Four hour decant. Nice fruit at the start with a finish of leather and earthiness. Smooth and tasty but with a bit of a thin mouthfeel given the age. Great time to be drinking it. Still have 8 left.
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Similar to a bottle consumed last year. Drinking very well but not up to the original Pro ratings. Decanted for 2+ hours. That was enough, but it did not evolve over the evening as some other tasters have reflected.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Lots of smoke and graphite on the nose. Blackberries and cassis fruit. Feels a bit thin and diluted, with some grippy drying tannins. Good acidity. The wine started to blend together a bit better after 3 hours in decanter, feeling less disjointed and warranting an upgrade of 1-2 point to a 93.
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Monthly meeting of my Wine Group and the consensus was unanimous that it was perfect in all measures: balance, length, intensity, complexity. This is the second bottle of six that I purchased from Davis & Davis in Chicago. This vintage came directly from the chateau and the cork disintegrated when I removed it.
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New years eve 31-12-2023 at home: Classical aged Bordeaux. According to my taste it is in it's best drinking window right now. Tertiary notes have developed but still primary notes. Tannins are soft and nice. Without doubt also potential for further ageing if you prefer even more tertiary notes and don't prioritize primary notes. Poured immediately before drinking and only decanted for the sake of sediment.
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Nice red fruit with subtle earthy notes. Tannins are a bit drying and the wine lacks some depth and saturation. Nice nose but the finish is a bit short and clipped.
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Decanted 2.5 hours. A wine with great concentration with notes of dark fruit, herbs, game and damp earth. Tannins are well integrated and overall the wine has excellent balance and depth. Long finish. Paired with grilled dry-aged Wagyu ribeye steaks.
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A good but not great Leoville. Nose is full of tobacco and cigar box with some earth and dried blackcurrant. It’s certainly more to my liking than some of my guests that are used to a powerful Napa. Regardless, I found the wine to be nicely balanced. Nose is complex while the palate is round with resolved tannins and mid+ alcohol and mid acidity. More cigar box and currants on the nose while finishing with dark chocolate and currants. Overall, a solid wine that is can age for maybe 5 more years before it starts to drop off. We decanted for 30 minutes but would recommend a bit longer to let the nose awaken.
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Slow ox 5 hours and decanted fir an extra hour after that. Still really young but very drinkable. Displayed fresh blackberry and blackcurrant with smoke, cedar,l and spice on the nose. The palate had rich fruit with elegant tannins and a silky structure. Loved every drop of it. Next one in 10 to 15 years.
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Decanted about an hour. These have evolved a long way since last tasted 9 years ago, happy to have held on to them. Nice nose from the start. Palate was very pleasant and easy to drink, no sign of any tannins. Enjoyable for a couple hours. Might be at their peak.
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Deep intense but changing nose with cassis, plum, graphite and licorice. Medium bodied, juicy, refined and balanced and a pretty long intense finish with wonderful sweet fruit. Almost if not at the level with 96. Really special.
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What a difference a year makes. Who would have imagined that the Las Cases would be one of the first heavyweights from 1995 to shrug off its tannic armour and become a very special wine. The nose is now deeply seductive and perfumed with black cherry, plum and cedar, and the wine is silky on the palate. The finish is lengthy and well balanced, but still carries some residual tannin. However, after seeing the development over the last 12 months, I would be confident that this will be addressed, and consequently worth another point. This now kicks the 1996 into touch; something I couldn't have contemplated a few years ago.
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My last bottle alas. Absolutely incredible. With BBQ Flank Steak; hot, fresh bread; green salad. A noble wine to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. Very, very special and at its peak. 🍷
Showing much better than expected, with time, the wine has fleshed out and softened with layers of ripe, juicy, black, and dark red fruits, spice, cigar wrapper, and black cherries. The wine is full-bodied, deep, long, chewy, and powerful, with layers of dark red fruits and ripe tannins in the dense finish. Drink from 2023-2050.
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Mature Bordeaux at its best! We had the 1995 Léoville Las Cases from a Magnum that was in perfect shape. Ruby color, almost no grenade reflexes. Notes of dark red fruit, cassis, dark cherry, graphite, blackberry, with very slight hints of leather and coffee. On the palate, this wine comes across as still climbing to its peak, dry, medium acidity, full body, very long finish. A great pleasure to drink. Does need some air to open up. Still has potential to develop even further. Great wine.
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The nose is gorgeous if brooding with notes of black fruits, grilled nuts and sooty gravel. On the palate, this needs a long decant as its DNA is austerity. After 4 hours in a decanter, it begins to show an exotic and expressive black fruit and minty quality that is impressive. Quite a lean wine now but my intuition suggests this may blossom further down the road. 93+
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What a lovely wine! Ruby color, no signs of aging - which shows how storing a wine in perfect conditions maintains its quality - this one was kept at 11°C and 70% humidity for the last 26 years (since delivery). In the nose, dark red fruit, blackberry, boysenberry, dried plum, cigar box, a small touch of vanilla...e delicious nose. On the palate, the wine is dry, round, tannins very well integrated, lovely dark red fruit. Very nice and long finish. This wine developed nicely since it had been opened, was getting better by the hour. Really a great wine. TBM 93 points.
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Blackberry, leather, cigar box, classic nose but slightly muted, initially still seeming young with only hints of age; more mature on palate, very extended and powerful but fruit is not prominent After 2 Hours: Nose is quite different with animal hide and unripe strawberry emerging; on palate more aged and structured though without significant appeal After 4 Hours: More integrated at last; leather and cigar box dominant on nose but with blackberry and strawberry tones; robust body and more dynamic; powerful yet lithe; not overly complex but sufficiently enticing and enveloping to command attention At 5 Hours: Nose is similar, slightly more muted, notes of apricot also emerging; there is a new elegance and lightness on the palate and an intensity that is quite pleasing (wouldn’t drink before a four hour decant)
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Last bottle of 3 cases bought on release, my first big Bordeaux purchase.
LLC is a wine more respected than loved. It is elegant and balanced, not exuberant. The fruit is restrained. It takes a long time to come around in many vintages; at age 28 this is still not at peak, though a cerebral pleasure to drink now.
I own a lot of other vintages of LLC. The 2003 might be ready, I’ll probably break that case open next year. The 2000 I’ll let rest for some years.
This Leoville Las Cases has gained more complexity and balance over the past eight years since opening the last bottle. Amazingly pure and fresh for a wine that is almost 30 years old. Blueberry fruit, cedar and tobacco are all perfectly balanced for a silky smooth finish. This wine has much more life than what the cellartracker community believes is 2026. Absolutely needs an hour plus decant. Sadly this is my last bottle.
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This wine was tight and tannic when initially opened. About 30 min in the decanter and it evolved beautifully. The nose showed cigar box, leather, and dark fruit. Beautifully balanced, well-integrated tannins and with a medium-to-long finish. It felt elegant, integrated, and seamless. Lovely wine drinking beautifully now with a 30-60 min decant.
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This experience was almost identical to the one in December 2021. A fine wine on its drinking plateau, but no rush to drink up.
Brought to a restaurant. Cork broke when the waiter opened it, but fortunately I had brought my Durand and was able to extract the remaining piece of cork easily. (You know you’re a wine geek when you bring your own corkscrew to a restaurant!). Tasted by both of us and decided not to decant.
Purchased on release, and stored properly.
The usual LLC cool elegance.
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My last bottle of this, the previous one having been drunk more than 5 years ago. I am glad I kept this back. It has quite a dark colour and a fragrant bouquet of cassis. The flavour on the palate mirrors this, and the wine has considerable depth and a rich texture. Long on the finish. I think this has now reached its plateau of maturity where it should remain for another decade or so. A very fine claret.
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Ex-château 2017. Cork slightly deteriorated and broke easily. Lots of sediment in the bottle. Double decanted. Completely muted at the start, but began to open up after one hour, and was just starting to come into its own after two. Once the nose opened up: leather, stewed plums, sous bois, and a little barnyard. Silky palate; just a touch of grip; dark cherry, earthy flavors are buried deep and never really showed up to the party. Understated. Needs a longer decant next time.
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Milan Wine Event (Niko Romito at the Bulgari , Milan): Opened and left to rest for a good hour but frankly given how this developed we should have decanted. The wine was very different at start especially on the nose tot he wine we had at the end. Its been 5 years since we had this last (Papies 91) and this has finally arrived just at the point that we started to feel that the 1995 was never going to deliver on the hype (or better the hope) barring the 95 Pichon Comtesse with its high merlot content delivering something different vs. the other left bank bdx. LLC will never be a super expressive wine and we usually call it the Mika Hakkinen of the Bordeaux wine in the sense that is capable of the best overtake move but really it is never really exciting. For sure elegant, classic, old school with not much screaming here, black fruited, fort graphite touches , light smoky edge and with a cassis finish. Back in 2012 we said this was charmless well who is laughing now? 94 and with lots of life ahead.
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Tasted regularly over the last few years tracking its development, you really now get a sense that this has started to hit its sweet spot. Blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cedar are prominent on the nose and palate with deep earthy aromas and a strong tannic spine typical of the year. The finish is very masculine and old school with good length and balance, but perhaps not to everybody's taste. Extended decanting is recommended. 94 +
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Medium garnet,medium(+) red cherry,blueberry,green bell pepper,eucalyptus,liquorice,cinnamon,dried fruit,vanilla,leather,coffee,dry,medium(+) acidity,smooth medium(+) tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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Nearly 3 years since my last bottle. Decanted for 3 hours which helped and it could have used more. Such good subdued upfront cherry fruit. Nice balance and finish. Likely in or near Its prime. This should drink well for at least 2 more decades. Paired well with wild Alaskan salmon. Revisit 2025
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Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Marea - New York NY): Small pour from magnum, brief note. Dense black plum, currant, cassis with roasted meat. Still firm, this seemed similar to a wonderful bottle tasted last year, but less accessible (partly due to magnum format), but same great properties and potential.
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Deep garnet with a minimal clear edge - pretty good after 27 years! Decanted due to failed cork. Sensational nose with dark fruit, graphite and leather. Palate retains a good dose of blackcurrant based fruit from the cab sauv, nice acidity with fine grained tannins giving a nice velvet finish.
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Deep garnet red. First still closed after 30 minutes in the glass opening ab some wonderful complex flavors of blackberries and cedarwood combined with roasted notes and sweet spices. Full bodied fine tannins and long persistent finish
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Decanted over cocktails but kept improving over two hours. This has some delicious mature black fruit and earth but massive tannins that softened a bit over two hours. I'm not too familiar with LLC but would love to find a bottle in the serene place that sometimes is described. It seems to take forever to mature.
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I love the smoky, nutty nose but on the palate this bottle is somewhat firm and closed and in need of further aging. Dark fruit and lovely graphite notes but just clipped on the finish. Decanted 3 hours. 91?
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Drank on Xmas day with roast beef and chicken. The last time I had this, approximately 15 years ago, it was harsh with very prominent tannins hiding the fruit. Today, it has developed into a beautiful wine. Lovely black fruits with a long finish. Hard to see how it will get much better, but must have a few more years of drinking window.
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Still deep garnet red. No bricking or tinge at all. Swirls of warm blackberries, damsons and Christmas spices. Dry austere and French. Leather and cedar, acidity and vibrant. Very good and years left.
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Tremendous wine and ready. Decanted 90m and quickly opened out in the glass. So much going on here and keeps giving. Tannin is still prominent but softening and I would expect further improvement over another 2-5 years.
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Tasted and decided not to decant; on reflection 30-60 minutes in the decanter might have helped. Some lightening at the rim. Nose is starting to show secondary characteristics, with old leather and some funk accompanying red and black fruit. Elegant, balanced with a little pleasing sweetness on the finish.
A fine wine, but more an intellectual rather than a hedonistic pleasure.
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Decanted 1 1/2 hours before serving. Deep ruby color with some slight bricking on the rim. Took about 10 minutes in the glass to open up, where it offered some wonderiful aromas of cigar, dark berries, old leather, and truffles. Medium-to-medium-plus body, medium-to-medium-plus acid, and some wonderful chalky tannins that lingered through the finish. Complex flavors on the palate with some possible prune juice added to the aromas, great minerality, and a nice long finish. One of the best wines I have had this year.
Last tasted 8 months ago, this is in line with my previous note. It has hit its drinking window but will continue to evolve over the next few years. It does need extended decanting and time in the glass to allow it to fully open up. The nose is mature and deep with cherry, blackcurrant, plum and cedar. The palate and finish have the tannic edge typical of 1995, but it is well balanced and the latter lengthy. Normally would give this another point but suspect bottle was marginally flawed.
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Decanted for 45 minutes. Medium ruby, drinking well right from the start. Served up for my friends birthday along with a 1995 Pichon Lalande. Both superb.
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This wine is evolving beautifully. Building upon my last note. The fruit profile is starting to emerge further and tannin is starting to settle. This wine will still benefit from further aging so my advice is to hold for at least another couple of years. It’s awesome now but I think those who are patient will be rewarded.
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I would say time to drink up - overall savory and forest floor right now. Very supple on the palate, totally integrated. It had one brief moment of showing primary fruit, which was gorgeous, but that moment was brief and then it faded.
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Nice clean closure albeit a minimal seepage. Colour is clear limpid garnet - very deep with only the slightest brick on the edge. The nose is quintessential Saint Julien with a definite pencil shaving and leather. Palate was initially dilute but then a deeper black fruit bomb with the softest but very persistent fine grained tannins on the long slightly drying but refreshing finish.
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Pristine cork. Upon opening, proper nose and palate of classic BDX, cassis, cedar, graphite and leather. I then decanted for several hours, there was only a little sediment. After some time, this still remained young in profile, more red fruit, the finish was a bit short and tannic. Overall, not lean, but more focused than round, great with food. I expect this will continue to develop with time.
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Judgement of Sydney (Strand Cellars, Croydon): Served blind. Earth, leather baked plums, thick smelling fruits, brambles, a little pyrazine note. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, slightly sour, chalky tannins offer a little mid palate grip. For me this is a little bit out of condition. I was confused by this (integrated acidity, slight pyrazine vs baked plums) but plumped for Aus
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Larry and Nancy's Bordeaux Dinner (University Club, Chicago): I didn't prefer this at first but it evolved nicely in the glass. Initially closed and almost undetectable nose. Small tannins, mouthcoating. Bing cherries and raspberries. Second favorite in the vertical tasting after the 1990.
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This is really motoring forward, and has advanced in the last year. It very representative of 1995 left bank wines where the tannin is prominent, but everything really works. The nose is excellent and deep with dark berry fruits, cedar and tobacco dominating. The tannin although robust, is surprisingly smooth on the palate and everything is perfectly balanced and deceptively complex. Likewise the finish gradually keeps creeping and is in excess of 60 seconds. This is a dark horse and is not an obvious contender for greatness like the 1996, and is a very understated wine. It needs extended time in the decanter at this stage, and it really comes to life after 30 minutes in the glass. I am actually starting to really love this wine.
Decanted 6 hours prior to tasting. Medium ruby with slight bricking on the rim. Graphite, forest floor, animal, medium body and length. On the acidic side. Cork was in terrible shape, shaft was moldy. A little under whelming for LLC. Off bottle? I would love to retry as this bottle seemed at its plateau where it should hold for another decade.
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Cork in tack - Bordeaux nose upon opening but this blows off over a bit of time. Flint, light fruit and some ash followed by barnyard. Linear on the palate with some chalky tannins and pretty red fruit.
p.s. meatloaf, baked potatoes and comal charred asparagus.
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Decanted 4 hours. Dark fruits, nice secondaries, long finish with graet balance. Bordeaux at its best for me. Drinking so well but with such a long life ahead of it. Maybe just at the beginning of a long peak. A-/A
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Classic claret with beautiful finesse and restraint. Black fruit is subtle, but very finely layered between the minerality, incense, and cedar. The elegance feels sheer, like you're passing through all the classic aromas and flavours of claret. Fine boned structure, but definitely needs time in the decanter to bring everything out. Delicious.
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Uncorked at 2:00pm. Cork in great shape. Purple about 1/3 up and removed easily in one piece. Tried after an hour in the decanter. Meh, not bad (91?) but not what you’re hoping for. Just left it another 3 hours and tried again at 6:00pm. Noticeable improvement (93) Still getting better. Will update after another couple hours.
*Update* Nose- dark fruits on the nose. Black cherry prominent. Palate -blackberry and mineral. Finish- good length, tobacco, leather.
This was my only 750ml bottle. I still have a 1.5 liter left. Despite 25 years of age not terribly surprising that a LLC still needed 5 plus hours to show well. This got continually better the longer it aired. Still room to evolve and improve. If you want to drink it now plan a long decant but I resolve to keep my magnum cellared until 2025 and expect it will be a (95-96) by then.
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Looks like I last tasted this in 2011 and it hasn't budged an inch! I like this quite a lot and, perhaps surprisingly, this is a generous wine from a vintage where some stray towards austerity. Still somewhat reticent on the nose, the 1995 Leoville las Cases shows a fresh blackcurrant, black cherry, pencil, leather profile amplified on the round, rich palate. Poised, cool, and deep; it would be wise to revisit this in a few years. 93-94+
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Nose: blackberry, black cherry, leather, graphite and nice black truffle note. Dark black fruit and lots of classic Medoc notes. Palate: Gorgeous black fruit and black cherry and graphite. Rounded feel that shows the softer side of LLC. Finish: plum, blackcurrant, graphite and cedar. Lots of structure still getting sorted out.
This was actually better with 12 hours of air. The last bit of the wine consumed in the morning was brighter and more giving. What a wine. Lots of room to go here.
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Similar to my previous note. This wine is still tight although it has possibly softened a bit. It’s hard to say when this will hit its peak. Waiting another 3+ years might solve that question. Or it may never flesh out to be an epic wine. Only time will tell, but my gut feeling is that it will eventually hit its stride.
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Decanted 3 hours. Dark fruits, minerals, earth. Great concentration and a long finish. Tannin still prominent as expected. Came in and out of open/closed phases over the evening. Great, classic, Bordeaux that has at times been singing and at times felt like it needed a bit more time to hit its peak window. But certainly very good right now with enough air and one of my favorite vintages of LLC. A-/A?
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CC Bday Wine Dinner 2020!: Black fruits, currants, tar, minerals, truffles. This was very vibrant with lively tannins. However, the wine was rather confusing as it kept evolving in the glass. Overall, a good showing!
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Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby with a light rim, cherries, tobacco & leather, med. tannins, med/long finish; outstanding, classic mature Left Bank, ready to drink, no rush
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The old trope is that with old wines there are no great wines only great bottles- and this was a great bottle.
After opening- one sniff and swirl was enough to convince me not to decant- so this was poured two hours out of the cellar (with one of those hours with the cork off).
Beautiful medium ruby appearance with only slight lightening at the rim- impressive for a wine approaching its 25th birthday.
Pronounced and classic nose of black fruits, cassis, tobacco , lead pencil and vanilla. Just gorgeous and no sign of being tired on the nose.
Medium plus body with fully resolved tannins and plenty of acidity. Lots of similar flavor characteristics on the palate (maybe some additional savory herb elements) and a long finish.
Just loved this bottle which can be drunk now or stored another 10++ years in a cold cellar.
This bottle was purchased on release in 1998 and was stored properly with one owner.
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Bottle sourced directly from the chateau by Hart Davis & Hart (Chicago)wine tasting in November 2018 where 31 vintage vertical at Peninsula Hotel. This was my favorite along with 2005, 2009 & 2010. This was spectacular from the moment opened; you could tell it was a great wine at 25 years old; four hour decant wine was classic great Bordeaux with firm structure to keep aging another 25 years; superb balance of fruit and acidity; long finish. Only concern was the condition of the cork which I had to remove piece by piece. This wine came directly from the chateau in 2018. I would have thought the cork would still be in pristine condition.
Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep dark garnet color. Classic bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, black currants and their liqueurs; sous bois, stony soil, dried herbs and dark baking spices, tobacco, leather, earthy mushrooms, black truffles, occasional umami hints of dried game. Similar on the palate, full body, beautiful balance, fresh and vibrant, improved with air. Fabulous.
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This is drinking with extended time in the decanter, but sometimes I feel with Las Cases that the best way to enjoy it is to jump into a time machine and ask your grandfather to buy a few cases for you. That said, it ticks all the boxes, and if you are a fan of drinking wines in the earlier stages of maturity, it hits the spot. The vintage as a whole is finally starting to come into its own, and this is no exception. Dark berry fruits, cedar and tobacco dominate the nose and palate. It has a huge tannic backbone, but as with all good Las Càses it is not a problem with great balance. It also possesses a deceptively good finish which underwhelms at first but creeps up. It will be interesting how this continues to develop, but it is highly enjoyable now.
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Enjoyed this LLC with my friend and i like it! Leather, blackberries, minerals, earth and also with a hint of chocolate aroma as well. Full body and this is a powerful wine for sure. Decanted 1 hour and keep swirling in the glass. Very smooth tannins that almost like a tiny feel on my palate. 96 pts for today. The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, mineral, mushroom, espresso and lead pencil. The body is full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Classic fully mature claret. Tertiary development has set in but fruit is still bright with good acidity. Tannins are grippy and are not maturing as fast as the fruit. Dark cassis, black tea and tobacco.
