete d'mua cheese and then even good with Teriyaki chicken!
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2/21/2018 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:
£70/glass at 67 Pall Mall. Deep and long, seamless rather than complex
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12/31/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
4th of 12, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, just lost in shoot out v more elegant and complex, if lighter, Ducru 98. A tad more generous than my August note but still backward (as befits LLC). On a 10 year view this may well develop into the better wine as the underlying complexity can be perceived if currently overwhelmed by the energy of the fruit. F+ (18).
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12/13/2017 - Jamie Manley wrote: 93 Points
A fine wine for the vintage, I believe that this is one of the top left bank wines of 1998. Classic Las Cases, if missing some of the complexity of 85 and 90. Cassis, graphite, tobacco, and earth on the nose, I am not sure if there is any future development left. On the palate it is a typical LLC with big structure and a very long finish. If it gained some complexity on the palate this wine would really reach another level. Probably won't happen, but still a really enjoyable wine. 93+ Pts
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12/5/2017 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Deep. Meat smoke. Savory green wood. Savory. Some green. This is quite foursquare and earnest. Decent, but completely uninspiring. 12.5/20.
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11/13/2017 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Drank in Paris. First learning was it is not just 'Las Cases' with them but the Leoville is in fact quite important to put in front. Overall I thought this was a fine wine. There was quite a bit of less positive feedback from the group I was tasting with, but to me it was kindof a standard aged Bordeaux. Not really a standout, but nothing wrong with it either. Fruit faded, but still hints. Lots of the leather and cigar bar, etc. Totally fine.
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8/26/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
3rd of 12, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, still youthful and primary, but with LLC class and quality of fruit, very cassis yet, hint of silk, nice balancing acidity makes it almost refreshing, otherwise as my December '15 note. Should improve from current F+ (18).
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8/25/2017 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a deep dark red at its core with Ruby red tones at the edges. Nose of wood shavings. Full bodied. Surprisingly tannic. This will last decades.
Drink now to 2040
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8/24/2017 - dream wrote: 92 Points
Tobacco, gravel and cedar on the nose. Still firm on the palate but there are fine flavors of black fruits, gravel and licorice. This is a nice medium-bodied vintage of LLC that still needs time as the tannins are still formidable. 92+
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7/26/2017 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderfully aromatic out of the bottle, vanilla, blackberry, black currant, raspberry, cherry, all very smooth, and a veritable fruit basket perfectly blended. Pure and balanced in the mouth and through the finish. Subtle licorice and cassis make this classic a delight. Needs decanting and time to open and reveal all it has to give.
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7/15/2017 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
Fairly deep colour; elegant, forward nose; soft, attractive, blackcurrant fruit, slightly creamy, with medium plus intensity and good length. A very stylish wine, which has shed some of its earlier burliness to give a fine claret, probably at its best about now.
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7/3/2017 - ocfriday Likes this wine: 94 Points
I agree with:
6/24/2017 - rmodak wrote: 93 Points
Drinking at peak. Cassis that comes across as rather red fruited with silky mouthfeel and refined tannins. Secondary traits are more floral than mineral, with a hint of herbs, but this is very well balanced and utterly satisfying.
Except a 94 - great old world taste and smell - what a treat!
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6/24/2017 - rmodak wrote: 93 Points
Drinking at peak. Cassis that comes across as rather red fruited with silky mouthfeel and refined tannins. Secondary traits are more floral than mineral, with a hint of herbs, but this is very well balanced and utterly satisfying.
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6/23/2017 - cct wrote: 93 Points
A complete coincidence to be served blind against the 89 Leoville barton
An eerily similar nose, but a little more red fruited and perfumed than the elder Leoville Barton. Beautiful and understated with more finesse. Cassis, pencil shaving and some wet bricks. Drinking at peak. More grace and finesse than the Barton, maybe painted with a slightly finer brush. Both showing terrifically.
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5/26/2017 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep and dark in the glass; almost black. An incredible nose that is surprisingly floral and filled with perfume. Soft and velvety in the mouth with well integrated tannins. Just at the start of its drinking window which should last a couple of decades. Drink now to 2030+
*Drank to celebrate the birth of my son.
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5/25/2017 - fcxj wrote: 86 Points
Not a lot of stuffing. Just ok.
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5/23/2017 - Burgundynick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wine tasting with 10 others and this was a very good bottle and everyone agreed. It was still dark with lots of blackcurrant a bit of pencil shavings and cedarbox. It was still fresh and had a bit of tannin left to resolve, but it was full and had fruit and structure. This has still got 10 years plus on it. 93 points.
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2/24/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Surprisingly evolved for a Las Cases at this age, it is definitely ready to be drunk and appreciated to the full, and easily out drinking the 1995 and 1996 at this stage. Heady with aromas of blackcurrent, blackberry, and cassis, on the palate it is full of fruit and typical Bordeaux mustiness. The tannin is resolved but still with a steeliness to remind you what you are drinking and completes with a satisfying finish. A great wine and one that doesn't really need more than an hour or two in the decanter.
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12/22/2016 - benxjc6 wrote: 95 Points
Gedronken met mijn wijnvrienden samen met stoofpotje van hert.
3 uur vooraf geopend en 1 uur vooraf gedecanteerd , prachtige neus stal , tabak en oud leer.
