I wasn’t quite as impressed with this wine but for many it was among the most enjoyed wines at a phenomenal tasting.
PnP, this was mostly tertiary and quite green. Heavy capsicum notes on the nose with some dark tobacco and umami. Palate was lean and somewhat short but silky and with good supporting acids. Same bottle at Nutty08 and I’d agree it’s a bit past peak now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite a surprise. This was lovely and very much alive. Mushroom and tobacco nose. palate couldn't keep up with the nose but there was nice tertiary fruit, rather soft. Finish was clipped and tired, showing iron and mineral notes. Past peak but still quite enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another solid showing for leoville barton. Cork was in tact, saturated, but firm. Purple/browning in color. Nose was earth/forest floor/mushrooms/touch of purizine, fruit hanging in there. Palate had earth quality, red fruit, touch sour, overall really pretty wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
RZ's Bordeaux Seconds (Hawksmoor Guildhall): BBR bottling - bottled at the chateau. Super linear, super precise - everything going on. A welcome greenness on the nose, just a hint of campfire. My wotn. Exquisite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle was nearing the end of its time. Cork fairly soaked through but nothing the Durand couldn’t handle. Super aged BDX profile. Earth and leather overwhelm the fruit. Nice bottle but seems like it’s probably seen better days.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Casual Back Porch Get-Together (Los Olivos, CA): Handily outperformed expectations, with beautiful aromatics displaying the proper tertiary notes of leather, earth and berries. Smooth and silky mouthfeel. Plenty of gentle blue and red fruit, some leather and a touch of barnyard. The tannins were not only fully resolved, but missing, leaving the wine a bit understructured.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
There is complexity to the nose of cedar and spice that still has a good amount of black fruit. The medium weight palate shows ripe fruit, lively acidity and a touch of tannins on the finish. A mature Bordeaux that is still drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum and double blind. Easily identifiable as left bank Bordeaux. I was thinking from the 80s. Elegant but still had very good fruit and freshness. All the tertiary notes you'd expect. A very nice wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is on its last breath. Garnet and orange rim. Funky, earthy nose of dried herbs, leaves, tobacco and leather, but with some red fruit remaining, mostly dried currant and some stewed notes. With some time and air, the fruit shone more and there's still a touch of tannin and good acidity. Drink now if you have any.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The cork was shot to hell, but the wine was really nice. Aromas of tea, red fruits, leaves, & charcoal. The palate had nice grip with a solid core of red fruits. Drank very nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Steak & Wine (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Popped and poured, with troublesome old cork. Mature black cherry with woodsy spice, black tea, tobacco, cooked mushroom. Good overall balance. Big contrast to the less persistent 1978 Talbot tasted immediately before.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A lovely mature LB showing the cigar box and cedar mixed with dark blackcurrant fruit verging towards the herbaceous, a classic claret, still with a little fine tannin, drinking beautifully and will no doubt keep for many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful aged Cabernet layered with that earthiness that takes you right to Bordeaux. On initial taste the tannins was gripping with slight acid. But this has evolved so well cigar, leather and that ethereal earthiness. Layered with soft soft tannins. Wonderful length. Not bad for an average year!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A beautiful bottle of fully mature claret. Garnet/brick red and fairly pale, although wonderfully translucent and visually enticing. After 30 minutes open -- not decanted -- the bottle gave aromas of dried fruit and flowers, cigar box and forest floor. There was a slight menthol effect as well, although very evanescent. On the palate, long, rich and profound, with the retro-olfaction adding to the impression of a breadth of flavors that was quite astonishing, from grilled meat to candied strawberries to beef jerky. It went beautifully with a seared filet steak. Really delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Richard Z's Soif soirée (Soif, Clapham): Blind albeit 78 claret. Lots of fine sediment here giving it a slightly chewy savoury feel. A lovely sweet cedary St Julien nose, but beyond that...? Brightens on the palate as the sediment settles. Quite sweet, relatively high acidity. Satisfying. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP from a 750. Served blind with three other wines in a pre-Christmas Eve dinner tasting. On the nose this had leather, cassis, and tobacco. On the palate, this has held up pretty well with surprisingly fresh acidity at this stage, with tannins that are a bit grainy yet cohesive with the fruit. On the palate, this has a tartness of cranberry with a bit of raspberry and plum (on the sweet side) to round out the profile. Doesn't have a long finish, but has held up nicely for 35 years. A lot of tartrate residue left behind in the glass, there is a mellow tobacco that hangs on near the end of the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Harwood Arms (Harwood Arms, London): Blind. Mature claret. A touch of tobacco. Mid to early 70s Graves? No, but not sure what. After a while 78 starts to show itself with. Freshness tinged with green. Some meat and spice. Mellow and satisfying and refreshing. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Callum's 1st year Birthday Celebration party (Charly T's at I12 KATONG): Dark ruby core with brick red hue, still look much youthful than the bottle age. Elegant and sweet tobacco dominance bouquet, along with tar, cherry, mineral and earthy notes. Amazingly bright and solid acidity backbone making the wine fresh, elegant and light. On palate it has plenty of tobacco, red cherry, plum and cedar oak. Fine and almost dissolve tannins, nice & long aftertaste. This bottle holding very well tonight and one of the better 1978 I have tasted.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This shows more herbal side than the Palmer. Fully mature, with wet earth, herbs, and slightly green stemmy notes on the nose, along with dried currant fruit in the background. In the mouth, forest floor, mushroom, and herbs predominate, with light fruit again in the background. A tasty wine but one that has reached full stretch and may be falling off just a touch. Still quite a good experience for those who, like me, love old wines. B+/A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Houston we have a problem (Lucio's BYOB, Houston): Great nose of tobacco, cedar, bright red cherry, leather, tar. On the palate, bright cherry, tobacco, cassis, mineral. Nicely balanced on the finish, best bottle of the lot. Classic St Julien.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much better than the last bottle. Decanted to remove sediment. Nose of cherry, plum, tobacco, cedar, and red currant. On the palate cherry, tobacco, mineral, and slight hint of red currant. Finishes with crisp acidity. Probably as good of a bottle from this lot that I will see. Drink. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum. Medium garnet with wide bricking rim. Still very aromatic showing cedar and tary/tobacco elements but also some subtle cassis fruit. Medium weight with good balance and a very soft medium finish. Not great, but a good glass of wine. Aroma was highlight. This was opened for about 30 minutes before drinking and held for the next 2 hours, improving slightly. Harvest Celebration.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Robe encore dense. Premier nez de proivron, évoluant sur des notes de grillé, cèdre, le fruit est encore là. La bouche est droite, avec de la fraicheur, agréable mais à côté de Ducru du même millésime apparait moins mûr.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Now here is a bottle of wine with some history. I bought this in Edinburgh in 1985 when I was first getting into wine. Since then it has travelled with me for 23 years through various wardrobes in student digs, a prolonged stay in the cupboard under the stairs at my parents house, into a proper cellar, out of it and into a dark hallway in a warm second-floor flat, back into another cellar and now into a dark corner of my dining room. Not exactly ideal storage conditions... Healthy signs on decanting for drinking 2 hours later. Plenty of amber at the rim but still plenty of red at the core. Soft lingering cedary aroma with red fruits - classic St Julien. To taste this is a lovely mid-weight wine with plenty of cedary soft, sweet fruit. A gentle fully mature claret - delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Holding together very well at this stage. Sanguine color with nose of cedar, tobacco, and cherry. The wine still shows medicum body with some fruit, mineral, and pronounced acidity with smooth tannins. Drink it if you have it, should hold together for a while longer. Very pleasant surprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leoville Barton Vertical; 12/4/2006-12/5/2006 (Spencer's): Beef blood, tomato, and oak jumped from the nose of this pleasant, but not outstanding wine. In the mouth, pronounced acidity, and lingering tannins dominated. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I once owned a case of this wine but sold most of it a few years back - just holding on to two bottles. That is now a pity as this was much better than it's reputation would suggest. Parker only scores it 86 and on this showing I'd say that is too low. While it is only medium bodied and not nearly as extracted as later vintages it does have a lovely, cedary St Julien charm and a good, lingering finish. If my other bottle is as good I'll be getting more of this as it can be bought for less than £50 ($85).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At our temporary Beaumont office. Showing definite signs of age. Browning at the edges. Nose pleasant, soft. Touch of tobacco. On the palate, quite simple. Light fruit, soft. Tannins gone. Still some richness. Lingering finish. Drink up. 3-9-13-4: 79/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
8/22/2022 - jviz wrote: 90 Points
I wasn’t quite as impressed with this wine but for many it was among the most enjoyed wines at a phenomenal tasting.