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Same as a bottle last fall......fine, but not as exciting and complex as in the past. Two hour decant. I have had 2025 down as the last year in my drink window. I am going to move that year forward a little.
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Decanted 1 hour. Dark, ripe fruits. Earth, minerals. Deep wine, but great balance. Tannin is there, but ripe and frames the wine well. Probably better with 3 hours of air and likely will improve a bit with a few more years, but this is drinking really well now and a classic for my taste. A
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Another Las Cases is another excellent wine! Such textbooked and elegantly made. Cassis, cigar box, caramel oak lead pencil shavings. Still dens with high concentration of blackcurrant, blackberry and blue flowers.
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I've now tried Las Cases from the 70s, the 80s and the 90s and have decided it just isn't worth the price of admission - this was fairly open, but just boring (as was the 1988). Maybe some interest will develop, but it feels like an expensive gamble. Don't think the bottle was flawed, but you could get the same experience by opening a modest Bordeaux from 2008, say.
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17th of 36, opened 3 hours decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, all the fine attributes of my previous notes but now losing angularity and singing, indeed pleasanter on night than Latour 95, though I think the Latour is even more complex and is the better bet for the long term. VF (18.5)…..more complex than otherwise attractive Barton 99 on same night.
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Souper Bordeaux/Napa Valley (Chez François G.): Un beau nez typé de boite à cigare et de cèdre. Bouche puissante, encore jeune et serrée, il parait assez raide face au Cask 23, avec une finale un peu asséchante. Ça manque cruellement de charme. Un style austère qui représente l’image qu’on se fait du millésime. Peut-être que dans un autre contexte on l'aurait apprécié davantage, mais ce soir il n'est pas dans la même classe. 90-91 pts
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A first for me - upon removing the capsule, at first glance all I saw was wine in the bottle's neck. No cork?? But after attempting to pour wine from the bottle, the cork revealed itself, a little more than an inch down inside the neck. Not an auspicious sign, even though the cork itself was intact. Initially, serious barnyard funk, and while this blew off a bit after 30 minutes, and a bit more after another hour, never really got past being a confused mix of astringent fruit. Because of the cork situation, I'll call this one flawed.
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Wine was a 95 upon opening and initial decant. Loads of cherry, tobacco and cedar on this bottle. Was disappointed towards the second hour it was open as it went backwards and became very astringent and tannic. I think maybe a few more years on this or drink a little quicker. Happy New Year to all of CellarTracker wine friends!
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Corvine sample. Incredibly dark, dense and closed, even after several hours. Tannic and impenetrable. Maybe this will come around in another 10 years but it’s definitely not giving much drinking pleasure today at age 24.
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Youthful and tight, wood clearly present, considering the emerging powerful fruit, good acidity and highish tannins I would give this several years in the cellar. Very good and promising but won't probably reach the heights of the -96.
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Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): A touch reserved, brooding dark, minerally fruit, quite deep/saturated on the palate, plenty of firm, unresolved tannin but good depth of fruit too, vibrant acidity, finish isn't much fun but this could be excellent if/when it comes together. 92?
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5 hour decant- perfectly stored bottle. Such great up front young fruit. Finish is a bit lacking but overall very enjoyable. This is likely in its prime but has at least another decade of life and will likely hold here for several years. No rush. Revisit in 2022.
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This bottle felt marginally over the hill. A very traditional Left bank Bordeaux and very enjoyable. Double decanted over 8h. Nose not expressive at all, but the palate has excellent balance in the classic Bordeaux style where the fruit is anything by dominant....
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Fell short of my high expectations. It was fine and drinking well, but too straight down the middle -- expected more finesse, complexity, and/or strength. Got a little bit of everything.
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The 95 Las Cases still shows a deep crimson colour and has an open nose of blackcurrants, dark plums, liquorice, cedar and a touch of dark chocolate. The palate is somewhat linear yet intense with a fine burst of plum and cassis in the middle with a very long tannin finish that persists nicely. The notable features are the balance and the overall purity and class of the fruit and finish that mark this wine as special. Interestingly 24hrs later the fruit had continued to open with an extra vein of richness suggesting plenty in the tank here !
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1995 Bordeaux Tasting at Winetasters of Toronto Club (North York Memorial Hall): 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases was complex and nuanced. The medium-deep garnet liquid gave complex bouquet of for forest berries, red cherries, earth and freshly tilted soil, complemented by floral violets and licorice notes. It was medium-bodied and medium-high acidic. The medium tannin was maturing well, as it melted to coat the entire palate. The long finish was packed with minerals and complex sweet red fruits. The blend composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. It was personally rated the third out of the eight wines, and the table rating was the second.
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Beautiful perfume pour Homme. Black fruits, cassis. Tannins are granular and active, but aeration for couple hours in decanter helped to calm them down and open up the wine. Great wine and the winner of the night for me, however, I think '95 performed not at Premier Grand Cru Classe level as I usually expect it. This vintage justifies Las Cases' 2nd Growth status.
Leather, blackcurrant and chery fruit. The vintage’s tannins have mellowed down. Good structure but it lacked some finesse probably because its still young.
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This is certainly ready to start drinking, and has moved forward significantly from 18 months ago. It does benefit from a lengthy decant, and I gave this 7 hours in an open decanter. The nose is surprisingly delicate with cherry, blackcurrant, and liquorice with floral hints. The palate is typical of the the vintage, and has a steely backbone of tannin, but it is perfectly balanced with the fruit. The depth is excellent, but I do find a lightness on the palate, with the finish lengthy but displaying residual sourness. This is displaying secondary characteristics, but will continue to develop and stay here for decades.
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Dinner@BA: Blind. Deep, and quite dense ruby. Very Pauillac on the nose. Combines a richness and a firmness with a sense of the aristocratic. Similar on palate, rich, tannins have melted but there’s a straightness of spine keeping everything just where it should be. This is lovely, and quite a surprise in the context of 95. Very fine. Not the same level of easy balance and sweetness of fruit as the 82 a couple of weeks ago, but comfortably ***** nonetheless.
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Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby with a light rim, cherries & leather, med. tannins, med/long finish; delicious & better than a bottle I tasted a few days ago, drink or hold. Bringing as requested for Charlie's BD tonight
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Super tight upon opening... Shortly after double decanting, the nose was more inviting with black fruit, prune, tobacco, and hints of vanilla bean. The alcohol is a bit pronounced on the nose, but it’s not offensive. In the mouth this is only medium bodied, surprising given the fruit character and alcohol. Tannins are typical of the vintage, big and unrelenting. It’s delicious, but not without some hard edges. In the end, this needs another 5 or so years in bottle to hopefully soften up.
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Simply beautiful. Silky, soft tanins, long. Flowers, violet? mushrooms. Opened and carafe about 4 hours before drinking, on a "jambon a l'os sauce madere et gratin dauphinois".
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Mostly new friends gathering (Rye Brook): The least pleasurable of the trio (82&00) but without the comparison I suspect this would have seemed better. Still, there is a hardness and austerity to this wine that likely will outlive the fruit.
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Decanted for 2 hours this wine stood out for me in the evening's line-up of beautiful wines from various regions. But then again that's probably because I do love claret a lot, so there might be a slight bias on my side. The more Las Cases I drink the more I am getting convinced that this is at or around 1st growth quality - all of the recent bottles of top vintages have performed incredibly well. As for 95 I would not usually call it a true top vintage in Bordeaux as I found even the 1st growth that I tried (Mouton and Haut Brion) to be only very good rather then truly great wines. What 95 certainly is, a very classic vintage. This Las Cases was in an absolutely beautiful spot that night, it came across with a lovely freshness and well integrated acidity, super smooth and not heavy at all, with hints of secondary/tertiary aromas but no overt Bordeaux funk (yet) in any way, it was a very "clean" wine for lack of better word that had a nice set of core red fruit. This was great with a grilled lamb steak and for me was the wine of the evening. In my view drinking now perfectly - of course one can wait for years/decades but I feel that it might be in its perfect spot as I could also see this fruit going into hiding if you give it too much time, which would be a shame. I have one bottle left and am making a note to drink this before 2020. As a side note this for me was better then the examples of 95 Mouton or Haut Brion that I had over the last year. Seems like I love Las Cases.
This is reasonably expressive but it either lacks some stuffing or is only starting to come out of a closed period - I suspect a combination of the two. Aromatically quiet, the fruit is pale and autumnal with red-apple flavors, surprisingly hollow at first and while it does fill in the gaps with some air it remains surprisingly light - inky this is not, it's more like watercolor. The fruit is complemented by a mineral element that seems to combine gravel and pencil fillings and generally adds some shades of grey to the color palette, contributing to some sensations of austerity despite the fact that it does not come across as especially tannic or structured. LLC always needs a ton of time but I am still a little surprised by this showing after the knockout Ducru just a few days ago.
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Decanted just before dinner. This has finally entered its drinking window. Delightful nose and palate now, but many years of positive evolution ahead. Man this has taken a long time to come around, as have many top 1995s, but a pleasure to drink now!
From my last 375, similar to my prior note after SO'd all day then decanting; delicious & ready to drink, but no rush (will wait a little longer for my 750s).
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Classic LLC nose of charred tobacco, blackberries, gravel and graphite minerals. Decented for 3 hours and the wine still retained great intensity with a thick texture and superb mid-palate density. Great flavors of smoky blackberries, sweet gravel, bitter chocolate and graphite minerals. Finishes with great intensity and still firm tannins and a touch of rusticity with crunchy complexity. This is a powerful Las Cases that’s a bit woodsy and wild with a touch of grippy roughness but I like my Bordeaux with a little rust in the pipes and I’m convinced this will be one of the great LLC’s in time. 94+
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From 375, amazingly, this wine is waking up! Deep ruby, classic Bordeaux nose & palate, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & finally ready to drink, but definitely no rush, many yrs. to go with poss. improvement
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Short decant at a restaurant. After a while, it displayed more complexity and fruit than a bottle opened most of a year ago.....even though the earlier bottle had a 2+ hour decant. If I had a do over, would decant for at least 1 hour, maybe 2.
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This was a vertical tasting over dinner. I love Las Cases and fell its a tremendous value that in the best years approaches Grand Crus but is generally excellent and enjoyable. all of these wines fit the bill from the the sublime 82 and 90 downward. My ranking was as follows 82 90 86 89 83 96 85 95
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This has certainly moved forward from 9 months ago, and has entered the beginning of its own drinking window. The nose is deeply perfumed with blackcurrent, liquorice, and leather after a couple of hours of aeration in the decanter. On the palate the tannin is very robust and typical of the vintage and locality but has started to resolve giving a good roundness. There is an excellent depth, and complexity is starting to develop. At this stage I do find that the finish is somewhat harsh but at the same time lengthy. At last the wine is starting to show its full potential after some disappointing tastings, and this can only keep getting better, and I look forward to scoring this 95 upwards in the future.
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Notes of soft leather and spices, medium body with mostly secondary and tertiary notes. Decent structure and finish. Not as impressive as the 94 I had a year or 2 ago, but this was still yummy stuff.
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Beautiful dark purple in color with no visible signs of aging. Incredible nose of black current, violets, and graphite. Just a beautiful expression of the 1995 vintage at its best. It appears to have years of life ahead of it. Plush mouth feel with restrained tannins and a long finish.
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Deep, tannic, black licorice, austere at this stage, showed components to improve with more age. Paired well with medallions of lamb loin, cabage stuffed with braised lamb.
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Still firm and somewhat unyielding, solid core of fruit but should benefit from more time in the bottle. Powerful & lacking charm and only time will tell if this will unfurl into a more pleasurable wine
Purple, opaque, bright and shiny no rim variation. Nose has organic barnyard with pale hints of red fruits but searching, tears are fast and practically sheet like. Puckering tannin but dominant, med alcohol, med acidity, lacking a center and thin; dense short finish. Something is restrained in this glass Bacchus believes this wine will blossom in three to five years, and better to have with red meat
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Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): A bit of a disappointment if we are honest and had nothing to do with the great 1996 we had before ( Papies 95-96+). Muted on the nose, on the riper light raisiny nose, more oak feel and the only one with a rich cassis feel. Better on the palate but still lacked the harmony and complexity of the 1996 and in a way lacked charm and was on the flat side. Maybe time will help but no more than 91 from us for now.
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A deep colour; very pure, blackcurrant fruit, elegant, intense and very long. This is now a very fine wine, fully ready but likely to keep for many years. Excellent.
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Tasted blind alongside Ducri and Barton. The most backward of the three. Core of black fruit, animal fat, and ink. Took a good 40 minutes to open up in the glass after an hour of the bottle being open. Will peak in 5 years or so.
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1+ hour decant. Very good.....but, I agree with some other recent reviews......that it still seems to be holding something back. Perhaps a little more age will do the trick. Maybe that is just the way it is.
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Similar to prior notes; may be as good as it is going to get. SO'd a 375 over night, then double decanted, very good but the tannins are still mod. with some dryness on the finish that I now believe may outlast the the fruit. I have heard mention of comparisons with 1975, which sounds right. I will drink my last half bottle soon
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This wine is singing. Several hours of air really helped bring this out. Dark colour, with some garnet on the rim. Glorious nose of black fruits, cassis, cedar. Thick and long on the palate with impeccable balance, fruit and minerality. Stunning.
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Not as advanced as some of the other left bank 1995's tasted recently, and just entering the beginning of its drinking window, it possesses a good nose of blackcurrent, blackberry, and a touch of cedar. On the palate the tannin is very bold and slightly abrasive at this stage, but still allowing the fruit to shine with a very well balanced decent finish. I think and hope that there is room for development as there is a certain lack of depth mid palate and some residual sourness on the finish.
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Excellent textbook medoc. Has everything but lacks some richness to be a 95+ wine. I think it is at its peak now but has many more years of potential. Like most bordeaux, it's not worth the crazy price. I'm just glad that I had bought one bottle back then...
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750ml, stood for weeks. Slow ox for an hour, then decanted and served. Beautiful crimson color, tiny bricking. Classically old and stinky nose, much mustier than expected from this 'young' buck. A bit tart/sour in the first few minutes but that quickly subsided. Still tons of structure here, profile is a bit more linear than I anticipated. After an hour, this hit its stride. Graphite, almost charcoal; cedar and black fruit. Slightly chalky, fine tannins, hint of sweetness. Medium finish. Delicious even if a bit unremarkable for LLC.
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Good but wanted more. No notes taken but on memory had good but not great length and lacked that amazing palate presence. Not a bottle you kick out of bed... but hope further age adds more.
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12th of 36, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, right back on form with the colour and energy of a young wines but attractive secondary flavours and silk now developing, concentrated, complex and classy, long life ahead. VF (18.5), but the least interesting of the dp trio with '88 and '75, though potentially the best.
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Reading Cellar Tracker notes prior to opening this bottle caused me to reduce my expectations. Purchased at release. Perfect cork, medium to dark ruby, nose of cedar. Gave it a 2.5 hour decant and served with lamb chops. Really excellent wine, complex with a very long finish. Plenty of structure to age well for a few more years.
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Drank after 2h decant. Expected much more from this producer and this vintage. Attractive nose, but on the palate I could not make out that this was a top producer. Some black fruit and tons of tannins. Maybe an off bottle, but still, disappointing.
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Unfortunately a corked bottle. However, in spite of this it seems to be ready to drink and has good depth and fruit. Look forward to an uncontaminated bottle.
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Had high hopes for this wine and it performed just barely to expectations. After an hour to open up, it was linear, focused, graphite, mineral and very elegant for a wine which is still quite big and tannic. Just as I had hoped for. After 3 hours it began to show some vanilla notes which came across as less elegant.
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Whether because of storage, bottle variation or bad luck, this did not meet expectations or live up to its reputation and when I found myself making excuses for it I decided enough was enough.
Good balance, nice fruit, tannins integrating well, all at the minimum level expected of a big name, but it lacked charm and personality.
Not a good buy at present prices. Be very sure of provenance if you must buy
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Possibly a flawed bottle or just example of bottle variation, this had a rough mouthfeel and bright, youthful fruit. Decanted and drunk over three hours, wine rounded out over course of dinner but never fully came together.
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Dusty and a little austere but beautiful wine. Still a lovely and lasting nose, slight bricking around the rim, great mouthfeel. Great accompaniment first for cheese and then for a beef course. Did not seem to change dimension over the two hours or so it took to consume but a fine example of a twenty year old bordeaux.
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GMs - 1995 Bordeaux Tasting: Very youthful still - blueberry, black and red currants, flighty florals and ash. Has plenty of structure - enough that the best years here are ahead of it still. Next to the excellent 1995 GPL, this feels just a little bit better integrated and has a little more potential.
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This is delicious ! Still deep crimson colour. The nose builds with blackcurrant, liquorice, cedar and a touch of mint chocolate. The palate is linear with a fine burst of plum and cassis in the middle leading a very long tannin finish that lifts this wine into 1st growth territory. A complete wine now entering its plateau.
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Oh, this is... very nice, drinkable, almost mature even. Finally. I've been opening a bottle every now for the last several years, and each tight and unyielding experience has been a hard lesson in patience. But this time, the fortress of tannin has melted just enough (though there's a lot of it left) to let some of my taste-buds through... And indeed, there is a beautiful silky wine on the other side of the wall, trying to come out. Slightly brooding, but with a more red (than black) character to the fruit, this wine is medium bodied but packed with flavor and character. In another 5 years it would be even better -- but I won't have any bottles left by then
Memorial Day Mondo Event - Burghounds & Bordelais: The best showing I've ever had of this wine. Having tasting this at least 10 times over the past decade and been somewhat disappointed, I was not let down this time around. This particular bottling was much more extroverted showing classic St. Julien notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, and asphalt. It still had a good concentration of fruit suggesting it has just entered its maturity window.
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Burg & Bordeaux $100+ (Duluth, GA): Dark reddish crimson; bay leaf, red currants, loads of graphite, cedar; good tannin, secondary note on palate, showing truer than New Year's 2014 now it just needs to soften a bit as this was quite muscular and just lacks some drinkability.
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Lovely deep red colour still. Cassis, anise, cherries. Even after three hours decanted, the fruit seemed a little reticent, which keeps it from a higher score. Maybe emerging from a backwards state, because it seems like it wants to break out.
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Leoville Las Cases Tasting and Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Open approx one hour before serving. Black plum and currant with tobacco. Some roast meat and leather. Still fresh. Firm, slightly backward but with very good concentration so easy to enjoy even now. Better in the future.
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One day Bordeaux wine school (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Leather, cedar, black fruit, spice, but balanced. A slightly rocky note, touches of VA, slight cigar box. In the mouth it's juicy with slightly smokiness, so fresh, leather, black fruits, slightly chalky and textured tannins, warm Just lovely. Really good.
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This wine was tasted as part of a bigger Bordeaux tasting, so the note might be a little bit short:
The organiser of the tasting told us that the wine had spent 20 hours in a big decanter before it was decanted back into the bottle and brought to the tasting.
purple red, muted nose, still some tannins left, not that dry, medium body and good length. Still very young. I concur with a previous TN that this needs more time. The group very much liked this wine nevertheless.
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8th of 36, hour decanted, perfect cork and level, seems to be in a sulky phase since last Febs note, hence lower mark, broader and less pure, tannins intruding slightly, enough fruit though to sing again, though I don't think this will ever be up to the top vintages like 90, 88, 86, 85, 82 and 96. At present the 94 is happier if shorter! F+ (18).
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Decanted for 30min, once opened up the wine showed classic St Julien characters, with wet forest floor/inkiness on the bouquet, and plenty of cassis, minerality and pencil shaving on the palate.
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During a LLC tasting dinner with ex chateau bottles, hosted by Directeur General Pierre Graffeuille, double decanted. TN: Medium-dark garnet. Nose of forest floor with an animalic touch. Enters the palate medium bodied and quite structured. The tannins, so typical for the overrated 1995 vintage, are a touch dry. Not a big issue but also not at the level as we see them in the recent top vintages (05, 09, 10).
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Fill between mid and base neck; good cork. Double decanted. First pour one hour later. Deep cherry red color. Fairly subdued nose of dark fruit. Full-bodied palate of dark cherries and raspberries, which are well-balanced by the acids, and ending with a long soft tannin-filled finish. Should drink well over the next ten years.
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A clear winner in this mixed vintage, the wine is concentrated, deep and fresh, with a ripe, blackberry essence. Full bodied and long, the wine is young, yet, with the ripeness in the tannins and the fruit, it's already enjoyable in your glass. In time, another 10 years or so, this will be even better!
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Beautiful wine that is still adolescent. Needed about an hour in the glass to open up. Nice structure and fruit. Not a lot of secondary flavors yet. Dark fruit with lots of tannic backbone. Long tannic finish that was still lovely.
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Dark red in color, still a youthful bottle. Slight residual oak, wine is deep, ripe and taut. Starting to drink well with lots of air and lots of potential to age, very long finish.