Zwart fruit is mooi geïntrigeerd , kan zeker nog paar jaar mee , denk wel dat deze nu op zijn top is , was mijn voorlaatste fles van 12
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9/24/2016 - Nekodab wrote: 97 Points
Decant for 10 hours WOW. Exceptional all-around light tannins light acidity too good for the Japanese Wagu I ate with it.
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9/13/2016 - gcvita01 wrote: 93 Points
Still superb, good complex flavor, subtle fruits, mild tannins
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7/30/2016 - PJRONeill wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly accessible with plenty of air - opened six hours ahead and decanted for two, it had some decent breadth on the nose and palate, with notes of black fruits and graphite, and gave plenty of pleasure which isn't always the case with a "young" LLC. At the early stages of its drinking window, and showing plenty of class but with more to give with time.
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6/21/2016 - BenBee Likes this wine: 95 Points
Voll, kaum Säure, angenehm trocken, Abgang und sogar Nachhall. Ein Franzose wie aus dem Bilderbuch :)
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6/14/2016 - Vinterest Angus wrote: 94 Points
Stunning. retrospective note for a bottle drunk in 2014. decanted for 4 hours prior and consumed over 2 hrs. a robust wine that will drink well for 10 years yet.
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5/21/2016 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind along side the 1998 Leoville Barton and 1998 Leoville Poyferre from half bottles. This wine was the last pour from a coravinned bottle that had been sitting with 1/4 left for months. I really expected it to have faded, but in the blind tasting I never would have suspected this bottle to be the coravinned one. (I swapped the Poyferre & LLC in my guesses and got the Barton right.) Of the bat, the nose was rich black fruit, cassis, and a spicy note which I've noted in a number of LLC vintages before (1985, 2008). Of the three Leovilles, this evolved the most, showing redder fruit, cigar, oak, nutty notes, some green components, at different times over a few hours. The palate was fruit and rolled tobacco, with a little tannin left and a nice mouth feel. This wine was the best of the three Leovilles. I'd say it is at its peak now.
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5/9/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Leoville Las Cases Tasting and Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Black cherry, leather, cigarbox. Nicely balanced, but slightly simpler and shorter than I expected.
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12/31/2015 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
2nd of 12, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level - this wine has happily filled out since my note of April 14 and is now beginning to drink well, cassis fruit to the fore on nose and palate and just a bit too broad (as yet) for better than fine plus (18/20)........it played second fiddle to impressive Ducru 96!
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12/16/2015 - Aglenardi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottle 11 of 12. While mostly consistent with my last note, I do see the wine improving since the last time I enjoyed it. Still need to decant about 1 hour before serving. Fruits are better integrated and it evolves into a well rounded Las cases. Favorite among the ladies while I prefer the '96 Pichon lalande served alongside this beauty. Excellent!
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11/23/2015 - Marquis du Vin wrote: 92 Points
Excellent claret... Popped and poured. Quite lovely silky refined very las cases and perfectly aged. If you are looking for a classic Las Cases, consider this one. It's a bargain at $105ea which was my cost. Probably goes for more and would be worth it. I'd drink what your holding now as I don't think anything else is on its horrizon ... Still holding up very well and with plenty of rich cherry fruit, touch of leather and chewiness ...
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10/10/2015 - RedBurgundyWine wrote: 86 Points
A pleasant wine, though totally uninspiring and one dimensional without any finesse or memorable notes. Consumed with a delicious beef stew. Slightly dusty tannins, lack of focus on what should have been a more pronounced fruit element. Wish I could find something better to say about this wine. My bottle was stored perfectly and had a high neck fill. Compare this Leoville to a $35 Bordeaux in a blind test and come away with a toss-up. The current price is way out of line with what you're getting in the bottle. There are plenty of classified wines that leave you wondering what the workers at the chateaus were doing while they were making the wine that year, and this is such an example. I suggest that nobody waste his/her time with this vintage for the above reasons.
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10/4/2015 - AMRS wrote: 88 Points
Classy nose of red fruit. Palate missing something to really balance it, but overall pretty nice to accompany the roast beef. Good but not great. 88. Drink now to 2020.
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8/22/2015 - Jamie Manley wrote: 95 Points
Folks, this is a wonderful left bank 1998. Just entering maturity, you could not ask for more, especially considering the current price. I could whiff the nose all night long. Wonderful notes of faint green pepper, cedar, graphite, cassis, tobacco, and pencil that would do a Pauillac proud. Long, rich palate with everything above, plus intense fruit and a finish that lasted close to 45 seconds. I have always reckoned that Las Cases (and Ducru) should be elevated to first growth status, and this "average" year example only confirms my mindset. 95+ Pts
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7/21/2015 - Aglenardi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Its still young and a bit tight at the open. Decanted for 1 hour and the wine started to become alive. Dark ruby color with a classic bouquet of cassis, mint plum and chocolate. Perfect balance of berries, plum and currant flavours with medium tannins and long finish. I'm sure this will improve in time, will try in 3-5 years, when it enters its optimal drinking plateau
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6/26/2015 - CCL957 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Has strong character of St. Julien but all people guessed it is a 80's wine. Las cases is famous of hard to open, but this bottle opened nicely after the cock pulled out an hour. Much like 1996 Gruaud Larose, with strong characters of wood and earth, but it is slightly more powerful and with perfume like aromas. Very nice.