PnP, this was mostly tertiary and quite green. Heavy capsicum notes on the nose with some dark tobacco and umami. Palate was lean and somewhat short but silky and with good supporting acids. Same bottle at Nutty08 and I’d agree it’s a bit past peak now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite a surprise. This was lovely and very much alive. Mushroom and tobacco nose. palate couldn't keep up with the nose but there was nice tertiary fruit, rather soft. Finish was clipped and tired, showing iron and mineral notes. Past peak but still quite enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - partymonk Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another solid showing for leoville barton. Cork was in tact, saturated, but firm. Purple/browning in color. Nose was earth/forest floor/mushrooms/touch of purizine, fruit hanging in there. Palate had earth quality, red fruit, touch sour, overall really pretty wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
RZ's Bordeaux Seconds (Hawksmoor Guildhall): BBR bottling - bottled at the chateau. Super linear, super precise - everything going on. A welcome greenness on the nose, just a hint of campfire. My wotn. Exquisite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2021 - tcarter Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was nearing the end of its time. Cork fairly soaked through but nothing the Durand couldn’t handle. Super aged BDX profile. Earth and leather overwhelm the fruit. Nice bottle but seems like it’s probably seen better days.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
A Casual Back Porch Get-Together (Los Olivos, CA): Handily outperformed expectations, with beautiful aromatics displaying the proper tertiary notes of leather, earth and berries. Smooth and silky mouthfeel. Plenty of gentle blue and red fruit, some leather and a touch of barnyard. The tannins were not only fully resolved, but missing, leaving the wine a bit understructured.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2019 - cliftonng wrote: 92 Points
There is complexity to the nose of cedar and spice that still has a good amount of black fruit. The medium weight palate shows ripe fruit, lively acidity and a touch of tannins on the finish. A mature Bordeaux that is still drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2018 - wagging_tail wrote: 80 Points
After 4-6 hours open and 1 hr decanters, ripe blackberries (almost too ripe), earthy leathery smell, finish was flat - disappointed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2017 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
From magnum and double blind. Easily identifiable as left bank Bordeaux. I was thinking from the 80s. Elegant but still had very good fruit and freshness. All the tertiary notes you'd expect. A very nice wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
BYO Blind Tasting and Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Perfectly mature older riper Bordeaux with earth and spice. Medium weight, great balance and elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2016 - vegasoenophile wrote: 80 Points
This wine is on its last breath. Garnet and orange rim. Funky, earthy nose of dried herbs, leaves, tobacco and leather, but with some red fruit remaining, mostly dried currant and some stewed notes. With some time and air, the fruit shone more and there's still a touch of tannin and good acidity. Drink now if you have any.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2016 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
such a great wine. tons of concentration and balance...showing some earthy notes with a red core of fruit. more voluptuous than a lot 1978s. yum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2016 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Had some brett on the nose with dark fruits and florals. Elements of meat and graphite made this quite enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2016 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