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John's Birthday Degustation Dinner (Hippopotamus Restaurant, Museum Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand): Massive, yet transparent nose of iron ore, pencil shavings, blackcurrant and earth, Linear, structured, powerful and focused palate. Drinkable today but (surprise, surprise) this is a true vin de garde. Clearly outclassed the Mouton Rothschild drunk at the same time. I see this as a sure bet to improve with further evolution. 96+
Apres 2h de decantation le vin s'est tellement ouvert qu'il a pris le dessus, mais cela restait un vin defectueux, probablement un grand vin sans cela.
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Gave it a solid 2 hour decant and enjoyed iwth a roast chicken and friends. It seems just deliscious but needed all of the decant to become so. Cool classic St julien features
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A touch darker and more reserved on the nose. Less grilling herbs (than Ch. Margaux). More red fruit.
Nose is opening up, more weight on palate. Different type of earth. More focused and laser like. Blue black fruit. St. Julien? Menthol. Mid palate machine. Improves with air, stride at 45 minute mark. 1st growth quality.
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After a three hour decant, the nose was spectacular with notes of mint, cinnamon and forest floor. Tannins were silky smooth with soft dark fruit. While backward in style, there was good fruit concentration but in a subtle way...very sophisticated wine that was a refreshing change to drink.
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This wine has shut down. Very disappointing given it's pedigree but the fruit was flat, had no texture or complexity. While the color was dark and it had a nice nose when decanted, the nose dissipated after an hour or two and the wine basically shut down after that. The finish was medium. I might try this without decanting next time and hopefully it shows better.
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7th of 36, perfect fill, started to show in 2012 since when notes fine or better and generally has edge on equally fine Ducru, hour decanted - deepish, bright garnet, little development; cassis and bramble with attractive secondaries of graphite and cedar around an iron core; fullish, very long, grippy, quite burly for Las Cases (pushing extraction?), attractive fruit covering some unresolved tannin, attractive, still youthful, just a sense of trying too hard for better than very fine (18.5/20).
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Mini vertical o fChateau Leoville Las Cases. Were drunk wine of the vintage 1986, 1995, 1999 and 2000. All are elegantly. One thing became clear: they need a long aging and be aerated for a few hours. Thus, as expected, the older wines were more evolved. My order of preference: 1995, 1986, 2000 and 1999
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Not the tannic beast i was expecting. There is a nice sense of purity in the cassis core of fruit. Full bodied and concentrated, the tannins leave a refined, but dusty impression. Another 5 years will make this an even better tasting experience.
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A bit more backwards than the 96 was, dark, tannic, full of leather and grip. Really could use some time to open up, came to it after a double decant and being open for 3 hours.
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Opened two bottles for decanting 3 hours before dinner. Mostly consistent with most recent note, though the longer decant helped a bit. Still quite tight and backward, the predominantly red fruit seeming just about ripe but not overly so. This is a wine your brain tells you is good, but your heart tells you zzzzzz. I can only think of two approaches here -- either (1) give up on waiting and just drink up, esp. if you have only a handful of bottles; or (2) absolutely forget about them for 10 years and drink some 1994 instead
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I thought I might find a dark and velvety beauty inside this bottle, but what came out was initially a blood red tannic beast. The wine straightened itself out after a few minutes in decanter, but remained somewhat puzzling. The nose was almost strawberry red, but with very little of the typical earthy, mineral character of St Julien. On the palate, it was lighter than I expected, almost Burgundian in texture and somewhat muted. Clearly more time (e.g. 10 years) is needed for the tannins to soften. Meanwhile it's nice enough, but at this price I'm looking for much more...
PS (3 days later). The remaining half bottle has softened and put on some weight. Medium bodied, with a prominent crème de cassis character that wasn't there previously. The tannins, while gentler, are still very much there. Which probably explains why there's no hint of oxidation... Definitely a super long decant next time I open one!
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From 750: My wine group's blind vertical of LLC. Bridging the old LLC style and the new, this wine, from a good rather than great vintage makes a good showing.Easily lost in a blind tasting, by itself it would be a treat. Fruit forward. Hard to believe this is almost 20 years old, but this is LLC. Nice nose, well balanced palate. Drink or hold. Typical of LLC, no hurry.
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Nice classic St. Julien nose. It's a subtle wine, with a medium minerally finish. the oak is nicely integrated. Not very forward and not a huge amount of fruit but still great balance between all the elements.
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I was expecting more given LLC is my favorite St Julien. Judging the LLC 95 against the Ducru Beaucaillou, I would favor the latter currently although best to wait a few years and retest. I've had the 82, 90, 98, and 04 of the LLC and the 1990 is by far the best to date. The 95 is expensive for what you pay, and I would rate the nose the highest at 95 but the palate comes short. Decanted and aerated for about an hour and drank over another. Perhaps I should have decanted longer to balance the fruit with the rusticity and tenacity of the tannins that typify the 95 left bank vintage. The nose was superb with blackberry, cassis, mulberry, vintage leather, pipe tobacco and spice cake. Entry on the palate was one dimensional, slightly masculine palate, not overly complex but showing signs of potential in a few years much like the Pichon Baron 95s which have now become ready to drink. Good acidity mid palate but razor sharp tannins that slightly have the upper hand on the fruit and slightly short finish. For my money, I would rather go for the Ducru at this stage.
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I gave this 90 minutes of air and drank it with a friend who brought a 96 Cos....The Cos blew it away! This was fine, but flat and one dimensional - certainly given the pedigree and price point.
Decanted 1 hour ahead. A ripe, ribena nose, but the fruit on the palate is a bit hidden by tannin. The texture is quite dense, showing classic Saint Julien character of blackcurrant and cedar. It did open up in the glass, but it perhaps still needs 2 to 3 years on this showing (or maybe 5).
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Decanted for 2+ hours. Drinking well now. Tried the first bottle 2 years ago, and it was still a little tight. However, I believe it will improve. Classic.....deep dark with tannins still lurking. I agree with the 2025 back end year for the drink window.
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Very Good wine and very structured. Decanted for an hour before pouring back into bottle for a dinner with friends. Tannins are beginning to mellow and it had nice leather tones to it. Not much of a bouquet compared to other vintages. I wish we had pulled the cork back out before we did to let it breathe inside the bottle. Still was a very good wine and I wish I had more left
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2014 New Year's Day Tasting $100+ (Marietta, GA): Dark core with 1/4" bricking; red currant, black tea, dark fruit, tobacco, fairly youthful; tannic, hard, cedar, tobacco, spicy, salty finish; no graphite saying St. Julien; WOTN but not mine because I thought it was too hard and had not opened up showing everything it had- probably suggest a longer decant; 92+.
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Decanted. Dark ruby. Reticent nose, with Bordeaux funk and some red and darker fruit. Medium body. Nice but not long finish. Nice wine, but a little disappointing for this pedigree.
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Still fairly tightly wound. The core elements are all present--fruit, minerals (lead pencil and the pronounced dusty tannins), but still feel the 1995s are disjointed and not coming together
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Leather with St Julien character; earthy with lovely tannins; textured; herbaceous with some cherry-blackberry-cassis; evolving; semi-bitter but with blackberry on the finish; very nice.
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Not impressed. Could be my fault for decanting at start of dinner rather than earlier. But thought this average in every way. Will decant the next one for a few hours, but wont try that for another few years.
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Jeroboam Club 1995 Bordeaux (Bordeaux Quay): Impenetrable Latour like colour. Almost black. Nose very dumb at first but on aeration started to develop a tight weave of black fruits . Rich tannic enormous bredth depth and drive. Long long finish. Although still young it is starting to develop and show real class. Drinkable now with food but much more to come.
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We let this sit for 2 hours in a decanter, then consumed over an hour or so at the table. A classic Bordeaux nose of graphite, leather, coffee grinds and cassis. The palate is maturing but to my view is still young with tart, silky fruit; supple but still sporting some grippy tannins that really come into prominence on the finish. Excellent when paired with a tri-tip steak over dinner, this was a little more shrill on its own.
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What more do you want from a mature Bordeaux? Nice pencil shavings and granite mixed with ripe boysenberry and a whiff of black pepper. Solid fruit mixed with vanilla pipe tobacco and supple leather rubbed with neatsfoot oil. This is in its prime with many years left.
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Didn't take long to open up, but got better after about 2 hours. This wine is ready now - I think it has hit its peak (which is pretty high!) Tannins have released and let the fruit come through.
It is a classic for steak and really gives a lot of depth and pleasure.
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This is near perfection now and yet still in the middle or better of its life. Notes of tobacco, cedar, rich leather, chocolate, a 45 second or better finish - who needs to eat?
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This seemed more evolved than the last bottle I had. That said, it still had a nose of dark fruit, leather, lead pencil, a bit of earth. The palate matched. Soft and silky in the mouth. Not a long finish, but nice and round.
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1995 Bordeaux Tasting: popped cork 2 hrs before drinking over 3 hours: restrained and austere in style, just not enough fruit to compete w/ other wines in tasting. this wine will not budge, but wonder if time will reveal a better showing. 92-94. ranked #4 w/1995 dunn hm #2, 1995 lafite #1, 1995 margaux #2.
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Nose - dark fruit, pencil lead, some oak spice in the background, enjoyable to sit and sniff Palate - smooth, round, complex, a mouthful without being over the top. Very long beautiful finish. Would buy
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Sommelier 1995 Bordeaux Tasting - "Very ripe blackberries and dark cherries with violets, cassis and stewed bell peppers; finely ground black pepper mixed a soft background of oak soften the palate to a gentle, prickly texture; solid acid and firm structure. Drink or hold – this wine is still a baby." - Scott Ota. All wines were opened and poured.
Other Note - Great fruit on the nose. Beautiful, racy fruit, well structured and balanced. Will benefit greatly from more time in the bottle.
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Opened, but not decanted, roughly 4 hours before serving. Dark red currant and plum on the nose and palate with a touch of anise and a great tobacco leaf quality as well. Quite firm overall with great balance and a long gripping finish.
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Still young and vibrant. Had along side a 95 Puy Lacoste and showed incredibly strong and youthful. Two completely different wines. The Leoville was clearly darker on the glass and had a more refined structure while the Lacoste was far more approachable. No losers tonight. Both highly decorated war heroes on of our table!
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of bell pepper, eucalyptus, asparagus, black pepper and violet. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and butterscotch with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish - So glad I have more of this super wine. I true star with many years of enjoyment ahead. I suggest 10yrs easily.
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Drank over 3 hours. Did not decant but probably should have. Fairly strong nose of dark fruit, with hints of red. Leather, lead pencil, a bit of earth. The palate matched. That said, this still seemed very very young. Bright acidity and even after time in the glass it was still fairly tight. Medium depth and just a hint of bitter chocolate on the finish.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From magnum. An austere but textbook LLC nose. Dark red fruit and a hint of barnyard. Not particularly rich or deep, this is an excellent drinking LLC, where everything is in good balance. A bit lighter in terms of concentration, but a lovely vein of acidity to complement the sweet dark fruit. Vanishing tannins.
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Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): Dark dense in colour. Fleshy fruit on the nose, plump, dark fruit, caramel notes uncharacteristic of LLC. Quite a bit of tannin to the point that it is a difficult wine, austere, tough and rough. A chrarmless wine and on the dissapointing side. 90-91, we suggest like us one waits and hopes.
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(bought as future, stored temp controlled since arrival, decanted for 1 hour and drank over 3) - at first muted nose, then opened up in the decanter to reveal minerals and modest bouquet of purple and black fruits. on the palate, adequate dark cabernet fruit, minerals, and oak - nicely balanced. however, no sense of sweet/ripe fruit or tannins on the palate, and thus it is a little unyielding and better as a food wine in my opinion. haven't had a lot of aged LLC, so not sure if this relative austerity is a house style, versus perhaps the fruit wasn't as ripe as other better vintages. frankly, i was hoping for a little more from this wine, so maybe my expectations were a little too high.
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Dark ruby with first garnet highlights at the rim. Restrained tobacco, vanilla, leather, and black currant on the nose. Very abundant still slightly astringent, but fine tannins. Subtle green bell pepper hides behind black currant and cherry. Long finish that is marked by sweet black currant and graphite.
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Lovely wine with real depth of black fruit and a great structure. It will live for more years but it is lovely as it is right now. Black currant, some cedar and a bit of dirt. It showed very well and this without being decanted for very long.
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Goodbye Dinner for Gabriel's Restaurant (Gabriel's - Highwood IL): A bit austere, tannic and firm all around. Not nearly as interesting as another bottle last month, but I doubt this bottle was decanted and am fairly certain last month's got plenty of pre-serving decanter time.
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Birthday Celebration (Balena - Chicago IL): Black fruit aromas with some cedar and great meaty spice. Similar on palate with everything in good balance already today. I imagine this is near its peak drinking window today, but would expect it to hold well for decades to come.
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Leoville Las Cases - Vertical Tasting (Le Sommelier, Copenhagen): Very intense medicine cabinet nose with vitamin pills and sour cream. Some green peppercorns but also bell pepper. There is a solid fruit acidity on the palate but it does lack a little fruit to fill out the structure of the wine. A little too short aftertaste.
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With Auriol & Roger on Diamond Jubilee Saturday night, to accompany roast duck. Significant difference between the two bottles. The better one was more vigorous than my previous bottles from this case, sweet & still quite fruity, but once again without the usual LLC gravitas. As before, I suspect this case is not representative.
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A great wine. Typical Bordeaux restraint. Cassis, tar on the nose. Great structure. The finish nearly like an older Burgundy with lots of earth. It was phenomenal with the piece of beef Francoise prepared. It had a cognac and horseradish sauce which gave this wine a little bit more body. One piece of advice: decant for only one hour or two. I aerated for 3 to 4 hours and that caused some fruit loss and thinner tannins than necessary.
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New Year's Day in Eketahuna (Eketahuna, New Zealand): Cow patties and dense currants on the nose, tannic old world texture. This leoville las cases is currently drinking better than the 1990. It has a lovely tannic texture and rich, structured and defined mouthfeel. With food the graphite notes come out - this is really fine wine . Drinking in early maturity. This wine comes across as slightly austere in company of the montelenas tasted earlier.
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Very deep colour. Nose of blackcurrants and cream; the palate has a thick texture, with very dense fruit that is now opening out. This is developing into a very fine wine.
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Decanted three hours and consumed over the following one hour. Black-red-purple color with only slight fading at the rim. Deep, complex, intense but not effusive nose of graphite, licorice, tar, and cassis on the nose. Impeccably balanced on the palate. The fruit and tannins were ripe, the wine was poised and elegant yet intense and very dry, and the finish was long and rich. A simply magnificent, complex, complete Bordeaux that is just beginning to enter its drinking window and will almost certainly continue to improve. Simply stunning.
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A Vintage Run, 1994, 1995, 1996 Bordeaux, with Rebecca Lamont (Berry Bros & Rudd, London): Tasted blind. Sweet core of fruit on the nose. Some minty notes. A thin feel to begin but ends nicely and round. A sweet core dominates on the palate from the rich ripe fruit that almost unbalances the wine with stewed red fruit. A bit dissapointing. Prefered the 94 and of course the 96. 91 and can last.
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Deep blood red. Beautiful and complex bouquet with cassis, luxurious oak, cedar and cigar box. Graphite. On the palate still a lot of good cassis, luxurious oak, firm tannin and bitterness.. The tannin is a bit drying in the finish. This is a beautiful and classical Bordeaux wine. Still very youthful. It will definitely improve with another 5+ years of ageing. I hope to be able to taste this again around 2020.
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Another bottle of this wine showing its age. Just a hint of musty old-wine flavours in the first two glasses. Lovely colour, gentle, no great vigour, lacks the attack of a fine LLC. But on the second night, lovely gentle mature fruit, no length, but a delicious drink. I do wonder whether my case of this wine has been less well stored than the bottles tasted by other CT members, so that my notes may not be representative of the wine at its best.
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Complex nose with blackberry, red currant, intense; fantastic punch of blackcurrant on the palate, clean midpalate, red fruits; finish is long. Still quite young, will improve for easily 5-10 years. 94+
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Colour still deep and purple. Nose soared from glass black fruits tobacco cedar wafts of secondary noted powerful intense but in balance . palate mouthcoatimg but not over the top hint of leanness at finish and still tannic. Very good wine drinking now but a way to go
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4 bottles at the Burgoyne with Winfried and party. Lovely colour and fruit, very good middle palate, but once again pulls up short and slightly hollow on the finish. No signs of deterioration. Las Cases in '95 is simply not in the same class as the '96.
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More open and softer in texture than expected, the wine offered scents of sweet, ripe black fruit, cassis, cigar tobacco, earth, stone, black raspberry and spice aromatics. Combining power with grace, round tannins, and ripe fruit, while still young, this Bordeaux wine will be approachable early for a young vintage of Leoville Las Cases.
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From 375ml, decanted and followed. Barely starting to brick at the disc, opaque robe. Somewhat subdued nose of pencil, barnyard, good fruit, dark profile. Livelier in the mouth, excellent concentration, an appealing plum/spice component that married really nicely with the wood. But a couple of hours later in closed decanter, a svelte and aristocratic beauty delivering lavender, cassis, blackberry and pencil lead. Gorgeous. This still needs more time...
4.5/5 - may well merit a higher score in 5-10 years. Don't pop and pour! Will certainly last. Black tie claret. Not tweed jacket claret.
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This is finally starting to open up a bit and develop tertiary aspects... plenty of fruit left, plenty of tannins left, I really think this needs 4-8 more years to start showing its best though has a lot of balance, a lot of depth of flavor... will always be a firm, slightly grippy, wine but is clearly full outstanding qualities...
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So smooth and balanced. You can smell France in this glass. Classic wonderful Bordeaux coming of age. Great fruit and perfect tannins make this one outstanding.
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Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): Purple to ruby. Intense nose with a touch of something slightly chemical, develping in to a rubber aroma. Very fat in the glass, still tannic and quite drying. Seems to have closed down a bit since Nick's bottle at the 05 ashes oflfine. Rubber seems to diminish with air. Certainly all here for the future **(**)
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Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): Surprisingly open for such an airtight vintage (at this stage in its evolution) showing a lot. Classic St Julien with that dense, unyeilding nature that demands respect from the taster. Lovely notes of berries, mocha and fruits. Give it time to unravel a bit more.
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This bottle seemed fully ready - a surprise. Not decanted, but given plenty of time to come up to room temperature from the cellar. Lovely intense nose of violets and blackberries & more black fruits especially cassis in the mouth. Tannins present but ripe and fully resolved. First two glasses very high quality St Julien, as expected (perhaps 93-94). But by the third glass it tailed off, was less vigorous & intense, and certainly less interesting (89-90). The last third of the bottle went into the SoWine, and it will be interesting to see how it tastes tomorrow night. [Second night -- no deterioration, but no development either. A lovely wine, but not in the class of the 1996, which followed it the next night.]
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Huge nose of vanilla bean, black chocolate, black cherries, classic in a flamboyant style. rich, and full-bodied, it is a head-turning, and a great wine.
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Léoville Las cases 1995 Decanted 2 hours before pouring. Deep, jewel-bright purple to rim. The nose was powerful, with damson/mulberry fruits, old desk drawer scents, underscored by cool eucalyptus. The palate had fine-grained but evident tannins, with blackcurrant and leather, pencil shavings and minty oak. Long finish. This bottle was elegant and enjoyable, but some way from its full maturity and remaining stock will be locked away for five years or so. 93 points.
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The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Elegant red currant and plum nose with tobacco and graphite as well. Classic Bordeaux. Pretty, sweet fruits on the palate, mineral backbone, fine tannins on the long finish. Youthful and absolutely delicious.
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Birthday Bash with Pig (Chicagoland): From 1.5L. Refined, dark fruits and muted graphite/tobacco notes. Surprisingly elegant. Fine structure. Very nice.
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Showed beautifully, with good, vibrant fruit, strong acidity and a good, strong backbone. Still needs time to develop, as the secondaries haven't yet evolved. Brilliant.
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Definitive Bordeaux (Mirabelle Restaurant Austin, Texas): This was the most powerful wine of this blind tasted flight. It had power, a shy nose, tannic fruits, complexity, and simply needed to open up. One taster called it "edgy and firm." It had some fruit, coffee, minerality, but after several hours of decanting, it remained closed. A first growth quality wine for the future.
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A bit tight, no doubt, but I liked this better than my mates at Gulfstream. Having said that, LLC has always been less compelling to me than other Bdx in the same `quality' level. I enjoyed this, and note that the bottle did get drunk
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Semi Obnoxious Dudes @ Gulfstream 2.0: Keep trying to get a handle on this. It seemed completely shut down. Maybe exacerbated being next to all the Cali fruit. Earth and big tannins. I wouldn't touch for 10 years.
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Guys' Night Out (Gulfstream - Corona del Mar, CA): A little horsey on the nose complemented by wet earth and iodine. Hard, tannic, tart and austere. I suspect that this wine might be shut down for it was rather unforgiving on the palate. No rating.