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6/19/2015 - Mathijs81 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Upon uncorking, that typical Leoville smell came floating up the bottle.
Decided to decant to get more O2 inside and see what would happen.
Though I took a small nip from the glass first - and wow, great wine.
I can't really pinpoint why I do like Leoville Las Cases, but its just the combination.
Great nose, great flavour and the wine lingers quite long in your mouth.
This vintage is very much ready to enjoy right now or keep cellared - its up to you.
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11/30/2014 - fatfishzsy wrote: 93 Points
98年的波尔多喝的很多了，年份的特点突出
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11/2/2014 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted half an hour in advance. A deep colour; blackcurrant and spice on the nose. The palate is quite dense and rich, with some slightly dusty tannin on the finish, which is long. This is attractive drinking now, but should keep well.
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4/21/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 92 Points
first of 12, decanted one hour, perfect fill, glossy deepish garnet, purple rim, nose very primary, blackcurrant driven, classy mid weight on palate, long and nice balance, some unresolved tannin, just a little pinched but should fill out and improve with a couple more years whilst lacking the underlying richness of a top vintage. At present only fine (17.5/20).
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3/17/2014 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
mature Bordeaux wine evening (Spices delicatessen): dark red-purple-black.
classic good St. Julien aroma of leather, floral earthiness with red & black forest fruits.
Med-full bodied, pleasant mid palate, dark red fruits and cassis, good acidity, slightly mineral, soft & gentle tannins, med-long finish.
Very enjoyable but low value for money.
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2/28/2014 - DDicaprio Likes this wine: 93 Points
After decanting for 30+ minutes, this had a nice expressive nose, and was a polished medium bodied wine, with nice structure showing cherry and dark red fruit.
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1/19/2014 - Good Stuff Likes this wine: 87 Points
The wine lost its merit within an hour of opening. Very soft tannins, wonderful bouquet of oak and leather, classic clean taste from bordeaux but after an hour its taste went flat, I unfortunately over paid for this.
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1/12/2014 - avp wrote:
Last taste five years ago. What a transformation!
Elegant nose with slight acetic lift. Red and black currant fruit with red apple brightness. Florality, pencil shavings, bitter herb touch, nice whiff of brett, a hint of toffee and some wood.
Medium bodied palate with balanced acidity and velvety tannins. Red currants and strawberries with some orange rind. Caramel and dusty wood that doesn't now come through that toasted. Mid-length.
Tasted blind and this was one of my favourites of the bunch. Elegant and subtle. But maybe underperforming as well. The volume didn't seem right when the wine was revealed.
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1/5/2014 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
I think GUIDO23 describes this wine perfectly.
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12/5/2013 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Anything Goes: Cepages Tasting Group (12th Street Osteria, New York City): Drank blind. Dave's contribution. Dark ruby color showing no signs of age. Very expressive nose of coffee, tar and dark fruits, perhaps some cassis. Lead pencil and coffee is immediately noticed on the palate. I was somewhat surprised at the copious amounts of ripe fruit here (I mistook this wine for the 2000 bordeaux for this reason). Smooth tannins with lots of leather, tar and earthiness here making for a wonderfully complex, delicious glass of wine with excellent length. Great showing for an allegedly so-so right bank vintage.
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11/8/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Very similar to the bottle I had one year ago. I'm impressed with how well this is drinking now, but clearly it will hold. Love the texture.
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8/24/2013 - guido23 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very nice St-Julien. I want to call it a "solid" effort but that would be misleading as it is somewhat light bodied. It comes off very well on the palette but then just kind of leaves you hanging. It's not that the finish is short; there just isn't much to it. Still, it's very pleasant. Popped, waited an hour, and then drank over three hours.
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6/15/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature but not old, with intense blackcurrant fruit and classic claret overtones. This is quite powerful and muscular, rather than elegant: rich, concentrated and a bit burly.
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5/29/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 87 Points
Tasted blind in the series w/ Angelus 1994, Cheval Blanc 1994 and Figeac 1990:
Deep intesive red. Nice nose of black currant and cherries. In the mouth all a bit unbalanced and a disturbing tartiness to it. Harsh tannins. Weakest out of the series. Maybe in a difficult phase?
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3/18/2013 - madalyn wrote: 95 Points
this wine was great
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2/22/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Bright, cranberry and cassis fruits are in abundance. There is a tart quality to the fruit that is exacerbated by a touch of green flavors. The tannins are noticeable. The wine is beefy, fresh and masculine in nature. Clearly, there is a lot of raw material in this wine. But it's not charming and lacks elegance. Perhaps time will be generous with this wine. It cannot hurt. But I would not bet the ranch on it. Fans of what’s considered traditional, old school, tannic Bordeaux wine will like this a lot more than I did.
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1/24/2013 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
mature Bordeaux wine evening (Wine-Bar, Nahalat Binyamin, TLV): dark red-purple-black.
classic good St. Julien aroma of leather, floral earthiness with red & black forest fruits.
Med-full bodied, pleasant mid palate, dark red fruits and cassis, good acidity, slightly mineral, soft & gentle tannins, med-long finish.
Very enjoyable but low value for money.
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1/11/2013 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
20 Vintages of Château Léoville Las Cases: Appeared somewhat closed, but wonderful black fruit and bonfire smoke on the nose; the mouth does not deliver completely what the nose promised, albeit a fine finish.
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1/6/2013 - the player wrote: 92 Points
Last of my LLC bottles for this vintage. Deep crimson, blackish core, very slight signs of aging. On the nose, slightly austere even after 2 hours in decanter, leather, crushed rocks, cassis and shy hints of flowers. Typical LLC suave attack on the palate, nice mid palate filled with dark red fruits and cassis, slight zest, medium to full bodied, good acidity, slightly mineral, but doesn't have that long finish that I love some much about this wine. Would need to revisit in 5 - 10 years if I replenish my stock.
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12/31/2012 - Hazeo wrote: 87 Points
Good leather, tobacco and earth on the palette. Rather austere overall despite some sweetness of fruit. Disjoint and a bit clunky for an LLC. Disappointing.
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12/20/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 91 Points
Non-blind. Dbl-decanted over 5 hrs. At Le Manoir (Hiroo, Tokyo).
Impression: Outstanding with WOW!
We found the nose shy with pure red fruits, as in tart cherry-cassis and some forest floor with wet leaves.
On the palate this is an M-bodied, cherry-cassis style Bordeaux in the pure-berry-style. As Papies say: Gentle. However, it has a minor army of tannin and strength that will be released and transformed over the years. Not the greatest LLC, has poor-poor-poor and bleak QPR, but what can you do when you're in love? But ought to be noticeably better as a mature wine. (Also makes you wonder what some of the previous tasters got in their glasses.)
(Wife: 91p.) 2 btls to go. Next one in approx 2020.
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12/19/2012 - JMLoree Likes this wine: 92 Points
This '98 Las Cases is a nicely structured, classic St. Julien claret with restrained black fruit, lead pencil and cedar notes and a long finish. It seems to be just entering its prime and classic Bordeaux lovers will enjoy immensely. Give it a 2 hour decant though as it takes some time to emerge as you might expect.
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12/12/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #074; Bordeaux: St. Julien (By BS): Beautiful bouquet with dark as well as some red forest fruits and a beautiful dose of vanilla. On the palate a concentrated wine with beside the fruits, chocolate and coffee. Early maturity now and a beautiful and complex wine. 92+
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12/1/2012 - JonasM wrote: 88 Points
Decanted 3 hours before serving. Blackcurrant lead pencil fruit, but at the same time acidity and harsh tannin. The wine is not in balance. I kept a small bottle with screwcap for a few days but it didn´t improve. Already starting to decline? I expected more from this producer.
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10/25/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): Much like the 99 we had earlier this week this has a pretty and open nose to start. Floral, cedar, light earthy notes . Very elegant wine quite accessible and enjoyable at the moment.Mid weight , good claret , gentle in a way and very pure. A touch dry. Pretty good for a 98 and we really liked it. 93
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10/10/2012 - Wink wrote: 93 Points
Dark garnet. Nose of blackberry, cassis, graphite, leather, earth and oak. Ripe medium to full palate of blackberry, cassis, minerals, and toasty oak. Really big mid-palate. Excellent length. Sweet tannins. Unmistakably Bordeaux. Not fully mature.
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9/29/2012 - Julia7ich wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark ruby. Pencil lead, cassis, cherry and herbs. Abundant tannins very fine-grained but drying. Well-structured and concentrated medium body. Nicely balanced.
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9/12/2012 - the player wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine, same notes as previous but overshadowed by its younger 2004 sibling.
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9/8/2012 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is just about mature, with ripe blackcurrant, plum and cherry fruit, some overtones of cedar and oak, good depth and a fresh, lively finish. Not the richest claret, in fact perhaps a touch lean in places, but it is certainly fine and may yet develop.
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9/3/2012 - Ben Paquet wrote: 92 Points
My first time with Las Cases.
The nose starts up with splash of strong cassis flavors. Then came in smoke, pencil shavings, blackberry and violette. Beautiful and elegant bordeaux nose if a little restraint. On the palate this las cases is totally elegant and maybe lacking in profoundness. Maybe its the vintage that was not especially great for the medoc. It is very complex however, with pencil shavings, cassis, blackberry, smoke, cigar box and sweet cherry. The more the time pass the better the wine got. I don't think the wine fully opened up over the course of our tasting. The wine still felt overly tannic as well.
This is clearly a great wine however.
92+
Voila !
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8/28/2012 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
getting there and no rush to drink it yet as it only enters it's drinking window. Keeping hands off it for another 5 years might be a good idea. Jamie, thank you!
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8/9/2012 - the player wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding as always, first growth quality and enjoyment.
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7/2/2012 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
Deep colour; intense, concentrated, fairly mature fruit; complex and long. The only negative was that it tired a bit and became a touch elderly, but the initial impression was very favourable.
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6/24/2012 - Fernandoco wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding! Decanted for 2 hours. The wine was delicious. I will need an excuse to open the next bottle within 3 months.
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6/23/2012 - rsargent@tennantCT.com wrote: 94 Points
Long decant, outstanding
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6/2/2012 - the player wrote: 93 Points
Unfortunately took this bottle to a restaurant so was not decanted or aerated for more than an hour, a pity as this was barely enough time for the wine to open up especially that the previous bottle we had before this bottle was a nice 1986 Beychevelle. I've had a variety of left bank 1998s to date and noticed these need at least 2-3 hours of aeration before they truly settle and open up. Won't make the same mistake with my remaining bottles.
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5/16/2012 - the player wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding wine. Decanted / aerated for 2 hours, beautiful dark ruby color, black at the core, excellent nose of black and dark red fruits, sweet tobacco, licorice. Velvety entry on the palate, full bodied, coats the palate with multiple layers of blackberries, blue berries, cassis, coffee and licorice and a long savoury finish. First growth quality!
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5/13/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over 3 hours. A very pretty nose of red fruit, some iron notes and leather. The nose was not huge, but present for sure. The palate matched with a clean silky texture, nice acidity, integrated tannin but with a somewhat shallow mid palate. For me, this did not get noticeably better with air, maybe slightly. In a good place right now, but will clearly hold for several years.
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4/29/2012 - La Grappe wrote: flawed
Corked.
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4/20/2012 - the player wrote: 93 Points
Too drunk to recollect anything except that this wine is exceptional.
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2/12/2012 - sandda wrote:
similar experience to henman 3/11/11. not what was expected. will leave other bottles for a while and rejudge
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2/11/2012 - fizz wrote: 93 Points
Relatively elegant expression of a lovely Bordeaux. Had all the elements combining beautifully and drinking well now and for the next few years.
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1/22/2012 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours. Bricky ruby. Persistent nose of currant, cassis, forest floor, blackberry, and a hint of cedar. Smoothly textured layers of mulberry, red currant, moca, and tobacco on the palate, building slowly with air to yield a satisfying degree of concentration and sweet grip. Tannins serious but beginning to smooth off. Low-to-moderate acidity. Long, feathery finish with echoes of earth and red fruit. Not a blockbuster, but a class act perhaps in the middle of its drinking window.
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1/21/2012 - jsebiri wrote:
nice wine , a little brick in the purple color , very pleasant
next day taste was not as good , drink up
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12/28/2011 - Kriz wrote: 93 Points
Beautifully balanced wine with pensil lead, ripe berries, smoke and a long finish. Won´t get much better in my opinion. And why wait? This is delicious!
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11/4/2011 - gsquireh wrote: 93 Points
Black currant and blackberries crushed and combined beautifully oozing licorice and minerals in a soft velvet finish. Ready and willing to be drunk NOW.
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10/28/2011 - Argrath wrote: 88 Points
(Old note)
Tight, complex and still young nose. Dark fruit, dark chocolate, toasty oak and almost coco-like hints. Strangely atypical.
Full and tannic. Still young and tight palate. Quite shy. No blockbuster. Plum, cedar, sweet liquorice. No maturity notes. Will it ever bloom?
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9/28/2011 - wineotim wrote: 92 Points
Surprised by the youthful feel to this wine, firm and sturdy tannins, tight, muscular, chewy, chunky. Fruit is restrained and austere, closed. This wine is all about structure and terroir not fruit. This may not sound good to some, but I found it compelling. I thought this wine had reached the early part of its maturity but its not even close. One can only hope this wine integrates with more time.
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9/28/2011 - Chrisw97 wrote: 92 Points
A classic bouquet of cassis, dark cherries emerged after an hour of decanting. Mouthfeel is lush yet slightly sour with delicate tannins leading into a decent and relatively long finish. It did take time for the nose to open up a bit but it never fully did to the extent I wished for. Has it reached a plateau? Probably, but the elegant/subtle structure makes this a highly enjoyable drink still. Overall slightly more austere than Poyferre.
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9/5/2011 - ZARDO wrote: 92 Points
Nice, very Bordeaux
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8/19/2011 - JeremyQ wrote: 91 Points
(Dinner at David & Jackie's)
Opened for an hour but not decanted. Drank after a 89 Figeac which further emphasize the youth of this wine. It was tight, great structure and smooth but young. It was darkish ruby in colour, nose of dark fruits, some cherry and a hint of tobacco. Drinking tight but it shows it class and promises more with patience. Its still a young wine and I wont be opening my next bottle for 5+ yrs at least. 91 pts now but potential for far more as it evolves
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8/6/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Leslie visits Cleveland - Part 1 (Loren's home): Slowly aired for around 6 hours. Ruby in color. The nose is nice with cassis, pencil lead and some tobacco. On the palate, this is a very good wine, but not the heights that LLC can reach. It is mature and the fruit is just starting to fade. A lot of complexity here, but it takes concentration to really pick out all the layers. Great match with the food. I did like this more than the crowd.
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6/25/2011 - Kris G wrote: 92 Points
balanced wine, long aftertaste, but already coming to the end of its drinking window I feel/fear
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5/8/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 94 Points
See previous notes. Really on the sweet spot in many ways, only if you decant for at least two hours. More tobacco showing than before. Such a beautiful Las Cases for casual consumption. Enticing. Drink 2012 - 2030.
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3/11/2011 - Henman wrote:
The cork was half way stained but intact.Decanted for 2 hours.Seemed initially restrained.Reticent nose with some oak,pencil lead and dark fruit.Pretty oaky and harsh on the palate,giving some pencil lead and dark fruit.Perhaps brawny and masculine but rather monolithic and dull as well.Quite a disappointment given the price.This was either way too young or somehow defective,though it didn´t seemed corked to me.Reminded actually of some young and cheap oak smothered bdx.Won´t score it.
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2/25/2011 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): Full purple ruby colour. Slightly cheesey, herbaceous nose. Some discussion about corkiness. A bit mute to start with and then the corkiness is more obvious. A bit of a bruiser still beneath the taint.
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1/20/2011 - Faryan wrote: 92 Points
Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): A brawny wine but unexpectedly accessible. With more time we get really lush notes of wild berries, mulberry and cassis married with mocha and cedar/cigar box. Pauillacian in many ways but it was neverthelss outshown by the Figeac. This has a hidden floral element that the left bank successes of the vintage seem to have. I think in time it will emerge as a wonderful aspect of the wine.
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8/25/2010 - Miceri wrote: 95 Points
Dark red; closed nose to begin with, but opening up after a couple of hours - really changing during the evening from good to better to very good; concentrated, dark berries, rounded tannins, dense, masculine; evolving minute by minute
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8/1/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for two hours using a funnel. See previous notes. I really enjoy the tannins - fruity and candied. Two years will not hurt, but if you do decide to consume this St. Julien goddess - please decant. A very androgynous wine. Drink 2012 -.
Drank along with '06 Novelty Hill (93 pts) & '04 Montrose (93 pts). This was the protagonist during the Cabernet episode.
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6/23/2010 - wenderoth wrote: 95 Points
Wine dinner - Martindale Hall, Clare Valley SA. Awesome lineup: 82 Evangile, 85 Lafite, 86 Yquem, 86 Grange, 88 Meo-Carmuzet Nuits St Georges, 88 Grange, 90 Brunel Centenaire, 95 Dominus, 95 Monte Bello, 96 Hill of Grace, 98 Las Cases, 99 Leoville Barton, 02 Grange, 04 Cristom "Jessie", 04 Torbreck Run Rig.
Las Cases: cork in perfect nick. Double decant 4 hours prior to drinking. Colour inky black-purple. Initial nose of dark black fruits, tar, graphite and minerals. Palate of rich and brooding mulberries and blackberries, some charred meat and a hint of mintiness. Stern but fine tannic finish with tremendous length. A profound wine with its best yet to come.
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6/3/2010 - dron_ap wrote: 93 Points
This time less interesting then the last one. cigar box, pepper and dark fruit including aromas. After 2 hours of decantation starts being less powerfull, and some flower aromas open up. Drink now - 2015
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6/1/2010 - VoteferPedro wrote: 92 Points
decanted thrugh a vinturi 1 hour prior. the cork was pristine. the color fresh deep violet-red. classic bordeaux nose for me, no funk but cedar/camphor. Palate had the cool minerality of St Julien with cassis and balanced fruit. medium finish. top notch but somewhat stolid bordeaux.92
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3/12/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 1/2 hours, using a funnel. Dark violet with a garnet rim. Seductive black cherry, blackberry jam, hot mineral rocks and plumeria. As the wine opens, the nose does as well with a certain level of cadency. Very pretty. Great concentration for the vintage. This Medoc really shines in a year that wasn't so kind to a lot of the chateaux that were cabernet based and had to pick later, during the unfortunate rain. The tannins are juicy and candied-like. Nice 30 second+ finish. Still could use two more years of bottle time, yet with the right coaxing, can be rather enjoyable now. Drink 2012 -.
Las Cases: A Super-Second, which has been putting out First Growth quality every vintage since 1982. Only La-Mission Haut-Brion is in the same league, of the "non-First's" of the Left Bank. This is as good as the '98 Latour and just under the '98 Lafite. Justice would be achieved if this stupendous and exemplary terroir from St. Julien became a First Growth.
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3/3/2010 - Remony wrote: 94 Points
1998 First Growths, Some SuperSeconds and Right Bank Equivalents (Goedhuis 2010 Charity Wine Dinner, Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane): Very dark, full colour (only Latour is comparable tonight). On the nose deep, dark & brooding; fruit and gravel are in there somewhere as well, along with Heathcliff and Gordon Brown. On the palate a very complete wine, well-balanced but reticent at this stage, the tannins still showing but in harmony with the fruit and the minerality. Feels slightly like a sleeping monster tonight, certainly it needs more time, but I think it will turn out very well in a somewhat austere way. A big wine.
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2/13/2010 - WEL3 wrote: 93 Points
This time the nose and the taste matched up. The more it aired, the better the taste. This could perhaps be cellared another 10 years or more. It was incredible, but mostly the long cherry finish stands out.
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2/2/2010 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
French Wine Tasting in Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C. (Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C.): What a difference with this wine. Much more substantial than the Ducru, much less "St. Julien". We are reminded that here we have a Pauillac imposter . But it is also sweet, in the sense that you get black cherry and cassis as jam like flavors, without the wine itself being jammy. Am I making sense here? Anyway, lots of chutzpah but also very structured. Another fine 1998 from the Left Bank (I am generally not a fan of Left Bank 1998s).
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1/27/2010 - Stefanos T. wrote: 94 Points
Has entered maturity. Needs two or three more years and it will last decades. Mineral, especially in the mouth. Beautiful plum. Very good, still a little bit shy.
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12/31/2009 - mardychris wrote: 94 Points
Still showing deep colour intensity. Palate of rich cedar and black fruit. Tannins still quite firm and drying. Blackcurrant and mineral finish of 15 seconds+. Will look forward to trying my other bottle in 3 to 5 years. Very much a food wine at this time.
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12/30/2009 - WEL3 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful nose, with lots of dark and luscious fruit. The first taste, without decanting, was less forward, slightly tannic, earthy and bold, but somewhat less impressive than the gorgeous smell. An hour of decanting did not change my opinion of the taste, but just because it didn't live up to the stellar nose, didn't mean that the taste wasn't impressive. It was; quite.
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9/30/2009 - keelegl wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby color with noticeable purple at the edges. The nose started off tight as expected, but really blossomed after a couple hours in the glass. Focused blueberry on the nose and palate. Palate shows a greater elegance and depth compared to other 98 left banks I have tried. Silky and long on the finish, this wine shows great potential. 94++
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9/30/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Dinner with the Ladies (Uncle Jack's, New York, NY): Okay. Green, with tobacco leather. French.
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9/30/2009 - Diane (LI) wrote:
This had a wow nose. I could not stop smelling it, and I feared the palate would not live up to the nose. As it turned out, the palate lacked the power that the nose exuded, but was still attractive with floral and fruit that became more lush with time in the glass. It had a beautiful finish, and was an ideal accompaniment to the baby lamb chops
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9/6/2009 - Julia7ich wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark ruby with nearly no rim. A subtle nose exhibits classic black currant accompanied by intense graphite and smoked cedar. Abundant, firm tannins are fine-grained and fully integrated in the medium full body. This wine is still youthful and displays outstanding concentration. Drink to 2030.
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9/6/2009 - spore wrote: 91 Points
This wine comes with an unbelievable great nose of earth and fruit and just everything. This is why you need the Riedel Bordeaux - you can't stop to put your nose deep into it. (for me a 99pts nose)! However the wine seems to be to young still, somehow closed even after 2 hours of decanting. A nice stony, grahite taste. Good balance and indeed enjoyable but would expect more in some years time... hence would revisit the wine only in 2-3 years.
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6/1/2009 - Thralow wrote: 92 Points
Decant, but really, it is not ready.
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3/14/2009 - mmyette wrote: 91 Points
classic claret in a year not renowned for the left bank. This wine drank well, with a nose of restrained fruit, mushrooms and loam. Mouthfeel was medium bodied, zippy acid on the front, and crushed rocks and fruit coating the midpalate. Hindpalate was with hints of coffee and earth. Finish was moderate.
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3/3/2009 - Giladog wrote: flawed
Corked
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1/12/2009 - avp wrote:
Ripe cassis nose with an overdose of charred oak. Leather and chocolate.
Fullbodied and concentrated intense palate with dark fruit and again a shitload of mocha oak. Long and straightforward aftertaste.
Unpleasent. Needs a whole lot of time. And will it eventually surface as a winner? I sure wouldn't bet on it.
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1/1/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote: 93 Points
Bought 10 months before serving. Aromatically closed until decanted for an hour, then St. Julien expressions of cassis, dark cherry, and lead pencil emerge in abundance. Very youthful in appearance, but not overly concentrated, with a medium-full mouthfeel, and tannins starting to integrate. Long finish, and delicious. I would expect this 11 year young Bordeaux to run another 5 years before full maturity, and have more than a decade in reserve. Such deliberate, long-lived wines are a treat. Compared to the 2004, the latter is more concentrated with subjectively higher quality fruit. Both are on the market in the $100-120 range, and are great for the cellar or the table.
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12/25/2008 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Lots of lavish, creamy oak on the nose. Seems like everything is in place with this one but it needs a lot more time.
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12/4/2008 - gsquireh wrote: 93 Points
Lead pencil and cherries, this full bodied classic has sweet tannin and natural balance.
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11/9/2008 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
Tied w/ Lafite for first amongst the 11 Bordeaux in this tasting of thirty five + wines from 1998. Possibly WOTN. Heady, sexy nose, great texture, and some classic flavors with the kind of lingering finish that just makes you close your eyes and wish the earth could stop spinning for a bit. We've had deeper wines from better years, but dang this is is good!
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9/24/2008 - french16 wrote: 92 Points
With the possibility to get them at a very good price, I decided to open one to check on their condition for potential additional buys.
Of course, as you would expect this is very very young and was tight as hell when opened. After 2h in decanter, it started showing some signs of what a fine wine it will be in a few years.
Dark ruby red, elegant and fruity nose with plenty of red crushed berries with mineral notes. Some smoky and earthy notes started to show after 4 hours. Med body, fresh acidity, smooth tannins, structured and elegant, rather fruit forward for the moment with light mineral and smoky notes, it needs some time to develop but looks great with an already quite lenghty finish.
Don't touch for another 6-8 years minimum.
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9/19/2008 - gsquireh wrote: 94 Points
Inky purple color with an aroma of cherries and dark raspberry. Smoke and graphite circle the rich concentrated fruit. Balanced and delicious in the mouth.
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8/9/2008 - Jykae wrote: 93 Points
The scent of the wine was outstanding as always. Lead-pencil, smoke, blackberries and flowers. Too bad the taste is still slightly out of balance in my opinion. Not as much as last year as I tasted this but this wine was in a better state a couple of years ago... I think it´s going to be back in form in 5 years. But still very classy and always a pleasure to taste. Decanted 3 hours.
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11/23/2007 - matrask wrote: 94 Points
Leathery, young nose. Bit minty, very chewy and and closed body. Rather short and not yet developed finish, save for 10 years. Decanted for 5h
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11/10/2007 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Crown Fall 07 Upscale Tasting (Boca Raton, FL): Still some tannins to resolve with more time, but drinking OK now, with nice complexity and intensity, with prominent notes of graphite, stones, and dark fruit.
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10/28/2007 - Giladog wrote: 95 Points
This wine is drinking beatifully but tastes like it has plenty of legs to remain in the cellar. Great concentrated fruit, silky mouthfeel and wonderful finish.
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9/14/2007 - MWes wrote: 91 Points
Drank this along with the 1998 Clos du Marquis. This definitely had more tannins and a more complex mid-palate. On the next day, it held up better the Clos du Marquis. IMO, for 1/3 the price, I would go with the Clos du Marquis.
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8/10/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
(at The Modern – NYC) Classic bordeaux. Took a good fifty minutes to show itself. Black current, smoke and stones on the nose. Full, but reserved flavors on the palate. An early drinking vintage for this wine, but is certainly las cases in breed. (91)
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6/24/2007 - burningstarIV wrote: 91 Points
50+4+11+17+9=91
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5/25/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Farewell to a Friend: This wine is incredibly classy. The aromas of pencil shavings, iodine, graphite, gravel and juicy blackberry really burst out of the glass. The palate is serious and youthful, but has superior balance and is a delicious joy to drink. Great length and so open and enjoyable compared to what I had imagined that it may be and it still has the potential to get better.
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4/12/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
eBob Angelus vs. Leoville Las Cases Vertical (Onesixtyblue): Full pruple/red color. Bright red candied fruit nose with some spice. Big round slightly sweet black fruit on the palate.
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3/17/2007 - jmd60611 wrote: 90 Points
Nice deep red, bright floral bouquet, med bodied, very acidic and tannic still...Drank fairly quickly in a pop and pour mode through dinner so I would've like to have tried a glass after 4 hours as the fruit was there and it seemed to be a layered complex wine, albeit a bit tangled up
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3/10/2007 - pederwelander wrote: 90 Points
Spänstigt vin, Stor doft, fantastisk bred smak, eftersmak i 30 sekunder
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3/9/2007 - GVERJOT wrote: 95 Points
Very nice
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8/22/2006 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Dinner and Fine, Aged Wine at Le Francais (Wheeling, IL): Dark ruby to purple color with an open nose of red currants and spice. Palate is full of currants, cedar, green herbs and earth (love that flavor profile). Good fruit levels and bright supporting acid. Very nice - especially given the vintage.
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5/22/2006 - Giladog wrote: 95 Points
This wine is as good as any Bordeaux that I have tasted. Very well-balanced, and firm tannins that soften with time in the glass. It has concentrated black fruit character and nice minerality. It tastes to me as if it is just reaching the beginnig of its drinking age, and will likely continue to get better for several years.
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5/4/2006 - Dixie_F wrote: 92 Points
I thought this was a second wine when I drank it. I kept thinking it was maybe the best bordeaux I had had to date with the exception of needing a bit more age. It had rich dark fruit flavors dominated by black cherry. Charcoal, graphite and gravel. I couldn't detect any tobacco or leather yet. Wish I had a few more bottles to cellar.
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2/12/2006 - ppatti wrote:
Beautiful. An unpretentious, perfectly balanced Bordeaux. Dark fruits, moderate acidity, great, long finish. ****
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11/13/2005 - CSteefel wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 6 hours in advance of drinkiing. Very dark ruby red. A blast of very pure, very powerful cassis aroma comes from the decanter immediately. Later in the glass, the nose is more subdued (maybe I should have skipped the decanting?), but the Cabernet aromas of cassis and graphite are still there, with the faintest suggestion of tobacco and leather on the nose indicating that this wine is just beginning to come around. In the mouth, there are more indications that this wine is just beginning to transform, with the powerful, brightly delineated Cabernet flavors showing signs of the intensification and brightening that comes with bottle age. The attack of this wine is quite impressive, but the follow through seems to be missing something--almost like those scenes in Star Wars where they hit the button to go in to hyper-space, only to hear a grinding noise as their space ship fails to deliver. In fact, this wine is somewhat surprising in the way that it combines an initial attack with real definition and flavor intensity, only to have this followed by a short finish. Still, the mid-palate expression is very good, so I am left wondering what to think of this wine...
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11/10/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 95 Points
Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Dark opaque red. The nose showed lead pencil and pain grille. This was full bodied and tasted of ripe red fruit. This was still tannic and had a nice lingering finish.
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6/20/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque purple robe and purple rim. Clean nose, showing moderately-intense earth, cedar, minerals, pencil and blackberries. High acidity and medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ample but very well-integrated tannins. Similar flavors as nose. Long, smooth finish. Very nice now, but destined to improve with patience.
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