The cork was shot to hell, but the wine was really nice. Aromas of tea, red fruits, leaves, & charcoal. The palate had nice grip with a solid core of red fruits. Drank very nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Steak & Wine (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Popped and poured, with troublesome old cork. Mature black cherry with woodsy spice, black tea, tobacco, cooked mushroom. Good overall balance. Big contrast to the less persistent 1978 Talbot tasted immediately before.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2015 - MEKWINE wrote: flawed
RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest Hits of 1970's.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2015 - kingkanu wrote: 91 Points
A lovely mature LB showing the cigar box and cedar mixed with dark blackcurrant fruit verging towards the herbaceous, a classic claret, still with a little fine tannin, drinking beautifully and will no doubt keep for many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2014 - dowyong Likes this wine: 97 Points
Beautiful aged Cabernet layered with that earthiness that takes you right to Bordeaux. On initial taste the tannins was gripping with slight acid. But this has evolved so well cigar, leather and that ethereal earthiness. Layered with soft soft tannins. Wonderful length. Not bad for an average year!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2014 - jacklinden Likes this wine: 94 Points
A beautiful bottle of fully mature claret. Garnet/brick red and fairly pale, although wonderfully translucent and visually enticing. After 30 minutes open -- not decanted -- the bottle gave aromas of dried fruit and flowers, cigar box and forest floor. There was a slight menthol effect as well, although very evanescent. On the palate, long, rich and profound, with the retro-olfaction adding to the impression of a breadth of flavors that was quite astonishing, from grilled meat to candied strawberries to beef jerky. It went beautifully with a seared filet steak. Really delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2014 - COWineLover wrote: flawed
Sadly my last bottle was moldy and corked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2014 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Richard Z's Soif soirée (Soif, Clapham): Blind albeit 78 claret. Lots of fine sediment here giving it a slightly chewy savoury feel. A lovely sweet cedary St Julien nose, but beyond that...? Brightens on the palate as the sediment settles. Quite sweet, relatively high acidity. Satisfying. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2013 - COWineLover wrote: 90 Points
PnP from a 750. Served blind with three other wines in a pre-Christmas Eve dinner tasting. On the nose this had leather, cassis, and tobacco. On the palate, this has held up pretty well with surprisingly fresh acidity at this stage, with tannins that are a bit grainy yet cohesive with the fruit. On the palate, this has a tartness of cranberry with a bit of raspberry and plum (on the sweet side) to round out the profile. Doesn't have a long finish, but has held up nicely for 35 years. A lot of tartrate residue left behind in the glass, there is a mellow tobacco that hangs on near the end of the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2013 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Harwood Arms (Harwood Arms, London): Blind. Mature claret. A touch of tobacco. Mid to early 70s Graves? No, but not sure what. After a while 78 starts to show itself with. Freshness tinged with green. Some meat and spice. Mellow and satisfying and refreshing. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2013 - Lype Likes this wine:
No formal notes, chelate, a bit stingy taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2013 - hkm520240 wrote: 92 Points
Callum's 1st year Birthday Celebration party (Charly T's at I12 KATONG): Dark ruby core with brick red hue, still look much youthful than the bottle age.