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Decanted for three hours, three times. Impressionistic in color. Very dark and slightly transparent, with red garnet. Violets at the fore front, with perfume, vanilla, pipe tobacco and blackberry jam. Soaring tannins that still have some grip, yet are silky and full figured. Stunning finish that echoes the vanilla and blackberry nuances. Every palate level and mezzanine are graced. There's that classic Las-Cases concentration. This is truly first-growth quality - without a doubt and well beyond it's super-second status. I have been fortunate enough to try all '95 first-growth's, and this is tied with my second favorite (with Margaux being number one, tied with Haut-Brion for number two). A true testament to St. Julien, which has, in my opinion, been the strongest appellation since '82 - overall. Must decant to have at this stage. You might want to still hold off, even though I am loving this Bordeaux. Drink 2012 -
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Served the 1995 leoville las cases yesterday for thanksgiving dinner. It was hot and alcoholic upon opening, as well as tannic, and I was quite disappointed, having paid a good bit for it. Decanted it and waited several hours, and it lost that edge, while retaining a big delicious flavor. A definite success. May have wasted it in some sense on the large group, 6-8, none of whom commented, but I am sure they enjoyed it. Had the confident feeling of having provided a good glass (without saying what it was) to all who had it, even without comments. Wouldn't have minded also tasting a bit more, but who knows, maybe just one outstanding glass makes a more lasting impression. Much richer and more enjoyable than the last 3 or 4 1998 latours I have tried, for example, but not as subtle. It made it very hard at first to drink afterwards some of the wines others brought, but they eventually went down too, if more slowly. I do recommend this wine, but don't hurry it.
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Marine Room Leoville Las Cases Vertical Dinner (Marine Room Restaurant, La Jolla, CA): Decanted, with serial tasting commencing after approximately two hours. Opaque ruby/red with red rim. Explosive aromas of coriander, black and red cherries, pencil shavings and light mint. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, generous (slightly coarse) tannins and flavors as for the nose. The middle palate is full and the finish very long (albeit a bit astringent). This is classic quality Bordeaux which will require a few more years to take the edge off the tannins. Drink 1/15-12/35.
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Another weekend of Excess; 8/21/2009-8/24/2009 (Chicagoland): Nice anise note is the first thing to come from the glass. Dark currant and plum with forest floor and wet tobacco. Sweet dark fruits on the palate with a lot of stuffing. A strong mineral backbone with lots of acidity. Beat the '96 served beside it tonight.
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Wine 4 The nose is reserved. Hints of smoke and caramel show through. It takes a full hour for this to open. The fullest body in the flight and seemingly made predominantly from Cabernet. A nice tobbaco leaf and steel note emerge with time. Juicy palate and tannic. Long finish with a lot of grip. I don{t think this is ready, so I guess this to be Las Cases.
Vino 4 La nariz inicia reservada. Pizcas de humo y caramelo se asoman. Le toma una hora entera mostrar lo que tiene. Tiene la mayor corpulencia de esta ronda. Asumo que es un vino con preponderancia de Cabernet Sauvignon. Notas atractivas de hoja de tabaco y acero emergen con el tiempo. En boca es denso, jugoso y tánico. El final es largo y con mucha tracción. Este vino require de mayor guarda por lo que adivino es el Las Cases.
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Leoville Las Cases at My House: Dark red color. The nose gives a stern and brooding expression of dark fruit with some smoke. In the mouth this comes across as stern and structured, but delivers really awesome flavor intensity. Showing tons of structure right now, but I'm confident this will continue to develop very favorably. Hold-em if you got-em.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Léoville Las Cases (Dave's House): Double decanted about 3 hours. Smoky dark fruit, coffee/espresso. Huge structure; dense, tannic, and brooding. Tightened up considerably in the glass. Promising but at least 5 years away from being approachable.
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Dark berries and tobacco, too much heat and oak to be in perfect balance. Pretty but not beautiful or terribly precise in its expression. Not terribky enthused about long-term proepects; too strong on the alchohol side, I worry it will lose it's mid-palate punch.
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Drunk alongside a '96 leo. Poy. and a '96 Clerc Milion, I thought this a step behind the LP last night. Would probably have benefitted from decanting and a little more air, it was a fine, elegant bottle, but not as expressive as the LP.
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Drank along side the 2000 Ducru, it was close, but this was better. Nose of soft ripe fruit, with hints of gravel. Mouthfeel was ful bodied, and soft. This was amazing, almost new world in softness. Ripe berry fruit, gravel and earth, hints of tobacco, subtle new wood, and a long caressing finish.
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Rather dense, with concentrated fruit and still rather tough (as many of the 1995s seem to be). It perhaps needs a few years to soften up, in which case it may be worth 90+ points, but it is not there yet.
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An exceptional bottle of wine, with rich dark fruit, a taut mineral quality, medium body and a long finish. Coming into its prime and probably has even greater promise.
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Lovely rich and sweet nose, featuring black fruits. The palate is pleasurable, although doesn't quite match the nose. The wine has a medium weight, but with a rich mouth feel. The finish is a bit short. Very, very nice.
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This is our first bottle of a case. It is still quite tough, with a lot of extract and tannin: typical Las Cases, typical 1995! It clearly has great potential but may still need some time to soften up. Good, blackcurrant fruit, with plenty of spice and other flavours; long on the finish; powerful rather than elegant at present.
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Drank this a little bit early -- but thought it was worth celebrating the Fourth with a little style. Decanted it, but drank the first glass within ~10 minutes. Beautiful nose of cherry and leather. First taste: distinctive tannin, but leather, cassis, cherry, and smoke flavors came through shortly thereafter. Within about half an hour, tannins had mellowed and the fruit shone through. Food pairing was grilled tenderloin -- sublime. I look forward to future bottles with a little more aging.
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Thought it was a Ridge Monte Bello... leans toward a California style. Fruit is there, secondary notes just now forming on the nose. Has a long life ahead of it. I would wait another 5 years to try again. Could merit a higher score.
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Really wrapped up - almost without any nose at all. Hard, tannic wine, but with a nice core of fruit that should come out with time. Promising, but needs lots of time.
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Popped and poured. Elegant dark ruby. More expressive nose than expected, with red cherries, meat and smoke. Terrific sweetness on the palate, and a wonderful, lingering finish. The first fine wine I bought multiple cases of after tasting a bottle on release 10 years ago. This has not increased in price like some others, but it offers class, perfect balance and classic Bordeaux character. Drinking well now, but clearly has positive evolution ahead.
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HDH 95/96 Comparative Tasting (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): nose: very sweet and ripe nose with a bit of brett to it. Mushrooms, saddle leather, red currants, along with rose petals. nose isn't for everyone, but I do enjoy a slightly bretty nose
taste: very sweet, ripe, and elegant. Rose petals and red currant mostly with a bit of saddle leather on the back end just to remind you that this is las cases
overall: still a young wine and is fairly tannic. That said, it has a certain elegance to it that I enjoy a lot and leans into a nice lasting finish. It still needs more time to fully develop
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Decanted for about 1 hour before drinking. Dark crimson red with a very disappointing nose--somewhat medicinal. This wine was light with delicious cherry and mouth coating flavors. It lacked the sweetness and velvet texture however of some great CA wines.
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dark red. Shy nose of tobacco and black fruits. Mouth was better, but clearly this needs a longer time in the cellar. And I opened the bottle 24 hours earlier and left the cork off in the ceelar; decanted 3 hours before drinking.
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a wonderful young specimin of las cases, but certainly needs a few more years under its belt. Currently, even with two hours decanting, the wine was tight with little nose and even less of the full mid pallate fruit coming through. Tempting though it is, put this one away for a bit.
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The key right now to enjoying this wine is to decant and let it breathe for 3-4 hours. Over the past 2 years I have had 3 bottles and realized that the wine needs plenty of time to open up. Drinking it in the first few hours is a crime. Once it does open it is top-notch classic Bordeaux. Agree with RF, still a baby. 95
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Tasted by a friend's house. The wine was decanted for more than an hour but was closed. Pencil shavings and light floral bouquet. Medium tannins and chocolate taste but needs considerable time. In fairness to how great I know that it will be, I could not rate it at this time.
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I double-decanted this about an hour before bringing it to a restaurant, but I think I should have done it even earlier. Even with vigorous swirling, it was difficult to get this wine to show much. Deep and concentrated, with a solid core of dark fruit, but austere with very hard tannins. This bottle showed very similarly to other '95s that I've had recently. Very good, and there's a chance that this could become special in ten or so years, but I'm not completely convinced.
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This should probably be ranked higher. I don't have enough experience to determine how this would have tasted in another 5 years. It was certainly an excellent wine but clearly needed more cellaring.
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Dark red with purple nuances on the rim (5/5). Large and complex bouquet of mint, dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, and hints of eucalyptus. Beautiful (15/15). On the palate the wine is fullbodied and dense with silky tannins that show huge potential for further development. Flavors are nuanced by the bouquet but are partially hidden due to the wine being rather closed at the moment with dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, and cedar (14/20). This is definately a wine to put aside in the cellar for at least a decade, it can only improve from here! 94 pts
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Internet forum group Bordeaux blends tasting no. 1 (@ Klap): Juicy, full bodied, dark fruits, lead pencil, perfect integrated wood. A very complete wine. Power and elegance, everything is there. To drink young now or to keep for many more years.
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Very tight and tannic, nose has the great signature LLC aroma. Wine is closed with lots of raspberry, cassis, brambleberry and vanilla. Very pure with a long finish. Try again in late 2006.
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Inky purple to the rim. Nose was open, revealing blackberries, cinamon, cayenne pepper (?!) and some earth. Very intruiging. The palate was medium bodied, and suprisingly accessible. Balanced layers of ripe but not jammy black fruits, menthol, licorice and all spice. Fantastic! This was a majestic left bank wine. Still angular and not fully integrated, but further alog than the Lafite. Tannins and acidity balanced. Slightly short finish held the score back. Happy to be long a case. I can't imagine how good the 2000 is.
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Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque mulberry robe and purple rim. Clean nose, showing moderately-intense plum, currants, anise, pencil, mint and cedar. Full-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and ample tannins which, nonetheless, are much more supple than those on the '94. Similar flavors as nose. Long, slightly astringent finish. This is a very elegant Leoville which should improve over the next several years, then hold for many years thereafter.
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Slowly builds on your palate, then delivers fabulous character and structure. Extremely well-crafted young red. Complex aromas of violets, berries, cinnamon and currants. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins and a long, long finish.Best from 2003 through 2013. (18000 cases produced)
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3/25/2024 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Decanted about an hour. Consistent with the previous note.
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3/18/2024 - Rob Hansult Likes this wine: 92 Points
(92+ Points) Med garnet ruby. Morello cherry, iron tinged raspberry/sumac tea, soft new leather.
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3/16/2024 - GH_winelover Likes this wine: 93 Points
Four hour decant. Nice fruit at the start with a finish of leather and earthiness. Smooth and tasty but with a bit of a thin mouthfeel given the age. Great time to be drinking it. Still have 8 left.
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2/22/2024 - clutj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great
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2/18/2024 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to a bottle consumed last year. Drinking very well but not up to the original Pro ratings. Decanted for 2+ hours. That was enough, but it did not evolve over the evening as some other tasters have reflected.
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2/18/2024 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Lots of smoke and graphite on the nose. Blackberries and cassis fruit. Feels a bit thin and diluted, with some grippy drying tannins. Good acidity. The wine started to blend together a bit better after 3 hours in decanter, feeling less disjointed and warranting an upgrade of 1-2 point to a 93.
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2/6/2024 - smoothjazz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Monthly meeting of my Wine Group and the consensus was unanimous that it was perfect in all measures: balance, length, intensity, complexity. This is the second bottle of six that I purchased from Davis & Davis in Chicago. This vintage came directly from the chateau and the cork disintegrated when I removed it.
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12/31/2023 - Kim Gerner wrote: 95 Points
New years eve 31-12-2023 at home: Classical aged Bordeaux. According to my taste it is in it's best drinking window right now. Tertiary notes have developed but still primary notes. Tannins are soft and nice. Without doubt also potential for further ageing if you prefer even more tertiary notes and don't prioritize primary notes.
Poured immediately before drinking and only decanted for the sake of sediment.
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12/27/2023 - bon vivant wrote: 95 Points
SBS with 95 Mouton and this held it's own -both wines got better as the evening progressed. The 95 Poyferre was unfortunately TCA infested.
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12/27/2023 - nywine68 wrote: 91 Points
Nice red fruit with subtle earthy notes. Tannins are a bit drying and the wine lacks some depth and saturation. Nice nose but the finish is a bit short and clipped.
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12/9/2023 - spendergast Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours. A wine with great concentration with notes of dark fruit, herbs, game and damp earth. Tannins are well integrated and overall the wine has excellent balance and depth. Long finish. Paired with grilled dry-aged Wagyu ribeye steaks.
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12/8/2023 - burgundyinabottle Likes this wine: 92 Points
A good but not great Leoville. Nose is full of tobacco and cigar box with some earth and dried blackcurrant. It’s certainly more to my liking than some of my guests that are used to a powerful Napa. Regardless, I found the wine to be nicely balanced. Nose is complex while the palate is round with resolved tannins and mid+ alcohol and mid acidity. More cigar box and currants on the nose while finishing with dark chocolate and currants. Overall, a solid wine that is can age for maybe 5 more years before it starts to drop off. We decanted for 30 minutes but would recommend a bit longer to let the nose awaken.
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11/18/2023 - GH_winelover Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed more time but good flavor shone after 1.5 hours. A little thin on the finish.
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11/12/2023 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Slow ox 5 hours and decanted fir an extra hour after that. Still really young but very drinkable. Displayed fresh blackberry and blackcurrant with smoke, cedar,l and spice on the nose. The palate had rich fruit with elegant tannins and a silky structure. Loved every drop of it. Next one in 10 to 15 years.
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10/23/2023 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Decanted about an hour. These have evolved a long way since last tasted 9 years ago, happy to have held on to them. Nice nose from the start. Palate was very pleasant and easy to drink, no sign of any tannins. Enjoyable for a couple hours. Might be at their peak.
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10/4/2023 - Whitman wrote: 96 Points
Deep intense but changing nose with cassis, plum, graphite and licorice. Medium bodied, juicy, refined and balanced and a pretty long intense finish with wonderful sweet fruit. Almost if not at the level with 96. Really special.
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9/18/2023 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two hour decant. Very good.
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9/13/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
What a difference a year makes. Who would have imagined that the Las Cases would be one of the first heavyweights from 1995 to shrug off its tannic armour and become a very special wine. The nose is now deeply seductive and perfumed with black cherry, plum and cedar, and the wine is silky on the palate. The finish is lengthy and well balanced, but still carries some residual tannin. However, after seeing the development over the last 12 months, I would be confident that this will be addressed, and consequently worth another point. This now kicks the 1996 into touch; something I couldn't have contemplated a few years ago.
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8/27/2023 - Vine wrote: 98 Points
My last bottle alas. Absolutely incredible. With BBQ Flank Steak; hot, fresh bread; green salad. A noble wine to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. Very, very special and at its peak. 🍷
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8/4/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Showing much better than expected, with time, the wine has fleshed out and softened with layers of ripe, juicy, black, and dark red fruits, spice, cigar wrapper, and black cherries. The wine is full-bodied, deep, long, chewy, and powerful, with layers of dark red fruits and ripe tannins in the dense finish. Drink from 2023-2050.
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7/15/2023 - michael@tastingsbymichael.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mature Bordeaux at its best! We had the 1995 Léoville Las Cases from a Magnum that was in perfect shape. Ruby color, almost no grenade reflexes. Notes of dark red fruit, cassis, dark cherry, graphite, blackberry, with very slight hints of leather and coffee. On the palate, this wine comes across as still climbing to its peak, dry, medium acidity, full body, very long finish. A great pleasure to drink. Does need some air to open up. Still has potential to develop even further. Great wine.
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7/14/2023 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
2+ hour decant. Better than the last couple of bottles. More up to expectations.
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7/8/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose is gorgeous if brooding with notes of black fruits, grilled nuts and sooty gravel. On the palate, this needs a long decant as its DNA is austerity. After 4 hours in a decanter, it begins to show an exotic and expressive black fruit and minty quality that is impressive. Quite a lean wine now but my intuition suggests this may blossom further down the road. 93+
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7/8/2023 - melzar wrote: 93 Points
Very fresh for a 28 yr old wine. A bit austere with many good years ahead. Well balanced and in it's drinking window.
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6/17/2023 - michael@tastingsbymichael.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a lovely wine!
Ruby color, no signs of aging - which shows how storing a wine in perfect conditions maintains its quality - this one was kept at 11°C and 70% humidity for the last 26 years (since delivery). In the nose, dark red fruit, blackberry, boysenberry, dried plum, cigar box, a small touch of vanilla...e delicious nose. On the palate, the wine is dry, round, tannins very well integrated, lovely dark red fruit. Very nice and long finish. This wine developed nicely since it had been opened, was getting better by the hour. Really a great wine. TBM 93 points.
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6/15/2023 - wineappreciation wrote: 93 Points
Blackberry, leather, cigar box, classic nose but slightly muted, initially still seeming young with only hints of age; more mature on palate, very extended and powerful but fruit is not prominent
After 2 Hours: Nose is quite different with animal hide and unripe strawberry emerging; on palate more aged and structured though without significant appeal
After 4 Hours: More integrated at last; leather and cigar box dominant on nose but with blackberry and strawberry tones; robust body and more dynamic; powerful yet lithe; not overly complex but sufficiently enticing and enveloping to command attention
At 5 Hours: Nose is similar, slightly more muted, notes of apricot also emerging; there is a new elegance and lightness on the palate and an intensity that is quite pleasing (wouldn’t drink before a four hour decant)
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5/22/2023 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Last bottle of 3 cases bought on release, my first big Bordeaux purchase.
LLC is a wine more respected than loved. It is elegant and balanced, not exuberant. The fruit is restrained. It takes a long time to come around in many vintages; at age 28 this is still not at peak, though a cerebral pleasure to drink now.
I own a lot of other vintages of LLC. The 2003 might be ready, I’ll probably break that case open next year. The 2000 I’ll let rest for some years.
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4/19/2023 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 97 Points
This Leoville Las Cases has gained more complexity and balance over the past eight years since opening the last bottle. Amazingly pure and fresh for a wine that is almost 30 years old. Blueberry fruit, cedar and tobacco are all perfectly balanced for a silky smooth finish. This wine has much more life than what the cellartracker community believes is 2026. Absolutely needs an hour plus decant. Sadly this is my last bottle.
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4/13/2023 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Quaffable.
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4/8/2023 - The Wine Monkeys Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine was tight and tannic when initially opened. About 30 min in the decanter and it evolved beautifully. The nose showed cigar box, leather, and dark fruit. Beautifully balanced, well-integrated tannins and with a medium-to-long finish. It felt elegant, integrated, and seamless. Lovely wine drinking beautifully now with a 30-60 min decant.
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3/25/2023 - MS86 wrote: 87 Points
Clear, medium ruby fading to a clear rim.
This wine is quite evolved and really quite disappointing.
Bouquet is heavily aged and dusty.
Tannins are just barely hanging on.
Palate shows lots of wood, tart cranberry and muddy fruit.
Drink now.
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3/24/2023 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
This experience was almost identical to the one in December 2021. A fine wine on its drinking plateau, but no rush to drink up.
Brought to a restaurant. Cork broke when the waiter opened it, but fortunately I had brought my Durand and was able to extract the remaining piece of cork easily. (You know you’re a wine geek when you bring your own corkscrew to a restaurant!). Tasted by both of us and decided not to decant.
Purchased on release, and stored properly.
The usual LLC cool elegance.
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3/5/2023 - SteveVermeer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed about an hour of air. Then flavors of earth, leather and tobacco. Drink now or hold for 5 more years.
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12/21/2022 - Horichdaslicht wrote:
Closed. So disappointing in the wake of a bottle consumed 12 months ago. I hope it has simply gone to sleep and will reawaken.
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11/19/2022 - La Grappe wrote: 95 Points
My last bottle of this, the previous one having been drunk more than 5 years ago. I am glad I kept this back. It has quite a dark colour and a fragrant bouquet of cassis. The flavour on the palate mirrors this, and the wine has considerable depth and a rich texture. Long on the finish. I think this has now reached its plateau of maturity where it should remain for another decade or so. A very fine claret.
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11/19/2022 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely after initial bow off. Beautiful bouquet and pleasing palate. Really nice. 10+ years left.
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10/29/2022 - cshouston Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ex-château 2017. Cork slightly deteriorated and broke easily. Lots of sediment in the bottle. Double decanted. Completely muted at the start, but began to open up after one hour, and was just starting to come into its own after two. Once the nose opened up: leather, stewed plums, sous bois, and a little barnyard. Silky palate; just a touch of grip; dark cherry, earthy flavors are buried deep and never really showed up to the party. Understated. Needs a longer decant next time.
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10/25/2022 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Opened 2 hours before dinner and just poured from bottle with gentle cassis, sandlewood flavors. Gorgeous bottle and drinking well
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10/12/2022 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Milan Wine Event (Niko Romito at the Bulgari , Milan): Opened and left to rest for a good hour but frankly given how this developed we should have decanted. The wine was very different at start especially on the nose tot he wine we had at the end. Its been 5 years since we had this last (Papies 91) and this has finally arrived just at the point that we started to feel that the 1995 was never going to deliver on the hype (or better the hope) barring the 95 Pichon Comtesse with its high merlot content delivering something different vs. the other left bank bdx.
LLC will never be a super expressive wine and we usually call it the Mika Hakkinen of the Bordeaux wine in the sense that is capable of the best overtake move but really it is never really exciting. For sure elegant, classic, old school with not much screaming here, black fruited, fort graphite touches , light smoky edge and with a cassis finish. Back in 2012 we said this was charmless well who is laughing now? 94 and with lots of life ahead.
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9/15/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted regularly over the last few years tracking its development, you really now get a sense that this has started to hit its sweet spot. Blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cedar are prominent on the nose and palate with deep earthy aromas and a strong tannic spine typical of the year. The finish is very masculine and old school with good length and balance, but perhaps not to everybody's taste. Extended decanting is recommended.
94 +
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7/7/2022 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium garnet,medium(+) red cherry,blueberry,green bell pepper,eucalyptus,liquorice,cinnamon,dried fruit,vanilla,leather,coffee,dry,medium(+) acidity,smooth medium(+) tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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6/20/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Nearly 3 years since my last bottle. Decanted for 3 hours which helped and it could have used more. Such good subdued upfront cherry fruit. Nice balance and finish. Likely in or near Its prime. This should drink well for at least 2 more decades. Paired well with wild Alaskan salmon. Revisit 2025
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3/10/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Marea - New York NY): Small pour from magnum, brief note. Dense black plum, currant, cassis with roasted meat. Still firm, this seemed similar to a wonderful bottle tasted last year, but less accessible (partly due to magnum format), but same great properties and potential.
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2/27/2022 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet with a minimal clear edge - pretty good after 27 years! Decanted due to failed cork. Sensational nose with dark fruit, graphite and leather. Palate retains a good dose of blackcurrant based fruit from the cab sauv, nice acidity with fine grained tannins giving a nice velvet finish.
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2/23/2022 - The_Cat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep garnet red. First still closed after 30 minutes in the glass opening ab some wonderful complex flavors of blackberries and cedarwood combined with roasted notes and sweet spices. Full bodied fine tannins and long persistent finish
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2/19/2022 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle (375ml) tonight! Dark, ripe and rich, just really great aged Bordeaux in its prime drinking window.
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2/5/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Silky; blackberry; structured; balanced; long finish.
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2/3/2022 - Quiet Lion wrote: 93 Points
Decanted over cocktails but kept improving over two hours. This has some delicious mature black fruit and earth but massive tannins that softened a bit over two hours. I'm not too familiar with LLC but would love to find a bottle in the serene place that sometimes is described. It seems to take forever to mature.
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2/3/2022 - dream wrote: 91 Points
I love the smoky, nutty nose but on the palate this bottle is somewhat firm and closed and in need of further aging. Dark fruit and lovely graphite notes but just clipped on the finish. Decanted 3 hours. 91?
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2/2/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Never loved this wine, but its still a great bordeaux experience with a long, dry finish, absent of fruit. Vey Saint Julien now. Drink
* Last of 3
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12/25/2021 - JohnLI Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank on Xmas day with roast beef and chicken. The last time I had this, approximately 15 years ago, it was harsh with very prominent tannins hiding the fruit. Today, it has developed into a beautiful wine. Lovely black fruits with a long finish. Hard to see how it will get much better, but must have a few more years of drinking window.
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12/25/2021 - Cremuel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still deep garnet red. No bricking or tinge at all. Swirls of warm blackberries, damsons and Christmas spices. Dry austere and French. Leather and cedar, acidity and vibrant. Very good and years left.
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12/19/2021 - Horichdaslicht Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tremendous wine and ready. Decanted 90m and quickly opened out in the glass. So much going on here and keeps giving. Tannin is still prominent but softening and I would expect further improvement over another 2-5 years.
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12/12/2021 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Tasted and decided not to decant; on reflection 30-60 minutes in the decanter might have helped. Some lightening at the rim. Nose is starting to show secondary characteristics, with old leather and some funk accompanying red and black fruit. Elegant, balanced with a little pleasing sweetness on the finish.
A fine wine, but more an intellectual rather than a hedonistic pleasure.
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11/28/2021 - timothynbond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 1 1/2 hours before serving. Deep ruby color with some slight bricking on the rim. Took about 10 minutes in the glass to open up, where it offered some wonderiful aromas of cigar, dark berries, old leather, and truffles. Medium-to-medium-plus body, medium-to-medium-plus acid, and some wonderful chalky tannins that lingered through the finish. Complex flavors on the palate with some possible prune juice added to the aromas, great minerality, and a nice long finish. One of the best wines I have had this year.
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11/25/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last tasted 8 months ago, this is in line with my previous note. It has hit its drinking window but will continue to evolve over the next few years. It does need extended decanting and time in the glass to allow it to fully open up. The nose is mature and deep with cherry, blackcurrant, plum and cedar. The palate and finish have the tannic edge typical of 1995, but it is well balanced and the latter lengthy. Normally would give this another point but suspect bottle was marginally flawed.
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11/13/2021 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes. Medium ruby, drinking well right from the start. Served up for my friends birthday along with a 1995 Pichon Lalande. Both superb.
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10/7/2021 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
This wine is evolving beautifully.
Building upon my last note. The fruit profile is starting to emerge further and tannin is starting to settle. This wine will still benefit from further aging so my advice is to hold for at least another couple of years. It’s awesome now but I think those who are patient will be rewarded.
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9/9/2021 - g-man Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruited nose, tannins are stiil strong yet softening. Decanted for an hour and needed it. Still young but very enjoyable with a short decanting
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8/19/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
I would say time to drink up - overall savory and forest floor right now. Very supple on the palate, totally integrated. It had one brief moment of showing primary fruit, which was gorgeous, but that moment was brief and then it faded.
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7/18/2021 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice clean closure albeit a minimal seepage. Colour is clear limpid garnet - very deep with only the slightest brick on the edge. The nose is quintessential Saint Julien with a definite pencil shaving and leather. Palate was initially dilute but then a deeper black fruit bomb with the softest but very persistent fine grained tannins on the long slightly drying but refreshing finish.
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7/9/2021 - Maphill01 wrote:
Pristine cork. Upon opening, proper nose and palate of classic BDX, cassis, cedar, graphite and leather. I then decanted for several hours, there was only a little sediment. After some time, this still remained young in profile, more red fruit, the finish was a bit short and tannic. Overall, not lean, but more focused than round, great with food. I expect this will continue to develop with time.
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6/9/2021 - chatters wrote:
Judgement of Sydney (Strand Cellars, Croydon): Served blind.
Earth, leather baked plums, thick smelling fruits, brambles, a little pyrazine note. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, slightly sour, chalky tannins offer a little mid palate grip. For me this is a little bit out of condition.
I was confused by this (integrated acidity, slight pyrazine vs baked plums) but plumped for Aus
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5/30/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
A 65th Birthday Celebration, Slightly COVID Delayed (EL Ideas - Chicago IL): Opened two hours before serving. Very good density, but still slightly awkward. Lots of black cherry, some plum and cedar, background spice mostly on nose. Aromas > flavors for now, better 2025 forward.
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4/21/2021 - plitton wrote:
Larry and Nancy's Bordeaux Dinner (University Club, Chicago): I didn't prefer this at first but it evolved nicely in the glass. Initially closed and almost undetectable nose. Small tannins, mouthcoating. Bing cherries and raspberries. Second favorite in the vertical tasting after the 1990.
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3/18/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is really motoring forward, and has advanced in the last year. It very representative of 1995 left bank wines where the tannin is prominent, but everything really works. The nose is excellent and deep with dark berry fruits, cedar and tobacco dominating. The tannin although robust, is surprisingly smooth on the palate and everything is perfectly balanced and deceptively complex. Likewise the finish gradually keeps creeping and is in excess of 60 seconds. This is a dark horse and is not an obvious contender for greatness like the 1996, and is a very understated wine. It needs extended time in the decanter at this stage, and it really comes to life after 30 minutes in the glass. I am actually starting to really love this wine.
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3/6/2021 - Ara Kafafian wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 6 hours prior to tasting. Medium ruby with slight bricking on the rim. Graphite, forest floor, animal, medium body and length. On the acidic side. Cork was in terrible shape, shaft was moldy. A little under whelming for LLC. Off bottle? I would love to retry as this bottle seemed at its plateau where it should hold for another decade.
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2/15/2021 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork in tack - Bordeaux nose upon opening but this blows off over a bit of time. Flint, light fruit and some ash followed by barnyard. Linear on the palate with some chalky tannins and pretty red fruit.
p.s. meatloaf, baked potatoes and comal charred asparagus.
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1/30/2021 - MC wrote:
Decanted 4 hours. Dark fruits, nice secondaries, long finish with graet balance. Bordeaux at its best for me. Drinking so well but with such a long life ahead of it. Maybe just at the beginning of a long peak. A-/A
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12/26/2020 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic claret with beautiful finesse and restraint. Black fruit is subtle, but very finely layered between the minerality, incense, and cedar. The elegance feels sheer, like you're passing through all the classic aromas and flavours of claret. Fine boned structure, but definitely needs time in the decanter to bring everything out. Delicious.
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12/24/2020 - BostonSteve Likes this wine: 93 Points
Uncorked at 2:00pm. Cork in great shape. Purple about 1/3 up and removed easily in one piece. Tried after an hour in the decanter. Meh, not bad (91?) but not what you’re hoping for. Just left it another 3 hours and tried again at 6:00pm. Noticeable improvement (93) Still getting better. Will update after another couple hours.
*Update*
Nose- dark fruits on the nose. Black cherry prominent.
Palate -blackberry and mineral.
Finish- good length, tobacco, leather.
This was my only 750ml bottle. I still have a 1.5 liter left.
Despite 25 years of age not terribly surprising that a LLC still needed 5 plus hours to show well. This got continually better the longer it aired. Still room to evolve and improve. If you want to drink it now plan a long decant but I resolve to keep my magnum cellared until 2025 and expect it will be a (95-96) by then.
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11/20/2020 - MC wrote:
Decanted 3 hours. Drank very well. Maybe not at the heights of some previous bottles but still a great Bordeaux - with food in particular. A-/A
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11/15/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Looks like I last tasted this in 2011 and it hasn't budged an inch! I like this quite a lot and, perhaps surprisingly, this is a generous wine from a vintage where some stray towards austerity. Still somewhat reticent on the nose, the 1995 Leoville las Cases shows a fresh blackcurrant, black cherry, pencil, leather profile amplified on the round, rich palate. Poised, cool, and deep; it would be wise to revisit this in a few years. 93-94+
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11/14/2020 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose: blackberry, black cherry, leather, graphite and nice black truffle note. Dark black fruit and lots of classic Medoc notes. Palate: Gorgeous black fruit and black cherry and graphite. Rounded feel that shows the softer side of LLC. Finish: plum, blackcurrant, graphite and cedar. Lots of structure still getting sorted out.
This was actually better with 12 hours of air. The last bit of the wine consumed in the morning was brighter and more giving. What a wine. Lots of room to go here.
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11/12/2020 - Raizes Likes this wine: 93 Points
成熟的黑色浆果在逐渐退居二线，烟草、雪松和木香开始接过香气的主导权，还隐隐有些微咸的海盐味道。架构平衡，相比宽广来说，更多展现的是坚实和紧凑，配合充沛的香气营造出了结构的高度，像一座多层的乔治亚风格大屋。它经历了时光，但依旧年轻而经典。
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11/5/2020 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Similar to my previous note. This wine is still tight although it has possibly softened a bit. It’s hard to say when this will hit its peak. Waiting another 3+ years might solve that question. Or it may never flesh out to be an epic wine. Only time will tell, but my gut feeling is that it will eventually hit its stride.
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10/30/2020 - MC wrote:
Decanted 3 hours. Dark fruits, minerals, earth. Great concentration and a long finish. Tannin still prominent as expected. Came in and out of open/closed phases over the evening. Great, classic, Bordeaux that has at times been singing and at times felt like it needed a bit more time to hit its peak window. But certainly very good right now with enough air and one of my favorite vintages of LLC. A-/A?
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10/3/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
CC Bday Wine Dinner 2020!: Black fruits, currants, tar, minerals, truffles. This was very vibrant with lively tannins. However, the wine was rather confusing as it kept evolving in the glass. Overall, a good showing!
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10/3/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby with a light rim, cherries, tobacco & leather, med. tannins, med/long finish; outstanding, classic mature Left Bank, ready to drink, no rush
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10/3/2020 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 96 Points
The old trope is that with old wines there are no great wines only great bottles- and this was a great bottle.
After opening- one sniff and swirl was enough to convince me not to decant- so this was poured two hours out of the cellar (with one of those hours with the cork off).
Beautiful medium ruby appearance with only slight lightening at the rim- impressive for a wine approaching its 25th birthday.
Pronounced and classic nose of black fruits, cassis, tobacco , lead pencil and vanilla. Just gorgeous and no sign of being tired on the nose.
Medium plus body with fully resolved tannins and plenty of acidity. Lots of similar flavor characteristics on the palate (maybe some additional savory herb elements) and a long finish.
Just loved this bottle which can be drunk now or stored another 10++ years in a cold cellar.
This bottle was purchased on release in 1998 and was stored properly with one owner.
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10/3/2020 - smoothjazz wrote: 96 Points
Bottle sourced directly from the chateau by Hart Davis & Hart (Chicago)wine tasting in November 2018 where 31 vintage vertical at Peninsula Hotel. This was my favorite along with 2005, 2009 & 2010. This was spectacular from the moment opened; you could tell it was a great wine at 25 years old; four hour decant wine was classic great Bordeaux with firm structure to keep aging another 25 years; superb balance of fruit and acidity; long finish. Only concern was the condition of the cork which I had to remove piece by piece. This wine came directly from the chateau in 2018. I would have thought the cork would still be in pristine condition.
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6/7/2020 - Javachip Likes this wine: 95 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep dark garnet color. Classic bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, black currants and their liqueurs; sous bois, stony soil, dried herbs and dark baking spices, tobacco, leather, earthy mushrooms, black truffles, occasional umami hints of dried game. Similar on the palate, full body, beautiful balance, fresh and vibrant, improved with air. Fabulous.
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5/25/2020 - jjct Likes this wine:
This bottle was pretty tight. After 2+ hours in the decanter, some fruit and aromatics started to emerge. Very focused and mineral, big tannins.
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5/21/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is drinking with extended time in the decanter, but sometimes I feel with Las Cases that the best way to enjoy it is to jump into a time machine and ask your grandfather to buy a few cases for you. That said, it ticks all the boxes, and if you are a fan of drinking wines in the earlier stages of maturity, it hits the spot. The vintage as a whole is finally starting to come into its own, and this is no exception. Dark berry fruits, cedar and tobacco dominate the nose and palate. It has a huge tannic backbone, but as with all good Las Càses it is not a problem with great balance. It also possesses a deceptively good finish which underwhelms at first but creeps up. It will be interesting how this continues to develop, but it is highly enjoyable now.
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4/16/2020 - Iroi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Enjoyed this LLC with my friend and i like it! Leather, blackberries, minerals, earth and also with a hint of chocolate aroma as well. Full body and this is a powerful wine for sure. Decanted 1 hour and keep swirling in the glass. Very smooth tannins that almost like a tiny feel on my palate. 96 pts for today.
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, mineral, mushroom, espresso and lead pencil. The body is full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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3/28/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Classic fully mature claret. Tertiary development has set in but fruit is still bright with good acidity. Tannins are grippy and are not maturing as fast as the fruit. Dark cassis, black tea and tobacco.
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3/28/2020 - WineGuyFL wrote: 92 Points
Same as a bottle last fall......fine, but not as exciting and complex as in the past. Two hour decant. I have had 2025 down as the last year in my drink window. I am going to move that year forward a little.
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3/19/2020 - MC wrote:
Decanted 1 hour. Dark, ripe fruits. Earth, minerals. Deep wine, but great balance. Tannin is there, but ripe and frames the wine well. Probably better with 3 hours of air and likely will improve a bit with a few more years, but this is drinking really well now and a classic for my taste. A
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2/21/2020 - Bobhelge wrote: 95 Points
Another Las Cases is another excellent wine! Such textbooked and elegantly made. Cassis, cigar box, caramel oak lead pencil shavings. Still dens with high concentration of blackcurrant, blackberry and blue flowers.
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2/20/2020 - NickA wrote: 88 Points
I've now tried Las Cases from the 70s, the 80s and the 90s and have decided it just isn't worth the price of admission - this was fairly open, but just boring (as was the 1988). Maybe some interest will develop, but it feels like an expensive gamble. Don't think the bottle was flawed, but you could get the same experience by opening a modest Bordeaux from 2008, say.
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2/8/2020 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
17th of 36, opened 3 hours decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, all the fine attributes of my previous notes but now losing angularity and singing, indeed pleasanter on night than Latour 95, though I think the Latour is even more complex and is the better bet for the long term. VF (18.5)…..more complex than otherwise attractive Barton 99 on same night.
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1/31/2020 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Souper Bordeaux/Napa Valley (Chez François G.): Un beau nez typé de boite à cigare et de cèdre. Bouche puissante, encore jeune et serrée, il parait assez raide face au Cask 23, avec une finale un peu asséchante. Ça manque cruellement de charme. Un style austère qui représente l’image qu’on se fait du millésime. Peut-être que dans un autre contexte on l'aurait apprécié davantage, mais ce soir il n'est pas dans la même classe. 90-91 pts
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1/14/2020 - jshufelt wrote: flawed
A first for me - upon removing the capsule, at first glance all I saw was wine in the bottle's neck. No cork?? But after attempting to pour wine from the bottle, the cork revealed itself, a little more than an inch down inside the neck. Not an auspicious sign, even though the cork itself was intact. Initially, serious barnyard funk, and while this blew off a bit after 30 minutes, and a bit more after another hour, never really got past being a confused mix of astringent fruit. Because of the cork situation, I'll call this one flawed.
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12/31/2019 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine was a 95 upon opening and initial decant. Loads of cherry, tobacco and cedar on this bottle. Was disappointed towards the second hour it was open as it went backwards and became very astringent and tannic. I think maybe a few more years on this or drink a little quicker. Happy New Year to all of CellarTracker wine friends!
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12/28/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light cedar and blackberry nose; blackberry and earth; tannins still unresolved; light sweet finish.
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12/13/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is full and a bit rustic at this stage but it clearly needs more time. A bit clunky alongside the magnificent 1990. At MGE dinner. 91+
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11/16/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 88 Points
Corvine sample. Incredibly dark, dense and closed, even after several hours. Tannic and impenetrable. Maybe this will come around in another 10 years but it’s definitely not giving much drinking pleasure today at age 24.
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11/13/2019 - Lype Likes this wine:
Youthful and tight, wood clearly present, considering the emerging powerful fruit, good acidity and highish tannins I would give this several years in the cellar. Very good and promising but won't probably reach the heights of the -96.
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11/12/2019 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points
Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): A touch reserved, brooding dark, minerally fruit, quite deep/saturated on the palate, plenty of firm, unresolved tannin but good depth of fruit too, vibrant acidity, finish isn't much fun but this could be excellent if/when it comes together. 92?
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10/22/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
5 hour decant- perfectly stored bottle. Such great up front young fruit. Finish is a bit lacking but overall very enjoyable. This is likely in its prime but has at least another decade of life and will likely hold here for several years. No rush. Revisit in 2022.
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10/18/2019 - MrBrege wrote: 91 Points
This bottle felt marginally over the hill. A very traditional Left bank Bordeaux and very enjoyable. Double decanted over 8h. Nose not expressive at all, but the palate has excellent balance in the classic Bordeaux style where the fruit is anything by dominant....
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10/9/2019 - WineGuyFL wrote: 92 Points
Definitely needs the 2 hour decant. However, the overall experience was a touch below prior bottles. I hope that is not a trend.
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10/5/2019 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fell short of my high expectations. It was fine and drinking well, but too straight down the middle -- expected more finesse, complexity, and/or strength. Got a little bit of everything.
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10/1/2019 - drjb Likes this wine: 95 Points
The 95 Las Cases still shows a deep crimson colour and has an open nose of blackcurrants, dark plums, liquorice, cedar and a touch of dark chocolate. The palate is somewhat linear yet intense with a fine burst of plum and cassis in the middle with a very long tannin finish that persists nicely. The notable features are the balance and the overall purity and class of the fruit and finish that mark this wine as special. Interestingly 24hrs later the fruit had continued to open with an extra vein of richness suggesting plenty in the tank here !
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9/25/2019 - apple1813 Likes this wine:
1995 Bordeaux Tasting at Winetasters of Toronto Club (North York Memorial Hall): 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases was complex and nuanced. The medium-deep garnet liquid gave complex bouquet of for forest berries, red cherries, earth and freshly tilted soil, complemented by floral violets and licorice notes. It was medium-bodied and medium-high acidic. The medium tannin was maturing well, as it melted to coat the entire palate. The long finish was packed with minerals and complex sweet red fruits.
The blend composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc.
It was personally rated the third out of the eight wines, and the table rating was the second.
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7/19/2019 - StasMedvedev.lv Likes this wine: 95 Points
🏅Rating 95/100 (4,5⭐)
Beautiful perfume pour Homme. Black fruits, cassis. Tannins are granular and active, but aeration for couple hours in decanter helped to calm them down and open up the wine. Great wine and the winner of the night for me, however, I think '95 performed not at Premier Grand Cru Classe level as I usually expect it. This vintage justifies Las Cases' 2nd Growth status.
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7/2/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Leather, blackcurrant and chery fruit. The vintage’s tannins have mellowed down. Good structure but it lacked some finesse probably because its still young.
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6/26/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is certainly ready to start drinking, and has moved forward significantly from 18 months ago. It does benefit from a lengthy decant, and I gave this 7 hours in an open decanter. The nose is surprisingly delicate with cherry, blackcurrant, and liquorice with floral hints. The palate is typical of the the vintage, and has a steely backbone of tannin, but it is perfectly balanced with the fruit. The depth is excellent, but I do find a lightness on the palate, with the finish lengthy but displaying residual sourness. This is displaying secondary characteristics, but will continue to develop and stay here for decades.
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6/22/2019 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
Dinner@BA: Blind. Deep, and quite dense ruby. Very Pauillac on the nose. Combines a richness and a firmness with a sense of the aristocratic. Similar on palate, rich, tannins have melted but there’s a straightness of spine keeping everything just where it should be. This is lovely, and quite a surprise in the context of 95. Very fine. Not the same level of easy balance and sweetness of fruit as the 82 a couple of weeks ago, but comfortably ***** nonetheless.
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6/9/2019 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Classy wine and drinking very well with aged flavours
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5/29/2019 - Nothung Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 5 hours before drinking, decanted an hour before. Opened up nicely.
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4/28/2019 - Roger Davison wrote: 92 Points
Better than previous bottles but still not as good as its reputation.
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2/16/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted for an hour, deep ruby with a light rim, cherries & leather, med. tannins, med/long finish; delicious & better than a bottle I tasted a few days ago, drink or hold. Bringing as requested for Charlie's BD tonight
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2/3/2019 - aquacongas wrote: 95 Points
Still in climbing stage but nice starting tertiary notes. Massive but with great acidity and tannin structure. 94-95
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2/1/2019 - Labrador Likes this wine: 93 Points
I have no formal notes, but this was our WOTN.
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1/27/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially rubber and cedar with texture; light blackberry with tanins; light earthy finish.
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1/7/2019 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
I echo other reviews that say this wine needs at least a 2 hour decant. I gave it that and it opened up fine.
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1/4/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light nose; earth; smooth tobacco blackberry; good length; youthful but not tannic.
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12/4/2018 - markakin wrote: 70 Points
Good deep red color but sour nose and unpleasant taste- disappointing but still have more to try in a few years with fingers crossed.
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10/28/2018 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Super tight upon opening...
Shortly after double decanting, the nose was more inviting with black fruit, prune, tobacco, and hints of vanilla bean. The alcohol is a bit pronounced on the nose, but it’s not offensive.
In the mouth this is only medium bodied, surprising given the fruit character and alcohol. Tannins are typical of the vintage, big and unrelenting. It’s delicious, but not without some hard edges. In the end, this needs another 5 or so years in bottle to hopefully soften up.
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10/26/2018 - gaveaux Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a super wine. Rich fruit and long finish with great tannins. Would actually say it needs more time
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10/8/2018 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
good wine but still somewhat closed
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10/4/2018 - Bruno DALBIEZ wrote:
Simply beautiful. Silky, soft tanins, long. Flowers, violet? mushrooms. Opened and carafe about 4 hours before drinking, on a "jambon a l'os sauce madere et gratin dauphinois".
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9/22/2018 - johneagle Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely. fully ready
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7/28/2018 - VDLT Wine wrote:
Mostly new friends gathering (Rye Brook): The least pleasurable of the trio (82&00) but without the comparison I suspect this would have seemed better. Still, there is a hardness and austerity to this wine that likely will outlive the fruit.
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7/21/2018 - Vine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful and ready to drink. Classic Bordeaux!
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7/12/2018 - SimonG wrote: flawed
1995 Bordeaux: Corked
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7/11/2018 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 2 hours this wine stood out for me in the evening's line-up of beautiful wines from various regions. But then again that's probably because I do love claret a lot, so there might be a slight bias on my side. The more Las Cases I drink the more I am getting convinced that this is at or around 1st growth quality - all of the recent bottles of top vintages have performed incredibly well. As for 95 I would not usually call it a true top vintage in Bordeaux as I found even the 1st growth that I tried (Mouton and Haut Brion) to be only very good rather then truly great wines. What 95 certainly is, a very classic vintage. This Las Cases was in an absolutely beautiful spot that night, it came across with a lovely freshness and well integrated acidity, super smooth and not heavy at all, with hints of secondary/tertiary aromas but no overt Bordeaux funk (yet) in any way, it was a very "clean" wine for lack of better word that had a nice set of core red fruit. This was great with a grilled lamb steak and for me was the wine of the evening. In my view drinking now perfectly - of course one can wait for years/decades but I feel that it might be in its perfect spot as I could also see this fruit going into hiding if you give it too much time, which would be a shame. I have one bottle left and am making a note to drink this before 2020. As a side note this for me was better then the examples of 95 Mouton or Haut Brion that I had over the last year. Seems like I love Las Cases.
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6/25/2018 - Wineson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Based on first night tasting. Put the remains of the bottle under vacuum and stored overnight. Not as good the second night.
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6/18/2018 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
This is reasonably expressive but it either lacks some stuffing or is only starting to come out of a closed period - I suspect a combination of the two. Aromatically quiet, the fruit is pale and autumnal with red-apple flavors, surprisingly hollow at first and while it does fill in the gaps with some air it remains surprisingly light - inky this is not, it's more like watercolor. The fruit is complemented by a mineral element that seems to combine gravel and pencil fillings and generally adds some shades of grey to the color palette, contributing to some sensations of austerity despite the fact that it does not come across as especially tannic or structured. LLC always needs a ton of time but I am still a little surprised by this showing after the knockout Ducru just a few days ago.
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5/11/2018 - Ibetian wrote: 95 Points
Decanted just before dinner. This has finally entered its drinking window. Delightful nose and palate now, but many years of positive evolution ahead. Man this has taken a long time to come around, as have many top 1995s, but a pleasure to drink now!
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4/26/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
From my last 375, similar to my prior note after SO'd all day then decanting; delicious & ready to drink, but no rush (will wait a little longer for my 750s).
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3/10/2018 - ID wrote:
The most memorable thing about it was the length. Very long. Also, gives meaning to the word "complex." Not a power wine. Very nice.
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2/17/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic LLC nose of charred tobacco, blackberries, gravel and graphite minerals. Decented for 3 hours and the wine still retained great intensity with a thick texture and superb mid-palate density. Great flavors of smoky blackberries, sweet gravel, bitter chocolate and graphite minerals. Finishes with great intensity and still firm tannins and a touch of rusticity with crunchy complexity. This is a powerful Las Cases that’s a bit woodsy and wild with a touch of grippy roughness but I like my Bordeaux with a little rust in the pipes and I’m convinced this will be one of the great LLC’s in time. 94+
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2/8/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 375, amazingly, this wine is waking up! Deep ruby, classic Bordeaux nose & palate, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & finally ready to drink, but definitely no rush, many yrs. to go with poss. improvement
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2/2/2018 - Tavastgatan wrote: 94 Points
Massiv Las Cases.
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1/24/2018 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Short decant at a restaurant. After a while, it displayed more complexity and fruit than a bottle opened most of a year ago.....even though the earlier bottle had a 2+ hour decant. If I had a do over, would decant for at least 1 hour, maybe 2.
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1/23/2018 - ricknat1 wrote:
This was a vertical tasting over dinner. I love Las Cases and fell its a tremendous value that in the best years approaches Grand Crus but is generally excellent and enjoyable. all of these wines fit the bill from the the sublime 82 and 90 downward. My ranking was as follows
82
90
86
89
83
96
85
95
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1/10/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has certainly moved forward from 9 months ago, and has entered the beginning of its own drinking window. The nose is deeply perfumed with blackcurrent, liquorice, and leather after a couple of hours of aeration in the decanter. On the palate the tannin is very robust and typical of the vintage and locality but has started to resolve giving a good roundness. There is an excellent depth, and complexity is starting to develop. At this stage I do find that the finish is somewhat harsh but at the same time lengthy. At last the wine is starting to show its full potential after some disappointing tastings, and this can only keep getting better, and I look forward to scoring this 95 upwards in the future.
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12/24/2017 - ricemanhk Likes this wine:
Notes of soft leather and spices, medium body with mostly secondary and tertiary notes. Decent structure and finish. Not as impressive as the 94 I had a year or 2 ago, but this was still yummy stuff.
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12/17/2017 - Tannic Monster wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful dark purple in color with no visible signs of aging. Incredible nose of black current, violets, and graphite. Just a beautiful expression of the 1995 vintage at its best. It appears to have years of life ahead of it. Plush mouth feel with restrained tannins and a long finish.
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12/2/2017 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep, tannic, black licorice, austere at this stage, showed components to improve with more age. Paired well with medallions of lamb loin, cabage stuffed with braised lamb.
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11/26/2017 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still firm and somewhat unyielding, solid core of fruit but should benefit from more time in the bottle. Powerful & lacking charm and only time will tell if this will unfurl into a more pleasurable wine
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11/8/2017 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 90 Points
Purple, opaque, bright and shiny no rim variation. Nose has organic barnyard with pale hints of red fruits but searching, tears are fast and practically sheet like. Puckering tannin but dominant, med alcohol, med acidity, lacking a center and thin; dense short finish. Something is restrained in this glass Bacchus believes this wine will blossom in three to five years, and better to have with red meat
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11/7/2017 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): A bit of a disappointment if we are honest and had nothing to do with the great 1996 we had before ( Papies 95-96+).
Muted on the nose, on the riper light raisiny nose, more oak feel and the only one with a rich cassis feel. Better on the palate but still lacked the harmony and complexity of the 1996 and in a way lacked charm and was on the flat side. Maybe time will help but no more than 91 from us for now.
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11/4/2017 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A deep colour; very pure, blackcurrant fruit, elegant, intense and very long. This is now a very fine wine, fully ready but likely to keep for many years. Excellent.
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10/20/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
14th of 36, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, as Feb bottle, youthful and primary, quite hard and intellectual as befits LLC. VF (18.5).
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10/14/2017 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind alongside Ducri and Barton. The most backward of the three. Core of black fruit, animal fat, and ink. Took a good 40 minutes to open up in the glass after an hour of the bottle being open. Will peak in 5 years or so.
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10/6/2017 - dannagle wrote:
Blasier, Rafaelson, Barkley RUC
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4/30/2017 - Plabella Likes this wine: 95 Points
beautiful dark color, black fruit, full body long lingering taste
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4/23/2017 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
1+ hour decant. Very good.....but, I agree with some other recent reviews......that it still seems to be holding something back. Perhaps a little more age will do the trick. Maybe that is just the way it is.
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4/16/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to prior notes; may be as good as it is going to get. SO'd a 375 over night, then double decanted, very good but the tannins are still mod. with some dryness on the finish that I now believe may outlast the the fruit. I have heard mention of comparisons with 1975, which sounds right. I will drink my last half bottle soon
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4/15/2017 - la turque wrote: 97 Points
This wine is singing. Several hours of air really helped bring this out. Dark colour, with some garnet on the rim. Glorious nose of black fruits, cassis, cedar. Thick and long on the palate with impeccable balance, fruit and minerality. Stunning.
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3/30/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not as advanced as some of the other left bank 1995's tasted recently, and just entering the beginning of its drinking window, it possesses a good nose of blackcurrent, blackberry, and a touch of cedar. On the palate the tannin is very bold and slightly abrasive at this stage, but still allowing the fruit to shine with a very well balanced decent finish. I think and hope that there is room for development as there is a certain lack of depth mid palate and some residual sourness on the finish.
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3/5/2017 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
An elegant wine, and though pleasing to drink now still seems restrained despite 20 years in the bottle. Likely better in 2-5 years.
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3/3/2017 - jocelyng wrote: 94 Points
Excellent textbook medoc. Has everything but lacks some richness to be a 95+ wine. I think it is at its peak now but has many more years of potential.
Like most bordeaux, it's not worth the crazy price. I'm just glad that I had bought one bottle back then...
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2/12/2017 - nortonnose wrote: 93 Points
750ml, stood for weeks. Slow ox for an hour, then decanted and served. Beautiful crimson color, tiny bricking. Classically old and stinky nose, much mustier than expected from this 'young' buck. A bit tart/sour in the first few minutes but that quickly subsided. Still tons of structure here, profile is a bit more linear than I anticipated. After an hour, this hit its stride. Graphite, almost charcoal; cedar and black fruit. Slightly chalky, fine tannins, hint of sweetness. Medium finish. Delicious even if a bit unremarkable for LLC.
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2/11/2017 - JBVino wrote:
Good but wanted more. No notes taken but on memory had good but not great length and lacked that amazing palate presence. Not a bottle you kick out of bed... but hope further age adds more.
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2/3/2017 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
12th of 36, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, right back on form with the colour and energy of a young wines but attractive secondary flavours and silk now developing, concentrated, complex and classy, long life ahead. VF (18.5), but the least interesting of the dp trio with '88 and '75, though potentially the best.
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1/21/2017 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Reading Cellar Tracker notes prior to opening this bottle caused me to reduce my expectations. Purchased at release. Perfect cork, medium to dark ruby, nose of cedar. Gave it a 2.5 hour decant and served with lamb chops. Really excellent wine, complex with a very long finish. Plenty of structure to age well for a few more years.
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1/12/2017 - liber wrote: flawed
11th of 36, CORKED......Grrr!
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1/9/2017 - strijbosmh wrote: 90 Points
Drank after 2h decant. Expected much more from this producer and this vintage. Attractive nose, but on the palate I could not make out that this was a top producer. Some black fruit and tons of tannins. Maybe an off bottle, but still, disappointing.
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1/5/2017 - djhammond wrote: flawed
Unfortunately a corked bottle. However, in spite of this it seems to be ready to drink and has good depth and fruit. Look forward to an uncontaminated bottle.
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12/24/2016 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had high hopes for this wine and it performed just barely to expectations. After an hour to open up, it was linear, focused, graphite, mineral and very elegant for a wine which is still quite big and tannic. Just as I had hoped for. After 3 hours it began to show some vanilla notes which came across as less elegant.
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12/11/2016 - jmcmchi wrote: 90 Points
Whether because of storage, bottle variation or bad luck, this did not meet expectations or live up to its reputation and when I found myself making excuses for it I decided enough was enough.
Good balance, nice fruit, tannins integrating well, all at the minimum level expected of a big name, but it lacked charm and personality.
Not a good buy at present prices. Be very sure of provenance if you must buy
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12/8/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to prior note; delicious, but still needs time....
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12/1/2016 - kronfeld wrote: 89 Points
Possibly a flawed bottle or just example of bottle variation, this had a rough mouthfeel and bright, youthful fruit. Decanted and drunk over three hours, wine rounded out over course of dinner but never fully came together.
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11/11/2016 - Vmaster007 wrote: 93 Points
This wine gave us a lot of pleasure, nice presence and good balance. It can easily be kept for 5-10 more years.
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10/31/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 375, double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, deep ruby, dusty dark fruit with leather, mod. tannins, med/long finish; delicious, drink or hold
Next day, little change so I suspect that it still needs time
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10/29/2016 - RAD2626 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dusty and a little austere but beautiful wine. Still a lovely and lasting nose, slight bricking around the rim, great mouthfeel. Great accompaniment first for cheese and then for a beef course. Did not seem to change dimension over the two hours or so it took to consume but a fine example of a twenty year old bordeaux.
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9/14/2016 - achasd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ready to drink. beautiful after 30 min in glass don't decant.
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9/9/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
GMs - 1995 Bordeaux Tasting: Very youthful still - blueberry, black and red currants, flighty florals and ash. Has plenty of structure - enough that the best years here are ahead of it still. Next to the excellent 1995 GPL, this feels just a little bit better integrated and has a little more potential.
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7/31/2016 - Wineson wrote:
It tasted a little bit as though it had gone over
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7/22/2016 - drjb Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is delicious ! Still deep crimson colour. The nose builds with blackcurrant, liquorice, cedar and a touch of mint chocolate. The palate is linear with a fine burst of plum and cassis in the middle leading a very long tannin finish that lifts this wine into 1st growth territory. A complete wine now entering its plateau.
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6/3/2016 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oh, this is... very nice, drinkable, almost mature even. Finally. I've been opening a bottle every now for the last several years, and each tight and unyielding experience has been a hard lesson in patience. But this time, the fortress of tannin has melted just enough (though there's a lot of it left) to let some of my taste-buds through... And indeed, there is a beautiful silky wine on the other side of the wall, trying to come out. Slightly brooding, but with a more red (than black) character to the fruit, this wine is medium bodied but packed with flavor and character. In another 5 years it would be even better -- but I won't have any bottles left by then
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5/28/2016 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Memorial Day Mondo Event - Burghounds & Bordelais: The best showing I've ever had of this wine. Having tasting this at least 10 times over the past decade and been somewhat disappointed, I was not let down this time around. This particular bottling was much more extroverted showing classic St. Julien notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, and asphalt. It still had a good concentration of fruit suggesting it has just entered its maturity window.
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5/27/2016 - Rezy13 wrote: 93 Points
Burg & Bordeaux $100+ (Duluth, GA): Dark reddish crimson; bay leaf, red currants, loads of graphite, cedar; good tannin, secondary note on palate, showing truer than New Year's 2014 now it just needs to soften a bit as this was quite muscular and just lacks some drinkability.
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5/20/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely deep red colour still. Cassis, anise, cherries. Even after three hours decanted, the fruit seemed a little reticent, which keeps it from a higher score. Maybe emerging from a backwards state, because it seems like it wants to break out.
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5/9/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Leoville Las Cases Tasting and Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Open approx one hour before serving. Black plum and currant with tobacco. Some roast meat and leather. Still fresh. Firm, slightly backward but with very good concentration so easy to enjoy even now. Better in the future.
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4/30/2016 - chatters wrote:
One day Bordeaux wine school (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Leather, cedar, black fruit, spice, but balanced. A slightly rocky note, touches of VA, slight cigar box. In the mouth it's juicy with slightly smokiness, so fresh, leather, black fruits, slightly chalky and textured tannins, warm Just lovely. Really good.
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3/31/2016 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautifully consistent from start to finish
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3/19/2016 - Butzemann wrote: 92 Points
This wine was tasted as part of a bigger Bordeaux tasting, so the note might be a little bit short:
The organiser of the tasting told us that the wine had spent 20 hours in a big decanter before it was decanted back into the bottle and brought to the tasting.
purple red, muted nose, still some tannins left, not that dry, medium body and good length. Still very young. I concur with a previous TN that this needs more time.
The group very much liked this wine nevertheless.
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3/18/2016 - Wineson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of character.
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2/22/2016 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
8th of 36, hour decanted, perfect cork and level, seems to be in a sulky phase since last Febs note, hence lower mark, broader and less pure, tannins intruding slightly, enough fruit though to sing again, though I don't think this will ever be up to the top vintages like 90, 88, 86, 85, 82 and 96. At present the 94 is happier if shorter! F+ (18).
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2/10/2016 - Philippe_C wrote: 93 Points
Very young, black fruit, coffee, leather... loads of tannin wall, still very primary taste, needs minimum 10 more years to be ready!!
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1/17/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:
1989/1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Feast & Imbibe - Evanston IL): Popped and poured. Why did we do that? Backward and austere now, but clearly showing concentration and impressive potential...for someday.
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1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 89 Points
LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. Very shy tonight. Although we could detect its power and concentration. Best to revisit this wine in a decade or so.
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12/28/2015 - Xiao1987 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 30min, once opened up the wine showed classic St Julien characters, with wet forest floor/inkiness on the bouquet, and plenty of cassis, minerality and pencil shaving on the palate.
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11/20/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
During a LLC tasting dinner with ex chateau bottles, hosted by Directeur General Pierre Graffeuille, double decanted. TN: Medium-dark garnet. Nose of forest floor with an animalic touch. Enters the palate medium bodied and quite structured. The tannins, so typical for the overrated 1995 vintage, are a touch dry. Not a big issue but also not at the level as we see them in the recent top vintages (05, 09, 10).
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11/20/2015 - steinersing wrote: 94 Points
just at the beginning of its drinking window - great quality wine - intense and confident, yet also elegant.
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10/21/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit, earth, lead pencil. Nice balance. Solid but nothing to write home about.
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10/3/2015 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fill between mid and base neck; good cork. Double decanted. First pour one hour later. Deep cherry red color. Fairly subdued nose of dark fruit. Full-bodied palate of dark cherries and raspberries, which are well-balanced by the acids, and ending with a long soft tannin-filled finish. Should drink well over the next ten years.
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10/2/2015 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 93 Points
A little stinky nose at first but it transforms into nice herbs and leather. Bright acid turns into mellow early flavors.
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7/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
A clear winner in this mixed vintage, the wine is concentrated, deep and fresh, with a ripe, blackberry essence. Full bodied and long, the wine is young, yet, with the ripeness in the tannins and the fruit, it's already enjoyable in your glass. In time, another 10 years or so, this will be even better!
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7/16/2015 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Beautiful wine that is still adolescent. Needed about an hour in the glass to open up. Nice structure and fruit. Not a lot of secondary flavors yet. Dark fruit with lots of tannic backbone. Long tannic finish that was still lovely.
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7/13/2015 - vin43 Likes this wine: 92 Points
drinking beautifully
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6/29/2015 - kwangeurng Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good. After 1 and half hour open in the bottle. Do mot decant. Love it
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6/7/2015 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark red in color, still a youthful bottle. Slight residual oak, wine is deep, ripe and taut. Starting to drink well with lots of air and lots of potential to age, very long finish.
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5/31/2015 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
John's Birthday Degustation Dinner (Hippopotamus Restaurant, Museum Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand): Massive, yet transparent nose of iron ore, pencil shavings, blackcurrant and earth, Linear, structured, powerful and focused palate. Drinkable today but (surprise, surprise) this is a true vin de garde. Clearly outclassed the Mouton Rothschild drunk at the same time. I see this as a sure bet to improve with further evolution. 96+
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5/2/2015 - broadband013 wrote: flawed
Madérisé
Apres 2h de decantation le vin s'est tellement ouvert qu'il a pris le dessus, mais cela restait un vin defectueux, probablement un grand vin sans cela.
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4/24/2015 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:
Gave it a solid 2 hour decant and enjoyed iwth a roast chicken and friends. It seems just deliscious but needed all of the decant to become so. Cool classic St julien features
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4/24/2015 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 97 Points
A touch darker and more reserved on the nose. Less grilling herbs (than Ch. Margaux). More red fruit.
Nose is opening up, more weight on palate. Different type of earth. More focused and laser like. Blue black fruit. St. Julien? Menthol. Mid palate machine. Improves with air, stride at 45 minute mark. 1st growth quality.
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4/13/2015 - Bigtuna wrote: 93 Points
Still tannic, needed 3 hours of decanting. Probably needs another 3 to 5 years to reach peak. Classic bordeaux - very nice
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3/14/2015 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
After a three hour decant, the nose was spectacular with notes of mint, cinnamon and forest floor. Tannins were silky smooth with soft dark fruit. While backward in style, there was good fruit concentration but in a subtle way...very sophisticated wine that was a refreshing change to drink.
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3/5/2015 - Sharmajd wrote: 89 Points
This wine has shut down. Very disappointing given it's pedigree but the fruit was flat, had no texture or complexity. While the color was dark and it had a nice nose when decanted, the nose dissipated after an hour or two and the wine basically shut down after that. The finish was medium. I might try this without decanting next time and hopefully it shows better.
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2/26/2015 - cabber wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2000: Left Bank v. Right Bank (Manhattan Beach, CA): A wild card outside the 2000 vintage theme. Young, powerful. Earthy nose, depth, dark fruit, long finish. Really good.
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2/16/2015 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
7th of 36, perfect fill, started to show in 2012 since when notes fine or better and generally has edge on equally fine Ducru, hour decanted - deepish, bright garnet, little development; cassis and bramble with attractive secondaries of graphite and cedar around an iron core; fullish, very long, grippy, quite burly for Las Cases (pushing extraction?), attractive fruit covering some unresolved tannin, attractive, still youthful, just a sense of trying too hard for better than very fine (18.5/20).
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12/19/2014 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mini vertical o fChateau Leoville Las Cases. Were drunk wine of the vintage 1986, 1995, 1999 and 2000. All are elegantly. One thing became clear: they need a long aging and be aerated for a few hours. Thus, as expected, the older wines were more evolved. My order of preference: 1995, 1986, 2000 and 1999
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12/6/2014 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
Oxidized, sadly...
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11/29/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Not the tannic beast i was expecting. There is a nice sense of purity in the cassis core of fruit. Full bodied and concentrated, the tannins leave a refined, but dusty impression. Another 5 years will make this an even better tasting experience.
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11/20/2014 - clayfu wrote:
A bit more backwards than the 96 was, dark, tannic, full of leather and grip. Really could use some time to open up, came to it after a double decant and being open for 3 hours.
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10/25/2014 - ilee wrote: 92 Points
Opened two bottles for decanting 3 hours before dinner. Mostly consistent with most recent note, though the longer decant helped a bit. Still quite tight and backward, the predominantly red fruit seeming just about ripe but not overly so. This is a wine your brain tells you is good, but your heart tells you zzzzzz. I can only think of two approaches here -- either (1) give up on waiting and just drink up, esp. if you have only a handful of bottles; or (2) absolutely forget about them for 10 years and drink some 1994 instead
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10/11/2014 - ilee wrote: 91 Points
I thought I might find a dark and velvety beauty inside this bottle, but what came out was initially a blood red tannic beast. The wine straightened itself out after a few minutes in decanter, but remained somewhat puzzling. The nose was almost strawberry red, but with very little of the typical earthy, mineral character of St Julien. On the palate, it was lighter than I expected, almost Burgundian in texture and somewhat muted. Clearly more time (e.g. 10 years) is needed for the tannins to soften. Meanwhile it's nice enough, but at this price I'm looking for much more...
PS (3 days later). The remaining half bottle has softened and put on some weight. Medium bodied, with a prominent crème de cassis character that wasn't there previously. The tannins, while gentler, are still very much there. Which probably explains why there's no hint of oxidation... Definitely a super long decant next time I open one!
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9/28/2014 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
No decant but it needed some.
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9/9/2014 - melzar wrote: 91 Points
From 750: My wine group's blind vertical of LLC. Bridging the old LLC style and the new, this wine, from a good rather than great vintage makes a good showing.Easily lost in a blind tasting, by itself it would be a treat. Fruit forward. Hard to believe this is almost 20 years old, but this is LLC. Nice nose, well balanced palate. Drink or hold. Typical of LLC, no hurry.
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8/11/2014 - Sharmajd wrote: 93 Points
Nice classic St. Julien nose. It's a subtle wine, with a medium minerally finish. the oak is nicely integrated. Not very forward and not a huge amount of fruit but still great balance between all the elements.
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8/10/2014 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
I was expecting more given LLC is my favorite St Julien. Judging the LLC 95 against the Ducru Beaucaillou, I would favor the latter currently although best to wait a few years and retest. I've had the 82, 90, 98, and 04 of the LLC and the 1990 is by far the best to date. The 95 is expensive for what you pay, and I would rate the nose the highest at 95 but the palate comes short. Decanted and aerated for about an hour and drank over another. Perhaps I should have decanted longer to balance the fruit with the rusticity and tenacity of the tannins that typify the 95 left bank vintage. The nose was superb with blackberry, cassis, mulberry, vintage leather, pipe tobacco and spice cake. Entry on the palate was one dimensional, slightly masculine palate, not overly complex but showing signs of potential in a few years much like the Pichon Baron 95s which have now become ready to drink. Good acidity mid palate but razor sharp tannins that slightly have the upper hand on the fruit and slightly short finish. For my money, I would rather go for the Ducru at this stage.
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6/27/2014 - hiker_guy wrote: flawed
sadly corked.
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5/18/2014 - PASimon wrote: 90 Points
I gave this 90 minutes of air and drank it with a friend who brought a 96 Cos....The Cos blew it away! This was fine, but flat and one dimensional - certainly given the pedigree and price point.
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4/13/2014 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour ahead. A ripe, ribena nose, but the fruit on the palate is a bit hidden by tannin. The texture is quite dense, showing classic Saint Julien character of blackcurrant and cedar. It did open up in the glass, but it perhaps still needs 2 to 3 years on this showing (or maybe 5).
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4/5/2014 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2+ hours. Drinking well now. Tried the first bottle 2 years ago, and it was still a little tight. However, I believe it will improve. Classic.....deep dark with tannins still lurking. I agree with the 2025 back end year for the drink window.
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3/1/2014 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Very similar to my dec 2013 note. Nice wine, but seems a bit disappointing for LLC. Perhaps it needs more time.
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1/15/2014 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very Good wine and very structured. Decanted for an hour before pouring back into bottle for a dinner with friends. Tannins are beginning to mellow and it had nice leather tones to it. Not much of a bouquet compared to other vintages. I wish we had pulled the cork back out before we did to let it breathe inside the bottle. Still was a very good wine and I wish I had more left
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1/1/2014 - Rezy13 wrote: 92 Points
2014 New Year's Day Tasting $100+ (Marietta, GA): Dark core with 1/4" bricking; red currant, black tea, dark fruit, tobacco, fairly youthful; tannic, hard, cedar, tobacco, spicy, salty finish; no graphite saying St. Julien; WOTN but not mine because I thought it was too hard and had not opened up showing everything it had- probably suggest a longer decant; 92+.
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12/17/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Decanted. Dark ruby. Reticent nose, with Bordeaux funk and some red and darker fruit. Medium body. Nice but not long finish. Nice wine, but a little disappointing for this pedigree.
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11/30/2013 - mmkatz wrote: 92 Points
Still fairly tightly wound. The core elements are all present--fruit, minerals (lead pencil and the pronounced dusty tannins), but still feel the 1995s are disjointed and not coming together
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11/14/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Leather with St Julien character; earthy with lovely tannins; textured; herbaceous with some cherry-blackberry-cassis; evolving; semi-bitter but with blackberry on the finish; very nice.
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10/20/2013 - Pearls_b4Swine wrote: 90 Points
Not impressed. Could be my fault for decanting at start of dinner rather than earlier. But thought this average in every way. Will decant the next one for a few hours, but wont try that for another few years.
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10/9/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 94 Points
Jeroboam Club 1995 Bordeaux (Bordeaux Quay): Impenetrable Latour like colour. Almost black. Nose very dumb at first but on aeration started to develop a tight weave of black fruits . Rich tannic enormous bredth depth and drive. Long long finish. Although still young it is starting to develop and show real class. Drinkable now with food but much more to come.
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8/10/2013 - llink wrote: 93 Points
We let this sit for 2 hours in a decanter, then consumed over an hour or so at the table. A classic Bordeaux nose of graphite, leather, coffee grinds and cassis. The palate is maturing but to my view is still young with tart, silky fruit; supple but still sporting some grippy tannins that really come into prominence on the finish. Excellent when paired with a tri-tip steak over dinner, this was a little more shrill on its own.
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7/26/2013 - sandwich Likes this wine: 95 Points
What more do you want from a mature Bordeaux? Nice pencil shavings and granite mixed with ripe boysenberry and a whiff of black pepper. Solid fruit mixed with vanilla pipe tobacco and supple leather rubbed with neatsfoot oil. This is in its prime with many years left.
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6/24/2013 - BeachBacchus wrote:
Tasted at Chateau. Rocks and fresh cherry. Lively with high, drying tannin, M+ acid. Long finish. Great '95.
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6/2/2013 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
still dark red, black ripe fruits, classic St Julien, full bodied, rich, young, complex, finesse, big tannins
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5/6/2013 - jacwine wrote: 95 Points
Didn't take long to open up, but got better after about 2 hours. This wine is ready now - I think it has hit its peak (which is pretty high!) Tannins have released and let the fruit come through.
It is a classic for steak and really gives a lot of depth and pleasure.
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4/27/2013 - capacious wrote: 96 Points
This is near perfection now and yet still in the middle or better of its life. Notes of tobacco, cedar, rich leather, chocolate, a 45 second or better finish - who needs to eat?
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4/26/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 90 Points
This seemed more evolved than the last bottle I had. That said, it still had a nose of dark fruit, leather, lead pencil, a bit of earth. The palate matched. Soft and silky in the mouth. Not a long finish, but nice and round.
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4/25/2013 - bonedoc wrote:
1995 Bordeaux Tasting: popped cork 2 hrs before drinking over 3 hours: restrained and austere in style, just not enough fruit to compete w/ other wines in tasting. this wine will not budge, but wonder if time will reveal a better showing. 92-94. ranked #4 w/1995 dunn hm #2, 1995 lafite #1, 1995 margaux #2.
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4/2/2013 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose - dark fruit, pencil lead, some oak spice in the background, enjoyable to sit and sniff
Palate - smooth, round, complex, a mouthful without being over the top. Very long beautiful finish.
Would buy
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2/24/2013 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sommelier 1995 Bordeaux Tasting - "Very ripe blackberries and dark cherries with violets, cassis and stewed bell peppers; finely ground black pepper mixed a soft background of oak soften the palate to a gentle, prickly texture; solid acid and firm structure. Drink or hold – this wine is still a baby." - Scott Ota. All wines were opened and poured.
Other Note - Great fruit on the nose. Beautiful, racy fruit, well structured and balanced. Will benefit greatly from more time in the bottle.
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2/2/2013 - MatthewF wrote:
Opened, but not decanted, roughly 4 hours before serving. Dark red currant and plum on the nose and palate with a touch of anise and a great tobacco leaf quality as well. Quite firm overall with great balance and a long gripping finish.
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1/20/2013 - 1961Vintage wrote: 93 Points
Still young and vibrant. Had along side a 95 Puy Lacoste and showed incredibly strong and youthful. Two completely different wines. The Leoville was clearly darker on the glass and had a more refined structure while the Lacoste was far more approachable. No losers tonight. Both highly decorated war heroes on of our table!
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1/16/2013 - PGB wrote: 89 Points
Like the previous reviewer said - wait and hope - very disappointing
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12/15/2012 - Jeffrey Silver wrote: 95 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs and aromas of bell pepper, eucalyptus, asparagus, black pepper and violet. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and butterscotch with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish - So glad I have more of this super wine. I true star with many years of enjoyment ahead. I suggest 10yrs easily.
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10/27/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Drank over 3 hours. Did not decant but probably should have. Fairly strong nose of dark fruit, with hints of red. Leather, lead pencil, a bit of earth. The palate matched. That said, this still seemed very very young. Bright acidity and even after time in the glass it was still fairly tight. Medium depth and just a hint of bitter chocolate on the finish.
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10/27/2012 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From magnum. An austere but textbook LLC nose. Dark red fruit and a hint of barnyard. Not particularly rich or deep, this is an excellent drinking LLC, where everything is in good balance. A bit lighter in terms of concentration, but a lovely vein of acidity to complement the sweet dark fruit. Vanishing tannins.
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10/25/2012 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): Dark dense in colour. Fleshy fruit on the nose, plump, dark fruit, caramel notes uncharacteristic of LLC. Quite a bit of tannin to the point that it is a difficult wine, austere, tough and rough. A chrarmless wine and on the dissapointing side. 90-91, we suggest like us one waits and hopes.
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9/30/2012 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
(bought as future, stored temp controlled since arrival, decanted for 1 hour and drank over 3) - at first muted nose, then opened up in the decanter to reveal minerals and modest bouquet of purple and black fruits. on the palate, adequate dark cabernet fruit, minerals, and oak - nicely balanced. however, no sense of sweet/ripe fruit or tannins on the palate, and thus it is a little unyielding and better as a food wine in my opinion. haven't had a lot of aged LLC, so not sure if this relative austerity is a house style, versus perhaps the fruit wasn't as ripe as other better vintages. frankly, i was hoping for a little more from this wine, so maybe my expectations were a little too high.
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9/29/2012 - Julia7ich wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby with first garnet highlights at the rim. Restrained tobacco, vanilla, leather, and black currant on the nose. Very abundant still slightly astringent, but fine tannins. Subtle green bell pepper hides behind black currant and cherry. Long finish that is marked by sweet black currant and graphite.
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9/10/2012 - St Paul wrote: 94 Points
Lovely wine with real depth of black fruit and a great structure. It will live for more years but it is lovely as it is right now. Black currant, some cedar and a bit of dirt.
It showed very well and this without being decanted for very long.
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7/18/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Goodbye Dinner for Gabriel's Restaurant (Gabriel's - Highwood IL): A bit austere, tannic and firm all around. Not nearly as interesting as another bottle last month, but I doubt this bottle was decanted and am fairly certain last month's got plenty of pre-serving decanter time.
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6/26/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Celebration (Balena - Chicago IL): Black fruit aromas with some cedar and great meaty spice. Similar on palate with everything in good balance already today. I imagine this is near its peak drinking window today, but would expect it to hold well for decades to come.
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6/23/2012 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Leoville Las Cases - Vertical Tasting (Le Sommelier, Copenhagen): Very intense medicine cabinet nose with vitamin pills and sour cream. Some green peppercorns but also bell pepper.
There is a solid fruit acidity on the palate but it does lack a little fruit to fill out the structure of the wine. A little too short aftertaste.
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6/2/2012 - Remony wrote: 93 Points
With Auriol & Roger on Diamond Jubilee Saturday night, to accompany roast duck. Significant difference between the two bottles. The better one was more vigorous than my previous bottles from this case, sweet & still quite fruity, but once again without the usual LLC gravitas. As before, I suspect this case is not representative.
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4/22/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Possibly could have decanted less.
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3/6/2012 - SMccarthy77 wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/5/2012 - MichelPlatini wrote: 94 Points
A great wine. Typical Bordeaux restraint. Cassis, tar on the nose. Great structure. The finish nearly like an older Burgundy with lots of earth. It was phenomenal with the piece of beef Francoise prepared. It had a cognac and horseradish sauce which gave this wine a little bit more body. One piece of advice: decant for only one hour or two. I aerated for 3 to 4 hours and that caused some fruit loss and thinner tannins than necessary.
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1/1/2012 - Marc wrote: 95 Points
New Year's Day in Eketahuna (Eketahuna, New Zealand): Cow patties and dense currants on the nose, tannic old world texture. This leoville las cases is currently drinking better than the 1990. It has a lovely tannic texture and rich, structured and defined mouthfeel.
With food the graphite notes come out - this is really fine wine . Drinking in early maturity. This wine comes across as slightly austere in company of the montelenas tasted earlier.
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12/31/2011 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
Very deep colour. Nose of blackcurrants and cream; the palate has a thick texture, with very dense fruit that is now opening out. This is developing into a very fine wine.
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12/27/2011 - tomandlu wrote: 95 Points
Decanted three hours and consumed over the following one hour. Black-red-purple color with only slight fading at the rim. Deep, complex, intense but not effusive nose of graphite, licorice, tar, and cassis on the nose. Impeccably balanced on the palate. The fruit and tannins were ripe, the wine was poised and elegant yet intense and very dry, and the finish was long and rich. A simply magnificent, complex, complete Bordeaux that is just beginning to enter its drinking window and will almost certainly continue to improve. Simply stunning.
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11/24/2011 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
A Vintage Run, 1994, 1995, 1996 Bordeaux, with Rebecca Lamont (Berry Bros & Rudd, London): Tasted blind.
Sweet core of fruit on the nose. Some minty notes. A thin feel to begin but ends nicely and round. A sweet core dominates on the palate from the rich ripe fruit that almost unbalances the wine with stewed red fruit. A bit dissapointing. Prefered the 94 and of course the 96. 91 and can last.
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11/23/2011 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Deep blood red. Beautiful and complex bouquet with cassis, luxurious oak, cedar and cigar box. Graphite. On the palate still a lot of good cassis, luxurious oak, firm tannin and bitterness.. The tannin is a bit drying in the finish. This is a beautiful and classical Bordeaux wine. Still very youthful. It will definitely improve with another 5+ years of ageing. I hope to be able to taste this again around 2020.
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11/6/2011 - Remony wrote: 93 Points
Another bottle of this wine showing its age. Just a hint of musty old-wine flavours in the first two glasses. Lovely colour, gentle, no great vigour, lacks the attack of a fine LLC. But on the second night, lovely gentle mature fruit, no length, but a delicious drink. I do wonder whether my case of this wine has been less well stored than the bottles tasted by other CT members, so that my notes may not be representative of the wine at its best.
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9/24/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Complex nose with blackberry, red currant, intense; fantastic punch of blackcurrant on the palate, clean midpalate, red fruits; finish is long. Still quite young, will improve for easily 5-10 years. 94+
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9/13/2011 - redders wrote: 93 Points
Colour still deep and purple.
Nose soared from glass black fruits tobacco cedar wafts of secondary noted powerful intense but in balance . palate mouthcoatimg but not over the top hint of leanness at finish and still tannic. Very good wine drinking now but a way to go
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8/15/2011 - Remony wrote: 91 Points
4 bottles at the Burgoyne with Winfried and party. Lovely colour and fruit, very good middle palate, but once again pulls up short and slightly hollow on the finish. No signs of deterioration. Las Cases in '95 is simply not in the same class as the '96.
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7/16/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
More open and softer in texture than expected, the wine offered scents of sweet, ripe black fruit, cassis, cigar tobacco, earth, stone, black raspberry and spice aromatics. Combining power with grace, round tannins, and ripe fruit, while still young, this Bordeaux wine will be approachable early for a young vintage of Leoville Las Cases.
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4/25/2011 - paulst wrote: 90 Points
Backward and tannic; needs more time; after two hrs began to open up with soft blackberry.
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4/16/2011 - englishman's claret wrote:
From 375ml, decanted and followed. Barely starting to brick at the disc, opaque robe. Somewhat subdued nose of pencil, barnyard, good fruit, dark profile. Livelier in the mouth, excellent concentration, an appealing plum/spice component that married really nicely with the wood. But a couple of hours later in closed decanter, a svelte and aristocratic beauty delivering lavender, cassis, blackberry and pencil lead. Gorgeous. This still needs more time...
4.5/5 - may well merit a higher score in 5-10 years. Don't pop and pour! Will certainly last. Black tie claret. Not tweed jacket claret.
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3/14/2011 - markjanes wrote: 92 Points
This is finally starting to open up a bit and develop tertiary aspects... plenty of fruit left, plenty of tannins left, I really think this needs 4-8 more years to start showing its best though has a lot of balance, a lot of depth of flavor... will always be a firm, slightly grippy, wine but is clearly full outstanding qualities...
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3/9/2011 - Kayeman wrote: 95 Points
So smooth and balanced. You can smell France in this glass. Classic wonderful Bordeaux coming of age. Great fruit and perfect tannins make this one outstanding.
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2/25/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): Purple to ruby. Intense nose with a touch of something slightly chemical, develping in to a rubber aroma. Very fat in the glass, still tannic and quite drying. Seems to have closed down a bit since Nick's bottle at the 05 ashes oflfine. Rubber seems to diminish with air. Certainly all here for the future **(**)
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1/20/2011 - Faryan wrote: 92 Points
Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): Surprisingly open for such an airtight vintage (at this stage in its evolution) showing a lot. Classic St Julien with that dense, unyeilding nature that demands respect from the taster. Lovely notes of berries, mocha and fruits. Give it time to unravel a bit more.
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1/20/2011 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 93 Points
Not decanted. Lovely dark fruits on the nose. Tannins are almost completely integrated now. Very balanced wine, giving great pleasure to drink now.
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12/18/2010 - Remony wrote: 92 Points
This bottle seemed fully ready - a surprise. Not decanted, but given plenty of time to come up to room temperature from the cellar. Lovely intense nose of violets and blackberries & more black fruits especially cassis in the mouth. Tannins present but ripe and fully resolved. First two glasses very high quality St Julien, as expected (perhaps 93-94). But by the third glass it tailed off, was less vigorous & intense, and certainly less interesting (89-90). The last third of the bottle went into the SoWine, and it will be interesting to see how it tastes tomorrow night. [Second night -- no deterioration, but no development either. A lovely wine, but not in the class of the 1996, which followed it the next night.]
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12/11/2010 - paulst wrote: 93 Points
Unimpressive nose; light leather-blackberry; smooth; soft suttle texture; elegant; long finish.
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12/8/2010 - jzz56 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Huge nose of vanilla bean, black chocolate, black cherries, classic in a flamboyant style. rich, and full-bodied, it is a head-turning, and a great wine.
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10/28/2010 - JamesM wrote:
Léoville Las cases 1995
Decanted 2 hours before pouring. Deep, jewel-bright purple to rim. The nose was powerful, with damson/mulberry fruits, old desk drawer scents, underscored by cool eucalyptus. The palate had fine-grained but evident tannins, with blackcurrant and leather, pencil shavings and minty oak. Long finish. This bottle was elegant and enjoyable, but some way from its full maturity and remaining stock will be locked away for five years or so. 93 points.
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9/21/2010 - BradE wrote:
Not a rock star, but a damn fine bottle of wine. Would drink anytime with pleasure.
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8/23/2010 - MRichman wrote:
1995 Bordeaux at 15 years horizontal (Apiary, NYC): Herbal, broad, elegant. A bit tight. Very pretty with some light floral notes. Very complex. Really beautiful. Needs some time.
A
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8/21/2010 - Niagara wrote: 92 Points
A little less than the last bottle -- might have benefited from decanting.
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6/12/2010 - WetRock wrote:
Pro Kids of San Diego Charity Event - Older Bord and Cabs (Weissman Residence, Rancho Santa Fe, CA): More expressive than my last go around with this one but it still seemed chunky and in need of time. The pieces are certainly there though.
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5/22/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
The Greatest Pig Roast Ever?? (Chicagoland): From 1.5L Bottle. Elegant red currant and plum nose with tobacco and graphite as well. Classic Bordeaux. Pretty, sweet fruits on the palate, mineral backbone, fine tannins on the long finish. Youthful and absolutely delicious.
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5/22/2010 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Bash with Pig (Chicagoland): From 1.5L. Refined, dark fruits and muted graphite/tobacco notes. Surprisingly elegant. Fine structure. Very nice.
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3/14/2010 - Champagneinhand wrote: 96 Points
Like most Las Cases, elegant, smooth with all the classic flavors of St Julien that would be present in such a fine vintage. Awesome!
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3/11/2010 - la turque wrote: 95 Points
Showed beautifully, with good, vibrant fruit, strong acidity and a good, strong backbone. Still needs time to develop, as the secondaries haven't yet evolved. Brilliant.
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2/21/2010 - austinwinesalon wrote:
Definitive Bordeaux (Mirabelle Restaurant Austin, Texas): This was the most powerful wine of this blind tasted flight. It had power, a shy nose, tannic fruits, complexity, and simply needed to open up. One taster called it "edgy and firm." It had some fruit, coffee, minerality, but after several hours of decanting, it remained closed. A first growth quality wine for the future.
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2/11/2010 - mmh wrote: 91 Points
A bit shy on the nose, elegant, flowery and a hint of leather. Dry and balanced on the palate. (at the Sampler, London).
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12/16/2009 - Colima74 wrote: 94 Points
A bit tight, no doubt, but I liked this better than my mates at Gulfstream. Having said that, LLC has always been less compelling to me than other Bdx in the same `quality' level. I enjoyed this, and note that the bottle did get drunk
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12/15/2009 - jasonh wrote:
Semi Obnoxious Dudes @ Gulfstream 2.0: Keep trying to get a handle on this. It seemed completely shut down. Maybe exacerbated being next to all the Cali fruit. Earth and big tannins. I wouldn't touch for 10 years.
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12/15/2009 - Paul Lin wrote:
Guys' Night Out (Gulfstream - Corona del Mar, CA): A little horsey on the nose complemented by wet earth and iodine. Hard, tannic, tart and austere. I suspect that this wine might be shut down for it was rather unforgiving on the palate. No rating.
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12/15/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Gulfstream with the Dudes 2.0 (Gulstream, Newport Beach, CA): Rich nose but the palate is very astringent. Very tight and tannic on the night. Maybe it needs a long decant as it did not seem flawed.
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11/28/2009 - Matt Scott wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for three hours, three times. Impressionistic in color. Very dark and slightly transparent, with red garnet. Violets at the fore front, with perfume, vanilla, pipe tobacco and blackberry jam. Soaring tannins that still have some grip, yet are silky and full figured. Stunning finish that echoes the vanilla and blackberry nuances. Every palate level and mezzanine are graced. There's that classic Las-Cases concentration. This is truly first-growth quality - without a doubt and well beyond it's super-second status. I have been fortunate enough to try all '95 first-growth's, and this is tied with my second favorite (with Margaux being number one, tied with Haut-Brion for number two). A true testament to St. Julien, which has, in my opinion, been the strongest appellation since '82 - overall. Must decant to have at this stage. You might want to still hold off, even though I am loving this Bordeaux. Drink 2012 -
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11/27/2009 - mathwonk wrote:
Served the 1995 leoville las cases yesterday for thanksgiving dinner. It was hot and alcoholic upon opening, as well as tannic, and I was quite disappointed, having paid a good bit for it. Decanted it and waited several hours, and it lost that edge, while retaining a big delicious flavor. A definite success. May have wasted it in some sense on the large group, 6-8, none of whom commented, but I am sure they enjoyed it. Had the confident feeling of having provided a good glass (without saying what it was) to all who had it, even without comments. Wouldn't have minded also tasting a bit more, but who knows, maybe just one outstanding glass makes a more lasting impression. Much richer and more enjoyable than the last 3 or 4 1998 latours I have tried, for example, but not as subtle. It made it very hard at first to drink afterwards some of the wines others brought, but they eventually went down too, if more slowly. I do recommend this wine, but don't hurry it.
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11/7/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 95 Points
Marine Room Leoville Las Cases Vertical Dinner (Marine Room Restaurant, La Jolla, CA): Decanted, with serial tasting commencing after approximately two hours. Opaque ruby/red with red rim. Explosive aromas of coriander, black and red cherries, pencil shavings and light mint. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, generous (slightly coarse) tannins and flavors as for the nose. The middle palate is full and the finish very long (albeit a bit astringent). This is classic quality Bordeaux which will require a few more years to take the edge off the tannins. Drink 1/15-12/35.
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9/6/2009 - Roger Davison wrote: 90 Points
A little disappointing, like the last bottle. Not much fruit - maybe slightly corked? The '94 we had the previous day was better.
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8/23/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
Another weekend of Excess; 8/21/2009-8/24/2009 (Chicagoland): Nice anise note is the first thing to come from the glass. Dark currant and plum with forest floor and wet tobacco. Sweet dark fruits on the palate with a lot of stuffing. A strong mineral backbone with lots of acidity. Beat the '96 served beside it tonight.
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8/20/2009 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
See previous notes.
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7/6/2009 - huntly wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous note. This one should age a few more years. Promise remains!
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6/24/2009 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
1995 Bordeux Horizontal in New York City
Wine 4
The nose is reserved. Hints of smoke and caramel show through. It takes a full hour for this to open. The fullest body in the flight and seemingly made predominantly from Cabernet. A nice tobbaco leaf and steel note emerge with time. Juicy palate and tannic. Long finish with a lot of grip. I don{t think this is ready, so I guess this to be Las Cases.
Vino 4
La nariz inicia reservada. Pizcas de humo y caramelo se asoman. Le toma una hora entera mostrar lo que tiene. Tiene la mayor corpulencia de esta ronda. Asumo que es un vino con preponderancia de Cabernet Sauvignon. Notas atractivas de hoja de tabaco y acero emergen con el tiempo. En boca es denso, jugoso y tánico. El final es largo y con mucha tracción. Este vino require de mayor guarda por lo que adivino es el Las Cases.
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4/29/2009 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Leoville Las Cases at My House: Dark red color. The nose gives a stern and brooding expression of dark fruit with some smoke. In the mouth this comes across as stern and structured, but delivers really awesome flavor intensity. Showing tons of structure right now, but I'm confident this will continue to develop very favorably. Hold-em if you got-em.
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4/29/2009 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Léoville Las Cases (Dave's House): Double decanted about 3 hours. Smoky dark fruit, coffee/espresso. Huge structure; dense, tannic, and brooding. Tightened up considerably in the glass. Promising but at least 5 years away from being approachable.
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4/1/2009 - pablopilot wrote: 90 Points
Dark berries and tobacco, too much heat and oak to be in perfect balance. Pretty but not beautiful or terribly precise in its expression. Not terribky enthused about long-term proepects; too strong on the alchohol side, I worry it will lose it's mid-palate punch.
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3/22/2009 - Roger Davison wrote: 92 Points
I agree with the previous note. Very good, but the '96 Poyferre is better and cheaper. Probably needs more time.
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3/15/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Drunk alongside a '96 leo. Poy. and a '96 Clerc Milion, I thought this a step behind the LP last night. Would probably have benefitted from decanting and a little more air, it was a fine, elegant bottle, but not as expressive as the LP.
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3/1/2009 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
Drank along side the 2000 Ducru, it was close, but this was better. Nose of soft ripe fruit, with hints of gravel. Mouthfeel was ful bodied, and soft. This was amazing, almost new world in softness. Ripe berry fruit, gravel and earth, hints of tobacco, subtle new wood, and a long caressing finish.
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2/20/2009 - La Grappe wrote: 89 Points
Rather dense, with concentrated fruit and still rather tough (as many of the 1995s seem to be). It perhaps needs a few years to soften up, in which case it may be worth 90+ points, but it is not there yet.
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2/14/2009 - Niagara wrote: 95 Points
An exceptional bottle of wine, with rich dark fruit, a taut mineral quality, medium body and a long finish. Coming into its prime and probably has even greater promise.
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1/31/2009 - vasnobs wrote:
Opened wonderfully, enjoyed wtih Cheese and lamb chops. Wine has aged beautifully and show softer tannins.
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1/15/2009 - BFG wrote: 93 Points
Lovely rich and sweet nose, featuring black fruits. The palate is pleasurable, although doesn't quite match the nose. The wine has a medium weight, but with a rich mouth feel. The finish is a bit short. Very, very nice.
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10/31/2008 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
This is our first bottle of a case. It is still quite tough, with a lot of extract and tannin: typical Las Cases, typical 1995! It clearly has great potential but may still need some time to soften up. Good, blackcurrant fruit, with plenty of spice and other flavours; long on the finish; powerful rather than elegant at present.
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10/7/2008 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
below expectations
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9/22/2008 - PatrikO wrote: flawed
Every so slightly corked, but it got worse as it sat in the glass
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7/4/2008 - BillBl wrote: 94 Points
Drank this a little bit early -- but thought it was worth celebrating the Fourth with a little style. Decanted it, but drank the first glass within ~10 minutes. Beautiful nose of cherry and leather. First taste: distinctive tannin, but leather, cassis, cherry, and smoke flavors came through shortly thereafter. Within about half an hour, tannins had mellowed and the fruit shone through. Food pairing was grilled tenderloin -- sublime. I look forward to future bottles with a little more aging.
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4/13/2008 - FakeAccount wrote: 92 Points
Thought it was a Ridge Monte Bello... leans toward a California style. Fruit is there, secondary notes just now forming on the nose. Has a long life ahead of it. I would wait another 5 years to try again. Could merit a higher score.
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3/10/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 92 Points
still massive fruit on this wine. really young and big and bold. Great red fruits and tight tannic structure. needs many more years
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3/7/2008 - psmith wrote:
Really wrapped up - almost without any nose at all. Hard, tannic wine, but with a nice core of fruit that should come out with time. Promising, but needs lots of time.
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2/11/2008 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Elegant dark ruby. More expressive nose than expected, with red cherries, meat and smoke. Terrific sweetness on the palate, and a wonderful, lingering finish. The first fine wine I bought multiple cases of after tasting a bottle on release 10 years ago. This has not increased in price like some others, but it offers class, perfect balance and classic Bordeaux character. Drinking well now, but clearly has positive evolution ahead.
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2/1/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
HDH 95/96 Comparative Tasting (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): nose: very sweet and ripe nose with a bit of brett to it. Mushrooms, saddle leather, red currants, along with rose petals. nose isn't for everyone, but I do enjoy a slightly bretty nose
taste: very sweet, ripe, and elegant. Rose petals and red currant mostly with a bit of saddle leather on the back end just to remind you that this is las cases
overall: still a young wine and is fairly tannic. That said, it has a certain elegance to it that I enjoy a lot and leans into a nice lasting finish. It still needs more time to fully develop
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1/4/2008 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for about 1 hour before drinking. Dark crimson red with a very disappointing nose--somewhat medicinal. This wine was light with delicious cherry and mouth coating flavors. It lacked the sweetness and velvet texture however of some great CA wines.
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12/26/2007 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 90 Points
dark red. Shy nose of tobacco and black fruits. Mouth was better, but clearly this needs a longer time in the cellar. And I opened the bottle 24 hours earlier and left the cork off in the ceelar; decanted 3 hours before drinking.
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11/18/2007 - AlexHop wrote: 91 Points
Tasted from a magnum. Seemed a little "dumb", has tannic structure and seems like it should be better but wasn't showing very well at the moment.
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9/19/2007 - tommydiesel wrote: 92 Points
In the car between Winebow tasteing and Grammercy Tavern.(with Vinney at the wheel of coarse) Big nose, lots of red fruit,maybe a little too young.
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7/5/2007 - huntly wrote: 92 Points
a wonderful young specimin of las cases, but certainly needs a few more years under its belt. Currently, even with two hours decanting, the wine was tight with little nose and even less of the full mid pallate fruit coming through. Tempting though it is, put this one away for a bit.
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4/12/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
eBob Angelus vs. Leoville Las Cases Vertical (Onesixtyblue): Clear red color. big clean nose of red fruit with cocoa notes. Nice round black fruit with some sweetness. Rich and nice.
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2/24/2007 - Arcturus wrote: 95 Points
The key right now to enjoying this wine is to decant and let it breathe for 3-4 hours. Over the past 2 years I have had 3 bottles and realized that the wine needs plenty of time to open up. Drinking it in the first few hours is a crime. Once it does open it is top-notch classic Bordeaux. Agree with RF, still a baby. 95
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12/20/2006 - NealN wrote:
Tasted by a friend's house. The wine was decanted for more than an hour but was closed. Pencil shavings and light floral bouquet. Medium tannins and chocolate taste but needs considerable time. In fairness to how great I know that it will be, I could not rate it at this time.
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10/28/2006 - Spencer wrote: 92 Points
I double-decanted this about an hour before bringing it to a restaurant, but I think I should have done it even earlier. Even with vigorous swirling, it was difficult to get this wine to show much. Deep and concentrated, with a solid core of dark fruit, but austere with very hard tannins. This bottle showed very similarly to other '95s that I've had recently. Very good, and there's a chance that this could become special in ten or so years, but I'm not completely convinced.
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9/18/2006 - Dixie_F wrote: 90 Points
This should probably be ranked higher. I don't have enough experience to determine how this would have tasted in another 5 years. It was certainly an excellent wine but clearly needed more cellaring.
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6/2/2006 - Sommelier81 wrote: 94 Points
Dark red with purple nuances on the rim (5/5). Large and complex bouquet of mint, dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, and hints of eucalyptus. Beautiful (15/15). On the palate the wine is fullbodied and dense with silky tannins that show huge potential for further development. Flavors are nuanced by the bouquet but are partially hidden due to the wine being rather closed at the moment with dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, and cedar (14/20). This is definately a wine to put aside in the cellar for at least a decade, it can only improve from here! 94 pts
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3/19/2006 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Internet forum group Bordeaux blends tasting no. 1 (@ Klap): Juicy, full bodied, dark fruits, lead pencil, perfect integrated wood. A very complete wine. Power and elegance, everything is there. To drink young now or to keep for many more years.
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10/21/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf Vertical (Bentley Hotel): Sweet spicy oak, georgous supple tannin, excellent
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10/4/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 93 Points
Ripe nose, real strong youthful tannin, great depth but a baby. Keep. Potential for 95pts
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9/10/2005 - EBoyer wrote: 94 Points
Great cassis aromas with a slight note of leather and menthol, still dark in color. Drinking very well, not closed, but should improve.
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8/3/2005 - MRichman wrote:
Leoville Las Cases in NYC (AOC Bedford): Sweet full fruit with heavy tannins. Concentrated, but and full but also flabby.
B+/A-
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5/14/2005 - cassetta wrote: 95 Points
Blair's Burgundy and Bordeaux Blowout: Deep ruby. Great nose of lead pencil and ripe black fruits. Long sweet finish.
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9/26/2004 - JeffJo wrote: 95 Points
Very tight and tannic, nose has the great signature LLC aroma. Wine is closed with lots of raspberry, cassis, brambleberry and vanilla. Very pure with a long finish. Try again in late 2006.
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5/14/2004 - Koods wrote: 92 Points
Inky purple to the rim. Nose was open, revealing blackberries, cinamon, cayenne pepper (?!) and some earth. Very intruiging. The palate was medium bodied, and suprisingly accessible. Balanced layers of ripe but not jammy black fruits, menthol, licorice and all spice. Fantastic! This was a majestic left bank wine. Still angular and not fully integrated, but further alog than the Lafite. Tannins and acidity balanced. Slightly short finish held the score back. Happy to be long a case. I can't imagine how good the 2000 is.
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1/18/2003 - peternelson wrote: 97 Points
Opaque scarlet; truffles, dark bark, light cassis; big beaut. t’s and a’s balanced; super silky big soft body, but big long fin.
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7/9/2002 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Dark scarlet, jammy, with darker fruits, “boatloads” of t’s; maybe more closed in?
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6/20/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque mulberry robe and purple rim. Clean nose, showing moderately-intense plum, currants, anise, pencil, mint and cedar. Full-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and ample tannins which, nonetheless, are much more supple than those on the '94. Similar flavors as nose. Long, slightly astringent finish. This is a very elegant Leoville which should improve over the next several years, then hold for many years thereafter.
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9/15/1998 - JeffJo wrote: 95 Points
Slowly builds on your palate, then delivers fabulous character and structure. Extremely well-crafted young red. Complex aromas of violets, berries, cinnamon and currants. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins and a long, long finish.Best from 2003 through 2013. (18000 cases produced)
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3/12/1998 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
1995 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Slightly closed nose, opened slowly, nice nose, tasty, nice fruit, long finish.
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