Elegant and sweet tobacco dominance bouquet, along with tar, cherry, mineral and earthy notes. Amazingly bright and solid acidity backbone making the wine fresh, elegant and light. On palate it has plenty of tobacco, red cherry, plum and cedar oak. Fine and almost dissolve tannins, nice & long aftertaste. This bottle holding very well tonight and one of the better 1978 I have tasted.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2012 - jmht wrote: 89 Points
Similar to my prior TN in 2010-- sour plum, savory flower quality I cannot quick pin down, balanced, but light. Pleasant but past its glory. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
This shows more herbal side than the Palmer. Fully mature, with wet earth, herbs, and slightly green stemmy notes on the nose, along with dried currant fruit in the background. In the mouth, forest floor, mushroom, and herbs predominate, with light fruit again in the background. A tasty wine but one that has reached full stretch and may be falling off just a touch. Still quite a good experience for those who, like me, love old wines. B+/A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote: 92 Points
Houston we have a problem (Lucio's BYOB, Houston): Great nose of tobacco, cedar, bright red cherry, leather, tar. On the palate, bright cherry, tobacco, cassis, mineral. Nicely balanced on the finish, best bottle of the lot. Classic St Julien.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2010 - jmht wrote: 89 Points
Leather and plum on the nose; sour cherry, plum, minerals on the palate. Past its prime, to be sure, but balanced, mature claret.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Bryan's Dinner Party Offline (The Ledbury, London): Deep garnet to ruby. Slightly cheesey, refreshing green edge. Very complete and tasty. Refreshing, proper wine. ****1/2
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2009 - GalvezGuy wrote: 91 Points
Much better than the last bottle. Decanted to remove sediment. Nose of cherry, plum, tobacco, cedar, and red currant. On the palate cherry, tobacco, mineral, and slight hint of red currant. Finishes with crisp acidity. Probably as good of a bottle from this lot that I will see. Drink. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2008 - esb wrote:
From magnum. Medium garnet with wide bricking rim. Still very aromatic showing cedar and tary/tobacco elements but also some subtle cassis fruit. Medium weight with good balance and a very soft medium finish. Not great, but a good glass of wine. Aroma was highlight. This was opened for about 30 minutes before drinking and held for the next 2 hours, improving slightly. Harvest Celebration.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2008 - THT wrote: 88 Points
Robe encore dense. Premier nez de proivron, évoluant sur des notes de grillé, cèdre, le fruit est encore là. La bouche est droite, avec de la fraicheur, agréable mais à côté de Ducru du même millésime apparait moins mûr.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2008 - kevin h wrote:
Now here is a bottle of wine with some history. I bought this in Edinburgh in 1985 when I was first getting into wine. Since then it has travelled with me for 23 years through various wardrobes in student digs, a prolonged stay in the cupboard under the stairs at my parents house, into a proper cellar, out of it and into a dark hallway in a warm second-floor flat, back into another cellar and now into a dark corner of my dining room. Not exactly ideal storage conditions... Healthy signs on decanting for drinking 2 hours later. Plenty of amber at the rim but still plenty of red at the core. Soft lingering cedary aroma with red fruits - classic St Julien. To taste this is a lovely mid-weight wine with plenty of cedary soft, sweet fruit. A gentle fully mature claret - delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2007 - GalvezGuy wrote: 89 Points
Holding together very well at this stage. Sanguine color with nose of cedar, tobacco, and cherry. The wine still shows medicum body with some fruit, mineral, and pronounced acidity with smooth tannins. Drink it if you have it, should hold together for a while longer. Very pleasant surprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2006 - grossie wrote: flawed
Dead bottle- brown and completely oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2006 - Spencer wrote: 88 Points
I thought this was a solid, mature Bordeaux. Not complex, but still alive and well-balanced. A pleasant surprise for the vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2006 - ERoss wrote: 86 Points
Leoville Barton Vertical; 12/4/2006-12/5/2006 (Spencer's): Beef blood, tomato, and oak jumped from the nose of this pleasant, but not outstanding wine. In the mouth, pronounced acidity, and lingering tannins dominated. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2006 - kevin h wrote: 90 Points
I once owned a case of this wine but sold most of it a few years back - just holding on to two bottles. That is now a pity as this was much better than it's reputation would suggest. Parker only scores it 86 and on this showing I'd say that is too low. While it is only medium bodied and not nearly as extracted as later vintages it does have a lovely, cedary St Julien charm and a good, lingering finish. If my other bottle is as good I'll be getting more of this as it can be bought for less than £50 ($85).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2002 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A business dinner (Restaurant De Nederlanden *, Vreeland, NL): Fully mature, stylish, cedary, a wonderful Englishman's Claret.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/1989 - MicklethePickle wrote: 79 Points
At our temporary Beaumont office. Showing definite signs of age. Browning at the edges. Nose pleasant, soft. Touch of tobacco. On the palate, quite simple. Light fruit, soft. Tannins gone. Still some richness. Lingering finish. Drink up. 3-9-13-4: 79/100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment