At base of neck. Low to medium fruit, but drank beautifully after being open for about 40 minutes. A lot of floral notes, with light hints of spice. 30 second finish
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Cork soaked. Base neck fill. Very little sediment. A relatively early maturing Las Cases. Classic tobacco and graphite on the nose and palate with elegantly ripe black and red fruits. Some sweet vanilla Oak and a 20 second finish. Not my favorite Las Cases and I like this wine more some years ago. I was hoping for more depth of flavors and length of finish. Perhaps this was just a slightly off bottle, but for those still waiting on their '82s and '86s, this one is ready now.
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Klar, dyp og fantastisk parfymert; med nyanser av fermentert tobakk, bråtebrann og blåbær smeltet sammen i kraft og eleganse. Hint av kvernet kaffe i munnen, sammen med sunn frukt og toner av vanilje. Vinen er både frisk og saftig, med en imponerende kompleksitet som strekker seg fra en luftig og forlokkende rødlig eleganse i retning burgund, til en fløyelsaktig munnfølelse med silkeaktig finish. Topp kvalitet
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Gereiftes Rubin, orangefarbene Ränder. Offene, gereifte Nase, komplex, Eukalyptus, Cassis, Tabak. Im Gaumen zugänglich, mit Schmelz, delikate Frucht, abgeschmolzenes Tannin, der Wein hat einen warmen Charakter, die Säure verleiht noch immer Struktur und Frische, im Abgang von sehr guter Länge, endet auf einen Mix aus dunklen und roten Beeren. Big, big Wine und vermutlich die beste Flasche, die ich von diesem Wein bisher verkosten konnte.
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Showing a bit more age on the nose with this bottle. But it is still absolutely amazing on the palate. This is starting to slide past its prime so I’d drink up over the next 5 years.
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Wine and Cigars on a cold and rainy Sunday (Atlanta, GA): '90s vertical tasting: Caparzo La Casa BDM, Leoville Las Cases and La Tour Haut Brion. PNP and paired steak and potatoes. Cherry on the nose. Even after an hour in the glass the nose is so alive! Out of this world even! Drinking extremely well and this definitely has a few more years until peak. WOTN out of the four we drank that day. Brad - heavypourwine.com
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From Mag. Decanted 5 hours. Deep colour still some purple. Classic complex cedar tobacco ripe intense fruit. Spectacular on palate. Fanned out with black fruits and minerals all contained by fine grained tannins. Long long finish. Glorious.
Immediately on open strong barnyard nose that dissipated after 30 minutes that lead into beautiful dark red fruit, black cherry, plum, cassis, red currant that stuck around for the next 2 hours. Finally showing its age after the 3 hour mark highlighting old leather, cedar, and forest floor notes.
On the palate this was still a beast. Full bodied with still vibrant acidity and a finish that lasted a minute or longer. Tannins were still nice and firm. Just a very fun wine to experience at this point.
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Wine of the night. As usual, the nose on this is absolutely fantastic. It’s medium bodied with a good long finish. Same experience as my prior bottles. Really no need to wait more time here. Drink and enjoy now.
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Beautiful wine. Great nose on the open but took 2-3 hours to fully open. Seems like the wine is in a very good place now and I doubt it develops any further.
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Very smooth but followed by a wondeful bottle of La Mouline 1998 the LLC has a hard time to live up to its reputation. Of course bottles vary and this may just be that, but the La Mouline 1998 blew the LLC away.
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All it took was one sniff to know this was a fabulous Bordeaux. Medium ruby-garnet color, slight amber edge. Powerful complex aromas of tobacco, cedar, French oak, cassis. Still plenty of fruit, cassis and blackberries, very long slightly sweet aftertaste. This remains at its peak, will probably last even more years.
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this was a real enigma. very unlike other bottles i've had of this.
drank over 3 days (!). first day slow oxed 4 hrs, decanted 2 more. still kinda one dimensional, good, but not as it should be. put back in the bottle, decanted 2 more hours day 2. getting better, albeit still not to par.
day three, still half a bottle left, opened nicely. more of what one would come to expect w this wine with the tobacco and cedar finally gaining more control. finish has come way out.
just goes to show how these french wines can age and go and go. always been my rule, just wait if its not drinking right. just may come around in a few days. sure enough this was no exception. i'm shocked really how much time this needed to breathe. no way napa could do this.
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A great bottle of this showing real precision and depth. Tremendous flavors of subdued black fruits with notes of tobacco and a Latour-like earthy, mineral flavor. Layered and silky with good freshness and a chiseled character. The finish is deeply satisfying with complex notes of Asian spices and smoked gravel. A great showing.
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Good fill, cork in excellent condition with only a 3/8 inch run. So after disappointing tastings of Ch. Leoville Bàrton 1990 and Ch. Montrose 1990 I had to try another 1990 Bordeaux and chose to stay in St. Julien with Las Cases and very glad I did. Cedar, tobacco and blueberry nose from initial pour and decant. Unlike the prior bottle this was delicious from start to finish but definitely more complex and satisfying after 24 hours open. Velvety smooth mouth feel, yummy dark fruit tinged with tobacco and subtle minerality. My faith in 90 Bordeaux is restored.
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Greener than my last bottle, almost to green pepper, outweighing the red-black fruit. Medium-bodied, soft like you would expect from a 30+ year old wine, with a fine acid line. Not bad, but the green detracted from the overall experience.
Drank LLC 1990 next to the 1996. Both wonderful wines, where the 1990 is just a tad more sophisticated and harmonious. The 1990 is an incredibly captivating hedonistic wine. One of the most appealing wines i have ever had, and by now enjoyed more than 12 times. I would definitly vote for this to be a premier Cru up there with the great 5 and for sure more utter class than Chateau Margaux. This wine has it all.
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13.5% ABV. Gorgeous medium garnet appearance. Decanted for 1 hr and followed over a few hours.
Concentrated attack of cassis, blackberry, black plum, eucalyptus, Cuban cigar, dried rose petal, nutmeg, anise, dark chocolate, leather, and sous bois. Medium density on the palate with a persistent length of finish. Velvety and fully resolved tannins are packaged with a lifted acidity.
At first whiff, the class and regality was apparent. Over the next few hours, this really blossomed into an absolute beauty. This LLC is the full package and text book definition of Bordeaux. A stunner at the peak of its powers and can easily sustain at this level for several more years.
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Bottle purchased from a wine merchant who acquired it en primeur. The bottle has not moved from its very cool cellar at 12°C. This precision is important for the rest given that I tasted the same wine from the same source in 2021.
Nose of black fruits and a menthol background. The end of the bottle will be more evolved with tobacco and spices.
Silky mouth, it is fluid and it glides on its own while the juice is of an extraordinary concentration. And yet, the wine struggles to untie, remaining in a somewhat boring rigor It is still quite monolithic in its expression, something I already remembered in 2019. The wine is well made, structured and balanced thanks to a magnificent acidity in particular, it struggles to fully express itself in this yet rich vintage. There is however tobacco, pepper or even cinnamon, but the score is monotonous, without harmony. Beautiful finish still slightly tannic which extends over a good length.
It's very good, but far too monolithic. Lynch Bages or Pichon Baron to speak only of them bury this wine on the same vintage.
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Jason's belated Birthday: Always wanted to have this wine with some first growths and see how it stands up and it didn’t disappoint for sure. Pretty much everyone’s 2nd of the night after the Lafite.
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Another wonderful showing tonight and was still extremely young, may have upside from here. Fine tannins, vibrant acidity, good balance and complexity, this got everything going on for it, just not as sexy as the Lafite. Single blind.
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Drinking so beautifully now with a wonderful layered texture and very soft tannins so that the wine just slides down the tongue. Delicious terroir-driven flavors of faded black fruits and dusty gravel that lead to such a smooth finish with additional complex notes Asian spices and fine minerals. Fully mature and should stay at this plateau for 10+ years at least.
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Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (J&J's): Double blind. Black fruit, tobacco, dried herbs, roasted red bell pepper and forest floor notes. Full-bodied. Abundant black fruit with tobacco and plum flavors. Medium+ tannin, but balanced by the fruit. Lengthy finish. Absolutely lovely. (J&J)
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Decanted 4 hours before service. Purchased on release. Medium red with some browning. Tight tannins and good acidity. This is a big wine showing some good red fruit and a lot of complexity. Mature but not in decline at all. Probably 20 years left on good examples.
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Very intense aromas with great depth, but atypical from the rest in this vertical. Richer with dark fruit, plums, a touch of brett. Complex with fine tannin and balancing acidity More depth and rich fruit almost full bodied which is explained by the much highter than normal content of Merlot (60% this year) Anyway, intense and hedonistic and at perfect point in time. Drink now and 10 more years.
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Half. Nicely deep ruby. Blackcurrant and cigar box nose. Nicely rich on the palate, some padding and plushness around a classical frame. After about 30mins or so, the wet cardboard starts to appear on the finish, and a few minutes later there’s no doubt, it’s corked. This is one where if one opened it to taste before taking to a dinner, one would look a bit daft when it was poured. Shame because there was a **** possibly ****1/2 wine there initially.
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Dinner Maison Pavlov March 22 2023. Maya’s favorite but a tad below 1989 Montrose and 2003 Haut Brion. Still a fantastic wine and great pairing with appetizers / starters.
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The fill was all the way to 1/2 inch from the cork so I was surprised when the bottom 20% of the cork broke off even when using an ah-so cork puller. So I can't say the bottle was flawed but this bottle was not as amazing as the two prior bottles from the same case. The nose was classic cedar and cigar box with hints of dark fruit underneath. The tannins are still present, the finish is 10-15 seconds but not as tingly as the last time but then again it has been 10 years since the last one. I was not on cellar tracker back then but I would have rated it plus 95 points. The fruit is still there, the mouth feel is still velvety and yet not as impressive as previously. Now that the wine has been decanted again it is showing more life and reminding more of the prior tasting. . I am somewhat dissapointed but still this is classic Bordeaux so I have to assume this is bottle variation so I look forward to the next bottle.
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My third time of tasting from a case, this is unwavering in its delivery. Both the 1989 and 1990 are untypically forward for the estate, and this is drinking magnificently with a couple of hours in the decanter. The nose is magical and perfectly balanced between fruit and secondary notes. Packed with aromatic blackcurrant, plum, and cedar notes, the nose is lingering, but the palate really elevates the wine to a new level, displaying secondary and early tertiary characteristics, but still retaining a good tannic bite. The finish is first rate, but doesn't quite match the rest of the experience. What a wine, and possibly my wine of the vintage after the.Haut-Brion.
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Tried at a friend's house in HK. Wow! Colour: v deep red, v thin rim, still purple tinge. Nose: full, very complex, brooding and developed beautifully over the evening. Still fresh and vibrant. Taste: full bodied, rounded, excellent depth of fruit, v long finish with all the complexity to be expected here. Overall, a sheer delight, classic claret of the first order.
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2 of 6 decanted @ 4:00 back in the bottle @ 6:30 brought to Balavara where we paired it with the 89 LLC. This comparison confirmed how atypical the 90 is, red fruited, rounder, richer and more giving than the 89 which was more typically dark fruited and rustic
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Kleur: Diep robijnrood met een - ten opzichte van de gisteren geproefde '86 - zeer duidelijke verkleuring richting oranjebruin. Aroma / bouquet: Stoere en krachtige neus waarin vooral gedroogd donker fruit, zoetige kruiderij en een hint van natte bosgrond. Smaak / Afdronk: Klassieke en krachtige aanzet, verfijnde zuren, fluweelzachte tannines, retronasale impressies van zwarte bessenjam en bosgrond, Boterzacht, harmonieus en met een aangenaam lange finale. Algemeen / potentieel: Het vier jaar jongere broertje van de gisteren geproefde fles toonde meer verkleuring dan de '86 maar is tegelijkertijd krachtiger, vitaler. En NOG aangenamer. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
Colour: Deep ruby red with - compared to the '86 tasted yesterday - very clear discoloration towards orange brown. Aroma / bouquet: Tough and powerful nose in which mainly dried dark fruit, sweet spice and a hint of wet forest soil. Taste / Finish: Classic and powerful attack, refined acidity, velvety tannins, retronasal impressions of black currant jam and forest soil, Buttery smooth, harmonious and with a pleasantly long finish.[ i] General / potential: The four years younger brother of the bottle tasted yesterday showed more discoloration than the '86 but is at the same time more powerful, more vital. And EVEN more pleasant. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Taste / Aftertaste: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 95/100
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Beat the '89 Angelus: A stunning wine. Guessed this as 1990 straight off the bat but someone gazumped me to Las Cases! Consistent with the last couple of times I had this, such a sensual and silky wine with perfectly balanced dark red fruit. Wonderful finish. Tied 3-3 for wine of the lunch with the LMHB.
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Paired with ‘88 LMHB, this was showing much older. One of rare LLC that’s fully ready. Clean floral nose, smooth tannins and excellent balance, drinking really well now. Co-WOTD with ‘88 LMHB.
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I could say that thee legs are medium. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. The wine finishes medium. But who cares? I tasted really good!!! That's all I will say.
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Cork in perfect shape, did not need Durant. Still maintaining its freshness, the nose is fully tertiary with green pepper, herbs, eucalyptus, sage, cedar and cassis notes. Also, minor floral notes. The oak is quite present. This is not a flashy wine, and if I could dress it up, it's more tweed jacket and flat cap over an Italian wool suit. We thoroughly enjoyed this!
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The ullage in this bottle was excellent. Deep purple color with some light reddish separation in the edge but not much considering its age. Initially rich blackberry fruit, cassis, and faint cedar. As it opened, it showed charm and elegance. Tasted in a flight of 4 Las Cases including the 86, 89, and 95. The 86 was great but faded gradually while the 90 became more complex and interesting. At a plateau now but this should drink well for a decade or easily more.
Decanted for 1 hour. Good aromas compared to LCC 83 and 90. More approachable with black current, cedar and tobacco. Medium finishing. Nice drinking but not as complex as expected. Some leather taste after 2 hour.
A light bodied Bordeaux that is in a perfect place. All the aromas in place and a nice long finish. The cork was very soft which makes me question any bottle that hasn’t had impeccable storage conditions. Probably time to drink up.
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Beyond extraordinary! The wine was purchased on release and stored at 57 deg. F and 75% RH. The ullage was just over 0.5 in. Double decanted for 2.5 hrs. The perfume from the wine in the decanter filled the cellar with aromas of dark current, cedar, and tobacco. On the palate similar flavors were experienced. But the flavors were just so deep with a sweet component. Very, very long finish. No flaws at all in this wine.
If I was condemned and having a last meal, this is the wine I would want to have with it. It is that good.
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Not all vintages of Léoville Las Cases take forever to come around. From a perfectly stored bottle, this one is round and mature. Full color, no orange. A nice black cherry note adds interest to the usual monolith of black currant. Nice acidity and concentration. Sometimes Léoville Las Cases can be almost boring due to lack of complexity but this vintage is a total success.
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Brief note. This continues to drink amazingly. It’s stunning. Mouthfeel, texture, fruit an tannin all perfectly balanced. This is in the zone. Drink now and over the next 5+ years.
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There is once again a lesson here in drinking this bottle: Even at this age there are not just great vintages, but only great bottles. This bottle of one of my all time favorite greatest domains is just lacking the so much admired great complexity and "awesomeness". The wine definitely had no cork but was simply rather unassuming and unimpressive. What a contrast with previous bottles.
At the same time I have similar experiences with the LLC 1998, some superb bottles and some quite unimpressive , if not mute, ones (even in a vintage like 1998, which was remarkably good the past couple of years).
It does make me wonder whether this is a LLC thing to count with as I notice bottle variation here seems a bit higher than other domains.
Double decanted two hours before service. Deep garnet core with some bricking; complex and extroverted on the nose, with scents of ripe plums, cassis, roasted herbs, black truffle and hints of forest floor. Medium bodied, with a silky texture, incredible depth and balance, with a long and savory finish. Great stuff, and this bottle seemed to be approaching full maturity!
Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Classic Medoc with vibrant graphite notes, currants, and beautiful elevage. Drunk between a Harlan Estate 1994, and the Mouton Rothschild 1982, this wine possibly suffered from being less intense than the former, and not as refined as the latter! However, the LLC was the best wine with the dish of braised beef cheeks with a celeriac puree - its lean, iron-ore note and dimension cut through the richness of the dish in a way that elevated both the wine and the dish. The Harlan came across as too much of a good thing, while the MR felt too subtle . While I have had better bottles of this very great wine, this bottle still impressed with its firmness, its intensity, and its balance. The iron-ore notes to the palate are for me, a classic LLC note - they are wines of great distinction. Bottle in this condition are ready to go.
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A fine bottle of this great LLC that's fully mature in my opinion with a savory texture and wonderful ripeness, silkiness and lift. Not that it won't continue to grow more complex but it's so giving now with a beautifully layered texture and delicious flavors of smoky black fruits, graphite and eucalyptus. Faded a bit late so not much decanting is needed now.
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St Julien Dinner at Nice Matin (New York, NY): Beautiful wine. Cassis, eucalyptus and secondary development notes. This has the flamboyance typical of the 1990 vintage but with structure and depth more reminiscent on a 1989.
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Mainly Bordeaux at SSG: All the training on Las Cases paid off, once I smelled and tasted this I immediately knew what this was from the slightly green note on the nose, together with the wonderfully elegant and silky tannins / texture. Similar notes to the previous time I had this, a remarkably consistent wine given its age. Clearly the best wine of the night and lucky to have had this three times in the last year.
True classic. Bit rustic at the start but evolved over 3 h in the decanter to a wonderful mature red. On the cool side. Not too round. Smooth tannin and the big forest floor bowl !!! Has years to go !!!
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Second of a case purchased 3 months ago, I had the compulsion to check if the last bottle was a one off. As noted last time this is far more approachable than the 1982 and 1986, but without that extra nuance to push it to a perfect score, but probably more immediately enjoyable. Blackcurrant, plum, tobacco, and cedar are the prominent notes. The tannin has smoothed, but is still showing great bite. The genius of the wine is the exquisite balance of robust tannin and the principle wine flavours. Likewise the finish is perfect in its balance without any residual sourness, and subtley keeps going going past 60 seconds. As noted last time, this possibly does not quite have that little extra to better the 1982 to a perfect score, but possibly is the more enjoyable. 98+
Purchased 2019, perfect cork, fill into the neck. Dark red core, minimal lightening at the rim. Beautiful nose of cassis, cedar, clean moist earth, some beginning aged sweet complexity. Full body, cassis, red fruits, beautiful balance, long finish. Came in second to the 1990 Montrose on my card for red WOTN. Just not quite as complete and enveloping, but boy is this drinking beautifully, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become more complex and better in another 5-10 years. Outstanding.
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1989-2000 Top Bordeaux with Pizza (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Single blind 1989-2000 Bordeaux. This had been open and decanted for ~4 hours. Lean and powerful, clearly lots here, just lacking the depth and richness this wine typically shows. It was smoked by the Lagrange 1990 (!) in the next glass.
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The 90 Leoville Las Cases is what great Bordeaux is all about. The wine is full-bodied, rich, deep and intense. Power with elegance, refined and fresh the tannins are perfectly ripe, backing up all the equally perfectly ripe, dark red currants, cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar, forest leaf and spice. The wine fills your palate and sticks with you in the finish. It took 32 years to get here and will offer fabulous drinking for at least the next two decades with ease.
End of year dinner: Guessed the man so got the producer right, though it did present itself as an archetypal Las Cases. Thought it was the 86 because of how complete it was, but this bottle got more air than the previous 1990 that was opened earlier this year. The wine was absolutely singing, power with elegance, it hit all the markers of a great Bordeaux. Absolutely ready for primetime.
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It is the second time having this wine and this time I allowed for extended aeration. It really helped to fully deliver the full Las Cases package. It was the most favoured wine at the table although my heart on this night belonged to the 1990 Les Cailloux. Unlike that, this is just getting to its peak, and will drink well for a few decades.
Incredibly accessible for a Las Cases, it is a hedonistic experience. I had the 1982 recently and whilst it had all the qualities of a perfect wine you had to work at it, whereas this punches you in the face with its magnificence, but possibly lacking that extra nuance to push it to a 100 point level. Blackcurrant, cherry, graphite and cedar define the taste profile with secondary notes developed. The depth is excellent with a lengthy finish. For myself this maybe is just outscored by the 1982 and 1986, but it is leaps and bounds the most enjoyable. A post note tasted the next day and it had further improved giving an extra half point. 98+
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45th Birthday Celebration (Racquet Club - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Another great showing for this wine. Black currant and cherry, aging gracefully, nicely supported by notes of cedar, leather, cassis, pencil shavings, and well bolstered by its silky structure. Great now.
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Three bottles recently. All excellent. Dark fruit, touch of spearmint on the nose. Red and black fruit, graphite in the palate. Excellent balance and length. Perfectly mature and will hold.
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On opening very tannic. Decanted for 3 hours and returned to bottle. Now more open and over 3 more hours it was outstanding with more than 10 years to improve.
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3 Leovilles Dinner. At 31 years, this was drinking as a very young wine. It was not well integrated or resolved. Plenty of primary red fruits, fairly tannic, and a surprisingly short finish. Curiously, this was a good one with the mushroom risotto pairing, and did show promise after 3 hours (which followed a full decanting of several hours). I can see this blossoming in 5-10 years. Today it is still an infant.
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I hesitate even to score this because 5 of 6 bottles had totally soaked corks, 1 was corked, and only 2 of the remaining 5 really shined. But the good bottles, despite showing a sedate, slightly smudged nose, positively exploded on the finish with wave after wave of cassis, pencil, and cedar, classically las Cases in flavor and disposition.
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Drank from half bottle. Surprisingly youthful, needed a decant to come alive. High acidity. Med garnet med plus finish med nose. Last glass was the best. Drank too quickly!
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This Leoville Lascases was the standout wine in a flight containing Leoville Barton Montrose and Cos D’Estournel. It leads in with lead pencil and graphite into a super fine texture and palate, which just keeps giving and giving. It has none of the standoffishness that characterises so many other vintages of Leoville Lascases. A quite compelling wine and deservedly the group’s wotn.
Po's 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick): Lovely, textbook medoc nose, blackcurrant fruit, smoke, gravelly minerals. Medium/full bodied on the palate, dark fruit, smoke, mineral, a thread of fine tannin still, vibrant acidity, this has drive and excellent length. Outstanding, drinking now but with many years ahead of it.
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Po's 1990 Bordeaux dinner (La Trompette): Pukka Claret! Seemed a bit green at first, and buttoned-up, but it fanned out beautifully to reveal a stealthily seamless wine, with all its elements beautifully integrated. Spicy and well-proportioned. Of tonight's wines this is the one I'd want to follow over an evening with only 1-2 fellow drinkers. My and the group's WOTN.
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Po’s 1990 Bordeaux (La Trompette, London): A little more poise initially than I remember from my half bottles. Very rounded and giving. An atypically comely style of LLC. Still, a nicely mineral line develops with air. Showing well. ****
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Medium garnet, with fading browning edges. Tannins softened, whilest with fairly intense flavours of redcurrant, cassis, coffee, rosemary, dried grass, and hints of mushroom. Lengthy, yet showing fruit freshness even at the back, and with the spiced oak notes, gets pretty complex. Lovely!
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Elegant and sexy with most people on the table agreeing that the wine is still extremely young. Decanted 2hr to bring the wine to absolutely joy. Dark blue fruit, cassis and earthy aroma dominate from the moment of opening. Palate not extremely heavy, but the length was out of the world. I am keeping the next bottle for another 3-5yr. Amazing for a wine that is already 31yrs old!
Had my 1/3 bottle the second day, but put in fridge overnight. To my surprise, the wine improved further and I would give it a 96 on day 2. It shows that I probably should have decant the wine a bit longer on day 1. Thumbs up again.
One and one-half hour decant. Dark brick. Exotic earthy nose. Concentrated, rich dark fruits. As my friend correctly noted while tasting this blind, very Pauillac/St. Julien. Pleasing and memorable finish. Outstanding. Just missing that extra complexity to take it to the very highest level. The bottle was gone incredibly quickly. At age 31, this is ready to go now and for years to come. This was only 36 bucks back in 1993. (95-96).
Mature raspberry, truffle, leather, cherry, mushroom, sous bois; full and intense; beginning to open with mild fading and softening; long, structured, still a bit austere, but powerful and pleasing After 1.5 Hours: Similar on nose but with notes of roses and cured meats also emerging; on the palate it is richer, more intense, slightly meaty, slightly candy-like, very long, very engaging, very pleasing; truly excellent and ready to drink
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Dibbs's birthday: My first Las Cases. For a chateau with a reputation for producing wines that are never ready, this was surprisingly light and hedonistic, mainly because of the brilliant ripe red fruit character common across all the 1990s that I have encountered. Still a powerful wine mind, but the fine, silky tannins is what makes 1990 such a great vintage for me. And for this wine, the hauntingly long finish made it unforgettable.
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What a wine! Completely agree with the previous tasters especially Jeff & Ozen. This is as good as Bordeaux can get. The sexiness of the wine is mind blowing. Can’t add too much to what already been said other than this was top two wine experiences of my life and super grateful to have more bottles of this.
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My bottle was somewhat unusual in so far as it was recorked and checked by the chateaux in 15 so I knew it would be in good nick.
A great wine - decanted 1.5 hours before consumption and it is in its perfect drinking window. I am not going to describe the flavours as it has all been said by everyone else. What I would say is that this bottle still has plenty of acid and tannin left, although the tannin was very fine, so it still has the potential to go a fair way further. I would, however, doubt that it will get much better.
The other thing I would say is it was very cabernet sauvignon dominant so I struggled to notice the other varietals in the blend. It was very well integrated or hidden depending on your point of view. What stopped me from giving it a higher score was the finish - nice yes, but not a lot of complexity here.
Drink now or 8+ years.
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This is an amazing wine. Beautifully concentrated, balanced and complex with dark berry fruit, notes of tobacco, cedar, cassis, pencil savings and even a hint of chocolate on the finish. Shockingly, needed only an hour to show off its complexity. Drinking near perfect right now.
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At 31 years of age, this is First Growth in quality. This majestic Left Banker offers up tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar, forest floor, cassis and blackberry aromas. Concentrated, full-bodied and with an incredible sense of richness, depth of flavor and structure, the wine fills your palate with layers of perfectly ripe, earthy red fruits. At the most, 60 minutes in the decanter is all that's needed.
I'm not sure Bordeaux can get much better than this. Very statesmanly in its confidence and refinement. Just a hair vegetal, otherwise this would have been absolute perfection for me. Long tobacco finish.
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Leoville Las Cases at its very best, but equally; Bordeaux as good as it gets. One of the best wines, bottles I have ever tasted.
We let it breath for a couple of hours and it became sensational: Perfectly in the drinking window now. Incredibly rich, ripe fruit palette, strawberries coulis, with an undercurrent of dark berries, slightly sweet (after the Gloria 2009) but absolutely perfectly in balance. A truly memorable experience, if not a real food orgasm of a wine.
Some of my friends have a bit of a love hate relationship with Leoville Las Cases as it can display some austerity and not giving much in its earlier years. In my experience that largely is a matter of having the patience to hitting the drinking window which takes time with LLC and is for sure worth the wait, and to a lesser extent letting it breath a few hours before tasting. But when you have the patience to wait this is an absolute master piece of a wine. The 1990 is at its incredible peak right now. You have to try this at least once!
Cork wet to top. Despite this this bottle was in good shape. No evidence of TCA like the other bottle. Color and body suggest middle-age and lots of time left ahead. Still it’s pretty good with Easter leg of lamb
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The intensity and quality of the perfume is hypnotizing - sensual red and dark fruits with cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, bright wood, vanilla, hints of tar all elegantly blended in perfect harmony. On the palate solid and authoritative, yet with a velvety mouthfeel. Way too easy to drink. On a very high level the finish was the weak spot in the performance, I found it a bit too acid-focused. Also, there seems to be almost too much intensity in this one, my best guess is that it will need at least another ten years to come into full balance. Elegance rating: 95. Fun rating: 97.
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This wine was a bit of an interesting roller coaster. Not as big and in need of a decant as previous bottle. Came out sexy upon opening but a touch vegetal. Then kind of regressed, lost balance. However, around the 2-3 hour open mark (PNP), it balance, came together and showed all of its tertiary notes. Both this and the 1990 Lynch Bages next to it did about the same thing. The 2nd to last glass on both was the best, with short rib.
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M&PD Covid Tasting Night #4. A spectacular line-up of wines tasted blind:
2014 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases 2009 Sloan 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild 2010 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)
Eric offers his usual insightful reviews here: www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2281587
A couple of additional thoughts from my pov:
This is Bordeaux at its finest. I guessed this as left-bank Bdx but couldn't get any closer. I was simply blown away by its excellence. Presumably due to its age, it had a lighter weight than I'm used to with Las Cases.
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M&PD Zoom Tasting: Bordeaux around the world (Zoom): Guessed as mine but just totally wrong! Screams of Bordeaux with graphite and some barnyard. Gunpowder. Smoky. Lighter color. Gorgeous chocolate covered cherries. Endless layers of depth and flavor. OMFG. This is just bursting, mineral, and cherry, but also roasted, ripe, surprisingly soft and ready. Pure pleasure. Open some if you have it. This is the rare Las Cases that is just ready to go.
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Heady aromas of crushed stones, tobacco leaf, camphor wood, black cherries, cocoa and mint, cassis, and pencil shavings. Silky mouthfeel. Very fresh. Long, long finish. Still a long life ahead of it; try again in 2025. Beautiful wine.
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The nose is first jammy then will start with minty and spicy aromas.
The palate is silky, the juice is supple with a nice acidity. What strikes me is the youth of this wine which is going on its 30 years. The material is less intense however than on other 1990's, I am thinking in particular of Lynch Bages or Angelus. We have a serious wine, still too one-dimensional for my taste. The finish remains beautiful on fine bitterness but does not dazzle me.
It's very good but I expected so much better! On the other hand, it is very young.
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#1 of 6. Bought on release. Decanted at 4:00 pm served at 7:30. Youthful dark ruby core, Relatively open nose with dark berries, earth, tobacco and some warm spices. Full bodied but rounder and a little sweeter than the 1986 or 1982. Fine tannins, nice acidity, perfect balance. A more elegant LLC, would be interesting to drink against Pichon Lalande. Lovely long lingering finish, should remain delicious for another decade
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Pnp. Black fruit, tobacco, leather, sweet baking spice. Mouthfeel is medium weight, moderate tannin and medium plus acid. There’s a lot of fruit here and it’s a fantastic bottle of wine. I’m anticipating this will be incredible in about an hour. Plenty of life left. Try again in 3-5 years.
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As with an earlier tasting of this wine, this bottle had a good above neck fill level, the foil, label and cork were all in exceptional, excellent condition, the wine was great, drinking very nicely and still at a peak drinking level, showing no signs of diminution whatsoever, dark inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, elegant, polished, smooth, complex but perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of graphite, leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering balanced finish with tangy acidity and smooth approachable silky tannins.
About as good as Bordeaux gets. See Maaike2 below for a nice note. This has superb balance in every way but very much Steele in Velvet. Nothing hear will blow you away but it shouldn’t. This has complexity and wonderful structure. I am not sure I’d leave it for decades more but if you wanted to gamble on a wine and a vintage to do so, this old be my bet
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Boy, this is just drinking so well now! Paired with dry aged prime rib and duck. Beautiful nose, still some fresh primary fruit, but very good tertiary flavors. A nice olive note and savory herbs. Very consistent from bottle to bottle.
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Classic Bordeaux, intense nose, plenty of black and red fruits up front which give way to stones, smoke, and earth. Closed down a bit after a few hours, with a resurgence of tannins, but really opened up the next day--the tannins were gone, leaving all of the incredible flavors and a long, smooth finish. Gorgeous wine.
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Wine Dinner in Ngaio after the final performance of the season (Ngaio): Drunk next to a 1978 Latour, this was certainly the superior wine in almost every respect. The intensity levels are off the chart, the structure is still very firm, and the acid balance conveys a sense of tightness to the wine. At the age of 30, I would suggest that this bottle is still not at its apogee of perfection! Ripe, classy, and completely built on its fruit and structure, rather than oak handling. A wonderful and fascinating pairing with the Latour, as certainly appeared to be related. The one area where the Latour felt more complete was its openness - the LLC came across as slightly tight and monolithic in comparison (and only in comparison!). I suspect this is a 50+ year wine, in terms of ageing potential, and I fully expect the wine to improve over the next decade or three! 96+++
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Lots of dark berries, earth, tobacco, spices. Great power, roundness, touch of sweetness. Tannins beautiful integrated.Long finish. A long live ahead, but what a pleasure drinking now.
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Superbe bouteille, ma dernière hélas achetée en primeur. Grenat moyen avec reflets brique. Au nez, arômes de confiture de fraises, de fumée, de sous-bois, d'épices. En bouche, le vin est complexe, concentré, multi facettes, équilibré, suave, les tanins sont totalement fondus, belle touche d'acidité dans la finale très longue. Magnifique, à maturité.
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During a Commanderie LLC dinner. From MAG, brought to the table by a generous member to add to the line up. Another grand showing of this wine. Wonderfully lush fruit with dark berries, pine, peat and a touch of barnyard. The palate is generous with well integrated and resolved tannins. Grande!
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At Private Dinner, Little Cove, Noosa. This is classic Las Cases with a deep crimson colour and a lifted nose of blackcurrant, dark plums, cedar and tobacco. The palate is very deep and richly flavoured with plenty of density balanced by a long cedary palate that lingers beautifully. A lovely classic Bordeaux in a perfect spot.
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What a gorgeous nose of black currants, smoked earth and graphite. On the palate, it's layered and silky with decadent flavors of blackberries and smoky cassis and good acidity underneath. The finish is very complex with notes of smoked earth and graphite minerals. Just wonderful with a charred steak. 95+
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Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note Extracted, dark berry fruit at the verge of turning sour, in my view. Astringent palate with a bitter, mountain herbs candy touch. I was crestfallen with this was revealed to be the Las Cases. By coincidence, Jeff Leve also posted two days after my tasting on Insta a bottle of Las Cases saying that finally after 30 years the 1990 has come around - and recent scores from fellow CT peers have also been strong. So there is still hope that we just hit a bad bottle here.
What a fabulous, maturing wine this continues to be. Full-bodied, intense, classic in all the best ways, with a boatload of black currants, cigar box, smoke, tobacco ash, rocks, forest floor, cedar and old wood, this smells great. On the palate, the wine really takes off. Layers of ripe, sweet, delicious fruits with present, but ripe tannins, a good backbone and the ability to age for at least another 3 decades or more.
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Just perfection. Violets, cassis, black cherry, dark plum, tobacco (cigar box), cured meat. Powerful and full bodied with a stunning minute long finish. It is in a very very good place right now and I think it will stay there for some time.
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1989 / 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Jade Palace, Forum Galleria, Singapore): Absolutely superb. More open than the last bottle we had, maybe a touch less depth, but boy this was good. What a lovely nose it had, with deep notes of cassis, loamy earth, tobacco spice, a touch minerality. Almost a Pauillac nose I thought. It was on the palate where this really shone though. Such power, and yet such grace - this was the epitome of a great Las Cases for me, with deep, deep draws of juicy cassis, plums and black cherries all beautifully integrated and perfectly balanced, and with a lovely seasoning of earth, spice and tobacco smoke. A wine of strength. Yet it was also such a pure, transparent showing - its great depth and power was cloaked with a beautifully elegance, so filigreed tannins and wonderfully judged acidity wrapped the whole mouthful in a wonderful, noble structure. Great long finish too, with little blush of fragrant spice ringing around a core of dark fruit. So good, but with its best years decades ahead of it yet.
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At Steve C's for his 78th BD. Finally a sound bottle after the TCA fest of 3 or 4 corked ones from my cellar. Gorgeous, classic St.Julian Las Cases nose of brooding red fruits, beef blood, and pencil/cigar box. Still a bit of tannic grip but mostly resolved, this should go another decade without a problem. Great depth and persistence on the very serious effusive finish. Awesome, suave mouthfeel with a nice mineral grip, perfectly balanced acidity and ripe, lush fruit. Best showing of this wine I can remember, this still has bags of life left. 95+ and my WOTN just edging out the 2002 R.Trapet Chambertin, and 2008 Cristal that we started out with.
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Dense, almost viscous body. Beautiful nose of blackberries and tobacco. Tannins completely in the background. Enough acidity left to keep this fresh but it is the dense black fruit that is most prominent. Smoke and wet black earth on the finish.
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Stunning mature nose of ripe blackberries, cassis and sweet gravel. This is such an enticing wine with a thick, silky texture reminiscent of something from the right bank. There are gorgeous flavors of ripe smoked blackberries and dark spices that just glide over the tongue in layers and the finish is tremendously concentrated and complex with notes of minerals, tobacco and that sweet gravel. Best after a 2-hour decant and really an extraordinary Bordeaux for drinking now and over the next two decades.
Rich, delicious, lush, round, soft, fully mature black cherry fruit with leather flavors, excellent structure, ample finish, drinking at its peak, great wine
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DM Tuesday Night Zoom Tasting (Vancouver, BC): Drank blind next to the 1989 Leoville Las Cases. This bottle is pretty wild. Stinky ripe black fruit with some floral notes, brett, and horses ass right out of the gate however this calmed a bit with some time. It seems to be either a love it or hate it thing with brett and this profile, but I'm a fan. Rounder and more voluptuous next to the '89 yet very complex, with plenty of cedar and spice, finishing with a hint of sweetness. Really nice polished texture. Drinking well right now but there's a long way to go with this one still. Fantastic.
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Through an aerator and into a decanter. A bit more than a teaspoon of fine sediment. As typical with Las Cases, plenty of Bordeaux funk initially. 90+ minutes later the wine begins to bloom. Red fruits and flowers on nose with some graphite, tobacco, cedar. On the palate much the same as on the palate with black fruits and some black currant showing. Silky smooth. With proper decanting, ready now and likely over next 7 to 10+ years (and this is still considered an early maturer as compared to the '82 and '86, each of which remain deep in the cellar.
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6th of 12, decanted an hour, perfrct level, cork partly travelled, little changed from June 18 bottle, maybe tad more aromatic, still quite primary, complex and classy, generosity of top vintage, upside still. VF (18.5).
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Single Blind 1990 Bordeaux (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Single blind. Classic left bank plum, cedar, spice nose. The palate is fresh, rich and still quite chewy -- so youthful. This is classy with plenty of structure and life ahead. Perhaps even some upside.
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1990 Bordeaux Dinner (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Single blind at 1990 Bordeaux dinner. Also clearly Left Bank, and I thought Pauillac (oops, thought Latour) with intense concentration and richness, yet refined balance. Very powerful and long. Great now, with upside.
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“Not a big fan of Las Cases but I must praise this 1990 as one of the best LLC apart from 82, 86. Very structural, good fruits, wouldn’t put in words like finesse nor elegance. It is a big wine (in Bordeaux term).”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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Decanted around an hour then back into bottle during big Bordeaux dinner. Very good wine, but didn't come around as well as I would have hoped. I believe it needs to be colder. Started to get some pepper as it warmed, but great with the lamb and filet
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Gorgeous as usual with delicious flavors of rich black fruits and a wonderful sleek and silky texture. Voluminous and sweet with classic notes of graphite minerals and St. Julien dark berries and earth. The finish is so fine, complex and layered. Always one of the best '90's but tonight it was edged slightly by the great La Mission and fabulous La Conseillante. At Gramercy Tavern.
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Blind, deep red color, dominant cassis notes, berries, leather, extremely thick and concentrated, massive finish, WOW this is serious! Whatever this is, still has 2 decades ahead of it maybe more. A complete monster.
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1989/1990 St. Julien Bordeaux (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nose of black cherry, briar, black currants, and dry earth, same on the palate, tasty, nose and palate showed this bottle to be slightly tired and at peak drinking, cork was soft, completely saturated, and I almost pushed it into the bottle while opening, showed sediment coasting about 35% of the bottle, big body, at the 90 minute mark showed its best, mouth filling fruit, good concentration with slightly brooding fruit today,and a long, flavorful finish.
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This is what great, classic Bordeaux is all about! Perfectly balanced between regal and stern, the tannins are refined, the fruit is ripe and pure. Full-bodied, intense, concentrated and complex, every sniff and sip is interesting, making you want to delve deeper to the glass to find out what else is in there. This is just starting to unfurl. Drink it now, and over the next 20-25 years if well-stored.
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Just delicious and peaking now with lots of depth and a really sexy, silky texture. The finish is concentrated and complex with notes of Asian spices and graphite minerals (albeit less than the Lynch Bages) and a bit of aged nuttiness late. Stunning juice!
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I like it. The cork was fully soaked and difficult to extract, but the wine was great. Cassis, green herbs and tobacco. Concentrated, structured (tannins still present), but so smooth and balanced, with a finish that went on and on. Just lovely.
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Intense and powerful nose, powerhouse palate filled with plums, liquorice, leather and more, at least at this point more US/new world style than a classic bdx, imho still waiting to come around and not showing its full potential albeit fairly drinkable.
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With a 2 hour decant this was more developed than other bottles I have encountered. Lovely precision here and very classic top notch claret. This bottle showed a tad more animal character then I previously picked up. A very good bottle but probably not the very best I have had of this reliably great wine.
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Pop and pour. After a few hours this was unfolding nicely. Typical nose of leather, cassis, and cedar. Great palate balance with mid palate grip and nice finish. Tannins holding up nicely but not too obtrusive. Great bottle.
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Acker Merrall & Condit Bordeaux vs. California Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel): Ranks up there as my favorite vintage of Leoville Las Cases (even above the 1982, which I think is starting to fade). This confirms yet again that I love the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux. I could sit and smell this wine without drinking it all night long. An incredible combination of fruit & earth. Outstanding!
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Bottle with fill level into neck, though the cork was fully soaked (something I’ve noticed with LLC more than others). I bring this up to put the tasting note in context because the wine was beautifully evolved showing many advanced characteristics and I’m not sure if that’s representative or accelerated.
Poured to deep ruby red, so no signs of advancement wrt color, the bouquet is autumnal, berries, and baking spice, though it requires some coaxing. It’s sheer beauty and elegance once you start drinking….the deep red cherry flavor is sweet, soft and caressing, there’s spice, leaves, and a loamy soil to round out the palate and make this a delight. the tannins have melted, yet there’s a bead of acidity that provides balance and freshness. The finish is somehow not perfectly harmonious which i find to be a signature of LLC. Nonetheless this is a beauty
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Opened and left to rest for a good hour and then decanted and served. The nose on this wine! It was singing pure Bordeaux quality like no other. Soft dark fruits still, leather , cedar and soft secondary underlay. Herby too ! The palate is still very much alive and vibrant and definitely has a lot of life ahead but frankly it is superb now. We originally gave this 95-96 but then we discussed long as to what more could we ask from it and indeed this is a solid 97-98 for those like us that love Bordeaux with age!
Impenetrable ruby core with bricking on the sides. Decanted over an hour. Forest berry nose. Berries, cinnamon bark, earth, bristol cream, tobacco, bell pepper taste. Very complex and developing tertiary notes. Very smooth. At times the finish was short other times mostly very long 30-45 seconds. Awesome wine with some natural bottle variation at this age having drank about half a case now. 94-95
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Dark ruby with very little bricking. Floral musty nose. After an hour of air concentrated bright red fruit appeared and each sip delivered a 30-40 second finish of fruit, leather, tobacco, wood, bell pepper. Well kept bottles like this will last for years given how bracing the acidity was. Marvellous classic wine with enough fruit for most. 95-96
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Decanted for too long and drank on a warm BBQ day in the sun. Still, the wine delivered an exotic nose of flowers, earth and menthol and a finish of red fruit, chocolate, and green capsicum and tobacco.
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Leoville Las Cases 1990. Mørk frukt, stall, søt sigareske. Konsentrert med begynnende modning i frukten. Dette vil fortsette å utvikle seg. Pen sødme. Lang med fine tanniner. Flott, men hadde forventet enda mer. 91-92p
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Very good wine, although slightly prefer the 1989. I found this wine rather smooth in the month, but lacking a wee bit of fruit on the nose, more menthol in the 1990 (also found in 1988) and perhaps a bit of green bell pepper.
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Ouf! Un grand vin. Nez très expressif, fruits noirs confiturés, épices,élégants. En bouche, tout est en rondeur, bien fondu avec encore beaucoup de fruits. Il est ample et se termine sur une longue finale.
Good fill level, above neck, saturated cork, wine great, dark inky garnet purple, elegant, polished, smooth, perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering smooth balanced finish.
Cork crumbled in the top half and was stained to the top. Decanted for 1.5 hours. Dark ruby core with bricking. Dark berries bouquet along with forest undergrowth. Palate of dark berries, bristol cream, tobacco and a medicinal finish of 30 seconds plus. Very classy and elegant. Probably not the best bottle given the condition of the cork but with the fill into the neck the wine still delivered. I can easily see pristine bottles hitting the 95-96+ mark. Lovely.
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Initial cellar notes, that some around the table took for a cork taint, blew off after some minutes. Out come a surprisingly developed and smooth wine, little tannin, complex and seductive, black berries, not much oak, already some tertiary notes.
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A great showing as usual for this wine but just slightly over-shadowed next to the '90 Latour. Interestingly, this seemed like it will be the longer-lived wine of the two! At Vaucluse.
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Misc wines at MGs place: Very young and compact in the fruit without being dense or overdone. Packed with black currant fruit. Juicy and delicious. Showing some leather and coffee but still very young and compact. Amazing wine!
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Overripe balck cherries, Cassis. Tobacco/cigar box. Full bodied with a long finish. Tannins are relaxed but still around. Absolutely phenomenal Bordeaux at 29 years old.
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The fill was base neck and the cork was stained all the way to the top; opened about 3 hours before service to slow ox. A medium garnet core with some bricking at the rim. Notes of forest floor, cigar box, mushroom and hints of cassis. Medium bodied, savory on the palate, with a classic texture, good depth, and a long finish. I've had better (perfect!) bottles of the '90 LLC, and it remains one of my absolute favorite wines for current consumption. That said, this is further data to support the "no great wines, just great bottles...especially as a wine approaches 30 years of age" maxim.
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This is in such a sweet spot. Fantastic nose with cedar, leather and graphite. Medium bodied with elegant red fruits. Still very vibrant and will be very enjoyable for years to come. Absolutely fantastic.
Decanted 3 hours. Wow what a wine. Incredible how young this wine still is. Seems as if it's just perfect right now and has 10 or 15 years at this level (in a good cellar). Drink or hold. 98 pts.
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Hitting its maturity in a sweet spot. Truffle, cedar and cassis. Very refined with lots of layers. The most expressive and ready wine against 90 Montrose and 90 Margaux in tonight’s flight.
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Bardot Brasserie Léoville Las Cases Vertical Dinner (Las Vegas, NV): From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, the '90 Léoville Las Cases is something to behold. A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, it retains a remarkably youthful opaque ruby/red appearance. Effusive of cassis, tarry black cherries, licorice, tobacco, smoke and minerals on both the nose and palate, it is a full-bodied wine with low-to-medium acidity, nicely integrated alcohol, harmonious oak and plentiful velvety-textured tannins. Rich and dense on the mid-palate and lengthy on the back end, there is no denying the classic quality of this Léoville vintage. It appears to be very early in its drinking window. Well-cellared bottles should easily last for two or more decades. Drink now-2040.
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Lovely mature Bordeaux in fine shape. Rich colour with no fad to the rim. Drink or hold. She gave me chocolate; I gave her this wine; a fair trade on Valentine's Day wouldn't you say?
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Has to be one of the greatest non-first growths of its generation. Classic scents of pencil lead and gravel that follow through on the palate along with a walnut thing giving this a Latour-like personality. But it's in the texture department where it really astonishes. I don't think there is a word in wine-tasting lingo for the pure textural bliss of sinking into this thing so I'm just gonna go with, um, "feminine" in a more carnal sense than the term is typically used.
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Last bottle at a Gramercy Tavern tasting dinner and an amazing compliment to the lamb loin w sausage. Agree with most of the previous notes: delicious, just entering a mature drinking window and yet still full of primary fruit. My last bottle alas. May look for more on at auction.
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A perfect bottle decanted for 2 hours. This fantastic wine has the silky, savory texture of great aged Bordeaux with deep flavors of black raspberry fruit along with wonderful notes of graphite and roasted chestnuts. Still powerful with many years of life ahead, this particular bottle showed almost fully resolved tannins that were silky and fine along with a huge, mouth-filling, layered finish. Trailing notes of charcoal and graphite minerals make this one of the best wines I’ve had in 2018 and a great way to say good-bye to a fabulous drinking year.
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sensational - drunk alongside the 1990 Cos d'Estournel which it clearly outshone - certainly fully mature and not the most vibrant bouquet but such wonderful complexity and length - it will be interesting to see where it goes from here
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Half. Deep ruby. Gorgeous nose, very pure blackcurrant with some graphite. Rich, blackcurrant fruit, densely velvet with good line. More focus here than was the case with the previous half. A density too. Superb. ****1/2
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A superb bottle of this that showed slightly more development than the ‘90 Latour or ‘90 La Miss. Absolutely decadent and delicious flavors of dark fruits, charcoal and fireplace embers and it just flows over the tongue like velvet. The finish is fabulously complex with notes of dark chocolate and smoky minerals. One of the best ‘90’s for drinking now but this should grow even more complex over the next few years. At Daniel game dinner.
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The sommelier at Momofuku Ko decanted this about an hour before service; the cork was sound and the fill was well into the neck. Purple ruby core, with hints of garnet at the rim. Ethereal bouquet, with notes of ripe plums, black truffles, roasted fennel, bramble, and stargazer lily; I was happy just to sit and smell it! Medium bodied, with great concentration, ripe and silky tannins, with incredible precision and depth on the long finish. I simply adore this wine!
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On opening rich black currant exciting but cork smelled suspect. By the time we drank it 4 hours later the concern about cork came to fruition. Not terrible and MW present thought it was not corked but it was. Fruit stripped. What a shame.
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No detailed notes. Enjoyed through the course of s 3 hour dinner with my wife. Delicious! Lots of fruit and remained an impressive wine until the last drop. Still has lots of life and would strongly recommend.
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Wow! This wine is really hitting its stride. Deep primary fruit, beautiful earthiness on the nose and underlying the fruit, and nice tertiary flavors emerging. More readily open than a year ago. Pop and pour with immediate love. I thought it was better without an extended decant.
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Decanted 3+ hours. Perfect bottle. The 1990 LLC needs a lot of air. After 3+ hours it was delicious and it still improved during the night. Wow...this is really a fantastic vintage. This has 10 (or maybe 15) years life left in a good cellar. 98 pts
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Consistent with my last two tastings, this is one of my favorite 1990s. This is a super second drinking on a first growth level. Impeccably balanced with dark cherry fruit and a viscous mouth coating finish that captivates the senses. This wine is 28 years old and shows no signs of tiring. All tannins are resolved and promised a long drinking plateau. This is more masculine versus the 1990 poyferre and bages. This along with 1990 Pichon Baron are candidates for the left bank wine of the vintage. This bottle of las cases edged out the Baron imho.
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The King of St.-Julien. Powerful, dense with tremendous potential. Ripe fruits in leather box. Velvet texture. Generous and deep. Super concentrated and balanced.
2eme GC Classé. 65% CS, 19% M, 13% CF, 3% PV. Fermented in wooden, concrete, steel vats. Up to 24mo aging in 50–100% new oak. Fining, no filtration.
Consistently of 1st growth quality. Huge estate 240 acres.
A superb bottle, probably one of the very best Bordeaux I've had in recent memory. This was profound(what else to expect from Las Cases?) and yet not heavy, beginning to show its tertiary elements and yet the fruits are still there in waves in harmony with autumn forest. This is quite magical making me recall some of those beautiful afternoon walks in Toscane hills and way it had attracted me to walk on for hours... I have no words for those moments and the way it makes you feel the passion for the nature, the passion for the fresh air and the stunning scenery in front of your eyes. Well this wine provided this kind passion for wine and is making me want to go back there, sooner than later. Cheers,
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Dark, Smoky Ruby-Colored Wine. Perfect Bottle into neck.
Reticent Nose of Violin Rosin, ground pencils and black currant liquer. (Sharper than cassis) Fantastic and unique aromas of pine, bitter chocolate, liquid minerals, cedar, wood polish and plums of various ripeness emerge over first hour in the glassware... Very young, sharp and EXTREMELY interesting.
Palate like sipping onyx- and silk-infused smoked plum liquer from one of the Stradivari fiddles... Never had a red line more classy tasting. This bottle gives a pointedlesson in that one ☝️ thing which (as yet in my mouth) our California Cabernet simply can not duplicate...
Finish is delicious. A WoW wine. A smarter man would squelch the review. But I’m going to buy some in the next 500 seconds. (And the 2k) JD
Ja, es ist kein Pappenstiel den man für diesen Wein auf den Tisch legen muss aber eine ist klar: der Wein ist fantastisch! In seiner Ausgewogenheit, geradezu jugendlicher Frische und geschmacklichen Subtilität einfach brilliant. Kraftvoll ohne Dick zu sein, trotz seiner Zartheit eine wunderolle Intensität und obschon der 28 Jahre, die er auf dem Buckel hat, Frucht wie aus einem Paradiesgarten, obwohl sie sich nicht in der Vordergrund spielt. Wer die Chance bekommt ihn zu probieren, der sollte sie nicht missen. Umwerfend und vielleicht eher 97+
Austin Offline; 8/24/2018-8/25/2018 (Kevin's House): I was surprised when I realized I had never tasted this wine before, so this was a treat. Color was excellent and fresh, Tobacco and gym sock notes on the nose, but also a lovely sweet floral perfume in the background. An almost Port-like sweetness arrived with air, along with a touch of heat. Nice wine, but no rush to drink this. Not scored.
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5th of 12, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, youthful (purple rim) and still remarkably primary given 28 years young, usual quality fruit cassis lead, like GPL, just with more nuance and complexity and dare I say class, bouquet needed coaxing, scope to improve/gain interest for many years given persistence, balance and grip in this top vintage. Currently VF (18.5).
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Felt It was still young and didnt open up until 3 hours after. On the nose, freshly cut grass, black berries, cigar, On the palate, very dark fruits, smoke, modestly sweet currants, smooth and round tannin. A bit tight still. Our friend who is very a professional in Bordeaux wines thinks it is very Latour style, which probably makes sense as it is just across the road. Presented a lot of potential.
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; opened 3 hours before dinner, with no decant. A healthy dark ruby core with some bricking. Rather muted on the nose upon opening, which improved somewhat with air. Notes of dried black fruits (currant) with hints of black truffle and cedar. Medium bodied, a bit flat on the mid palate; not as velvety or mult-layered as previous bottles. The 1990 LLC is probably my favorite wine for current consumption, but it was not a good showing with this bottle.
It’s wines like this that make me love collecting and enjoying wine. 1990 has consistently been one of my favorite vintages and this wine did not disappoint. Dark purple almost opaque. Reminds me of a first growth. Evolved beautifully in the glass and decanter never tiring. Mature but with 10 plus years ahead of it. I’m glad I have more!
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The fill was well into the neck and the cork was sound. A purple ruby core with minimal bricking at the rim. Heavenly bouquet, offering up complex and intense notes of cassis, sun baked stones, black truffle, cigar box; hints of spice and dried currants. Medium to full bodied, with great depth of flavor, incredibly ripe and velvety tannins, with a long and focused finish. A monumental wine, and about as enjoyable as a mature Bordeaux can be. Heady stuff!
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Soooo fresh !! Old school. Leather, wood, blood, iron, minty stuff . Found no real fruits in there. But i didn t missed it. Long and silky. No edges but well structured. Develloped with air. Real amazing bordeaux. Need more. Drink
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Simply amazing. Drinks like a first growth. The wine was singing after a 1 hour decant. I believe this wine is fully mature and ready to go but due to its structure will last many years. I debated rating this 100 but 99 is where it is now.
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The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; popped and poured. Purple ruby core with no bricking. Expressive and hauntingly complex bouquet, offering up scents of dried black fruits, black truffle, cigar box, and fennel. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, impressive concentration and fabulous depth. Long and complex finish. Doesn't get much better than this!
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux 2004 and Older (Meritage, St. Paul): Very dark purple/red color. This got a short hour decant at the table; drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. As always, aging at a glacial pace, this bottle while more than impressive for its power and layers of depth and dark fruits, it is still quite primary and needs another decade to become more approachable. A bottle earlier this year has gotten over 4 hours of air and then was drank over another 3 hours and was considerably more open. I highly recommend at least four hours of air and really even more. You are not going to over decant this baby. A splendid wine waiting to be fully realized. If I had to score it tonight I'd give this about 92-93.
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. beautiful bordeaux aromas. on palate: lush, crisp, complex...mixed dark fruits and sweet berries. a touch of dried molasses. finish long really long.
contrary to many bordeaux siblings of '90 vintage, this is aging at a slow pace....just like the '86 LLC (which entered its drinking period at age of 30).
great juice with lots of pleasure .
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Did not look 27 years old. Low neck to top shoulder fill. Incredible depth and complexity, deep black cassis, cedar with a complex mature minerality and aristocratic integrated tannins. Just incredible, first growth level for sure. This bottle had impeccable provenance. I hunted down every bottle I could find in the early 1990s and cellared commercially since, glad I did.
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The fill was base neck and the cork was soaked through; opened with the Durand and had no issues. Ruby core turning to garnet at the rim. The bouquet is...awful, with oxidized notes. Did not blow off or improve; second bad bottle in a row, after the ‘82 Gruaud Larose. Both purchased from CellaRaiders.
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Chinese food and old Bordeaux? Sure! (Q by Peter Chang): This bottle, which I brought, was barely half emptied by the end of our gathering, and I should have taken it back home with me to see how it would have developed the next day. But maybe Assaf can report on that? 😉In any case, after being popped and poured, the impression was of a “muscular wine” and questions around the table: “When will this be ready?” Even a 1990! I mean, 1990 is a very warm vintage. And yet this wine was more primary than one would imagine. Over time in glass, we admired its many attributes: Bright, dark fruit, even if not as concentrated as latter vintages like the 1996, the 2009 or 2010. And yet for a 1990, this is so young, with very clean and pure Cabernet expressions of cedar and burgeoning cigar box. It impressed me more intellectually than it did hedonistically. And if you have any, do not rush to open. I still recall comparing this with the Léoville Poyferré 1990 and preferring the latter.
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Bordeaux and Peking Duck (Q by Peter Chang - Bethesda, Maryland): Pop and pour, a bit more expressive than the 90 Cos initially. Medium expressive nose displaying cassis, blackberry, blueberry compote, plum, roasted fruit, lead pencil, eucalyptus and cabernet dust. Nicely integrated youthful palate, finely layered black fruit, silky and polished, a hint of tannins and a medium to long cassis driven finish. This is not as expressive as the bottle from the LLC dinner with Pierre Graffeuille early last year. It will need another decade or two to reach the peak.
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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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Has with flannery ribeye. Decanted for an hour. Needed probably a 3 hour decant. perfect storage. Tight and unyielding at first. After 30-45 minutes noses of graphite, concentrated black currant. tightly wound. Taste had intense minerality and subtle but lasting flavors. Last glass was best and really started to show its energy. Well kept bottles should last at least 20 years if not more. Superb.
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(Big Bordeaux XIV 1/13/18 at Kevin's) Blown away by the nose (pun intended). Leather/ wet earth/oak, tobbacco. Tons of red fruit with vegetal elements. Tannins are still noticeable, but not the least distracting. Lots of life to go.
Big Bordeaux XIV (Kevin and Vicki's): Decanted 4 hours. This wine has nice tannins that are still a bit grippy. There is significant black fruit along with leather, earth, funk and spice.
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Big Bordeaux XIV: Featuring 1982 and 1990 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark purple/red color. Decanted for 4 hours, drank 1 glass over 2 hours. Another fabulous '90, we drank this alongside the '90 Latour and '90 Mouton. This has a bigger feel which is not unexpected, darker, mulberry and cassis, cedarbox, leather, and beautiful spices on the nose. The palate is big and powerful, full bodied and powerful, big dark berry fruits, wonderfully tangy, graphite, and a lovely wood frame. This is very complex, with excellent intensity and it evolved significantly in glass. Clearly the "youngest" wine of the trifecta. 95+ to 96pts.
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Tasted side by side, blind, at the residence of Léoville Poyferre owner Didier Cuvelier. He did this trick to me a few years ago over dinner, when he then had served the 1982s side by side, which I considered a draw. While the LLC was more structured and "powerful", the Poyferre was more sensual, but both very good for different reasons. In this instance - dinner was in early November - the LLC showed even more structure than the 1982 did, and it was impressive. Very Pauillac like, a touch austere, but lots going on. This is a note just from memory mind you, so no vivid descriptions other than to say that it was more a wine to respect intelligently than a wine to drink sensually. In this case, the Poyferre 1990 proved clearly more enjoyable, in early November 2017.
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Nose: Red and black fruit, cedar, smoke and graphite. Just hinting at its proximity to Pauillac on the nose. Palate: Took a long time for this to come out of its shell, but the last half glass was a stunning experience. Layered cedar, walnut, black cherry and warm rocks. Ripe black tannin supporting a deep and complex wine here.
Englishman's Clarets bottle. 95+ upside from here. Stunning. Needs time, but is more charming than other LLC I have had. If the 2014-2016 wines come into this range I'll be very pleased.
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Even from half, this takes 5 hours of air to really get going. Better and better in the decanter, the last sips are the best. Big, big nose with enough air; red fruit, cedar, pencil, coffee, faintly herbaceous. A touch of the Indian spices you find in the best bottles of the 85 LLC. Big, plush for Las Cases. Not quite as plum on the palate, but this is LLC after all. Distinctly walnutty finish. The most charming LLC I've had in... ever? 95-96
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Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): Our split favourite and 2nd ranked by the group after the 1996 ( Papies 95-96+) Floral, herbaceous, cedar nose. A very much open and singing nose and at a great time to be enjoyed albeit with no hurry. Good acidity, very healthy and shining fruit. More on the softer red fruit feel, finally some earthy notes, and quite on the powerful side. Maybe not as harmonious as the 1996 but still a superb wine 95-96 easy.
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Domaine Delon Masterclass (Vaucluse Cellars, New South Head Road): Earth, leather, sous bois, mushroom, almost bonfire note. Some black spicy fruit and a little funkiness. Tastes of age, I'm in a gentleman's club, I'm licking a chesterfield that someone has spilled venison with truffles and berries on. Yum.
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Domaine Delon Masterclass (Vaucluse Cellars): spectacular fragrance, so refined and complex rich, a little earthy, refined red berries structure is poised, balanced, seamless a superb wine
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Beautiful medium red-violet with no sign of age. Deep, delicious purple and black fruits with a little dust at the edges on the nose. This is delicious, classic Bordeaux with notes of black cherries with an almost unbelievable intensity and freshness given the age of this wine. There is also a tiny bit of espresso, bramble, and extracted black fruits on a medium to thick body.
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This is right up there with any other 1990 I have tasted including HB and Cheval Blanc. Needed an hour in the decanter. Dark purple core, opaque. Leathery nose with black fruits, cassis, anise, cinnamon. Great fully body and weight; tannins are resolved and right. A top example of mature St. Julien from a winning vintage.
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Stunning Bordeaux nose of black earth, gravel and charred nuts. Really needed a good 2 hour decant and then showing lots of rich black currant fruit with strong flavors of smoky gravel and graphite minerals. Finishes with ripe, dusty tannins and complex notes of dark spices and more gravel and graphite. Very 1990 in it's forward, opulent character and unctious, silky texture but that's good for LLC which can take forever to mature. I love this wine and it's still a few years from peak. 96+
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Blown away by how good this wine is showing. Bought on release and stored in my nice cold cellar, it's been a few years since popping my last cork. Decanted 3 hours, this is a stunner. Powerful, concentrated and dense, the fruit is ripe, rich and deep. The wine really hits all the right spots and coats your palate, teeth and gums with flavor. There is freshness and layers of cassis, cigar box, tobacco and cedar. The tannins are powerful, but they are round, giving you structure and backbone, energy and length. The wine kept improving for another 3 hours. This is the vintage to buy, if you want to see what LLC offers with age. It's 27 years old, and this will be better in 5, 10 or may 20 more years. But it's a treat today, and well worth the cost for a wine at this level.
From a bottle in pristine condition - fill mid neck, perfect label. Given my prior experience with this wine needing some more air then other 90s to get going decanted for 3 hours prior. I really am a big fan of this wine (see my previous TNs - in retrospect I think my first TN when I rated it 96+ I was a bit stingy and the rating reflected my lack of giving this the air it needs to show off). This was drunk after a bottle of Hosanna 08 which it totally dwarfed. Visually this wine is really looking rather youngs still, with very minor lightening on the rim only in an otherwise very healthy dark cherry red (looks more like a 10-15 year old Bordeaux rather then an almost 30 year old). The nose was incredibly gorgeous and intoxicating with intense aromas of minerals, hung meat, gunpowder and gamey notes. The palate was a knock-out too - powerful and full bodied, with velvety tannins it delivers a well measured attack of all the good stuff that just doesn't want to end. There is a freshness and clarity about this wine that you associate with 1st growth from top vintages. If anything based on this bottle it is still on the way up and has not reached its peak I feel - there will be more tertiary aromas to be developed and I think this wine could in fact be destined for greatness. Obviously this is drinking now, but I think if I had just one bottle left I would in fact try and drink it in 2030 (I would not be shocked if this wine still goes strong in 2050)... 98 (++)
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Best bottle of this yet from my original futures case. Incredible aromatics with layers of dark fruits along with notes of sweet gravel and licorice spice. Fabulous tension and complexity on the finish with a kaleidescope of flavors including smoky earth and graphite. Stunning juice that to me is just about reaching peak. Certainly first growth quality here with the right bottle.
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Leoville Las Cases with Pierre Graffeuille (Ripple): Mmmmmmmmmm -- smell that. A no-doubter from the very first whiff. You know this is going to be something special. The aromas are complete and mature and kaleidoscopic in their detail. Everything in this wine is here in crystal-clear high definition. With each sip the wine comes in waves. The first wave is an almost piercing fruit intensity, that comes across both sweet and savory, ripe fruit but evolved with bottle age. Then come the earthy notes, tree bark and exotic flavors I can't call "spice" but can't call anything else either so I'm just going to settle on the generic "seasonings." It has a sticky grip to it that almost feels caramelly but the overall shape of the wine is slender and elegant. Maria analogized this to a perfect statuesque blonde but thought the '89 is the one you want to spend more time with and bring home. I disagree. This WAS a perfect statuesque blonde but I'd be happy to spend time with her all night long until she dumped me for somebody who could afford her.
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Léoville Las Cases dinner with Pierre Graffeuille (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Explosive hedonistic nose displaying cassis, blueberry pie minus crust, black cherry, licorice, milk chocolate, floral dust, mint, eucalyptus, sweet spicies and earth. There is a hint of green bell pepper that gives freshness. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered opulent sweet black fruit, chewy yet silky and polished, noticeable sweet tannins and an incredibly long finish with cassis and licorice at the end. Certain the most ready and expressive wine of the flight. Excellent showing. I strangely prefer the classism of the 96, kinda weird.
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1990 Bordeaux Blind: Highlights: Incorrectly called this the Latour on account of the huge nose of tar, creme de cassis, mineral-rich dark soil, and black currant. Massive and a little monolithic. Palate doesn't totally sync up and is a little dry. Huge. Good, but wait. Should have known this was Las Cases.
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From Magnum. Wonderful nose of dark fruit, pine neadles, some bakery. Very ripe and soft on the palate, almost too soft, never thought I would ever write this about a LCC. Long finish. Great, mature Claret.
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Superbe! Bouteille et bouchon en parfait état. Bottom neck. Carafé durant 1 heure. Grenat carminé. Arômes de fruits noirs, touche de fumée, tabac. La bouche est vive, parfumée, complexe, presque explosive, belle acidité. La finale est longue, magnifique. Cela faisait quelques années que je ne l'avais pas bu, j'adore ! À boire dans les 10 ans.
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Bordeaux dinner at Ripple with live rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Expressive youthful nose displaying intense cassis, crushed blueberries, a hint of fruit cake and ash, mint, lead pencil, eucalyptus and dark milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, suave and polished, nicely integrated tannins and a long cassis driven finish. I don’t think it is as ripe and opulent as the 90 Leoville Poyferre but cooler, cleaner and more energetic. Drinking beautifully but will benefit by another couple decades of cellaring.
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Fit for a wine loving Groundhog: Bordeaux back to 1970, by way of a 1982 trio (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): So far, it edges out - perhaps - the Mouton and the Cheval Blanc because it is in a fine drinking window. There is a touch of herbal/green pepper but it comes across as fine seasoning! Time in glass reveals (to me at least) a Romeo Y Julieta cigar, so smooth and refined, subtle full body, fine expressions of mature dark fruits, but more tertiary notes, a streamlined elegance, if lacking the veritable punch of the Mouton 95 in the previous flight.
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I don't know how much better this was than the 1996 Ducru I had a week ago. Had in less-than-optimal circumstances. Even after a few hours open, it was quite good but not one of those life-changing Bordeaux experiences I'd been expecting. Extremely long length, but not the complexity I've heard about. Possibly an off bottle. Threw more sediment than any other wine I've had.
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Well-powered bouquet of cedar and cigar box. Rich and creamy full-bodied palate: quite sweet with blackberries and ripe plums, but a slightly mineral flintiness. Long, spicy finish.
Excellent, well-defined claret. Drinking very well.
[Drank with roast beef in Tokyo. Decanted then returned to bottle. 17C]
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Double Blind 1990 Bordeaux with a Big Infusion of Show Stealing Old Napa (Jason and Tracy's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. Double decanted for 3 hours. Drank 1 glass blind (initially) over 90 minutes. Very nice nose with wood, wood spice, more spice, red fruits, and dried earth. The palate was full bodied, red fruits with some darker fruit in the background, wood, spice, medium plus length. This seemed rather open for a Las Cases out of '90, and the air made a big difference. There was some thought that there might be some subtle cork taint on the palate and I suspect that was correct.
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Had this wine at La Trompette restaurant in Chiswick (BYO Sunday). Decanted for half an hour before first taste, bottle was brought to restaurant quite cold: initially showed some quite keen acidity but with a good fruit shining through and the wine got decidedly more generous with some more air and a bit of temperature. Went spectacularly well with the handmade linguine, aged parmesan and fresh white Alba truffle shavings (go figure). I had this wine half a year back and rated it 96 then. I am upgrading this. I actually felt I was probably a bit stingy last time. This wine is just starting to enter its prime, and will hold for another 20 years and probably improve for the next decade (when I think it will peak). This is not as forward as other 90s and will be longer lived. This was tasted alongside the 1996 Margaux and for me these were absolutely on a par. A great classic from my favorite current drinking Bdx vintage.
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Flickinger Warehouse Tasting (Chicago, IL): Yet another amazing Bordeaux. This is massive -- probably the biggest wine on the Bordeaux table today. The lead pencil and gravel notes are really strong here, and a big plate of sweet black fruit adds to the stature of this wine. It's quite young still, as it appears the secondary characteristics of leather and dried fruits have yet to appear, but this is still incredibly enjoyable at this point.
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Half. An impromptu follow-on half, so just plucked from the cellar, poured and consumed over the following hour. Would have benefited from a quick splash decant. Lovely wine and remains atypically lush of LLC. Only just starting open properly by the last drop, but it's all there. A slight lactic note upon first pour lifts to reveal the lush and fairly spicy blackcurrant fruit. Lovely. ****
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Half. Decanted 1hr. Deep, dense ruby. Lovely nose, dense with blackcurrant, a little graphite and the faintest hint of cigar box. Rich and plush on the palate, fine grained and pretty much fully resolved tannins, densely velvety. Very serious, but also quite rich and lush for LLC. ****1/2
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I have a few bottles of this in my cellar but this is the first time I've tried it. I was blown away, very pleasantly surprised at how good it was. (Though I probably shouldn't be given how consistently excellent other vintages of Leoville las Cases have been in my experience.) It had just about everything -- still some fruit, though definitely tertiary, earthy, cigar box and forest floor flavors. Very long finish, perfectly mature, not tannic but still enough acidity to give it good structure. The only reason it didn't rate even higher was that it could have been a bit more intense -- this is quibbling, it's obviously a great wine, but (for example) the 90 Montrose seemed to be even a bit more intense and complex the last time I tasted it. It would be interesting to taste them against each other some time. By the way, it went great with lamb in a bordelaise sauce -- go figure.
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By far the best bottle of wine we'vehad in the last year or two. Impeccable condition, both label and cork. Decanted three hours. Wine built up to an enormous peak of power, and finesse and volume. Fruit, tannins, pencil shavings, minerals. At absolute peak, but feels like it could stay here for another decade.
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The 1990 Grand Vin was easily the most popular wine in the room at the Leoville-Lascases dinner in London on 23 April. A real crowd pleaser. Not that it is a superficial wine. I found it remarkably similar to the 1990 Clos Du Marquis with its exuberant mouth filling presence in a low acid format. The Grand Vin had a bit more oomph than the CdM. Unquestionably a delicious wine, atypical for Leoville Lascases with little of the sternness you have in other years, and which is a hallmark of this estate. While this is a wonderful wine it is not out of LLC's top drawer, where you will find the 82/85/86/96/00/05 and 10. Neither is it as good as the Leoville Barton 1990, which shows more restraint and class.
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A lot of experienced tasters seemed to love this wine, but it doesn't move me as much as 1985 (nose), 2009 (concentration) or 1982 (scale and persistancy). In contrast to the cedar nose of 1985 this has a 1990 and almost paulliac nose of graphite with cassis. Great balance and initial mouthfeel, but doesn't improve with more air. I think this is actually at peak and should be drunk by 2030 - don't think it will improve from here.
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This wine was preceded by Clerc Milon 1990 and Lagrange 1996. Decanted for one hour. This wine is still youthful and unlike the Clerc Milon has NOT reached its pleateau of maturity I believe. The fruit is lovely - sweet 1990 characteristics which I LOVE. IMO this wine will be ideal 2020-2040. I have 3 bottle left and I will try to pace myself here. If you do open, must decant for 2 hours +. BTW a small bit left in the glass (following a long night, should not happen ;-)) the next morning was still intact - so around 8 hours in the glass did NOT "harm" this wine, which is a key reason I am certain this wine will last for decades from here. Great stuff (although to be honest it is actually not quite as good (yet?) as the Lagrange 1990 I have been drinking a lot of lately)... which is by now way a criticism of this lovely wine but rather the highest of compliments for the Lagrange... but it is good and important to put things into perspective... 96+
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Gorgeous nose of Bordeaux earth. Decanted for 2 hours. Thick and silky on the palate with decadent flavors of dark plums and cassis along with prominant notes of chocolate, rich tobacco and sweet earth. This is a big, voluptuous left-bank wine but it finishes with good structure and grip. Yes, the 90's are decadent and whorish for Bordeaux but there are definitely some nights where that works! Simply delicious.
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Utterly beautiful wine. At age 26 this wine is firing on all cylinders. Dble decanted for 3hrs and and even drank over 90min it continued to change. It's mature today and balanced. Silky smooth and a lovely Asian spice box on the nose. The taste has minerallike, with chocolate, hazelnut and artichoke. The finish seems to never stop. You sense this wine in mind for mins afterwards. This wine is very impressive and I get the sense it is just starting to strut it's stuff. You are rewarded today but can enjoy over the next 7-12yrs. There is long life here. Enjoy and Cheers My Score 98
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LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. It follows on from '88 and the contrast was acutely obvious: dark, mocha and tobacco aromas wafting from the glass of 90 in contrast to the more refined and smooth red fruits of '88. Dense, chewy tannins, and coffee on the palate.
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Decanted 2 hrs, deep red with barely lighter rim. Tobacco jump out of the glass, followed by purfumed cassis. Smooth and perfect balance of sweet fruit vs acidity on palate, good concentration but not overwhelming. Cedar aroma on finish, long and inducing another sip.
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Decanted for one hour, Medium ruby cool, distinctive nose of leather, tobacco and cedar. Full body, everything in balance, elegant with a long, long finish. This will last for many more years.Wounderful.
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Immense... this 25 year old wine is showing so much youth, could pass for a 2000. Dark and deep, lovely pure black currant action, svelte, with super fine grain tannin, great length... properly good, and of First Growth quality. A gem. VERY pleased.. [3 magnums left]
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1982, '89 and '90 Left-Bank Bordeaux Dinner (Imperial Treasure Shanghai, Ngee Ann City, Singapore): Wow. I have not had such a good Bordeaux in a long time. While this has the chops to age for decades yet, it actually drank pretty well after a couple of hours in the decanter, beating out a very strong line-up on the way to being crowned the wine of the night. On the nose, it had a really nice bouquet that seemed to be a deeper echo of the 1982 Las Cases that we had alongside, with rich accents of spice and mineral, and then savoury notes of earth and meat and powdery herb, all woven through rich, gummy cassis aromas. Lovely. Like the 1982 Palmer (which was the best bottle in the earlier flight though), it was really on the palate where this wine truly shone. There was just something wonderfully pure and effortlessly complete about this that made it stand out from amidst its competition. It had an immense amount of strength and power, with really full, large-scale flavours cassis and blackberries underscored by a serious spine of mineral and savoury, meaty tones as it stretched into tremendously long finish. Yet such was the purity and precision of the wine, with its deep core of wonderfully velvety tannins and juicy acidity, that all this power and intensity seemed to be carried without any effort at all, so that the impression that one was left with was of clarity and grace, rather than weight or density. Really gorgeous stuff, and with a great dish of roasted lamb shoulder – just magic. I could have gone on drinking this all night. I should say that we actually had two blind bottles of the 1990 on the night; one was perhaps more advanced than the other, so it showed a bit meatier and more savoury; but other than that, both bottles were consistently wonderful. A great wine all round, and while really enjoyable even now, it has the balance, depth and structure to go on aging for just about forever.
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Still so youthful. Transparent dark ruby color. Nose took an hour to open up. Black currant, lots of cedar and pencil shavings, bacon, and green pepper. The nose still hasn't evolved fully with its tertiary elements. Full-bodied but soft. Tannins are round but still a bit forward. Acidity where it should be. So it still isn't at optimal balance and nose needs to evolve. Accessible but should improve over next few years.
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Cork is firm and not sign of a faulty bottle. The colour is still red and firm. Alcohol is still detectable at nose. No tannin left and fruit has almost gone. Rather soft but not elegant with everything integrated. Taste of the terror's tertiary flavour. No reason to cellar longer upon the experience of this bottle. In comparison with other entries, the bottle might have storage problems or bottle variation.
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Reinterpreted Paris Tasting 'Best Bottle Circle' Style (Emmen, Switzerland): Clear red with first bricking at the edges. Nose shows sweet raspberries and leather. Very long finish and great complexity at the same time highly elegant. Tannins are a bit dry...but this is trying to find the hair in the soup. Overall a great LLC to drink now and over the next decade
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very old school matronly pencils, leather & cedar . Yes was in fine form and delicious with beef , yes will remarkably last another 10-20 years, but... Lacked freshness , wasn't very moorish but well build old school splendour. for the genre 94/95, for pleasure 92/93. Two hour decant.
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PNP. cork wet most of the way up. Color dark. unlike the last bottle that I had, which I thought was premature, this one is youthful. not knowing the vintage my son suggested that this "needs more time". I think that it is delicious, and the structure is resolving but the dense fruit is going strong. really amazing. years left in the tank
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I have had this wine many times but this time exceeded all expectations. Decanted, heavy sediment, dark ruby and a nose of cedar and cigar box. Mouth coating, elegant with an extremely long finish. Mature but will keep for many years. 99 points
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Opened, but not decanted, about 30 minutes prior to service. Purple-ruby core, turning towards blood-red at the rim. Notes of cassis, lilly, truffle, with hints of roasted game meat and leather. Medium-bodied, with a velvety texture, great balance and delineation, and a long and complex finish.
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Black raspberry, roasted chestnuts, dark earth, warm vanilla. Some dark savory spice on the back. Sweet tannins and an overall tangy palate. Quite smooth at this point. Well paired with lamb saddle and morels.
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Solid dark ruby color. Gorgeous nose of ripe cassis and black currants with smoky graphite and roasted walnuts. Rich and decadant ( after a 4-hr decant) but with plenty of structure underneath. Great flavors of black earth, charred walnuts and black currants lead to a deep, complex finish with notes of minerals, dried red flowers, bitter chocolate and a bit of roasted meats. A great vintage for LLC and being halfway through my case purchased on release, I would say this wine has firmed up a bit in the last few years and has a long life ahead of it. These '90 Bordeaux's are hedonistic and display some chocolate notes suggesting a bit of overripeness but there is plenty of structure left under many of them. I must say, I find myself reaching for them a lot when I just want something great to drink. 95+
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The 1990 Léoville Las Cases opens with primary aromas of Iodine, blood, minerals, graphite and black cherry. After sitting open for 2-3 hours it exhibits perceptibly sweet tertiary notes of orange peel, roses and baking spice. This is a dark, powerful Saint-Julien with impressive concentration and grip on the attack followed by notes pencil lead, cedar and cinnamon. Still in possession of a lot vibrancy, it could age for another decade or more, easily. The finish is not as lengthy as I might have expected.
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Terrific showing. Drank with 90 Lynch Bages and Pichon Baron and this was clearly WOTN. Dark ruby color and complex, deep nose. Cigar, earth, tobacco stacked on top of a solid core of dark fruit. Excellent mature Bordeaux.
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This is a big wine, deep colour, impressive bouquet (cassis, dark tabacco, leather). At the palate rich layers of black and red fruit, soft tannins. Enormous concentration yet well balanced and full of harmony and elegance. Seems to be on its top now. Much better than the 82 LLC I had tasted a few months before.
Leather and cedar nose with earth; classic St Julien; deep and mature blackberry with texture; sweet cedar and earthy chocolate; fully integrated and somewhat soft tannins; outstanding; drink now.
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From 750:My wine group's blind vertical of LLC. My third favorite among nine vintages. 78 79 82 85 86 90 95 00 07. Would have been very special had it not had such good company. Ready to drink, but with many years of positive evolution ahead. Excellent nose, palate and finish. Well balanced. Drink now or hold indefinitely. The last "old school" LLC in the tasting. Recent vintages show a trend toward a more modern international style.
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From an auction lot this bottle has a good fill but run-up on the cork all the way to the edge. Decanted an hour and enjoyed over the next 3 hours. This is really good, and nothing to complain about, but I do agree with some of the notes that suggest it is a bit warm, and is showing the heat of the vintage. Big, ripe, dark fruit with plenty of tannin and well made overall - this has a long life ahead of it. But I really do think (based on this bottle) I prefer the '89 right now - especially with food. A-
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For my tastes, this is as enjoyable + pleasurable as mature red bordeaux gets. Intoxicating aromas of cassis, black truffle and cedar, with great depth, a velvety texture, and long + focused finish.
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This is a very elegant LLC that is approaching maturity. There are wonderful flavors of black fruits and grilled nuts with notes of graphite and minerals on the complex finish. This is not as thickly-textured as many of the other '90's tonight but it is more precise and more elegant. Drinking so beautifully now.
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Velvety earthy red berry that caresses the nose. Definite bricking around the edges but still deep red color. Wonderful vibrant fruit on the edges of your tongue followed by smooth earthy berry fruit. No tannins, great fruit, incredibly well balanced. As close to perfect as I think I've ever had.
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Doft med mogen mörk frukt, svarta vinbär, tobak, tjära och stalltoner, men samtidigt också vissa gröna toner som jag så ofta hittar i just Las Cases. Även i smaken mogen mörk frukt, svarta vinbär, lakrits och vissa gröna toner som drar ner helhetsintrycket. Givetvis en riktigt bra Bordeaux med mognad och kraft, med lång fint avslut, men jag kommer varje gång på mig själv när jag dricker detta vin, oavsett årgång, att jag förväntat mig mer än vad jag får.
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1990 ANYTHING Dinner (Our house): Drank over 3 hours. Something was up with this bottle. The nose was angular and funky. As if you had ripe red and black fruit covered in dust but not TCA. The palate was full of dark fruit, graphite and tobacco, but was not as smooth as prior bottles.
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I tried 4 bottles recently, 2 bad, 2 good. This is the better one of 4. Aroma, fruit nose, opened up after 1.5 hours. Full bodied and drinking smooth and nicely for another 1.5 hours. An enjoyable and elegant wine
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1990 Bordeaux Horizontal: Blind. Warmish presentation, verging on 'boiled', peculiar, some smoke and minerals, not very expressive, but a good West Bank wine.
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4th of 12, level into neck, decanted one hour, not as exciting as previous bottles lacking some focus and grip, perhaps just a tad too broad and almost sweet for Las Cases, probably a phase as I've normally marked this very fine plus. This bottle fine plus (18/20).
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BORDEAUX 1990 ALLA CIECA (ENOTECA ROSSORUBINO TORINO): Ancora un pó indietro... giovanile e prorompente. Frutti e spezie non ancora terziarizzati. Anche qui il Cabernet la fa da padrone, naso nervoso, spezia pungente, tabacco e tanta materia. In bocca frutto corposo con tannini ancora presenti e finale suadente. Miglior rapporto qualità/prezzo. Tra qualche anno sarà una meraviglia
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Dark ruby color with slightly fading edges. Pretty nose of rip black currants, sweet tobacco and charcoal. Soft ripe smoky black fruits with notes of tobacco and graphite minerals. A silky texture that leads to a finish that ultimately disappoints and lacks complexity. I purchased this magnum at auction years ago and while I can't identify any particular flaws, it just doesn't fire the same way as my case of bottles purchased on release.
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"Best of the Best" Tasting (Switzerland): Tasted blind, 3hrs decant: Clear ruby in color. Nose of dark berries (currant), black licorice, tar and smoke. Very nicely integrated tannins, power, elegance and a good length make this a very nice LLC. The only thing which prevents this wine from getting a higher score are the dry tannins which make the wine a bit rustic. Drink now with no hurry.
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From a bottle stored by a friend in mostly appropriate conditions, this wine had a bottom neck fill. It had a purple/red center and red rims with a hint of orange. The medium+ intensity nose focused on black fruits, cassis, clove, and brown spices.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe, as expected, but also balanced with light rounded tannin. The '82, and certainly the '86, were much more closed at this age. The length and richness were very impressive.
While this is great now, I would venture to say this will be even better in 10 to 20 years. I would expect it to pick up a couple points from an already exalted level.
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Pop and pour, consumed over next two hours. Beautiful aromatics pour from the glass. I would have been happy just to sniff this all night. Seamless, complex, fascinating, complete, lots of tertiary development, singing from the pop, but evolved in the glass, revealing nuance after nuance, playing like an orchestra on the palate, haunting, lingering finish. Wonderful. 97+
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WineBerserkers SF Bordeaux Tasting (Le Charm, San Francisco): Lovely mature Bordeaux nose, earth, good core of black fruits, nice balance with good minerality, graphite; palate is full bodied, red spiced fruit, good concentration of red fruit throughout palate, nice midpalate concentration; medium-long finish. Very nice classically styled mature bordeaux that is ready to drink now but has life left. The nose is awesome. My WOTN (and appeared to be the consensus WOTN for the group). 95-96.
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WCC St. Julien (Cafe Capriccio, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Mildly corked. Sad. After putting in some plastic wrap, it does improve: Smoky red fruit. Red fruit in the mouth with cherries and minerals. Still a hint of cork, but now drinkable.
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Dinner with Leoville Las Cases 2000, 1990 and 1982 (semi blind) (Restaurant van Baerle, Amsterdam): A stunning bottle, more developed than earlier bottles we had. Wonderfully complex, earth, minerals, meat and blood in the nose. Medium bodied palate, well delineated with tertiary fruits and pronounced iron and mineral tones - reminding of Pauillac. All followed by a long lingering finish of dark earth and truffle tones.
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Decanted for about 90 minutes. Darker garnet color with surprisingly little lightening at the edges. Fresh nose of red currant, cedar, a bit of smoke, cassis, cherry blossoms. Youthful on the palate with layers of buoyant red and black currant fruit plus leather, earth, mocha and a tiny streak of bell pepper. Very balanced with moderate acidity and smoothed tannins leading to a long finish of beautiful red fruit, mineral, and delicate grip. Already amazing, this is destined for future greatness.
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HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Having never had a mature LLC, this was quite a treat. While approachable, still youthful. Showing great purity with a core of cassis and cherry fruit, it mixed in some sandalwood and leather. This had an elegant nuanced feel. Could still use some time. A
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Chez W, into neck, 1.5 hour decant, med-deep garnet, little development, complex nuanced nose and palate, cassis driven, fullish, very long, nice ripe but not baked fruit, should still improve, super as usual but not quite up to its Northern neighbour (Latour 90) which had even more to it on same night. Very fine plus (18.5/20).
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2 glasses from different bottles. Bottle 1: Perfect fill. Still youthful in color with slight bricking at the rim. Nose of dried red tree fruit, new leather, iron, some graphite, red & black currant, cigar box, dried flowers. Really expressive perfume after 2 hrs in the glass. Medium body palate with bright acidity at the entry, primarily red tree fruit, iron like minerality, currant, and some pencil and soil tones. Medium to long finish with very few tannins. Just beginning to show secondary. Should go great with food. Drink over the next 7-10 years. 91 Bottle 2: Different importer. Perfect fill. Youthful color with bricking at rim. Slightly darker fruit profile than bottle 1 on the nose showing more black currant and spice. The differences on the nose carried through to the palate. Medium + body with more concentration than the first bottle. It seems like there's more barrel treatment showing than the first bottle and it's perfectly integrated adding complexity. The finish is slightly longer and more intense. Maturity level comparable to first bottle. Both bottles showed great poise and balance. 94
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Fill at bottom of neck. Cork came out in one piece. Double-decanted. Immediate intense aromas of ripe black fruits. Served two hours later; spectacular bottle just singing; much more complexity, cigar box and graphite combining with intense ripe fruit and a lovely palate intensity with a very long finish. The ripeness of the vintage is balanced with complexity in this bottle; drinking beautifully but not in any danger of going over the hill.
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0.375 L bottle late Jul 2013: not decanted; rubin red color; immediately after pouring sulfurous off and cork-like taint; however, minutes later: mocca, chocolate, plenty of red and black fruit aromas and flavors; medium body; noble texture; medium/long finish.
A classic claret at highest level. How it should be!
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Tasted with Alex at Yan's China Bistro. Bright red color in the glass, nose of leather, barnyard, red bell pepper, cassis, black cherry, plum and fig, more of the same on the palate, very mouth filling, taste complexity was equal to the bouquet, went on to a lovely, long, long finish and great aftertaste. The wine continued to open during dinner and became more white pepper, more red pepper, more mums and more herbs on the nose, the palate became equally more complex also. Fabulous wine.
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Fireworks in a bottle! Perfect 4th of July BBQ steak accompaniment. Everything going for it from extremely well integrated tannins to layers of delicious fruit with a finish that latest longer than prime time commercials. WOW simply doesn't describe all of the components in the bottle. The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Slow. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Silky texture.
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Dinner at Racquet Club. Very similar to my last experience. Great nose of tobacco, sweet red fruit and earth. Very forward and ripe with a slight minty element and a long smooth finish. Very broad and expansive in the mouth.
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We're talking fabulous aromas of Cuban tobacco interspersed with cassis, chocolate, Allspice and coffee in this Bordeaux. This wine is huge. Stunningly concentrated. Meaty but refined. Powerful, muscular and flawlessly sophisticated. Still tannic, but the tannins are very elegant. This is First Growth in quality! Still young, well stored bottles will easily last for 50 years!
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Dark ruby color without much fading. Pretty nose of grilled nuts, black fruits and spicy earth. Classic LLC with flavors of black currant and that great black earth and mineral quality I find from this vineyard. Medium-bodied with a slight roasted nut character and then builds to a complex finish with notes of dark chocolate, damp earth and minerals. Still very young and not showing much secondary flavor development so as silky and lovely as this is to drink now, I need to keep my hands off the rest of my bottles for a few more years. 93+
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Gloriously perfumed with undertones of cigar box and brandy infused cake. Harmonious with perfectly weighted density and a silkiness remniscent of a Haut Brion. Notes of black tea and pepper on a notable finish. This is why I love aged Bordeaux in a fine vintage.
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My last bottle, purchased on release. Consumed at a steak dinner at Morton's alongside a 1982 Ch. Margaux. Both lovely and still youthful. Almost a coin toss. Happy to drink either of these over the next 5-10 years, as long as it's your bottle!
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Pop and pour; cork came out clean and intact. Had wine up to about 3/4 of the lenght of the cork. Nose of lead pencil and some cellar funk. In the mouth, good plum flavor with cigar box and lead pencil notes. Lead pencil and cedar notes are the dominate profile. Elegant. A refined glass of wine with smooth tannins.
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Right out of the gate, the blast of cedar and tobacco on the nose is enough to knock you back a few feet. The graphite/lead pencil smell was also the strongest I’ve ever felt in a wine (you hear the descriptor thrown around a lot, but this was the first wine to really take me back to grade school, grinding away at the sharpener on my Ticonderoga #2s). A forward vintage for sure, but the wine maintained plenty of elegance and balance, and I never got the impression of "overripeness" here. Plus, this is Las Cases, so it showed enough tannic bite on the palate to remind me that I’d opened it too soon. I know France is usually the reference point, but as I’m not that experienced with Bordeaux, I’ll flip it around here: this drank like a Dunn Howell Mountain from a great year.
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A great bottle at Thanksgiving. The nose just screams of Bordeaux with all of the prototype Las Cases lead pencil. The palate is raging to go, ripe, atypically forward for a Las Cases but still wonderful and with an appropriately dry edge of austerity on the finish. If you like 1990 and are a fan of the Las Cases style in general, I can't see how you wouldn't enjoy this one.
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This is incredible. Perfect balance of fruit, tannins, and acidity. Potentially at or near peak if you enjoy. I have not enjoyed a wine more recently. WOTN with competition from a PerryMore Stageocach 07, Pianpoloere Barolo 00, Giradin Corton--Perrieres Grand Cru 96. Wow
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(Note: I am not a fan of 1990 Bdx) Tastes more of 1990 than St Julien. Popular and accessible, but no minerality and disappointing length. Eclipsed by 1985 and 1996. After 3hrs in glass, finish was more like sherbert. Supplied by LLC and bottle was perfect.
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This was a stunning wine. Blind degustation, found it's year, but wasn't sure of the wine itself. Stunning! Deep red robe, little brick color starting to appear. Round, full body, red fruit. Wow!
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Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): A glorious wine. Some browning on the rim but other than that glossy and youthful in colour. Nose starts of on the light fruit dominated, ripe sweet fruit a touch of right bank. It soon develops its herby cabernet notes though. Fleshy wine, good balance and richness, depth and opulent and complex. Burgundian in a way, quite round and on the fruit. Decent tannin and with a nice finish. Accessible now but this feels it will only improve with more time and easily has another 10-15 years.
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Dark transparent ruby with garnet highlights. Rich cassis and earthy notes with nuances of saddle leather and tobacco. Still quite youthful and firm with abundant fine-grained tannins. Bright refreshing acid lends juiciness to the luscious sweet fruit. Incredibly long and satisfying finish.
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Popped and poured. Cork wet to top and soft. Color garnet brick with browning edges. Nose mostly secondary w cedar and leather framing the dark fruit. Swishing shows significant tannin and some acid starting balanced and soft and becoming more tart with air. Sipping shows resolved Bordeaux fruit with med long somewhat tart finish. Great with lamb chops tonight, a little disappointed with this bottle alone. Seems a little further along than it should be to me.
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Spectacular and totally surprising! This was a fantastic claret! Still rich, full, robust with fantastic silky tanins! Held up amazingly next to the Lafite '90. Amazing nose, backed up by an enchanting palette. Wish I had more of this. Possibly one of the best value older Bordeaux's available.
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Bordeaux v Burgundy III; 7/7/2012-7/9/2012 (The Square, London): Hyper refined and linear - this is sleek and paired back with incredible concentration and purity. Laser like precision of fruit, structure and tannins - very compact. Still young and really needs another 10 years to let that fruit develop even more. Excellent.
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This is a perplexing wine. Some bottles are tight, holding its obvious charms in reserve. Other bottles are starting to open, becoming expressive. This particular bottle needed more time. Smoke, tobacco, cigar box, grave, cedar chest and cassis scents led to a full bodied, powerful, tannic wine that clearly has more to offer as it develops.
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Wine was brought by Tony to 1990s tasting. Leoville is his favorite Bordeaux winery and it was his last bottle of six. We served this wine 5th of six wines. It was dark and had a wonderful body and finish. Served with cheeses - cheddar, mahon and appenzeller. They went so good with it. The wine was loved by everyone and was only topped by the Chateau Montrose.
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Somewhat unfair to put this up against the 89 haut brion. Once that was downed (!!), this wine just kept on going. Classic, precise claret with lovely and persistent redder fruit profile. Superb in its own right.
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Double decanted and drank over 4 hours. Great nose of tobacco, sweet red fruit and earth. Very forward and ripe with a slight minty element and a long smooth finish. This had opened up quite a bit since my last tasting 2 years ago.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Quite an animalistic nose, with some notes of barnyard funk. Very austere on the palate, with no sweetness whatsoever. Tastes hollow, just a boatload of acid; I'm led to believe something is amiss here. Not scored.
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considering how highly rated this wine is, it was rather disappointing - lovely bouquet and the tannins are fully integrated but the wine lacked in length and depth - on this showing, drink soon but perhaps it was an odd bottle?
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New Year's Eve in Eketahuna: A stunning wine of great power. This is archetypal medoc - displaying the essence of dark black currant, graphite and toast in a massive slightly monolithic framework. This could well become a perfect wine in 10 - 20 years. Popped and poured and had it had a half day in a decanter it would shown even better. 97+++points.
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Tar, leather and cedar nose; smooth soft perfectly balanced fruit and acidity; opulent blackberry and soft sweet light black cherry; tobacco; sweet lingering ever present soft tannins; perfect blending of red to light on the edges; beautiful poca dot residual tannins in the glass; St Julien at its finest.
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Brought to my annual holiday lunch at Bibou and served side by side with an 89 Ducru and 89 Beychevelle to accompany a French capon prepared 2 ways: the breast in a cream reduction with salsify and the leg au jus. Opened 2 hours, but not decanted. Dark ruby in color with cassis, leather, truffle and tobacco on the nose. Beautiful smooth balanced palate of blackberry, cassis, earth, leather and mineral. Nice finish and no tannin. Although ratings on CT for this wine are very high, I preferred the spicyness of the Ducru. The Beychevelle was also at its peak. Beautiful wines with a beautiful dish.
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Full bodied, royal ruby and purple and a near perfect nose with all the characterisics of a great Bordeaux- lead pencil, tobacco, currant, sweet earth, forest floor, blackberries and black cherries. Wonderfully rich, concentrated, balanced, smooth and a lingering fisnish.
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Decanted for 90 minutes, the wine offered scents of tobacco, cassis, truffle, black cherry, smoke, menthol, stone and leather. Full bodied and concentrated with ripe, pure, refined, Cabernet Sauvignon, this is really starting to open up. The long, pure, velvet in an iron glove finish leaves a lasting impression. Most of the tannin has melted away. While the wine should continue to improve, there is no reason to delay popping a bottle if you have more than a few in your cellar. I've tasted this wine a lot over the years. Some bottles have displayed a longer, deeper finish. This was a good, but probably not a perfect bottle. Such is life. I'm looking forward to the next one.
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Opened a magnum, decanted, and let sit for 2 hours. Immediately after open a bit of menthol in the nose, however, after sitting for two hours it really opened up. Lots of earth, cedar, leather, and cassis. Round flavors, proper amount of tannin. Served it with fantastic Prime Rib and it was truly a match made in heaven.
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For me, this remains an utterly perfect wine and a true pleasure to experience. The fill was into the neck and the cork (which was soaked haflway to the top) was sound. Opened (but not decanted) about 1 hour before service and consumed over the following 2 hours. A purple-ruby core, turning to blood red at the rim. Notes of cassis, ripe plums, roasted fennel, and truffle jump from the glass, followed by hints of flower, graphite and grilled meat. Medium-bodied, with a glorious and velvety texture; layers of flavor, great balance, and laser-beam focus on the long and complex finish. For me, this absolutely blows away every other vintage of Leoville Las Cases (to include the '82, 86, '95 and '96) that I've tasted.
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Again the Las Cases has the most youthful color of the three Léovilles. It has a beautiful and classical bouquet with good cassis, cedar, lead pencil etc. On the palate the same elements, some bell pepper, beautiful juice and well integrated oak. The good tannin still holds a promise and the wine can easily last another decade. At this moment I score it one point less than the Poyferré tasted beside it, because the latter had even some more luxury and was more a point.
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Popped and poured, which may have been a mistake. Clearly lots of stuffing but showing little on the nose - traces of dark fruit. Firm palate. Weighty. Needs time.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Popped, decanted and poured. Lots of dark fruit, mostly black cherry, with lots of fairly powerful spice. Very ripe fruit comes through particularly from middle to the end. Very showy, seemed very young today.
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Drank after a Ch. Clinet 1990 and a Ch. L'Evangile 1990 which were both served way too warm on an extremely hot night. So we pulled this out of the cellar and splash decanted before serving almost straight away. No detailed notes but this was stunningly good and surprisingly open.........absolutely textbook St. Julien First Growth....gorgeous.......thanks Greg.
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1990s Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 13.5% Opened for 1hr. Beautiful vibrant ruby red. Some alcohol at first but blew off very quickly. The intense aromas displayed very good depth with tobacco, smoke meat and incredible intense sweet dark fruits in the core, truly engaging. Rich, dense with inner power on the palate that wrapped in a elegance, feminine package. I’m surprised this is drinking so well yet so young. I especially like the expansive, velvety mouth feel with excellent purity. Layers of seductive sweet dark fruits along with fresh mineral, autumn leaves and spices that underpinned firmly by the sweet acidity backbone and sweet tannin. This has stunning length with persistent and drive. This is such a classy, seductive Las Cases that flirting with its elegance, finesse and depth. I believe this will easily continue to evolve over the next 10yrs and drinking well for the next 2decades. WOTN for me and many. Buy – Yes.
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This is the complete package; leather, pencil lead, cigar smoke, cassis and red fruits all combining seamlessly into a fantastic, full bodied and superbly balanced whole. Drinking beautifully right now with plenty of fruit framed by mature, developed flavours, and most of the tannins resolved giving this a very polished, silken texture. Amazing wine that's hard to do justice to in words. WOW! will have to suffice here.
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Some random exclusive wines (@ TBa): Wow! I love Léoville las Cases. Very classical in the bouquet as well as on the palate. In the nose there is a little pleasant barnyard, cassis, cedar, cigar box and lead pencil. And although the bouquet is mature it is also still so youthful. On the palate signs of maturity as well, but also beautiful cassis, ripe black fruits and beautifully round and soft still powerful tannin. Beautiful acidity. Harmonious, classical and complex wine. Will probably not really gain anymore, but if you own a perfect bottle like this one was, it will probably still be as good in 2020.
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Tasted alongside a Lafite 1990 and a Gruaud Larose 1990, the Las Cases was plainly the winner. Still plenty of fruit though showing the emergence of farm. Great length. Decanted for about 2 hours before drinking. Time on its side still but doubt it will get much better than this.
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Wine is full mature. Needed some time in the decanter to open up. As time went on, it put on weight. The nose was full of pencil lead, old barnyard, just the way a nice older Bordeaux should smell. The taste revealed totally integrated flavors and this wine is ready for business. It still has backbone and can easily improve over next 5-10 years. But I think the drinking window on CT is a bit optimistic. I do not believe this wine would perform well in 2026. We had this side by side with 90 LMHB, which I did prefer over the LLC. We also had Vega Sicilia Unico 90 which was a bigger wine and provided much pleasure. For the 90 LLC, I say drink up by 2020. A great, mature Bordeaux that most likely would not impress the Napa Cab folks out there.
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One of the best LLC I ever had. Lots of flowery perfume on the nose, no signs of mature age, this baby will outlast us all. Served from decanter over 3 hours dinner. Don't give this wine as a gift to your mother-in-law, life is short - treat yourself nicely.
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drunk next to the 85 LasCases. this wine also looked very young, garnet color. dark fruits on the nose, bit of lead pencil and earth. weighty in the mouth and very long with a touch of dryness. this wine also opened up well over dinner and had a great broad and long finish. pipped slightly by its older brother but this wine has a long and pleasant life ahead of it
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Deep garnet with no bricking on the edge. Mature fruit nose very pronounced. Decanted 90 minutes. Dark red fruits of black cherry and plum are integrated into a smooth presentation that is dominated more by the tannin -- which is still significant but does not detract -- and the tobacco, leather, flinty graphite and white pepper highlights. Lots of barnyard. Big weight wine, long finish. This wine is still developing, and I think it has a couple of years before it's at its best
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Triple decanted and double blind tasted but the cork was removed only once. Leather on the nose, tobacco on the tongue, lead pencil shavings on the mid palate, crushed rocks on the gums, and dry roasted venison marrow on the finish. The subtle essences of white pepper were almost (but not completely) concealed by the almost non-existent whiff of black pepper. This powerful, yet subdued wine was able to both display and conceal the obvious and hidden attributes. The 1990 Leoville las Cases was the hands down, overwhelming choice (by a vote of 4-3) for wine of the night at the 2011 Chappaqua Cassoulet Cookout.
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Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): An interesting mix of sweet fruit and blackcurrant leaf herbaceousness on the nose, opening up to a quite seductive, sweet, spicy element, almost a little slutty. Long and lovely, but almost a little too comely.****1/2
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Wow, a superb showing for this wine after opening my case purchased on release. Double-decanted and brought it to a wine dinner at L'Artusi in the west village, NYC and served after being open about 4 hours. Black color with little fading. Gorgeous nose of roasted nuts, black fruits and graphite. Drinking beautifully now with some nice secondary flavor development but seems like it is still just short of it's peak. Medium-bodied and oh so silky with wonderful flavors that echo the nose. The finish is quite complex with notes of black minerals and nuts and the tannins are so smooth. Las Cases is not the most expressive wine compared to the other seconds but this is really refined and classy juice comparable to the firsts in this wonderful vintage. 2 bottles tasted with similar notes.
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Deep crimson/purple colour with a little lightening at the rim, but exquisite clarity. Nose of tobacco, pencil shavings, menthol, tar, liquorice and black fruit. So youthful on the palate! Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry and maybe a little anise on the palate with some subtle secondary earthy notes. Big fleshy midpalate and a long, long finish supported by the finest and most elegant tannins. A really classy and serious wine still drinking youthfully and very hard to resist. I will try and restrain myself for another 2-3 years until I open the next one.
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This wine is just in a fantastic place at the moment. White pepper, precise limestone minerals,leather and just a hint of bell pepper on a very clean and precise nose. Opulently textured on the palate just balanced between primary and secondary fruit. Palate also has white pepper, leather and beautiful minerals, but as well lots of rich ripe black fruit. This certainly has decades of good drinking ahead of it, but to me it is in such a good place, why wait?
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1990 Leoville Las Cases makes itself known with aromatics of Asian spice, earth, fresh blackberry, caramel, cigar box, tobacco and cassis. This powerful, full bodied, rich, intense wine is polished, sophisticated and intense. It fills your mouth with strong, ripe tannins and round textures. The long, pure, concentrated finish could be mistaken for a top First Growth from a great year. Still young, this can be enjoyed today, but it’s only going to get better with time. This is probably my favorite vintage of Leovlle Las Cases at the moment.
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Léoville Las Cases, St Julien 1990 Decanted 1.5 hours before pouring. Beautiful, deep ruby red to rim, no sign of age. Not a powerful nose: elusive scents of cassis, minerals and a hint of leather. The word purity comes to mind - the Bordeaux equivalent of a Puligny? - and this is underscored by the palate. This bottle delivered perfectly resolved tannins, providing the well-integrated structure and depth to support delicious, ripe dark fruit with a hint of cassis, a touch of minerally earthiness and a long finish. Not rich and mouth-fillingly powerful but exceedingly classy, intense, focused and an absolute joy. Wonderful wine at or close to its peak of perfection; it will probably last for many years so no hurry to drink remaining stock. 97 points.
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Opened (but not decanted) about 1 hour before service; the fill was well into the neck, and the cork was pristine -- great provenance here! A beautiful purple-ruby color, with no signs of amber. An ethereal (and slightly exotic) bouquet, offering up notes of ripe dark fruits (cassis, blackcurrant, and plum) fennel, white truffle, and tapenade; a hint of cedar as well. Medium-bodied, wonderfully full and deep, with loads of fruit, incredible balance, velvety tannins, and a pure, long and focused finish. For me, this bottle was pure perfection!
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Opened 1 hour in advance and decanted. Color still bright and not showing its age at all. Wonderfully and intensely perfumed from the start, with complex fruit and tertiary nuances. Perfume was intense and very clean. All impression were confirmed in the mouth: intense, powerful, balanced, extremely long.Not at its apogee yet, but absolutely a delight to drink. Maybe my best experience with a Cabernet or Merlot based wine. Varietal notes (that I usually don't like very much) were not in strong evidence. We were concerned about the status of this bottle, as it had been bought from an auction, but it lived up to our best expectations.
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Puchased as a future for $36.... This wine continues to improve. Intense fruit with complexity and balancing acidity. I think it'll continue to improve, but I probably won't hold back drinking this spectacular wine.
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Misc Bordeaux 1990 tasting - Martin: What a beautiful nose!! Loads of pine, pencil shavings, iron and smoked meat.. Great intensity and very classic. The same classic things follows into the palate with and amazing flavor of black currant leaves. Nice strokes of freshly ground coffee and a little blueberries. Just a very minor hint of leather and sewer. Perfect elegance and balance! A huge wine.
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Bordeaux 1990 - 20 years later (Martins office): Dark red color, still with a reddish hue. Very pure nose with fresh and elegant blackcurrant fruit and pencil shavings. Extremely refined. Bringing the same cool, pure blackcurrant fruit on the palate along with notes of blackcurrant leaves and stalks and pencil shavings. On the mid palate and finish it grows in complexity adding black cherries, tobacco, prunes and cigar box to the mix. The sweetness and juiciness of the fruit it of great pleasure, but it does not lose its intellectual side, having an underlying mineral and iron streak. Amazing length, laser-like purity and extraordinarily delicious.
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1980s Bordeaux; 6/18/2010-6/20/2010: My biggest disappointment of the evening, this LLC was sulking somewhere outside midtown Manhattan. Yes, there’s a certain lush, creaminess with morello cherry and soft tannins that says this is an LLC of a different color, but it’s aromatically tight and seems a little lean. Off bottle?
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OMG, drank this with a rack of lamb for our anniversary. Absolutely beautiful, classic Bordeaux. Drinking beautifully now, but plenty of life left. This is a lovely, lovely wine!!
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Più buona dell'altra bevuta, molto minerale, dritto, austero. Inizialmente chiuso, poi si apre anche su frutta scura ma piacevole. Bellissima la bocca, lunga, anpia, tanto tannino ma molto vellutato
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Just awesome. Incredible nose of classic Bdx notes of tobacco, stone, and black fruit. Extremely balanced on the palate, with good fruit, fairly resolved tannins, and a long finish. This was from a half-bottle, so may have shown a touch more age (in a very good way) than a 750 would.
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French Wine Tasting in Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C. (Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C.): WOTN. Oh my goodness. Like Chris Bublitz, I literally cheered over this wine. Sex and sophistication came to mind, with flavors of lead pencil and cassis but warm and very giving without an ounce of flab or flat. Rich, yet complex, this wine has reached that happy apotheosis reserved only for the greatest wines where depth of flavor, purity of expression and solidity of structure create palate pleasure with a long finish. It also stood up to my pepper steak with - oh no! - acid filled roasted tomatoes. Quite easily, the wine of the night!
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Decanted 1-2 hours prior to consuming. Quite closed and not really ready to drink, but thick and dramatic in intensity. Swirling produced definite St. Julian/Pauilliac like aromas, lead pencil, etc., but I was struck with how this clearly needs another 5 years. Not sure the 82 is more or less ready than this.
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Fine excellent Bordeaux; decanted 7 hrs; when opened seemed unimpressive, 7 hrs later, rich, complex, concentrated, sweet; has it all, complex with long smooth finish and perfect acidity.
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Best Las Cases I've ever had, to me it's better and more mature than the 1982. Killing nose of pauillac like but a little more creamy, gelatin, tobacco and red and black fruits keep changing in the glass. Very fine tannin with long long aftertaste which last nearly a minute
Ready for business now and should stay that way for a very long time.
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Really liked this bottle. Classic, medium bodied tobacco and well-integrated dark fruits. Well-resolved bottle, but clearly capable of lasting a long time. Very enjoyable. Classy wine.
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Part of a blind tasting of Leoville Poyferre, Barton and Las Cases, 1982, 1990, 1996 and 2000 with Acker. The nose is sweet, creamy and delicious. Relatively forward with caramel, cream and fruits subdued but lacking in intensity. maybe it nees more ti
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The nose on this was great, full of cedar, mushrooms, earth and tobacco. The wine had great balance, dark fruit, but not as sweet as some of the other '90's can be, and long finish.
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Very big nose of minerals leather and some tar. Full bodied with still very full fruit. Finish was a little clipped and wine seems like it is starting to turn bad. Probably slightly off bottle but still drinking nicely.
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I think it was a very nice wine but without the elegance and depth than I usually get with LLC. Decanted for 3h, and it showed a lot of tar, cedar, dark fruits with a roasted edge. Didn't get much of mineral notes that LLC can show. Still very enjoyable. 92-93pts
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I am rarely one to write a public note about a wine, or anything else for that matter. After pulling a bottle of the 1990 Leoville Las Cases from a corner of the wine cellar tonight however I am moved to report a sublime experience. I'm not much on the numbers rating scheme but by my numeric rating I mean merely to reflect an appreciation for a wine that ranks as one of the top handful of delights in a given year of consumption. Surely the lush, ripened/dried elderberries and cherries backed up with the tobacco and leather notes and classic lead pencil undertones are on parade; make that Thanksgiving Day Parade. Moreover, a wine that encourages you to lean back in your chair and savor deeply. Heed the wine. For all the hype of the more recent "vintages of the decade, century. all time, etc." this wine stands among the other great Bordeaux wines of 1990 as evidence of the durability and greatness of that vintage.
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Much less evolved than my most recent bottle - this one was vibrant and drinking as I expected and hoped for. Rich nose of dark and red berry, cassis, and a bit of earth, dried herbs and lead pencil. Full, but elegant mouthfeel with vibrant acidity and good balance. Flavors of black cherry, black currant, cassis and pencil. Significant and slightly drying tannins with a fruity, acidic, long finish. Concentrated, flavorful, complex and elegant. Reminds me a lot of the 1989 Lynch-Bages with perhaps just a bit more finesse. Drinking great now -- I would expect many more years of pleasure.
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With its olive, cassis, cedar and black fruit nose, smells young. The fruit is polished, ripe and pure. There is good intensity and purity to the flavor and the finish is polished
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Smoky cassis, cigar ash, truffles, soil, licorice and a mélange of spice are all easy to find. Powerful, yet not demanding, this intense, regal, Cabernet wine is still tannin. But the ripeness of the tannins offers great textures. This structured, full-bodied wine ends with a juicy mouthful of ripe, dark berries, cassis, fennel and earthy flavors. Still young, this has 20-30 more years of life to enjoy.
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Drinking well in our opinion. Probably not the strongest candidate for long-term aging from here, but another couple of years will serve it well. Classic lead pencil notes, dark red fruit, nicely balanced against a moderate base of tannins now well integrated into the wine. Unlike a few other reviews, we did not decant, but found it tasty once it had a few minutes exposure to the air in nice glasses.
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Rich & Dana graciously offered this bottle from their cellar during dinner following the 1989 Bahans. Garnet to the core, opening with what I call a roasted red bell pepper note that I associate with St. Julien. This is followed by notes of red currant, plum, pipe tobacco and roasted herbs. Very fresh and youthful on the palate, with red fruit and a long, elegant finish. Full, complex and absolutely gorgeous, this can be drunk now or held for another ten years. Thanks R & D!
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Backstreet Bordeaux Tasting (Backstreet Wine Salon - PHX, AZ): Very expressive nose of crushed berries. On the midpalate cherry, cassis & tobacco. Finely grained tannins and a silky smooth finish. This wine is drinking extremely well. 50+5+14+17+7=93
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Offline Backstreet - If it was not due to un fair competition (00 Haut Brion) this would have been my wine of the night. Spectacularly youthful that continued to open up a display perfect balance and intensity.
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First of four bottles bought on release and cellared correctly since then. Paired with 1997 Cos D'Estournel for dinner. Opened and decanted at 2:30pm and drunk with the meal starting around 9:00pm. The wine was a little disappointing at first, seeming short on the mid-palate and with a less intense mouth-feel than I was expecting. Nose and finish were classic, and tannins were still there in the background. Both this wine and the Cos were changing in the glass, and eventually the Leoville started showing up to expectations, but only as we approached nine hours after the bottle was opened. Seems to me that thiis wine still needs a couple of years.
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Tasted side-by-side with the 1983 Poyferré. This one was much better, although the Poyferré was not bad by any means. Very aristocratic touch of cedarbox, black currant fruit and leaves. Still very young, this one will live forever. Needed three hours in the decanter to open up, and then it just improved over the whole evening. First class!
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Not quite sure what to say about this wine. Simply amazing!! The nose is just insanely intense with black currant, pine, pencil shavings, chocolate, vanilla and cedar. With additional time in the glas the nose collects itself nicely. On the palate it is again stunning.. The black currant is pure and fresh with pencil shavings, chalk, coffee and even some sweet dark plum. It is concentrated but still in balance by a huge and impressive acidity. What a beautiful wine!!!!
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Left bank Bordeaux: Dark red color with a brick red hue. Beautiful blackcurrant nose with marzipan, graphite, cedar and a tobacco note. The blackcurrant fruit is just singing over the palate, great intensity and superb purity. Amazing complexity on the midpalate with notes of cedar, marzipan, tobacco leaf, licorice and earth. Fantastic balance and the length is unbelievable, it keeps going and going – pure Duracell. Loads of acidity and tannins perfect integrated in the wine. Elegant, powerful and very classic. Wow.
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32nd Birthday Dinner (Le Gourmand - Seattle, WA): Lovely and intense nose of raspberry, cedar / pencil lead, butterscotch, dark smoky berries, and black currants. Firm tannins on the palate. Perfect balance. Rich fruit and spices on the long glorious finish.
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Second bottle from a case purchased at auction last winter. The first bottle had a faulty corked and tasted tired. This one however, was pristine. Big and concentrated, but balanced. Dark fruit, gravel, smoke, lead pencil. Great, supple mouthfeel, and a long, elegant finish. Drinking well now, but should continue to age effortlessly.
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Nose: Cedar and leather come front and center initially. Then giving way oak and red tree fruits of both medium and dark colors. Hazelnuts made a pass at me while the overall bouquet was just shining and bragging in its own right due to the complex and multi-layered nature of the wine.
Tatse: Really excellent! Smooth and integrated.
Overall: An outstanding- wine. 93-94 Points.
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80s Bordeaux Birthday dinner (Cotes Du Rhone Bistro(Chicago, IL)): nose: very alluring menthol and herb laced nose with smoke, graphite, kirsch, and toast complimented with roots and vegetables. Very pretty nose with serious elegance that evolved more and more over the evening and added some allspice notes too
taste: Plush and elegant with wonderful spice notes, herbs, graphite, smoke, mocha, menthol, red fruits that evolved into more dark characteristics, and some vegetable aspects too.
overall: a gorgeous and elegant wine with a bit of kick to it. Nice silky nose that evolved over the course the evening(and day as it had been a graphite bomb when first opened) adding some texture and silk to it also. Very plush and evolved on the palate, but you can sense that it's still young but make no mistake, this is starting to turn out into a beautiful wine. This will get better and will be a fun one to revisit in 5-10 years
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I was surprised how evolved this bottle was. It had a red and brickesh color and a great nose of dark fruit, a hint of earth, cedar, loam and cassis/plumb. Somewhat subtle flavors that matched the nose. Less fruit than I expected for this vintage -- seemed somewhat more subtle than I expected with very soft edges and a smooth texture. A very good wine, but lacking in vibrancy.
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From a case recently purchased at auction. The other 11 bottles all had excellent fills, but this one was significantly lower, so I thought I would open it first. The cork was completely saturated and spongy. The wine was excellent, but clearly more evolved than it should be. It did not taste cooked - just a bit tired, so I am hoping that this bottle just had a bad cork. I'll open another bottle sometime soon to compare, though.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux at Heidi's (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Third time I've tasted this. Double decanted about 2 hours before pouring. Soaring, complex nose that carries through to a dark palate of black cherries, coffee, pencil lead, meat juice, and smoke. Prodigiously concentrated and structured. Long, tannic finish. Really youthful and very impressive.
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Wednesdays at Heidi's: The color is a dark reddish black. The nose is surprisingly open and offers a complex blend of dark fruit, tobacco/cigar box and lead pencil. The wine came on strong on the attack showing ripe black fruit, mineral and tobacco/smoke. However, the tannins clamp down hard by mid-palate and somewhat obscure the otherwise nice finish. This is perfectly balanced and has a really nice smooth texture. This is a great young wine that was fun to drink now, but deserves many more years of cellar.
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This was brought over for our Halloween pizza party before taking the kids trick or treating. WOW...is what I have to say. I am always like a kid in a candy store (actually very appropriate for the occasion) when I am handed a bottle like this. This was a pop-decant-and pour. The color was dark ruby with very slight bricking around the edges. The nose....WOW....full of mineral, earth....kind of like the barn thing going on with the poop and all....LOVE THAT!....there was some very nice dark fruits, some spice and cedar. I did a lot of swirling to try to get this as much air as possible in the glass. The full bodied palate had explosive flavors of dark fruit, spice, tobacco, still surprisingly showing some firm tannins....this really needed a couple hours in the decanter....but hey Las Cases and pizza with family and the best of friends....FREAKING PRICELESS MEMORIES!...and that is what life is all made up of. We followed this up with a bottle of 2000 Villa di Capezzana Ghiaie della Furba that had been decanting for over 3hrs. This is also no slouch, 94 point rating from WS, 92.8 on CT and myself rated 92. The reason I bring this up is because after drinking the Las Cases, the Ghiaie della Furba was like drinking an 85pt wine.....that was a wake up call for just how good the Las cases was. I am not going to give this wine a # score due to the circumstances it was consumed and no formal notes taken....but make NO mistake...this was an A+ wine. TampaSteve
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Dinner at Wilfred's (New York City): Decanted for 2+ hours and then back into the bottle for another 4 hours before service. This was wide open, loaded with lush, ripe fruit, as ripe as any LLC I have ever tasted, textbook for the vintage, not at all roasted but just pure, gorgeously sweet fruit, totally primary right now with a terrific backbone of minerality. This is going to take a while to get there, but tasted alongside 82 and 85 I really like where this one is heading. Much more generous than the 1982. Much more primary than the 1985. Maybe 'ready' in 15 years but still fun right now.
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Uncorked DK tasting: 1989/1990 Bordeaux (Kenneth): Very dark. Intens and brooding nose with licquer-like qualities, black as well as red fruits and hints of bacon, high quality Cuban cigar (Cohiba?) and lots of pepper. In the mouth its sweetnes is subdued by more pepper. Very long and still tannic.
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Opened this on a Friday nite, let some air in and recorked the bottle. On Saturday, the wine was pretty disjointed. Wasn't working at all. Kinda like Mr. Potato Head missing a bunch of body parts!!! On Sunday nite, this wine was absolutely stunning. Incredible aroma. Beautifully integrated, right level of tannin and acid. Put on some weight over the last two days. Multilayered and complex. Full bodied and intense but elegant. Wow. This was awesome. Can I just have this wine experience every night??!!!
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Great nose of minerals, earth, leather and a touch of cedar. A little muted on the palate but after an hour in the decanter opened up considerably. Went great with prime dry aged filets. Needs time, will not touch one for a few years.
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Dinner with Evan Lobel & Friends with Lobel's Meats; 4/14/2007-4/15/2007 (The house of Jeff and Fran Kadish in Croton, New York): Pretty solid blackish color, this was sporting an unbelievably fragrant nose of sweet black earth, minerals and black licorice. On the palate, though, the wine didn't quite live up to the nose. It did show delicious blackberry and licorice flavors and possessed that beautiful ethereal texture of a great Bordeaux but virtually no secondary flavor development. I generally think this is a great Las Cases that is beginning to drink well but perhaps out of magnum it just needs a lot more time. 91+
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Could not have described this better than Eric (below). "A revelation" indeed. Ethereal, almost burgundian in its softness. Layer upon layer of flavor, all in perfect balance.
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Dinner with He Who Must Not Be Named (Jim Clary's): Full crimson red color. Big forward black fruit with some green pepper notes. Big tight black fruit with firm tannins and a long coffee finish. Both my and the group's WOTF.
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Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Young nose or rich red cherry with toasty edge. Rich, ripe dark fruits on the palate with nicely integrated tannins. Very classy and long in the mouth. My favorite of this flight.
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Great Wines of Bordeaux dinner (Ken Kailin's): Blind. Full ruby red. Lovely complex nose of briar red fruit and hints of green pepper. Tightish black fruit on the palate with some spice.
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Tasted July 15, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Lenox Grand Bordeaux glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of cedar, pepper and graphite. Flavors of black cherries and black berries dominate in this still very young wine. Medium acidity, firm yet integrated tannins. Good overall balance. Full bodied. Too young. Needs more time. No value recommendation.
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Decadence II (Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia): A wild nose of brambly blackberry, black olives, ash, herbs, mint, some mulch and a fair amount of oak lingering in the background. A tightly coiled palate promising so much potential. Lots of pure sweet fruit on the gorgeously long palate. Was sacrificed too young (but it went to a good cause!).
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This was a great wine. The color was dark ruby, and looked like a young wine. The nose was dominated by tobacco/cigar box and lead pencil. The wine came on strong on the palate with dark fruit and earth flavors before turning stern and tannic by mid-palate and the finish. A great young wine that needs many more years of cellar age.
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Great Wines at Brad's House (Minneapolis): Same bottle as Siggy's TN... Beautifully expressive nose that reminded me a bit of a more evolved, slightly scaled down version of the 1982 Latour that followed this wine. Gorgeous aromatics of cigar box, cedar and smoke. I loved the weight and texture. This wine is nicely mature, though I'm sure will hold for a while. Thanks Steve!
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Follow Up Dinner of (Mostly) Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Wow, this was a seriously good bottle. Ugly cork with signs of seepage, but the wine didn't seem damaged. Classic nose of lead pencil and cedar; after about two hours of air, unwound to reveal a beautiful core of minerals and black cherries. Structure, structure, structure is what this was all about. Still tight, with fine-grained tannins.
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Glorious! Still deep ruby red with little bricking. Beautiful Bordeaux boquet but amazingly primary offering up cassis and cedar. A seemless wine with plenty of fruit overlayed with oak but tottally resolved tannins. Soft and supple. This is a beauty. This will hold for many years and would be interesting to revisit in another 5 to ten years to see if if it devolpes tertiary characteristics. However, I doubt the texture and mouthfeel can improve from this point.
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Seriously the best glass i have ever enjoyed. Outstanding richness of black fruits, pencil and leather - overwhelming body and lenghth. It took me two nights to drink this perfect bottle in great respect (Riedel Bordeaux Grand Cru Glasses). A wine like winning the Ryder Cup 18,5 : 9,5 two times in a row. The price has gone up sadly to 140 Euros. Drinking Window 2007 - 2015.
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Dad's birthday dinner. Low/medium neck fill; some signs of minor seepage on the cork. Single decanted for 6 hours. Black/red with no bricking. The nose screams with lead pencil and cedar. Very tight; with coaxing, the palate reveals deep, dense flavors of cassis and smoke. Amazing minerality. The fruit stays mostly in the background, much more so than my other recent 1990 Bordeaux data point, which was a marvelous Cos d' Estournel. Probably needs 5 more years to unwind and fully reveal iteslf.
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Leoville Las Cases in NYC (AOC Bedford): Big, punchy with some dark fruit. Smooth and somewhat hot, concentrated, complex and very dense. Could use more bottle age. Wonderful. A
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Huge, massive wine features complex aromas of cassis, wet earth and black fruit. Huge, dense, plush mouth feel makes a seemingly endless finish. Perfect balance. This remains amazingly youthful.
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When tasting this before I have had bottles which have been stunningly forward, and I have had some which have been promising yet too young. Purchased from a restaurant list, this one fell into the latter category. Tight, young, beautiful, screaming with minerality, and showing loads of lead pencil and cassis, this bottle was gorgeous yet ultimately too young to flip over. I threw rare lamb at it, three hours or air, hard cheese, and yet it never offered up its full potential. Still, the graphite, minerality and purity of this wine is utterly striking. And with air and coaxing it shows ripe cassis on the nose amidst wafting notes of cedar and even some powdered sugar. You can tell this is ripe, yet ultimately this is just too young. Still, this is a stunning claret with amazing potential.
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1990 Leoville Las Cases Initially quite reserved, but with time and some coaxing in the glass the Las Cases came to life showing off its multidimensional black fruit, graphite and leather notes. Concentrated and exceptionally balanced, with a long dusty tannin-defined finish. Gorgeous and ever-so-worthy! 4+ stars (96
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This may have been my WOTN, a completely different aminal from the CdP's in the next flight. Just enought age to make it interesting but this have a very long life ahead of it. At first a wiff of green but that blew off. Great depth of furit and concentration...the flavor profile just spread out accross the palate and hung there. Great dark fruits with excellent balance and the tannins are integrating perfectly. One comment was "I can wait to find out what this is to see if I can afford it" Many in the group thought that the wine may have been Cheval Blanc as blind they had the perception of a high percentage of Cab Franc.
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Holy smokes, thank-you God !! No really. Where is my mum, at 2 am, I need to call her. This is definitely a moment. Rich black tar core, violet rim Silky, seductive, rich black cassis on the palate, comparable road-tar, solid fruit. This could very well be perfect. I'd feel comfortable with 5 more years in cellar, but it's rich, mature finish now is stunning. Layers and layers of evolution over 3 hours, I wish I had 12 more bottles. Every sip is a religious experience for me, I just wish I had some pizza to go with it Classic Bordeaux. 98-100 pnts
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Pre-Parker warmup dinner at Citronelle (Washington DC): My goodness, where did this materialize from? We never really figured that out. This is always one of my absolute favorite bottles of Bordeaux, and a pour from this bottle, late in the evening, long after I was blotto, still delivered the goods. All I can say is "oh baby!"
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Drunk at the Royal Overseas League where it cost £45 a bottle (as compared with the £180 that Berry Bros ask for it retail). A perfect young, but approachable, claret. Persistent blackcurrant and plum; the cedar, smoke, charcoal present but in the background. My score is based on its taste now, when it is still not that complex. But it will probably develop into something really spectacular.
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This wine seemed to be on something of a roller coaster, showing a powerful nose initially that faded quite rapidly, only to slowly rebound gradually with time. Tobacco and rich cassis notes on the nose, with an impressive structured palate coating texture in the mouth, it was clear that this had at least some of the elements of an exceptional wine. But something seems to be missing here—possibly it was simply too young, but I suspect that this was a slightly off bottle given the rapid collapse of the aromas and the one-dimensional if powerful palate.
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1990 Leoville Las Cases, This was my WOTN Great depth of fruit, penetration and persistence as the wine crossed the palate. It expanded in the mid palate and had a thickness of fruit and concentration that extended for what seemed to be a minute. Lead pencil, leather, earthy and forest floor rapped around black fruits were all obvious in the aromas. This is a wonderful wine to drink now.
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Wine tasting. Nose shows black cherry, cassis, some cherry liqueur, licorice and tobacco, with emerging mushroom aromas. Flavors are all still vibrant and youthful, showing lots of power and concentration but also great texture and balance. Most likely just approaching its peak drinking window.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA, USA): Holy crap, this wine is amazing! Dominant notes of cedar are tinged with tobacco, roasted plum, and lead pencil. On the palate this is just unreal, a revelation. This is so youthful yet so complex, powerful and long. Whenever I tasted this wine I had the equivalent of wine-induced Turets syndrome, as I would swear uncontrollably. The 7 tasters rated this as 98, 98, 99, 97, 95+, 95 and 96, the WOTN.
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Tasted at Handford's, in same flight with 1990 Palmer and 1990 Lynch Bages. Medium ruby color, some thinning at the edges, but not much. Nose is slightly herbal - moss, coffee, cedar. Good fruit, powedry tannins and slightly hot finish. This wine is very tightly knit, and would clearly benefit from waiting many more years. Promising and best of the flight.
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Tasted in single-blind fashion at an '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep-to-opaque ruby robe with dark red rim. Clean, very intense bouquet of black cherry, mocha, dust, damp earth and pencil shavings. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, big ripe tannins and a creamy texture. The flavors mirror the bouquet. Long, smooth finish. Although it is stunning now, it has the stuffing to ensure further improvement in the bottle. Perfectly paired with the farm raised Virginia lamb saddle (with tarbais bean ragout in lamb basil juice).
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Dark red. Slightly closed on the nose, but with vigorous swirling, notes of dark berries and forest floor emerged. Well defined and classic in taste, large bodied and well structured. I loved the sweet juicy nature of this wine, and the finish was harmonious, balanced and long on notes of cherries and black currant.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 Bordeaux (Woodinville, WA, USA): This was Laurent's second bottle and was much better than the first. However, this still showed quite differently from the two others times I have had this wine. This bottle had a group rating of 90.25. Very floral with a remarkably sweet palate, very much open for business with a medium finish. My notes were thin by this point of the tasting, but it was a classy, enjoyable wine. Not a great bottle though.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 Bordeaux (Woodinville, WA, USA): Laurent brought two of these in 375ml. The first was NR and seemed badly oxidized. It was briefly alive in the glass showing beautiful, floral and lead pencil notes, but then it died in the glass in a matter of moments. NR
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Wine tasting. Lots of fresh primary fruit on nose. Palate also shows mostly primary character with some good spice in background. Good structure in balance with the fruit. Drinking nicely today, with good upside potential from here.
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Opened a 750ml from my cellar with Kirk & Melissa Glerum at Rover's. This was another remarkable bottle although not quite at the heights of the 375ml I enjoyed in December. Amazing juice!
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Well I have absolutely no self-control. Tonight we went back to Lampreia, and the 375ml of the 1990 Leoville Las Cases looked so lonely in my cellar I just had to put it out of its misery... I double-decanted it three hours before serving. The fill on the bottle was very good, and the cork was in extremely good shape, no signs of seepage, and the capsule turned easily. The moment I yanked the cork there was already black fruit and lead pencil pouring forth from the bottle. I decanted, rinsed the bottle, poured the wine back in and reluctantly corked it back up (it was already begging to be drunk).
At the restaurant we decanted right away about an hour before eating--the aroma was already spilling out of the decanter--I have never smelled a wine this exuberant! The color was inky black with no lightening at the rim. This is a 12 year old wine? When we finally got to tasting it an hour later the nose was screaming of cedar, lead pencil, and black fruit. Words just can't do justice to the intensity of the nose! The mid palate was lush and powerful, a bit tight for another half hour but finally loosening up and gaining a powerful, velvety smoothness. The wine displayed a lovely balance of tannin, fruit, acid and alcohol. The finish was powerful (45 seconds) and got longer and more complex as the night wore on. If there was any knock against this wine, it was that the mid palate was perhaps a bit tight and not quite as multidimensional as a few other wines I have tasted. Perhaps a couple more years would have helped to resolve that. But wow was this a blockbuster that left me shaking my head after every sip! Finally about 3.5 hours after the initial decant it started to dry out a bit and expose more tannin and cedar--time to finish up. What a bottle! Compared to other descriptions of this wine, I felt like my bottle was perhaps more advanced than some. I'm not terribly experienced, but I would attribute this in part to the 375ml format. All in all, this was one of the most stunning wines I have ever tasted. Incredible juice!
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Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque ruby robe and dark red rim. Clean, intense nose of black cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cola, coffee, anise and pencil. Low-to-medium acidity, with ample but supple tannins. Full-bodied and absolutely delicious on the palate, showing the spectrum of flavors as noted for the nose. Long, smooth finish. This is a fantastic Leoville which will (amazingly) further improve and then should hold for several years thereafter.
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Dark red. Marvellous classic cigarbox Bordeaux nose. Yummy. Wonderfully big and boysterous, well-defined and structured. Ripe and dense fruit. Extremely long after-taste. Goes on. GREAT.
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Tasted at blind California vs. Bordeaux tasting. Deep ruby with red rim. Nose slightly more open, with plum, cherry and oak. Still quite tannic and closed on palate, but less so than previous tasting 10/27/93. Needs time. Was able to identify this wine blind!
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Tasted blind at horizontal 1990 Bordeaux tasting at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Opaque mulberry with violet rim. Nose shows closed currants and oak. Not yet complex. Medium body palate, compact with cranberries and currants. Medium, tannic finish. Personal rank 6, group rank 1 of 8 tasted.
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4/26/2024 - Tonythefish wrote:
At base of neck. Low to medium fruit, but drank beautifully after being open for about 40 minutes. A lot of floral notes, with light hints of spice. 30 second finish
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4/12/2024 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork soaked. Base neck fill. Very little sediment. A relatively early maturing Las Cases. Classic tobacco and graphite on the nose and palate with elegantly ripe black and red fruits. Some sweet vanilla Oak and a 20 second finish. Not my favorite Las Cases and I like this wine more some years ago. I was hoping for more depth of flavors and length of finish. Perhaps this was just a slightly off bottle, but for those still waiting on their '82s and '86s, this one is ready now.
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3/18/2024 - Rob Hansult Likes this wine: 92 Points
Med garnet w/some ruby. Rich soy/umami, cherry sauce, beef blood, pencil lead. Good ripeness; med intensity. Mostly resolved tannins.
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3/17/2024 - ove_stammrud wrote:
Klar, dyp og fantastisk parfymert; med nyanser av fermentert tobakk, bråtebrann og blåbær smeltet sammen i kraft og eleganse. Hint av kvernet kaffe i munnen, sammen med sunn frukt og toner av vanilje. Vinen er både frisk og saftig, med en imponerende kompleksitet som strekker seg fra en luftig og forlokkende rødlig eleganse i retning burgund, til en fløyelsaktig munnfølelse med silkeaktig finish. Topp kvalitet
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3/1/2024 - vvWine.ch wrote: 97 Points
Gereiftes Rubin, orangefarbene Ränder. Offene, gereifte Nase, komplex, Eukalyptus, Cassis, Tabak. Im Gaumen zugänglich, mit Schmelz, delikate Frucht, abgeschmolzenes Tannin, der Wein hat einen warmen Charakter, die Säure verleiht noch immer Struktur und Frische, im Abgang von sehr guter Länge, endet auf einen Mix aus dunklen und roten Beeren. Big, big Wine und vermutlich die beste Flasche, die ich von diesem Wein bisher verkosten konnte.
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2/27/2024 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
4 of 6 decanted @ 4:00 served @ 8:30. Youthful dense ruby color, tight, darkly fruited nose with hints of tar ….
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2/18/2024 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Showing a bit more age on the nose with this bottle.
But it is still absolutely amazing on the palate.
This is starting to slide past its prime so I’d drink up over the next 5 years.
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2/10/2024 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 96 Points
Full body, beautiful round profile and incredible fruit, balance and depth.
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1/28/2024 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine and Cigars on a cold and rainy Sunday (Atlanta, GA): '90s vertical tasting: Caparzo La Casa BDM, Leoville Las Cases and La Tour Haut Brion. PNP and paired steak and potatoes. Cherry on the nose. Even after an hour in the glass the nose is so alive! Out of this world even! Drinking extremely well and this definitely has a few more years until peak. WOTN out of the four we drank that day. Brad - heavypourwine.com
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1/5/2024 - redders Likes this wine: 95 Points
From Mag. Decanted 5 hours. Deep colour still some purple. Classic complex cedar tobacco ripe intense fruit. Spectacular on palate. Fanned out with black fruits and minerals all contained by fine grained tannins. Long long finish. Glorious.
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1/4/2024 - gflammer Likes this wine:
Drinking great right now.
Immediately on open strong barnyard nose that dissipated after 30 minutes that lead into beautiful dark red fruit, black cherry, plum, cassis, red currant that stuck around for the next 2 hours. Finally showing its age after the 3 hour mark highlighting old leather, cedar, and forest floor notes.
On the palate this was still a beast. Full bodied with still vibrant acidity and a finish that lasted a minute or longer. Tannins were still nice and firm. Just a very fun wine to experience at this point.
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12/25/2023 - JJA Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine of the night. As usual, the nose on this is absolutely fantastic. It’s medium bodied with a good long finish. Same experience as my prior bottles. Really no need to wait more time here. Drink and enjoy now.
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12/25/2023 - MattB72 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine. Great nose on the open but took 2-3 hours to fully open. Seems like the wine is in a very good place now and I doubt it develops any further.
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12/8/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Celebration (State Street Manor & Racquet Club - Chicago IL): Alongside the 1989, both wonderful, I think this 1990 was ever-so-slightly better with greater balance, even if less power.
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12/2/2023 - Ozen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very smooth but followed by a wondeful bottle of La Mouline 1998 the LLC has a hard time to live up to its reputation. Of course bottles vary and this may just be that, but the La Mouline 1998 blew the LLC away.
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11/30/2023 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 100 Points
All it took was one sniff to know this was a fabulous Bordeaux. Medium ruby-garnet color, slight amber edge. Powerful complex aromas of tobacco, cedar, French oak, cassis. Still plenty of fruit, cassis and blackberries, very long slightly sweet aftertaste. This remains at its peak, will probably last even more years.
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11/18/2023 - essenceofreal wrote:
this was a real enigma. very unlike other bottles i've had of this.
drank over 3 days (!). first day slow oxed 4 hrs, decanted 2 more. still kinda one dimensional, good, but not as it should be. put back in the bottle, decanted 2 more hours day 2. getting better, albeit still not to par.
day three, still half a bottle left, opened nicely. more of what one would come to expect w this wine with the tobacco and cedar finally gaining more control. finish has come way out.
just goes to show how these french wines can age and go and go. always been my rule, just wait if its not drinking right. just may come around in a few days. sure enough this was no exception. i'm shocked really how much time this needed to breathe. no way napa could do this.
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11/17/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A great bottle of this showing real precision and depth. Tremendous flavors of subdued black fruits with notes of tobacco and a Latour-like earthy, mineral flavor. Layered and silky with good freshness and a chiseled character. The finish is deeply satisfying with complex notes of Asian spices and smoked gravel. A great showing.
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11/13/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 95 Points
Good fill, cork in excellent condition with only a 3/8 inch run. So after disappointing tastings of Ch. Leoville Bàrton 1990 and Ch. Montrose 1990 I had to try another 1990 Bordeaux and chose to stay in St. Julien with Las Cases and very glad I did. Cedar, tobacco and blueberry nose from initial pour and decant. Unlike the prior bottle this was delicious from start to finish but definitely more complex and satisfying after 24 hours open. Velvety smooth mouth feel, yummy dark fruit tinged with tobacco and subtle minerality. My faith in 90 Bordeaux is restored.
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11/11/2023 - sooper65 wrote: flawed
Dam shame
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9/8/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:
Greener than my last bottle, almost to green pepper, outweighing the red-black fruit. Medium-bodied, soft like you would expect from a 30+ year old wine, with a fine acid line. Not bad, but the green detracted from the overall experience.
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9/3/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Weelend with Friends and Wine; 9/3/2023-9/4/2023 (Asian Spice House - Buchanan MI): Popped, decanted, and poured. Lush and dense right out of the gate, clearly open for business and full of charm. Layers emerged with a little more air, but experience has taught me that more air won't help. Very good now.
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9/3/2023 - Ozen Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank LLC 1990 next to the 1996. Both wonderful wines, where the 1990 is just a tad more sophisticated and harmonious. The 1990 is an incredibly captivating hedonistic wine. One of the most appealing wines i have ever had, and by now enjoyed more than 12 times. I would definitly vote for this to be a premier Cru up there with the great 5 and for sure more utter class than Chateau Margaux. This wine has it all.
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8/23/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 100 Points
Les Degustateurs last tasting for a dear friend (Smyth and the Loyalist Chicago, IL): Brilliant color. Deep flavor just laying on your tongue. Lasting finish. Perfect bottle for tonight. I have a magnum. Wait to enjoy.
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7/31/2023 - iBurg1229 Likes this wine: 96 Points
13.5% ABV. Gorgeous medium garnet appearance. Decanted for 1 hr and followed over a few hours.
Concentrated attack of cassis, blackberry, black plum, eucalyptus, Cuban cigar, dried rose petal, nutmeg, anise, dark chocolate, leather, and sous bois. Medium density on the palate with a persistent length of finish. Velvety and fully resolved tannins are packaged with a lifted acidity.
At first whiff, the class and regality was apparent. Over the next few hours, this really blossomed into an absolute beauty. This LLC is the full package and text book definition of Bordeaux. A stunner at the peak of its powers and can easily sustain at this level for several more years.
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6/23/2023 - Benoit Hardy wrote: 92 Points
Bottle purchased from a wine merchant who acquired it en primeur. The bottle has not moved from its very cool cellar at 12°C. This precision is important for the rest given that I tasted the same wine from the same source in 2021.
Nose of black fruits and a menthol background. The end of the bottle will be more evolved with tobacco and spices.
Silky mouth, it is fluid and it glides on its own while the juice is of an extraordinary concentration. And yet, the wine struggles to untie, remaining in a somewhat boring rigor It is still quite monolithic in its expression, something I already remembered in 2019. The wine is well made, structured and balanced thanks to a magnificent acidity in particular, it struggles to fully express itself in this yet rich vintage. There is however tobacco, pepper or even cinnamon, but the score is monotonous, without harmony. Beautiful finish still slightly tannic which extends over a good length.
It's very good, but far too monolithic. Lynch Bages or Pichon Baron to speak only of them bury this wine on the same vintage.
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5/20/2023 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 96 Points
Jason's belated Birthday: Always wanted to have this wine with some first growths and see how it stands up and it didn’t disappoint for sure. Pretty much everyone’s 2nd of the night after the Lafite.
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5/19/2023 - pclin wrote: 96 Points
Another wonderful showing tonight and was still extremely young, may have upside from here. Fine tannins, vibrant acidity, good balance and complexity, this got everything going on for it, just not as sexy as the Lafite. Single blind.
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5/15/2023 - MJM4032 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Totally agree with the others who have had this bottle recently. Enough to it was spectacular!
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5/5/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
An all star performance on day 1 and day 2.
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5/4/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking so beautifully now with a wonderful layered texture and very soft tannins so that the wine just slides down the tongue. Delicious terroir-driven flavors of faded black fruits and dusty gravel that lead to such a smooth finish with additional complex notes Asian spices and fine minerals. Fully mature and should stay at this plateau for 10+ years at least.
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4/21/2023 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (J&J's): Double blind. Black fruit, tobacco, dried herbs, roasted red bell pepper and forest floor notes. Full-bodied. Abundant black fruit with tobacco and plum flavors. Medium+ tannin, but balanced by the fruit. Lengthy finish. Absolutely lovely. (J&J)
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4/21/2023 - Border Boss Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 4 hours before service. Purchased on release. Medium red with some browning. Tight tannins and good acidity. This is a big wine showing some good red fruit and a lot of complexity. Mature but not in decline at all. Probably 20 years left on good examples.
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3/30/2023 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very intense aromas with great depth, but atypical from the rest in this vertical. Richer with dark fruit, plums, a touch of brett. Complex with fine tannin and balancing acidity More depth and rich fruit almost full bodied which is explained by the much highter than normal content of Merlot (60% this year) Anyway, intense and hedonistic and at perfect point in time. Drink now and 10 more years.
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3/27/2023 - hargy Likes this wine: 94 Points
sensational - mature, balance, warm fruit and great length - an outstanding LLC at its peak
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3/26/2023 - Ozen Likes this wine: 96 Points
At its very peak, fully integrated, great balance, harmonious, classy, wonderfully soothing. This bottle showed some loss of the LLC '90 energy.
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3/24/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Great fruit and ripeness. Forward and polished
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3/23/2023 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Half. Nicely deep ruby. Blackcurrant and cigar box nose. Nicely rich on the palate, some padding and plushness around a classical frame. After about 30mins or so, the wet cardboard starts to appear on the finish, and a few minutes later there’s no doubt, it’s corked. This is one where if one opened it to taste before taking to a dinner, one would look a bit daft when it was poured. Shame because there was a **** possibly ****1/2 wine there initially.
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3/22/2023 - MOWineBoston Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dinner Maison Pavlov March 22 2023. Maya’s favorite but a tad below 1989 Montrose and 2003 Haut Brion. Still a fantastic wine and great pairing with appetizers / starters.
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2/18/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 92 Points
The fill was all the way to 1/2 inch from the cork so I was surprised when the bottom 20% of the cork broke off even when using an ah-so cork puller. So I can't say the bottle was flawed but this bottle was not as amazing as the two prior bottles from the same case. The nose was classic cedar and cigar box with hints of dark fruit underneath.
The tannins are still present, the finish is 10-15 seconds but not as tingly as the last time but then again it has been 10 years since the last one. I was not on cellar tracker back then but I would have rated it plus 95 points. The fruit is still there, the mouth feel is still velvety and yet not as impressive as previously. Now that the wine has been decanted again it is showing more life and reminding more of the prior tasting. . I am somewhat dissapointed but still this is classic Bordeaux so I have to assume this is bottle variation so I look forward to the next bottle.
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2/14/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 97 Points
My third time of tasting from a case, this is unwavering in its delivery. Both the 1989 and 1990 are untypically forward for the estate, and this is drinking magnificently with a couple of hours in the decanter. The nose is magical and perfectly balanced between fruit and secondary notes. Packed with aromatic blackcurrant, plum, and cedar notes, the nose is lingering, but the palate really elevates the wine to a new level, displaying secondary and early tertiary characteristics, but still retaining a good tannic bite. The finish is first rate, but doesn't quite match the rest of the experience. What a wine, and possibly my wine of the vintage after the.Haut-Brion.
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2/9/2023 - Michael Mackenzie Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tried at a friend's house in HK. Wow!
Colour: v deep red, v thin rim, still purple tinge.
Nose: full, very complex, brooding and developed beautifully over the evening. Still fresh and vibrant.
Taste: full bodied, rounded, excellent depth of fruit, v long finish with all the complexity to be expected here.
Overall, a sheer delight, classic claret of the first order.
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2/6/2023 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
2 of 6 decanted @ 4:00 back in the bottle @ 6:30 brought to Balavara where we paired it with the 89 LLC. This comparison confirmed how atypical the 90 is, red fruited, rounder, richer and more giving than the 89 which was more typically dark fruited and rustic
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1/14/2023 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 95 Points
Kleur: Diep robijnrood met een - ten opzichte van de gisteren geproefde '86 - zeer duidelijke verkleuring richting oranjebruin. Aroma / bouquet: Stoere en krachtige neus waarin vooral gedroogd donker fruit, zoetige kruiderij en een hint van natte bosgrond. Smaak / Afdronk: Klassieke en krachtige aanzet, verfijnde zuren, fluweelzachte tannines, retronasale impressies van zwarte bessenjam en bosgrond, Boterzacht, harmonieus en met een aangenaam lange finale. Algemeen / potentieel: Het vier jaar jongere broertje van de gisteren geproefde fles toonde meer verkleuring dan de '86 maar is tegelijkertijd krachtiger, vitaler. En NOG aangenamer. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
Colour: Deep ruby red with - compared to the '86 tasted yesterday - very clear discoloration towards orange brown. Aroma / bouquet: Tough and powerful nose in which mainly dried dark fruit, sweet spice and a hint of wet forest soil. Taste / Finish: Classic and powerful attack, refined acidity, velvety tannins, retronasal impressions of black currant jam and forest soil, Buttery smooth, harmonious and with a pleasantly long finish.[ i] General / potential: The four years younger brother of the bottle tasted yesterday showed more discoloration than the '86 but is at the same time more powerful, more vital. And EVEN more pleasant. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Taste / Aftertaste: 18 + General / potential: 9 = 95/100
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1/2/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 95 Points
Beat the '89 Angelus: A stunning wine. Guessed this as 1990 straight off the bat but someone gazumped me to Las Cases! Consistent with the last couple of times I had this, such a sensual and silky wine with perfectly balanced dark red fruit. Wonderful finish. Tied 3-3 for wine of the lunch with the LMHB.
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1/2/2023 - pclin wrote: 95 Points
Paired with ‘88 LMHB, this was showing much older. One of rare LLC that’s fully ready. Clean floral nose, smooth tannins and excellent balance, drinking really well now. Co-WOTD with ‘88 LMHB.
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12/31/2022 - Kellch wrote: 98 Points
Amazing bottle - hedonistic wine with great fruit and complex other aromas. Bottle opened 4 hrs in advance.
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12/27/2022 - jcbodin wrote: 97 Points
I could say that thee legs are medium. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. The wine finishes medium.
But who cares? I tasted really good!!! That's all I will say.
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12/10/2022 - JEP007 wrote: 95 Points
Cork in perfect shape, did not need Durant. Still maintaining its freshness, the nose is fully tertiary with green pepper, herbs, eucalyptus, sage, cedar and cassis notes. Also, minor floral notes. The oak is quite present. This is not a flashy wine, and if I could dress it up, it's more tweed jacket and flat cap over an Italian wool suit. We thoroughly enjoyed this!
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11/30/2022 - DH90 Likes this wine: 96 Points
The ullage in this bottle was excellent. Deep purple color with some light reddish separation in the edge but not much considering its age. Initially rich blackberry fruit, cassis, and faint cedar. As it opened, it showed charm and elegance. Tasted in a flight of 4 Las Cases including the 86, 89, and 95. The 86 was great but faded gradually while the 90 became more complex and interesting. At a plateau now but this should drink well for a decade or easily more.
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11/24/2022 - schan109 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Good aromas compared to LCC 83 and 90. More approachable with black current, cedar and tobacco. Medium finishing. Nice drinking but not as complex as expected. Some leather taste after 2 hour.
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11/18/2022 - dcwino wrote: flawed
A lost Friday afternoon gathering – Cristal, DP, Giacosa, Produttori and etc. (Black Salt, Washington DC): Another corked bottle. This is the third consecutive bottle that is corked. Caveat Emptor!
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10/2/2022 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 95 Points
A light bodied Bordeaux that is in a perfect place. All the aromas in place and a nice long finish. The cork was very soft which makes me question any bottle that hasn’t had impeccable storage conditions. Probably time to drink up.
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9/17/2022 - JCA49 wrote: 100 Points
Beyond extraordinary! The wine was purchased on release and stored at 57 deg. F and 75% RH. The ullage was just over 0.5 in. Double decanted for 2.5 hrs. The perfume from the wine in the decanter filled the cellar with aromas of dark current, cedar, and tobacco. On the palate similar flavors were experienced. But the flavors were just so deep with a sweet component. Very, very long finish. No flaws at all in this wine.
If I was condemned and having a last meal, this is the wine I would want to have with it. It is that good.
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9/3/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not all vintages of Léoville Las Cases take forever to come around. From a perfectly stored bottle, this one is round and mature. Full color, no orange. A nice black cherry note adds interest to the usual monolith of black currant. Nice acidity and concentration. Sometimes Léoville Las Cases can be almost boring due to lack of complexity but this vintage is a total success.
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8/25/2022 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Brief note.
This continues to drink amazingly. It’s stunning. Mouthfeel, texture, fruit an tannin all perfectly balanced. This is in the zone. Drink now and over the next 5+ years.
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7/20/2022 - Song103 wrote: 91 Points
From 375, past peak. DRINK if you have 375
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7/16/2022 - Ozen Likes this wine: 93 Points
There is once again a lesson here in drinking this bottle: Even at this age there are not just great vintages, but only great bottles. This bottle of one of my all time favorite greatest domains is just lacking the so much admired great complexity and "awesomeness". The wine definitely had no cork but was simply rather unassuming and unimpressive. What a contrast with previous bottles.
At the same time I have similar experiences with the LLC 1998, some superb bottles and some quite unimpressive , if not mute, ones (even in a vintage like 1998, which was remarkably good the past couple of years).
It does make me wonder whether this is a LLC thing to count with as I notice bottle variation here seems a bit higher than other domains.
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6/18/2022 - unrelenting wrote: 100 Points
Never ending on the palate. Peak drinking
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6/17/2022 - tbabes wrote: 99 Points
Double decanted two hours before service. Deep garnet core with some bricking; complex and extroverted on the nose, with scents of ripe plums, cassis, roasted herbs, black truffle and hints of forest floor. Medium bodied, with a silky texture, incredible depth and balance, with a long and savory finish. Great stuff, and this bottle seemed to be approaching full maturity!
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5/22/2022 - Marc wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Classic Medoc with vibrant graphite notes, currants, and beautiful elevage. Drunk between a Harlan Estate 1994, and the Mouton Rothschild 1982, this wine possibly suffered from being less intense than the former, and not as refined as the latter! However, the LLC was the best wine with the dish of braised beef cheeks with a celeriac puree - its lean, iron-ore note and dimension cut through the richness of the dish in a way that elevated both the wine and the dish. The Harlan came across as too much of a good thing, while the MR felt too subtle . While I have had better bottles of this very great wine, this bottle still impressed with its firmness, its intensity, and its balance. The iron-ore notes to the palate are for me, a classic LLC note - they are wines of great distinction. Bottle in this condition are ready to go.
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5/21/2022 - Em&Mike wrote:
gave to manlowes
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5/17/2022 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A fine bottle of this great LLC that's fully mature in my opinion with a savory texture and wonderful ripeness, silkiness and lift. Not that it won't continue to grow more complex but it's so giving now with a beautifully layered texture and delicious flavors of smoky black fruits, graphite and eucalyptus. Faded a bit late so not much decanting is needed now.
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5/16/2022 - nywine68 wrote: 96 Points
St Julien Dinner at Nice Matin (New York, NY): Beautiful wine. Cassis, eucalyptus and secondary development notes. This has the flamboyance typical of the 1990 vintage but with structure and depth more reminiscent on a 1989.
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5/16/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 96 Points
Mainly Bordeaux at SSG: All the training on Las Cases paid off, once I smelled and tasted this I immediately knew what this was from the slightly green note on the nose, together with the wonderfully elegant and silky tannins / texture. Similar notes to the previous time I had this, a remarkably consistent wine given its age. Clearly the best wine of the night and lucky to have had this three times in the last year.
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5/7/2022 - lifebreath wrote: 93 Points
Excellent Bordeaux. Good pnp but eeds a 2-3 hour+ decant to really come to life. Well structured and should continue improving for 5-10 years.
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5/5/2022 - Frank Schneider wrote: 97 Points
True classic. Bit rustic at the start but evolved over 3 h in the decanter to a wonderful mature red. On the cool side. Not too round. Smooth tannin and the big forest floor bowl !!! Has years to go !!!
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3/20/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 98 Points
Second of a case purchased 3 months ago, I had the compulsion to check if the last bottle was a one off. As noted last time this is far more approachable than the 1982 and 1986, but without that extra nuance to push it to a perfect score, but probably more immediately enjoyable. Blackcurrant, plum, tobacco, and cedar are the prominent notes. The tannin has smoothed, but is still showing great bite. The genius of the wine is the exquisite balance of robust tannin and the principle wine flavours. Likewise the finish is perfect in its balance without any residual sourness, and subtley keeps going going past 60 seconds. As noted last time, this possibly does not quite have that little extra to better the 1982 to a perfect score, but possibly is the more enjoyable. 98+
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3/11/2022 - dbg wrote:
Purchased 2019, perfect cork, fill into the neck. Dark red core, minimal lightening at the rim. Beautiful nose of cassis, cedar, clean moist earth, some beginning aged sweet complexity. Full body, cassis, red fruits, beautiful balance, long finish. Came in second to the 1990 Montrose on my card for red WOTN. Just not quite as complete and enveloping, but boy is this drinking beautifully, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become more complex and better in another 5-10 years. Outstanding.
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2/11/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
1989-2000 Top Bordeaux with Pizza (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Single blind 1989-2000 Bordeaux. This had been open and decanted for ~4 hours. Lean and powerful, clearly lots here, just lacking the depth and richness this wine typically shows. It was smoked by the Lagrange 1990 (!) in the next glass.
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1/31/2022 - Montesquieu wrote:
Austin 3-star food + wine; 1/30/2022-1/31/2022 (Our residence, Austin, TX): Sadly, bottle was corked.
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1/12/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
The 90 Leoville Las Cases is what great Bordeaux is all about. The wine is full-bodied, rich, deep and intense. Power with elegance, refined and fresh the tannins are perfectly ripe, backing up all the equally perfectly ripe, dark red currants, cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar, forest leaf and spice. The wine fills your palate and sticks with you in the finish. It took 32 years to get here and will offer fabulous drinking for at least the next two decades with ease.
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12/30/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
End of year dinner: Guessed the man so got the producer right, though it did present itself as an archetypal Las Cases. Thought it was the 86 because of how complete it was, but this bottle got more air than the previous 1990 that was opened earlier this year. The wine was absolutely singing, power with elegance, it hit all the markers of a great Bordeaux. Absolutely ready for primetime.
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12/30/2021 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 96 Points
It is the second time having this wine and this time I allowed for extended aeration. It really helped to fully deliver the full Las Cases package. It was the most favoured wine at the table although my heart on this night belonged to the 1990 Les Cailloux. Unlike that, this is just getting to its peak, and will drink well for a few decades.
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12/29/2021 - Nontaco wrote: 97 Points
Lithe and ethereal but with real substance. Just heavenly juice I could sip all night long. Modest nose but the palate and finish are lovely.
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12/19/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 98 Points
Incredibly accessible for a Las Cases, it is a hedonistic experience. I had the 1982 recently and whilst it had all the qualities of a perfect wine you had to work at it, whereas this punches you in the face with its magnificence, but possibly lacking that extra nuance to push it to a 100 point level. Blackcurrant, cherry, graphite and cedar define the taste profile with secondary notes developed. The depth is excellent with a lengthy finish. For myself this maybe is just outscored by the 1982 and 1986, but it is leaps and bounds the most enjoyable. A post note tasted the next day and it had further improved giving an extra half point. 98+
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12/10/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
45th Birthday Celebration (Racquet Club - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Another great showing for this wine. Black currant and cherry, aging gracefully, nicely supported by notes of cedar, leather, cassis, pencil shavings, and well bolstered by its silky structure. Great now.
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12/1/2021 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Small Bordeaux gathering (Clarity - Vienna, Virginia): Corked.
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11/28/2021 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Three bottles recently. All excellent. Dark fruit, touch of spearmint on the nose. Red and black fruit, graphite in the palate. Excellent balance and length. Perfectly mature and will hold.
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11/21/2021 - LWI wrote: 97 Points
Very lively bottle, complex, intense and linear. Still, a wonderful finish. Best LLC90 so far.
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11/17/2021 - kwarning8@gmail.com Likes this wine: 96 Points
On opening very tannic. Decanted for 3 hours and returned to bottle. Now more open and over 3 more hours it was outstanding with more than 10 years to improve.
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11/8/2021 - PDavisMarble wrote: 93 Points
3 Leovilles Dinner. At 31 years, this was drinking as a very young wine. It was not well integrated or resolved. Plenty of primary red fruits, fairly tannic, and a surprisingly short finish. Curiously, this was a good one with the mushroom risotto pairing, and did show promise after 3 hours (which followed a full decanting of several hours). I can see this blossoming in 5-10 years. Today it is still an infant.
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11/8/2021 - englishman's claret wrote:
I hesitate even to score this because 5 of 6 bottles had totally soaked corks, 1 was corked, and only 2 of the remaining 5 really shined. But the good bottles, despite showing a sedate, slightly smudged nose, positively exploded on the finish with wave after wave of cassis, pencil, and cedar, classically las Cases in flavor and disposition.
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11/5/2021 - UFGators Likes this wine:
Drank from half bottle. Surprisingly youthful, needed a decant to come alive. High acidity. Med garnet med plus finish med nose. Last glass was the best. Drank too quickly!
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10/14/2021 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 96 Points
This Leoville Lascases was the standout wine in a flight containing Leoville Barton Montrose and Cos D’Estournel. It leads in with lead pencil and graphite into a super fine texture and palate, which just keeps giving and giving. It has none of the standoffishness that characterises so many other vintages of Leoville Lascases. A quite compelling wine and deservedly the group’s wotn.
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10/14/2021 - Paul D wrote: 95 Points
Po's 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick): Lovely, textbook medoc nose, blackcurrant fruit, smoke, gravelly minerals. Medium/full bodied on the palate, dark fruit, smoke, mineral, a thread of fine tannin still, vibrant acidity, this has drive and excellent length. Outstanding, drinking now but with many years ahead of it.
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10/14/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Po's 1990 Bordeaux dinner (La Trompette): Pukka Claret! Seemed a bit green at first, and buttoned-up, but it fanned out beautifully to reveal a stealthily seamless wine, with all its elements beautifully integrated. Spicy and well-proportioned. Of tonight's wines this is the one I'd want to follow over an evening with only 1-2 fellow drinkers. My and the group's WOTN.
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10/14/2021 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Po’s 1990 Bordeaux (La Trompette, London): A little more poise initially than I remember from my half bottles. Very rounded and giving. An atypically comely style of LLC. Still, a nicely mineral line develops with air. Showing well. ****
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9/29/2021 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium garnet, with fading browning edges. Tannins softened, whilest with fairly intense flavours of redcurrant, cassis, coffee, rosemary, dried grass, and hints of mushroom. Lengthy, yet showing fruit freshness even at the back, and with the spiced oak notes, gets pretty complex. Lovely!
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8/22/2021 - skyblue80 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Elegant and sexy with most people on the table agreeing that the wine is still extremely young. Decanted 2hr to bring the wine to absolutely joy. Dark blue fruit, cassis and earthy aroma dominate from the moment of opening. Palate not extremely heavy, but the length was out of the world. I am keeping the next bottle for another 3-5yr. Amazing for a wine that is already 31yrs old!
Had my 1/3 bottle the second day, but put in fridge overnight. To my surprise, the wine improved further and I would give it a 96 on day 2. It shows that I probably should have decant the wine a bit longer on day 1. Thumbs up again.
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7/31/2021 - D_RICH wrote: 96 Points
One and one-half hour decant. Dark brick. Exotic earthy nose. Concentrated, rich dark fruits. As my friend correctly noted while tasting this blind, very Pauillac/St. Julien. Pleasing and memorable finish. Outstanding. Just missing that extra complexity to take it to the very highest level. The bottle was gone incredibly quickly. At age 31, this is ready to go now and for years to come. This was only 36 bucks back in 1993. (95-96).
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7/2/2021 - wineappreciation wrote: 95 Points
Mature raspberry, truffle, leather, cherry, mushroom, sous bois; full and intense; beginning to open with mild fading and softening; long, structured, still a bit austere, but powerful and pleasing
After 1.5 Hours: Similar on nose but with notes of roses and cured meats also emerging; on the palate it is richer, more intense, slightly meaty, slightly candy-like, very long, very engaging, very pleasing; truly excellent and ready to drink
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6/21/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:
Dibbs's birthday: My first Las Cases. For a chateau with a reputation for producing wines that are never ready, this was surprisingly light and hedonistic, mainly because of the brilliant ripe red fruit character common across all the 1990s that I have encountered. Still a powerful wine mind, but the fine, silky tannins is what makes 1990 such a great vintage for me. And for this wine, the hauntingly long finish made it unforgettable.
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6/20/2021 - Dibbs Likes this wine: 96 Points
What a wine! Completely agree with the previous tasters especially Jeff & Ozen. This is as good as Bordeaux can get. The sexiness of the wine is mind blowing. Can’t add too much to what already been said other than this was top two wine experiences of my life and super grateful to have more bottles of this.
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6/19/2021 - tanduybui Likes this wine: 95 Points
My bottle was somewhat unusual in so far as it was recorked and checked by the chateaux in 15 so I knew it would be in good nick.
A great wine - decanted 1.5 hours before consumption and it is in its perfect drinking window. I am not going to describe the flavours as it has all been said by everyone else. What I would say is that this bottle still has plenty of acid and tannin left, although the tannin was very fine, so it still has the potential to go a fair way further. I would, however, doubt that it will get much better.
The other thing I would say is it was very cabernet sauvignon dominant so I struggled to notice the other varietals in the blend. It was very well integrated or hidden depending on your point of view. What stopped me from giving it a higher score was the finish - nice yes, but not a lot of complexity here.
Drink now or 8+ years.
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6/18/2021 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is an amazing wine. Beautifully concentrated, balanced and complex with dark berry fruit, notes of tobacco, cedar, cassis, pencil savings and even a hint of chocolate on the finish. Shockingly, needed only an hour to show off its complexity. Drinking near perfect right now.
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5/30/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
At 31 years of age, this is First Growth in quality. This majestic Left Banker offers up tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar, forest floor, cassis and blackberry aromas. Concentrated, full-bodied and with an incredible sense of richness, depth of flavor and structure, the wine fills your palate with layers of perfectly ripe, earthy red fruits. At the most, 60 minutes in the decanter is all that's needed.
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5/18/2021 - heythatslife wrote: 96 Points
I'm not sure Bordeaux can get much better than this. Very statesmanly in its confidence and refinement. Just a hair vegetal, otherwise this would have been absolute perfection for me. Long tobacco finish.
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5/16/2021 - Ozen Likes this wine: 100 Points
Leoville Las Cases at its very best, but equally; Bordeaux as good as it gets. One of the best wines, bottles I have ever tasted.
We let it breath for a couple of hours and it became sensational: Perfectly in the drinking window now. Incredibly rich, ripe fruit palette, strawberries coulis, with an undercurrent of dark berries, slightly sweet (after the Gloria 2009) but absolutely perfectly in balance. A truly memorable experience, if not a real food orgasm of a wine.
Some of my friends have a bit of a love hate relationship with Leoville Las Cases as it can display some austerity and not giving much in its earlier years. In my experience that largely is a matter of having the patience to hitting the drinking window which takes time with LLC and is for sure worth the wait, and to a lesser extent letting it breath a few hours before tasting. But when you have the patience to wait this is an absolute master piece of a wine. The 1990 is at its incredible peak right now. You have to try this at least once!
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4/21/2021 - plitton wrote:
Larry and Nancy's Bordeaux Dinner (University Club, Chicago): WOTN. Luscious nose. Rich, dense, even, integrated. Drinking very young still. Easily 20 more years of aging potential.
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4/7/2021 - chcook Likes this wine:
Cork wet to top. Despite this this bottle was in good shape. No evidence of TCA like the other bottle. Color and body suggest middle-age and lots of time left ahead. Still it’s pretty good with Easter leg of lamb
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4/7/2021 - chcook wrote: flawed
Lightly corked, but definitely not a good bottle. Damn
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3/23/2021 - Jumbo-Jet Likes this wine: 96 Points
The intensity and quality of the perfume is hypnotizing - sensual red and dark fruits with cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, bright wood, vanilla, hints of tar all elegantly blended in perfect harmony. On the palate solid and authoritative, yet with a velvety mouthfeel. Way too easy to drink. On a very high level the finish was the weak spot in the performance, I found it a bit too acid-focused. Also, there seems to be almost too much intensity in this one, my best guess is that it will need at least another ten years to come into full balance. Elegance rating: 95. Fun rating: 97.
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3/22/2021 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine was a bit of an interesting roller coaster. Not as big and in need of a decant as previous bottle. Came out sexy upon opening but a touch vegetal. Then kind of regressed, lost balance. However, around the 2-3 hour open mark (PNP), it balance, came together and showed all of its tertiary notes. Both this and the 1990 Lynch Bages next to it did about the same thing. The 2nd to last glass on both was the best, with short rib.
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2/25/2021 - Romol Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours. This bottle was not as good as my first 2 bottles (98 pts) but it was still very good. This time "only" 94 pts.
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2/23/2021 - Brolawa Likes this wine: 100 Points
M&PD Covid Tasting Night #4. A spectacular line-up of wines tasted blind:
2014 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée
1990 Château Léoville Las Cases
2009 Sloan
1996 Château Mouton Rothschild
2010 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)
Eric offers his usual insightful reviews here: www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2281587
A couple of additional thoughts from my pov:
This is Bordeaux at its finest. I guessed this as left-bank Bdx but couldn't get any closer. I was simply blown away by its excellence. Presumably due to its age, it had a lighter weight than I'm used to with Las Cases.
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2/23/2021 - Eric wrote:
M&PD Zoom Tasting: Bordeaux around the world (Zoom): Guessed as mine but just totally wrong! Screams of Bordeaux with graphite and some barnyard. Gunpowder. Smoky. Lighter color. Gorgeous chocolate covered cherries. Endless layers of depth and flavor. OMFG. This is just bursting, mineral, and cherry, but also roasted, ripe, surprisingly soft and ready. Pure pleasure. Open some if you have it. This is the rare Las Cases that is just ready to go.
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2/6/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine: 96 Points
Probably the best Bordeaux I have had for a while. Decanted for 3 hours. Nowhere near its peak. Probably another 10 years yet still great.
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2/6/2021 - epjepson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Heady aromas of crushed stones, tobacco leaf, camphor wood, black cherries, cocoa and mint, cassis, and pencil shavings. Silky mouthfeel. Very fresh. Long, long finish. Still a long life ahead of it; try again in 2025. Beautiful wine.
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1/24/2021 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose is first jammy then will start with minty and spicy aromas.
The palate is silky, the juice is supple with a nice acidity. What strikes me is the youth of this wine which is going on its 30 years. The material is less intense however than on other 1990's, I am thinking in particular of Lynch Bages or Angelus. We have a serious wine, still too one-dimensional for my taste. The finish remains beautiful on fine bitterness but does not dazzle me.
It's very good but I expected so much better! On the other hand, it is very young.
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12/25/2020 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
#1 of 6. Bought on release. Decanted at 4:00 pm served at 7:30. Youthful dark ruby core, Relatively open nose with dark berries, earth, tobacco and some warm spices. Full bodied but rounder and a little sweeter than the 1986 or 1982. Fine tannins, nice acidity, perfect balance. A more elegant LLC, would be interesting to drink against Pichon Lalande. Lovely long lingering finish, should remain delicious for another decade
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12/24/2020 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Pnp.
Black fruit, tobacco, leather, sweet baking spice.
Mouthfeel is medium weight, moderate tannin and medium plus acid. There’s a lot of fruit here and it’s a fantastic bottle of wine. I’m anticipating this will be incredible in about an hour. Plenty of life left. Try again in 3-5 years.
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12/22/2020 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 97 Points
excellent wine. now at its peak
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12/21/2020 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 94 Points
As with an earlier tasting of this wine, this bottle had a good above neck fill level, the foil, label and cork were all in exceptional, excellent condition, the wine was great, drinking very nicely and still at a peak drinking level, showing no signs of diminution whatsoever, dark inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, elegant, polished, smooth, complex but perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of graphite, leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering balanced finish with tangy acidity and smooth approachable silky tannins.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/gala-family-christmas-celebration-wine.html
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12/21/2020 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 95 Points
About as good as Bordeaux gets. See Maaike2 below for a nice note. This has superb balance in every way but very much Steele in Velvet. Nothing hear will blow you away but it shouldn’t. This has complexity and wonderful structure.
I am not sure I’d leave it for decades more but if you wanted to gamble on a wine and a vintage to do so, this old be my bet
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12/20/2020 - jordanj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Terrific in every way
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12/19/2020 - lifebreath wrote: 94 Points
Boy, this is just drinking so well now! Paired with dry aged prime rib and duck. Beautiful nose, still some fresh primary fruit, but very good tertiary flavors. A nice olive note and savory herbs. Very consistent from bottle to bottle.
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12/17/2020 - bjr11 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Classic Bordeaux, intense nose, plenty of black and red fruits up front which give way to stones, smoke, and earth. Closed down a bit after a few hours, with a resurgence of tannins, but really opened up the next day--the tannins were gone, leaving all of the incredible flavors and a long, smooth finish. Gorgeous wine.
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12/6/2020 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
Wine Dinner in Ngaio after the final performance of the season (Ngaio): Drunk next to a 1978 Latour, this was certainly the superior wine in almost every respect. The intensity levels are off the chart, the structure is still very firm, and the acid balance conveys a sense of tightness to the wine. At the age of 30, I would suggest that this bottle is still not at its apogee of perfection! Ripe, classy, and completely built on its fruit and structure, rather than oak handling. A wonderful and fascinating pairing with the Latour, as certainly appeared to be related. The one area where the Latour felt more complete was its openness - the LLC came across as slightly tight and monolithic in comparison (and only in comparison!). I suspect this is a 50+ year wine, in terms of ageing potential, and I fully expect the wine to improve over the next decade or three! 96+++
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11/26/2020 - maaike2 wrote: 96 Points
Lots of dark berries, earth, tobacco, spices. Great power, roundness, touch of sweetness. Tannins beautiful integrated.Long finish. A long live ahead, but what a pleasure drinking now.
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11/13/2020 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 97 Points
Superbe bouteille, ma dernière hélas achetée en primeur.
Grenat moyen avec reflets brique. Au nez, arômes de confiture de fraises, de fumée, de sous-bois, d'épices.
En bouche, le vin est complexe, concentré, multi facettes, équilibré, suave, les tanins sont totalement fondus, belle touche d'acidité dans la finale très longue.
Magnifique, à maturité.
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10/27/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 98 Points
During a Commanderie LLC dinner. From MAG, brought to the table by a generous member to add to the line up. Another grand showing of this wine. Wonderfully lush fruit with dark berries, pine, peat and a touch of barnyard. The palate is generous with well integrated and resolved tannins. Grande!
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10/17/2020 - ubercuvee wrote:
Classic, textbook but missing nuance and complexity next to HB90. I preferred this to the 90LMHB though
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10/11/2020 - rmcnees wrote: 90 Points
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/broad-diverse-flight-of-big-reds.html
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10/10/2020 - drjb Likes this wine: 96 Points
At Private Dinner, Little Cove, Noosa. This is classic Las Cases with a deep crimson colour and a lifted nose of blackcurrant, dark plums, cedar and tobacco. The palate is very deep and richly flavoured with plenty of density balanced by a long cedary palate that lingers beautifully. A lovely classic Bordeaux in a perfect spot.
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10/10/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
The Last Dance Magnum Dinner (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Magnum. Seemed dirty and less robust than the many great bottles I've tasted before.
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10/4/2020 - Frank Schneider wrote: 98 Points
Thats bordeaux . All you re looking for. Still needs an hour decant. Fantastic . 98+
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9/16/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a gorgeous nose of black currants, smoked earth and graphite. On the palate, it's layered and silky with decadent flavors of blackberries and smoky cassis and good acidity underneath. The finish is very complex with notes of smoked earth and graphite minerals. Just wonderful with a charred steak. 95+
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8/24/2020 - sirpat00 Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.
Tasting note
Extracted, dark berry fruit at the verge of turning sour, in my view. Astringent palate with a bitter, mountain herbs candy touch. I was crestfallen with this was revealed to be the Las Cases. By coincidence, Jeff Leve also posted two days after my tasting on Insta a bottle of Las Cases saying that finally after 30 years the 1990 has come around - and recent scores from fellow CT peers have also been strong. So there is still hope that we just hit a bad bottle here.
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8/24/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
What a fabulous, maturing wine this continues to be. Full-bodied, intense, classic in all the best ways, with a boatload of black currants, cigar box, smoke, tobacco ash, rocks, forest floor, cedar and old wood, this smells great. On the palate, the wine really takes off. Layers of ripe, sweet, delicious fruits with present, but ripe tannins, a good backbone and the ability to age for at least another 3 decades or more.
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8/13/2020 - Em&Mike wrote:
Enjoyable but not great. Won’t last much longer.
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7/28/2020 - maaike2 wrote:
I had been looking forward so much.... Corked
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7/17/2020 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 99 Points
Just perfection. Violets, cassis, black cherry, dark plum, tobacco (cigar box), cured meat. Powerful and full bodied with a stunning minute long finish. It is in a very very good place right now and I think it will stay there for some time.
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7/17/2020 - Paul S wrote: 96 Points
1989 / 1990 Bordeaux Dinner (Jade Palace, Forum Galleria, Singapore): Absolutely superb. More open than the last bottle we had, maybe a touch less depth, but boy this was good. What a lovely nose it had, with deep notes of cassis, loamy earth, tobacco spice, a touch minerality. Almost a Pauillac nose I thought. It was on the palate where this really shone though. Such power, and yet such grace - this was the epitome of a great Las Cases for me, with deep, deep draws of juicy cassis, plums and black cherries all beautifully integrated and perfectly balanced, and with a lovely seasoning of earth, spice and tobacco smoke. A wine of strength. Yet it was also such a pure, transparent showing - its great depth and power was cloaked with a beautifully elegance, so filigreed tannins and wonderfully judged acidity wrapped the whole mouthful in a wonderful, noble structure. Great long finish too, with little blush of fragrant spice ringing around a core of dark fruit. So good, but with its best years decades ahead of it yet.
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6/27/2020 - Burgundy Mitch wrote: 95 Points
At Steve C's for his 78th BD. Finally a sound bottle after the TCA fest of 3 or 4 corked ones from my cellar. Gorgeous, classic St.Julian Las Cases nose of brooding red fruits, beef blood, and pencil/cigar box. Still a bit of tannic grip but mostly resolved, this should go another decade without a problem. Great depth and persistence on the very serious effusive finish. Awesome, suave mouthfeel with a nice mineral grip, perfectly balanced acidity and ripe, lush fruit. Best showing of this wine I can remember, this still has bags of life left. 95+ and my WOTN just edging out the 2002 R.Trapet Chambertin, and 2008 Cristal that we started out with.
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6/20/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
Dense, almost viscous body. Beautiful nose of blackberries and tobacco. Tannins completely in the background. Enough acidity left to keep this fresh but it is the dense black fruit that is most prominent. Smoke and wet black earth on the finish.
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6/9/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning mature nose of ripe blackberries, cassis and sweet gravel. This is such an enticing wine with a thick, silky texture reminiscent of something from the right bank. There are gorgeous flavors of ripe smoked blackberries and dark spices that just glide over the tongue in layers and the finish is tremendously concentrated and complex with notes of minerals, tobacco and that sweet gravel. Best after a 2-hour decant and really an extraordinary Bordeaux for drinking now and over the next two decades.
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6/3/2020 - BradE wrote:
A half bottle full of what seemed like VA. Undrinkable.
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5/20/2020 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious, lush, round, soft, fully mature black cherry fruit with leather flavors, excellent structure, ample finish, drinking at its peak, great wine
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5/19/2020 - MattTM wrote:
DM Tuesday Night Zoom Tasting (Vancouver, BC): Drank blind next to the 1989 Leoville Las Cases. This bottle is pretty wild. Stinky ripe black fruit with some floral notes, brett, and horses ass right out of the gate however this calmed a bit with some time. It seems to be either a love it or hate it thing with brett and this profile, but I'm a fan. Rounder and more voluptuous next to the '89 yet very complex, with plenty of cedar and spice, finishing with a hint of sweetness. Really nice polished texture. Drinking well right now but there's a long way to go with this one still. Fantastic.
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5/2/2020 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Through an aerator and into a decanter. A bit more than a teaspoon of fine sediment. As typical with Las Cases, plenty of Bordeaux funk initially. 90+ minutes later the wine begins to bloom. Red fruits and flowers on nose with some graphite, tobacco, cedar. On the palate much the same as on the palate with black fruits and some black currant showing. Silky smooth. With proper decanting, ready now and likely over next 7 to 10+ years (and this is still considered an early maturer as compared to the '82 and '86, each of which remain deep in the cellar.
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4/12/2020 - liber Likes this wine: 96 Points
6th of 12, decanted an hour, perfrct level, cork partly travelled, little changed from June 18 bottle, maybe tad more aromatic, still quite primary, complex and classy, generosity of top vintage, upside still. VF (18.5).
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3/14/2020 - Romol wrote: flawed
Cork soaked. Drinkable but not good. My first flawed bottle of this wonderful wine :(
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3/11/2020 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Single Blind 1990 Bordeaux (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Single blind. Classic left bank plum, cedar, spice nose. The palate is fresh, rich and still quite chewy -- so youthful. This is classy with plenty of structure and life ahead. Perhaps even some upside.
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3/11/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
1990 Bordeaux Dinner (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Single blind at 1990 Bordeaux dinner. Also clearly Left Bank, and I thought Pauillac (oops, thought Latour) with intense concentration and richness, yet refined balance. Very powerful and long. Great now, with upside.
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3/8/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 95 Points
“Not a big fan of Las Cases but I must praise this 1990 as one of the best LLC apart from 82, 86. Very structural, good fruits, wouldn’t put in words like finesse nor elegance. It is a big wine (in Bordeaux term).”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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3/7/2020 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted around an hour then back into bottle during big Bordeaux dinner. Very good wine, but didn't come around as well as I would have hoped. I believe it needs to be colder. Started to get some pepper as it warmed, but great with the lamb and filet
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3/4/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous as usual with delicious flavors of rich black fruits and a wonderful sleek and silky texture. Voluminous and sweet with classic notes of graphite minerals and St. Julien dark berries and earth. The finish is so fine, complex and layered. Always one of the best '90's but tonight it was edged slightly by the great La Mission and fabulous La Conseillante. At Gramercy Tavern.
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2/23/2020 - MJReb wrote: flawed
Chez JPL: corked
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2/19/2020 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 96 Points
Blind, deep red color, dominant cassis notes, berries, leather, extremely thick and concentrated, massive finish, WOW this is serious! Whatever this is, still has 2 decades ahead of it maybe more. A complete monster.
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2/18/2020 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
1989/1990 St. Julien Bordeaux (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nose of black cherry, briar, black currants, and dry earth, same on the palate, tasty, nose and palate showed this bottle to be slightly tired and at peak drinking, cork was soft, completely saturated, and I almost pushed it into the bottle while opening, showed sediment coasting about 35% of the bottle, big body, at the 90 minute mark showed its best, mouth filling fruit, good concentration with slightly brooding fruit today,and a long, flavorful finish.
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2/15/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
This is what great, classic Bordeaux is all about! Perfectly balanced between regal and stern, the tannins are refined, the fruit is ripe and pure. Full-bodied, intense, concentrated and complex, every sniff and sip is interesting, making you want to delve deeper to the glass to find out what else is in there. This is just starting to unfurl. Drink it now, and over the next 20-25 years if well-stored.
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2/14/2020 - canan wrote: 95 Points
Martin BYO: Hugely impressive wine. Mature black currant fruit with a good balance. Loved it!
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2/13/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just delicious and peaking now with lots of depth and a really sexy, silky texture. The finish is concentrated and complex with notes of Asian spices and graphite minerals (albeit less than the Lynch Bages) and a bit of aged nuttiness late. Stunning juice!
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1/30/2020 - lifebreath wrote: 95 Points
Wow again! Superb - in a great place. Gorgeous nose. Not a technical review, but accurate.
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12/25/2019 - Song103 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a pristine 375 bottle. Still superb, but I suspect that it may not be holding on for long. For 375 bottles, drink up
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12/13/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
Just gorgeous and so silky fine and seductive. In a great place! At MGE dinner.
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12/5/2019 - ChrisR Likes this wine: 94 Points
I like it. The cork was fully soaked and difficult to extract, but the wine was great. Cassis, green herbs and tobacco. Concentrated, structured (tannins still present), but so smooth and balanced, with a finish that went on and on. Just lovely.
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11/15/2019 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
Showing very well, very complete. Balanced, energetic, deep.
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11/13/2019 - Lype Likes this wine:
Intense and powerful nose, powerhouse palate filled with plums, liquorice, leather and more, at least at this point more US/new world style than a classic bdx, imho still waiting to come around and not showing its full potential albeit fairly drinkable.
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11/12/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 96 Points
With a 2 hour decant this was more developed than other bottles I have encountered. Lovely precision here and very classic top notch claret. This bottle showed a tad more animal character then I previously picked up. A very good bottle but probably not the very best I have had of this reliably great wine.
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11/9/2019 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Birthday dinner wine party, classic mature Bordeaux with leather, cassis, melted tannins, in a great spot, a beauty
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10/20/2019 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Aerator into decanter for an hour. Ripe and lush but not jammy black fruits, graphite, sweet Oak, very smooth, 40 second finish
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10/18/2019 - hprphf wrote: 91 Points
Acker 2019/10 (Bouley): Pungent still with lots of grass. Rotten ish palate. 91
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10/18/2019 - Lateva wrote: 96 Points
Pop and pour. After a few hours this was unfolding nicely. Typical nose of leather, cassis, and cedar. Great palate balance with mid palate grip and nice finish. Tannins holding up nicely but not too obtrusive. Great bottle.
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10/10/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Acker Merrall & Condit Bordeaux vs. California Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel): Ranks up there as my favorite vintage of Leoville Las Cases (even above the 1982, which I think is starting to fade). This confirms yet again that I love the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux. I could sit and smell this wine without drinking it all night long. An incredible combination of fruit & earth. Outstanding!
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10/10/2019 - kr522 wrote: 96 Points
Bottle with fill level into neck, though the cork was fully soaked (something I’ve noticed with LLC more than others). I bring this up to put the tasting note in context because the wine was beautifully evolved showing many advanced characteristics and I’m not sure if that’s representative or accelerated.
Poured to deep ruby red, so no signs of advancement wrt color, the bouquet is autumnal, berries, and baking spice, though it requires some coaxing. It’s sheer beauty and elegance once you start drinking….the deep red cherry flavor is sweet, soft and caressing, there’s spice, leaves, and a loamy soil to round out the palate and make this a delight. the tannins have melted, yet there’s a bead of acidity that provides balance and freshness. The finish is somehow not perfectly harmonious which i find to be a signature of LLC. Nonetheless this is a beauty
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9/22/2019 - Papies wrote: 97 Points
Opened and left to rest for a good hour and then decanted and served. The nose on this wine! It was singing pure Bordeaux quality like no other. Soft dark fruits still, leather , cedar and soft secondary underlay. Herby too ! The palate is still very much alive and vibrant and definitely has a lot of life ahead but frankly it is superb now. We originally gave this 95-96 but then we discussed long as to what more could we ask from it and indeed this is a solid 97-98 for those like us that love Bordeaux with age!
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9/15/2019 - Lord of the Bottles wrote: 95 Points
Impenetrable ruby core with bricking on the sides. Decanted over an hour. Forest berry nose. Berries, cinnamon bark, earth, bristol cream, tobacco, bell pepper taste. Very complex and developing tertiary notes. Very smooth. At times the finish was short other times mostly very long 30-45 seconds. Awesome wine with some natural bottle variation at this age having drank about half a case now. 94-95
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9/8/2019 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark ruby with very little bricking. Floral musty nose. After an hour of air concentrated bright red fruit appeared and each sip delivered a 30-40 second finish of fruit, leather, tobacco, wood, bell pepper. Well kept bottles like this will last for years given how bracing the acidity was. Marvellous classic wine with enough fruit for most. 95-96
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9/6/2019 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for too long and drank on a warm BBQ day in the sun. Still, the wine delivered an exotic nose of flowers, earth and menthol and a finish of red fruit, chocolate, and green capsicum and tobacco.
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8/31/2019 - hajoha wrote: 92 Points
Leoville Las Cases 1990.
Mørk frukt, stall, søt sigareske.
Konsentrert med begynnende modning i frukten.
Dette vil fortsette å utvikle seg.
Pen sødme.
Lang med fine tanniner.
Flott, men hadde forventet enda mer. 91-92p
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8/30/2019 - jrh82 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good wine, although slightly prefer the 1989. I found this wine rather smooth in the month, but lacking a wee bit of fruit on the nose, more menthol in the 1990 (also found in 1988) and perhaps a bit of green bell pepper.
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8/30/2019 - Renevin Likes this wine: 98 Points
Ouf! Un grand vin. Nez très expressif, fruits noirs confiturés, épices,élégants. En bouche, tout est en rondeur, bien fondu avec encore beaucoup de fruits. Il est ample et se termine sur une longue finale.
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8/25/2019 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good fill level, above neck, saturated cork, wine great, dark inky garnet purple, elegant, polished, smooth, perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering smooth balanced finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/chateau-leoville-du-marquis-de-las.html
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8/25/2019 - rmcnees wrote: 94 Points
Saturated cork, wine great, dark inky garnet purple, elegant, polished, smooth, perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering smooth balanced finish.
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8/4/2019 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cork crumbled in the top half and was stained to the top. Decanted for 1.5 hours. Dark ruby core with bricking. Dark berries bouquet along with forest undergrowth. Palate of dark berries, bristol cream, tobacco and a medicinal finish of 30 seconds plus. Very classy and elegant. Probably not the best bottle given the condition of the cork but with the fill into the neck the wine still delivered. I can easily see pristine bottles hitting the 95-96+ mark. Lovely.
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8/2/2019 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Initial cellar notes, that some around the table took for a cork taint, blew off after some minutes. Out come a surprisingly developed and smooth wine, little tannin, complex and seductive, black berries, not much oak, already some tertiary notes.
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8/2/2019 - dcwino wrote:
Another lost Friday afternoon gathering – 88 DRCs, 90 Bordeauxs, Raveneaus, Dauvissats and etc. (Black Salt, Washington DC): Corked.
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8/1/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A great showing as usual for this wine but just slightly over-shadowed next to the '90 Latour. Interestingly, this seemed like it will be the longer-lived wine of the two! At Vaucluse.
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6/22/2019 - canan wrote: 97 Points
Misc wines at MGs place: Very young and compact in the fruit without being dense or overdone. Packed with black currant fruit. Juicy and delicious.
Showing some leather and coffee but still very young and compact. Amazing wine!
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5/17/2019 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 99 Points
Overripe balck cherries, Cassis. Tobacco/cigar box. Full bodied with a long finish. Tannins are relaxed but still around. Absolutely phenomenal Bordeaux at 29 years old.
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5/11/2019 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
The fill was base neck and the cork was stained all the way to the top; opened about 3 hours before service to slow ox. A medium garnet core with some bricking at the rim. Notes of forest floor, cigar box, mushroom and hints of cassis. Medium bodied, savory on the palate, with a classic texture, good depth, and a long finish. I've had better (perfect!) bottles of the '90 LLC, and it remains one of my absolute favorite wines for current consumption. That said, this is further data to support the "no great wines, just great bottles...especially as a wine approaches 30 years of age" maxim.
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5/11/2019 - Euoinos Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is in such a sweet spot. Fantastic nose with cedar, leather and graphite. Medium bodied with elegant red fruits. Still very vibrant and will be very enjoyable for years to come. Absolutely fantastic.
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4/14/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Les Gobeloteurs Wine Garden Party (Domaine Stéphane Ogier - Ampuis): From magnum. So sad, slightly corked.
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3/25/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Wow what a wine. Incredible how young this wine still is. Seems as if it's just perfect right now and has 10 or 15 years at this level (in a good cellar). Drink or hold. 98 pts.
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3/4/2019 - Burgnick wrote:
Hitting its maturity in a sweet spot. Truffle, cedar and cassis. Very refined with lots of layers. The most expressive and ready wine against 90 Montrose and 90 Margaux in tonight’s flight.
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3/2/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 98 Points
Bardot Brasserie Léoville Las Cases Vertical Dinner (Las Vegas, NV): From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, the '90 Léoville Las Cases is something to behold. A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, it retains a remarkably youthful opaque ruby/red appearance. Effusive of cassis, tarry black cherries, licorice, tobacco, smoke and minerals on both the nose and palate, it is a full-bodied wine with low-to-medium acidity, nicely integrated alcohol, harmonious oak and plentiful velvety-textured tannins. Rich and dense on the mid-palate and lengthy on the back end, there is no denying the classic quality of this Léoville vintage. It appears to be very early in its drinking window. Well-cellared bottles should easily last for two or more decades. Drink now-2040.
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2/17/2019 - Vine Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely mature Bordeaux in fine shape. Rich colour with no fad to the rim. Drink or hold. She gave me chocolate; I gave her this wine; a fair trade on Valentine's Day wouldn't you say?
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2/7/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Soft and easy drinking. Not huge but very elegant. Dark plummy mature Bordeaux flavors.
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1/6/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 99 Points
Has to be one of the greatest non-first growths of its generation. Classic scents of pencil lead and gravel that follow through on the palate along with a walnut thing giving this a Latour-like personality. But it's in the texture department where it really astonishes. I don't think there is a word in wine-tasting lingo for the pure textural bliss of sinking into this thing so I'm just gonna go with, um, "feminine" in a more carnal sense than the term is typically used.
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1/2/2019 - Kbrumback wrote: 96 Points
Last bottle at a Gramercy Tavern tasting dinner and an amazing compliment to the lamb loin w sausage. Agree with most of the previous notes: delicious, just entering a mature drinking window and yet still full of primary fruit.
My last bottle alas. May look for more on at auction.
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1/1/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
A perfect bottle decanted for 2 hours. This fantastic wine has the silky, savory texture of great aged Bordeaux with deep flavors of black raspberry fruit along with wonderful notes of graphite and roasted chestnuts. Still powerful with many years of life ahead, this particular bottle showed almost fully resolved tannins that were silky and fine along with a huge, mouth-filling, layered finish. Trailing notes of charcoal and graphite minerals make this one of the best wines I’ve had in 2018 and a great way to say good-bye to a fabulous drinking year.
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12/31/2018 - BradE wrote:
Drinking beautifully. Love Las Cases, and the 90 is in a perfect spot.
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12/28/2018 - hargy Likes this wine: 94 Points
sensational - drunk alongside the 1990 Cos d'Estournel which it clearly outshone - certainly fully mature and not the most vibrant bouquet but such wonderful complexity and length - it will be interesting to see where it goes from here
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12/23/2018 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Half. Deep ruby. Gorgeous nose, very pure blackcurrant with some graphite. Rich, blackcurrant fruit, densely velvet with good line. More focus here than was the case with the previous half. A density too. Superb. ****1/2
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12/22/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
A superb bottle of this that showed slightly more development than the ‘90 Latour or ‘90 La Miss. Absolutely decadent and delicious flavors of dark fruits, charcoal and fireplace embers and it just flows over the tongue like velvet. The finish is fabulously complex with notes of dark chocolate and smoky minerals. One of the best ‘90’s for drinking now but this should grow even more complex over the next few years. At Daniel game dinner.
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12/20/2018 - tbabes wrote: 100 Points
The sommelier at Momofuku Ko decanted this about an hour before service; the cork was sound and the fill was well into the neck. Purple ruby core, with hints of garnet at the rim. Ethereal bouquet, with notes of ripe plums, black truffles, roasted fennel, bramble, and stargazer lily; I was happy just to sit and smell it! Medium bodied, with great concentration, ripe and silky tannins, with incredible precision and depth on the long finish. I simply adore this wine!
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12/15/2018 - redders wrote: flawed
On opening rich black currant exciting but cork smelled suspect. By the time we drank it 4 hours later the concern about cork came to fruition. Not terrible and MW present thought it was not corked but it was. Fruit stripped. What a shame.
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12/14/2018 - agbailey wrote:
No detailed notes. Enjoyed through the course of s 3 hour dinner with my wife. Delicious! Lots of fruit and remained an impressive wine until the last drop. Still has lots of life and would strongly recommend.
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11/25/2018 - DLeeds Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent with many years to go
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10/31/2018 - lifebreath wrote: 94 Points
Wow! This wine is really hitting its stride. Deep primary fruit, beautiful earthiness on the nose and underlying the fruit, and nice tertiary flavors emerging. More readily open than a year ago. Pop and pour with immediate love. I thought it was better without an extended decant.
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10/26/2018 - Romol Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 3+ hours. Perfect bottle. The 1990 LLC needs a lot of air. After 3+ hours it was delicious and it still improved during the night. Wow...this is really a fantastic vintage. This has 10 (or maybe 15) years life left in a good cellar. 98 pts
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10/25/2018 - LB88 wrote: 95 Points
Beautifully balanced with a fullness and complexity. Drinking absolutely Sublime!
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10/20/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine:
Consistent with my last two tastings, this is one of my favorite 1990s. This is a super second drinking on a first growth level. Impeccably balanced with dark cherry fruit and a viscous mouth coating finish that captivates the senses. This wine is 28 years old and shows no signs of tiring. All tannins are resolved and promised a long drinking plateau. This is more masculine versus the 1990 poyferre and bages. This along with 1990 Pichon Baron are candidates for the left bank wine of the vintage. This bottle of las cases edged out the Baron imho.
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10/13/2018 - StasMedvedev.lv Likes this wine: 97 Points
Super Vintages of SuperSeconds🍷 (Riga, Latvia): 🏅 Rating 97/100 (4,7🌟)
The King of St.-Julien. Powerful, dense with tremendous potential. Ripe fruits in leather box. Velvet texture. Generous and deep. Super concentrated and balanced.
2eme GC Classé. 65% CS, 19% M, 13% CF, 3% PV. Fermented in wooden, concrete, steel vats. Up to 24mo aging in 50–100% new oak. Fining, no filtration.
Consistently of 1st growth quality. Huge estate 240 acres.
'90 is superb vintage for LLC
---
Read my wine writing at stasmedvedev.lv
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10/11/2018 - swyang wrote:
A superb bottle, probably one of the very best Bordeaux I've had in recent memory. This was profound(what else to expect from Las Cases?) and yet not heavy, beginning to show its tertiary elements and yet the fruits are still there in waves in harmony with autumn forest. This is quite magical making me recall some of those beautiful afternoon walks in Toscane hills and way it had attracted me to walk on for hours... I have no words for those moments and the way it makes you feel the passion for the nature, the passion for the fresh air and the stunning scenery in front of your eyes. Well this wine provided this kind passion for wine and is making me want to go back there, sooner than later. Cheers,
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10/3/2018 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank in London
Violets, leather, floral.
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9/29/2018 - k H i L o Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ouvert 2h avant, sans carafer. Envoûtant par son nez. De la matière en bouche avec le même effet de sustentation que tous les vieux grands Bordeaux.
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9/23/2018 - Verb wrote: flawed
corked - not badly, but enough to ruin the enjoyment of what otherwise would have been a great wine
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9/21/2018 - jdtonic Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark, Smoky Ruby-Colored Wine.
Perfect Bottle into neck.
Reticent Nose of Violin Rosin, ground pencils and black currant liquer. (Sharper than cassis)
Fantastic and unique aromas of pine, bitter chocolate, liquid minerals, cedar, wood polish and plums of various ripeness emerge over first hour in the glassware...
Very young, sharp and EXTREMELY interesting.
Palate like sipping onyx- and silk-infused smoked plum liquer from one of the Stradivari fiddles... Never had a red line more classy tasting. This bottle gives a pointedlesson in that one ☝️ thing which (as yet in my mouth) our California Cabernet simply can not duplicate...
Finish is delicious. A WoW wine. A smarter man would squelch the review. But I’m going to buy some in the next 500 seconds. (And the 2k) JD
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9/11/2018 - Christian von Dresky Likes this wine: 97 Points
Ja, es ist kein Pappenstiel den man für diesen Wein auf den Tisch legen muss aber eine ist klar: der Wein ist fantastisch! In seiner Ausgewogenheit, geradezu jugendlicher Frische und geschmacklichen Subtilität einfach brilliant. Kraftvoll ohne Dick zu sein, trotz seiner Zartheit eine wunderolle Intensität und obschon der 28 Jahre, die er auf dem Buckel hat, Frucht wie aus einem Paradiesgarten, obwohl sie sich nicht in der Vordergrund spielt. Wer die Chance bekommt ihn zu probieren, der sollte sie nicht missen. Umwerfend und vielleicht eher 97+
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8/25/2018 - petitblanc wrote:
Austin Offline; 8/24/2018-8/25/2018 (Kevin's House): I was surprised when I realized I had never tasted this wine before, so this was a treat. Color was excellent and fresh, Tobacco and gym sock notes on the nose, but also a lovely sweet floral perfume in the background. An almost Port-like sweetness arrived with air, along with a touch of heat. Nice wine, but no rush to drink this. Not scored.
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8/25/2018 - liber Likes this wine: 96 Points
5th of 12, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, youthful (purple rim) and still remarkably primary given 28 years young, usual quality fruit cassis lead, like GPL, just with more nuance and complexity and dare I say class, bouquet needed coaxing, scope to improve/gain interest for many years given persistence, balance and grip in this top vintage. Currently VF (18.5).
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8/23/2018 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
Felt It was still young and didnt open up until 3 hours after. On the nose, freshly cut grass, black berries, cigar, On the palate, very dark fruits, smoke, modestly sweet currants, smooth and round tannin. A bit tight still. Our friend who is very a professional in Bordeaux wines thinks it is very Latour style, which probably makes sense as it is just across the road. Presented a lot of potential.
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8/12/2018 - ljl Likes this wine:
Dark with cordovan around the edges. Soft tannins and no overmelming fruit. But prtotypical Bordeaux.
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8/11/2018 - tbabes wrote: 90 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; opened 3 hours before dinner, with no decant. A healthy dark ruby core with some bricking. Rather muted on the nose upon opening, which improved somewhat with air. Notes of dried black fruits (currant) with hints of black truffle and cedar. Medium bodied, a bit flat on the mid palate; not as velvety or mult-layered as previous bottles. The 1990 LLC is probably my favorite wine for current consumption, but it was not a good showing with this bottle.
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7/26/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 98 Points
It’s wines like this that make me love collecting and enjoying wine. 1990 has consistently been one of my favorite vintages and this wine did not disappoint. Dark purple almost opaque. Reminds me of a first growth. Evolved beautifully in the glass and decanter never tiring. Mature but with 10 plus years ahead of it. I’m glad I have more!
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7/2/2018 - tbabes wrote: 100 Points
The fill was well into the neck and the cork was sound. A purple ruby core with minimal bricking at the rim. Heavenly bouquet, offering up complex and intense notes of cassis, sun baked stones, black truffle, cigar box; hints of spice and dried currants. Medium to full bodied, with great depth of flavor, incredibly ripe and velvety tannins, with a long and focused finish. A monumental wine, and about as enjoyable as a mature Bordeaux can be. Heady stuff!
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6/17/2018 - Frank Schneider wrote: 98 Points
Soooo fresh !! Old school. Leather, wood, blood, iron, minty stuff . Found no real fruits in there. But i didn t missed it. Long and silky. No edges but well structured. Develloped with air. Real amazing bordeaux. Need more. Drink
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6/14/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 99 Points
Simply amazing. Drinks like a first growth. The wine was singing after a 1 hour decant. I believe this wine is fully mature and ready to go but due to its structure will last many years. I debated rating this 100 but 99 is where it is now.
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4/29/2018 - tbabes wrote: 99 Points
The fill was into the neck and the cork was sound; popped and poured. Purple ruby core with no bricking. Expressive and hauntingly complex bouquet, offering up scents of dried black fruits, black truffle, cigar box, and fennel. Medium bodied, with a velvety texture, impressive concentration and fabulous depth. Long and complex finish. Doesn't get much better than this!
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4/22/2018 - rocknroller wrote:
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux 2004 and Older (Meritage, St. Paul): Very dark purple/red color. This got a short hour decant at the table; drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. As always, aging at a glacial pace, this bottle while more than impressive for its power and layers of depth and dark fruits, it is still quite primary and needs another decade to become more approachable. A bottle earlier this year has gotten over 4 hours of air and then was drank over another 3 hours and was considerably more open. I highly recommend at least four hours of air and really even more. You are not going to over decant this baby. A splendid wine waiting to be fully realized. If I had to score it tonight I'd give this about 92-93.
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4/13/2018 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 95 Points
.
beautiful bordeaux aromas. on palate: lush, crisp, complex...mixed dark fruits and sweet berries. a touch of dried molasses. finish long really long.
contrary to many bordeaux siblings of '90 vintage, this is aging at a slow pace....just like the '86 LLC (which entered its drinking period at age of 30).
great juice with lots of pleasure
.
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3/31/2018 - RKronenberg Likes this wine: 99 Points
Did not look 27 years old. Low neck to top shoulder fill. Incredible depth and complexity, deep black cassis, cedar with a complex mature minerality and aristocratic integrated tannins. Just incredible, first growth level for sure. This bottle had impeccable provenance. I hunted down every bottle I could find in the early 1990s and cellared commercially since, glad I did.
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3/18/2018 - tbabes wrote: flawed
The fill was base neck and the cork was soaked through; opened with the Durand and had no issues. Ruby core turning to garnet at the rim. The bouquet is...awful, with oxidized notes. Did not blow off or improve; second bad bottle in a row, after the ‘82 Gruaud Larose. Both purchased from CellaRaiders.
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1/29/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chinese food and old Bordeaux? Sure! (Q by Peter Chang): This bottle, which I brought, was barely half emptied by the end of our gathering, and I should have taken it back home with me to see how it would have developed the next day. But maybe Assaf can report on that? 😉In any case, after being popped and poured, the impression was of a “muscular wine” and questions around the table: “When will this be ready?” Even a 1990! I mean, 1990 is a very warm vintage. And yet this wine was more primary than one would imagine. Over time in glass, we admired its many attributes: Bright, dark fruit, even if not as concentrated as latter vintages like the 1996, the 2009 or 2010. And yet for a 1990, this is so young, with very clean and pure Cabernet expressions of cedar and burgeoning cigar box. It impressed me more intellectually than it did hedonistically. And if you have any, do not rush to open. I still recall comparing this with the Léoville Poyferré 1990 and preferring the latter.
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1/28/2018 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux and Peking Duck (Q by Peter Chang - Bethesda, Maryland): Pop and pour, a bit more expressive than the 90 Cos initially. Medium expressive nose displaying cassis, blackberry, blueberry compote, plum, roasted fruit, lead pencil, eucalyptus and cabernet dust. Nicely integrated youthful palate, finely layered black fruit, silky and polished, a hint of tannins and a medium to long cassis driven finish. This is not as expressive as the bottle from the LLC dinner with Pierre Graffeuille early last year. It will need another decade or two to reach the peak.
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1/24/2018 - ricknat1 wrote: 94 Points
second best, beat only by the 82. a pleasure
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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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1/21/2018 - lolo66 wrote: 95 Points
Has with flannery ribeye. Decanted for an hour. Needed probably a 3 hour decant. perfect storage. Tight and unyielding at first. After 30-45 minutes noses of graphite, concentrated black currant. tightly wound. Taste had intense minerality and subtle but lasting flavors. Last glass was best and really started to show its energy. Well kept bottles should last at least 20 years if not more. Superb.
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1/16/2018 - robertgf wrote: 95 Points
(Big Bordeaux XIV 1/13/18 at Kevin's)
Blown away by the nose (pun intended). Leather/ wet earth/oak, tobbacco. Tons of red fruit with vegetal elements. Tannins are still noticeable, but not the least distracting. Lots of life to go.
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1/15/2018 - galewskj wrote: 96 Points
Big Bordeaux XIV (Kevin and Vicki's): Decanted 4 hours. This wine has nice tannins that are still a bit grippy. There is significant black fruit along with leather, earth, funk and spice.
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1/13/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Big Bordeaux XIV: Featuring 1982 and 1990 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark purple/red color. Decanted for 4 hours, drank 1 glass over 2 hours. Another fabulous '90, we drank this alongside the '90 Latour and '90 Mouton. This has a bigger feel which is not unexpected, darker, mulberry and cassis, cedarbox, leather, and beautiful spices on the nose. The palate is big and powerful, full bodied and powerful, big dark berry fruits, wonderfully tangy, graphite, and a lovely wood frame. This is very complex, with excellent intensity and it evolved significantly in glass. Clearly the "youngest" wine of the trifecta. 95+ to 96pts.
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11/26/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted side by side, blind, at the residence of Léoville Poyferre owner Didier Cuvelier. He did this trick to me a few years ago over dinner, when he then had served the 1982s side by side, which I considered a draw. While the LLC was more structured and "powerful", the Poyferre was more sensual, but both very good for different reasons. In this instance - dinner was in early November - the LLC showed even more structure than the 1982 did, and it was impressive. Very Pauillac like, a touch austere, but lots going on. This is a note just from memory mind you, so no vivid descriptions other than to say that it was more a wine to respect intelligently than a wine to drink sensually. In this case, the Poyferre 1990 proved clearly more enjoyable, in early November 2017.
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11/15/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Nose: Red and black fruit, cedar, smoke and graphite. Just hinting at its proximity to Pauillac on the nose. Palate: Took a long time for this to come out of its shell, but the last half glass was a stunning experience. Layered cedar, walnut, black cherry and warm rocks. Ripe black tannin supporting a deep and complex wine here.
Englishman's Clarets bottle. 95+ upside from here. Stunning. Needs time, but is more charming than other LLC I have had. If the 2014-2016 wines come into this range I'll be very pleased.
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11/15/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
Even from half, this takes 5 hours of air to really get going. Better and better in the decanter, the last sips are the best. Big, big nose with enough air; red fruit, cedar, pencil, coffee, faintly herbaceous. A touch of the Indian spices you find in the best bottles of the 85 LLC. Big, plush for Las Cases. Not quite as plum on the palate, but this is LLC after all. Distinctly walnutty finish. The most charming LLC I've had in... ever? 95-96
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11/7/2017 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): Our split favourite and 2nd ranked by the group after the 1996 ( Papies 95-96+)
Floral, herbaceous, cedar nose. A very much open and singing nose and at a great time to be enjoyed albeit with no hurry. Good acidity, very healthy and shining fruit. More on the softer red fruit feel, finally some earthy notes, and quite on the powerful side. Maybe not as harmonious as the 1996 but still a superb wine 95-96 easy.
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11/3/2017 - chatters wrote:
Domaine Delon Masterclass (Vaucluse Cellars, New South Head Road): Earth, leather, sous bois, mushroom, almost bonfire note. Some black spicy fruit and a little funkiness. Tastes of age, I'm in a gentleman's club, I'm licking a chesterfield that someone has spilled venison with truffles and berries on. Yum.
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11/3/2017 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Domaine Delon Masterclass (Vaucluse Cellars): spectacular fragrance, so refined and complex
rich, a little earthy, refined red berries
structure is poised, balanced, seamless
a superb wine
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11/2/2017 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
Drank in HK
Wonderful but still too young even after a four hour decant. This will only get better.
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10/26/2017 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful medium red-violet with no sign of age. Deep, delicious purple and black fruits with a little dust at the edges on the nose. This is delicious, classic Bordeaux with notes of black cherries with an almost unbelievable intensity and freshness given the age of this wine. There is also a tiny bit of espresso, bramble, and extracted black fruits on a medium to thick body.
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10/3/2017 - Peliot Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is right up there with any other 1990 I have tasted including HB and Cheval Blanc. Needed an hour in the decanter. Dark purple core, opaque. Leathery nose with black fruits, cassis, anise, cinnamon. Great fully body and weight; tannins are resolved and right. A top example of mature St. Julien from a winning vintage.
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9/9/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning Bordeaux nose of black earth, gravel and charred nuts. Really needed a good 2 hour decant and then showing lots of rich black currant fruit with strong flavors of smoky gravel and graphite minerals. Finishes with ripe, dusty tannins and complex notes of dark spices and more gravel and graphite. Very 1990 in it's forward, opulent character and unctious, silky texture but that's good for LLC which can take forever to mature. I love this wine and it's still a few years from peak. 96+
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8/31/2017 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep rich and layered; earth and blackberry and mocha; textured but not complex; good finish.
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8/31/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Blown away by how good this wine is showing. Bought on release and stored in my nice cold cellar, it's been a few years since popping my last cork. Decanted 3 hours, this is a stunner. Powerful, concentrated and dense, the fruit is ripe, rich and deep. The wine really hits all the right spots and coats your palate, teeth and gums with flavor. There is freshness and layers of cassis, cigar box, tobacco and cedar. The tannins are powerful, but they are round, giving you structure and backbone, energy and length. The wine kept improving for another 3 hours. This is the vintage to buy, if you want to see what LLC offers with age. It's 27 years old, and this will be better in 5, 10 or may 20 more years. But it's a treat today, and well worth the cost for a wine at this level.
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7/27/2017 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 98 Points
From a bottle in pristine condition - fill mid neck, perfect label. Given my prior experience with this wine needing some more air then other 90s to get going decanted for 3 hours prior. I really am a big fan of this wine (see my previous TNs - in retrospect I think my first TN when I rated it 96+ I was a bit stingy and the rating reflected my lack of giving this the air it needs to show off). This was drunk after a bottle of Hosanna 08 which it totally dwarfed. Visually this wine is really looking rather youngs still, with very minor lightening on the rim only in an otherwise very healthy dark cherry red (looks more like a 10-15 year old Bordeaux rather then an almost 30 year old). The nose was incredibly gorgeous and intoxicating with intense aromas of minerals, hung meat, gunpowder and gamey notes. The palate was a knock-out too - powerful and full bodied, with velvety tannins it delivers a well measured attack of all the good stuff that just doesn't want to end. There is a freshness and clarity about this wine that you associate with 1st growth from top vintages. If anything based on this bottle it is still on the way up and has not reached its peak I feel - there will be more tertiary aromas to be developed and I think this wine could in fact be destined for greatness. Obviously this is drinking now, but I think if I had just one bottle left I would in fact try and drink it in 2030 (I would not be shocked if this wine still goes strong in 2050)... 98 (++)
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7/22/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Best bottle of this yet from my original futures case. Incredible aromatics with layers of dark fruits along with notes of sweet gravel and licorice spice. Fabulous tension and complexity on the finish with a kaleidescope of flavors including smoky earth and graphite. Stunning juice that to me is just about reaching peak. Certainly first growth quality here with the right bottle.
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4/27/2017 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 99 Points
Leoville Las Cases with Pierre Graffeuille (Ripple): Mmmmmmmmmm -- smell that. A no-doubter from the very first whiff. You know this is going to be something special. The aromas are complete and mature and kaleidoscopic in their detail. Everything in this wine is here in crystal-clear high definition. With each sip the wine comes in waves. The first wave is an almost piercing fruit intensity, that comes across both sweet and savory, ripe fruit but evolved with bottle age. Then come the earthy notes, tree bark and exotic flavors I can't call "spice" but can't call anything else either so I'm just going to settle on the generic "seasonings." It has a sticky grip to it that almost feels caramelly but the overall shape of the wine is slender and elegant. Maria analogized this to a perfect statuesque blonde but thought the '89 is the one you want to spend more time with and bring home. I disagree. This WAS a perfect statuesque blonde but I'd be happy to spend time with her all night long until she dumped me for somebody who could afford her.
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4/26/2017 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Léoville Las Cases dinner with Pierre Graffeuille (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Explosive hedonistic nose displaying cassis, blueberry pie minus crust, black cherry, licorice, milk chocolate, floral dust, mint, eucalyptus, sweet spicies and earth. There is a hint of green bell pepper that gives freshness. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered opulent sweet black fruit, chewy yet silky and polished, noticeable sweet tannins and an incredibly long finish with cassis and licorice at the end. Certain the most ready and expressive wine of the flight. Excellent showing. I strangely prefer the classism of the 96, kinda weird.
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4/9/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mellowed edges to this wine but still in the early stages of its evolution. Deep dark fruit and emerging spice secondaries. Upside from here
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3/28/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
1990 Bordeaux Blind: Highlights: Incorrectly called this the Latour on account of the huge nose of tar, creme de cassis, mineral-rich dark soil, and black currant. Massive and a little monolithic. Palate doesn't totally sync up and is a little dry. Huge. Good, but wait. Should have known this was Las Cases.
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3/4/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
From Magnum. Wonderful nose of dark fruit, pine neadles, some bakery. Very ripe and soft on the palate, almost too soft, never thought I would ever write this about a LCC. Long finish. Great, mature Claret.
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2/24/2017 - Ericsson wrote: 97 Points
Superbe! Bouteille et bouchon en parfait état. Bottom neck. Carafé durant 1 heure.
Grenat carminé. Arômes de fruits noirs, touche de fumée, tabac.
La bouche est vive, parfumée, complexe, presque explosive, belle acidité.
La finale est longue, magnifique.
Cela faisait quelques années que je ne l'avais pas bu, j'adore !
À boire dans les 10 ans.
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2/3/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ripe red fruit with cedar and sandalwood.
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2/2/2017 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Bordeaux dinner at Ripple with live rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Expressive youthful nose displaying intense cassis, crushed blueberries, a hint of fruit cake and ash, mint, lead pencil, eucalyptus and dark milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, suave and polished, nicely integrated tannins and a long cassis driven finish. I don’t think it is as ripe and opulent as the 90 Leoville Poyferre but cooler, cleaner and more energetic. Drinking beautifully but will benefit by another couple decades of cellaring.
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2/2/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fit for a wine loving Groundhog: Bordeaux back to 1970, by way of a 1982 trio (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): So far, it edges out - perhaps - the Mouton and the Cheval Blanc because it is in a fine drinking window. There is a touch of herbal/green pepper but it comes across as fine seasoning! Time in glass reveals (to me at least) a Romeo Y Julieta cigar, so smooth and refined, subtle full body, fine expressions of mature dark fruits, but more tertiary notes, a streamlined elegance, if lacking the veritable punch of the Mouton 95 in the previous flight.
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1/5/2017 - Myownscale wrote: 88 Points
Nose:
Palate:
Fruits, pretty decent. Favorite of night
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12/29/2016 - ledocq Likes this wine:
I don't know how much better this was than the 1996 Ducru I had a week ago. Had in less-than-optimal circumstances. Even after a few hours open, it was quite good but not one of those life-changing Bordeaux experiences I'd been expecting. Extremely long length, but not the complexity I've heard about. Possibly an off bottle. Threw more sediment than any other wine I've had.
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12/28/2016 - Mr Barsac wrote: 97 Points
Well-powered bouquet of cedar and cigar box. Rich and creamy full-bodied palate: quite sweet with blackberries and ripe plums, but a slightly mineral flintiness. Long, spicy finish.
Excellent, well-defined claret. Drinking very well.
[Drank with roast beef in Tokyo. Decanted then returned to bottle. 17C]
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11/13/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Double Blind 1990 Bordeaux with a Big Infusion of Show Stealing Old Napa (Jason and Tracy's, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. Double decanted for 3 hours. Drank 1 glass blind (initially) over 90 minutes. Very nice nose with wood, wood spice, more spice, red fruits, and dried earth. The palate was full bodied, red fruits with some darker fruit in the background, wood, spice, medium plus length. This seemed rather open for a Las Cases out of '90, and the air made a big difference. There was some thought that there might be some subtle cork taint on the palate and I suspect that was correct.
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10/30/2016 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 98 Points
Had this wine at La Trompette restaurant in Chiswick (BYO Sunday). Decanted for half an hour before first taste, bottle was brought to restaurant quite cold: initially showed some quite keen acidity but with a good fruit shining through and the wine got decidedly more generous with some more air and a bit of temperature. Went spectacularly well with the handmade linguine, aged parmesan and fresh white Alba truffle shavings (go figure). I had this wine half a year back and rated it 96 then. I am upgrading this. I actually felt I was probably a bit stingy last time. This wine is just starting to enter its prime, and will hold for another 20 years and probably improve for the next decade (when I think it will peak). This is not as forward as other 90s and will be longer lived. This was tasted alongside the 1996 Margaux and for me these were absolutely on a par. A great classic from my favorite current drinking Bdx vintage.
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9/28/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Loaded nose with tar and rubber; sweet blackberry; complex; deep finish; lost some heft after an hour.
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9/10/2016 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Flickinger Warehouse Tasting (Chicago, IL): Yet another amazing Bordeaux. This is massive -- probably the biggest wine on the Bordeaux table today. The lead pencil and gravel notes are really strong here, and a big plate of sweet black fruit adds to the stature of this wine. It's quite young still, as it appears the secondary characteristics of leather and dried fruits have yet to appear, but this is still incredibly enjoyable at this point.
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8/25/2016 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Half. An impromptu follow-on half, so just plucked from the cellar, poured and consumed over the following hour. Would have benefited from a quick splash decant. Lovely wine and remains atypically lush of LLC. Only just starting open properly by the last drop, but it's all there. A slight lactic note upon first pour lifts to reveal the lush and fairly spicy blackcurrant fruit. Lovely. ****
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8/22/2016 - LWI wrote: 96 Points
Still youthful and powerful
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6/19/2016 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Half. Decanted 1hr. Deep, dense ruby. Lovely nose, dense with blackcurrant, a little graphite and the faintest hint of cigar box. Rich and plush on the palate, fine grained and pretty much fully resolved tannins, densely velvety. Very serious, but also quite rich and lush for LLC. ****1/2
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6/3/2016 - Karl Kellar wrote: 97 Points
I have a few bottles of this in my cellar but this is the first time I've tried it. I was blown away, very pleasantly surprised at how good it was. (Though I probably shouldn't be given how consistently excellent other vintages of Leoville las Cases have been in my experience.) It had just about everything -- still some fruit, though definitely tertiary, earthy, cigar box and forest floor flavors. Very long finish, perfectly mature, not tannic but still enough acidity to give it good structure. The only reason it didn't rate even higher was that it could have been a bit more intense -- this is quibbling, it's obviously a great wine, but (for example) the 90 Montrose seemed to be even a bit more intense and complex the last time I tasted it. It would be interesting to taste them against each other some time. By the way, it went great with lamb in a bordelaise sauce -- go figure.
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5/19/2016 - ccn Likes this wine: 97 Points
By far the best bottle of wine we'vehad in the last year or two. Impeccable condition, both label and cork. Decanted three hours. Wine built up to an enormous peak of power, and finesse and volume. Fruit, tannins, pencil shavings, minerals. At absolute peak, but feels like it could stay here for another decade.
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5/9/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Leoville Las Cases Tasting and Dinner (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Tasting, brief note. Plum and black cherry with dark chocolate, vanilla, and espresso, then faint leather hints in background. Opulent and expressive with excellent balance.
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4/28/2016 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 94 Points
The 1990 Grand Vin was easily the most popular wine in the room at the Leoville-Lascases dinner in London on 23 April. A real crowd pleaser. Not that it is a superficial wine. I found it remarkably similar to the 1990 Clos Du Marquis with its exuberant mouth filling presence in a low acid format. The Grand Vin had a bit more oomph than the CdM. Unquestionably a delicious wine, atypical for Leoville Lascases with little of the sternness you have in other years, and which is a hallmark of this estate. While this is a wonderful wine it is not out of LLC's top drawer, where you will find the 82/85/86/96/00/05 and 10. Neither is it as good as the Leoville Barton 1990, which shows more restraint and class.
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4/22/2016 - JulianSkeels wrote: 95 Points
A lot of experienced tasters seemed to love this wine, but it doesn't move me as much as 1985 (nose), 2009 (concentration) or 1982 (scale and persistancy). In contrast to the cedar nose of 1985 this has a 1990 and almost paulliac nose of graphite with cassis. Great balance and initial mouthfeel, but doesn't improve with more air. I think this is actually at peak and should be drunk by 2030 - don't think it will improve from here.
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3/11/2016 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine was preceded by Clerc Milon 1990 and Lagrange 1996. Decanted for one hour. This wine is still youthful and unlike the Clerc Milon has NOT reached its pleateau of maturity I believe. The fruit is lovely - sweet 1990 characteristics which I LOVE. IMO this wine will be ideal 2020-2040. I have 3 bottle left and I will try to pace myself here. If you do open, must decant for 2 hours +. BTW a small bit left in the glass (following a long night, should not happen ;-)) the next morning was still intact - so around 8 hours in the glass did NOT "harm" this wine, which is a key reason I am certain this wine will last for decades from here. Great stuff (although to be honest it is actually not quite as good (yet?) as the Lagrange 1990 I have been drinking a lot of lately)... which is by now way a criticism of this lovely wine but rather the highest of compliments for the Lagrange... but it is good and important to put things into perspective... 96+
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2/10/2016 - Philippe_C wrote: 99 Points
Huge nose of "fraises écrasées", cedar wood, coffee, leather... super silky tanins, fruits noirs mûrs, super silky delicate!!
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2/4/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous nose of Bordeaux earth. Decanted for 2 hours. Thick and silky on the palate with decadent flavors of dark plums and cassis along with prominant notes of chocolate, rich tobacco and sweet earth. This is a big, voluptuous left-bank wine but it finishes with good structure and grip. Yes, the 90's are decadent and whorish for Bordeaux but there are definitely some nights where that works! Simply delicious.
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2/1/2016 - Jeffrey Silver Likes this wine: 98 Points
Utterly beautiful wine. At age 26 this wine is firing on all cylinders. Dble decanted for 3hrs and and even drank over 90min it continued to change. It's mature today and balanced. Silky smooth and a lovely Asian spice box on the nose. The taste has minerallike, with chocolate, hazelnut and artichoke. The finish seems to never stop. You sense this wine in mind for mins afterwards. This wine is very impressive and I get the sense it is just starting to strut it's stuff. You are rewarded today but can enjoy over the next 7-12yrs. There is long life here. Enjoy and Cheers My Score 98
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1/16/2016 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 91 Points
LLC dinner at 10 Greek Street. It follows on from '88 and the contrast was acutely obvious: dark, mocha and tobacco aromas wafting from the glass of 90 in contrast to the more refined and smooth red fruits of '88. Dense, chewy tannins, and coffee on the palate.
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1/8/2016 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hrs, deep red with barely lighter rim. Tobacco jump out of the glass, followed by purfumed cassis. Smooth and perfect balance of sweet fruit vs acidity on palate, good concentration but not overwhelming. Cedar aroma on finish, long and inducing another sip.
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12/26/2015 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for one hour, Medium ruby cool, distinctive nose of leather, tobacco and cedar. Full body, everything in balance, elegant with a long, long finish. This will last for many more years.Wounderful.
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12/25/2015 - JJA Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gorgeous. Beautiful aroma, full bodied, complex. Wine of the night. Wow, what a treat.
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12/5/2015 - shutto1992@gmail.com Likes this wine: 97 Points
DD for 4 hours. Stunning bordeaux. Earth, barnyard,tobacco. Seamless and aftertaste lasting for more than a minute. Wow!!!
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11/27/2015 - sooper65 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Immense... this 25 year old wine is showing so much youth, could pass for a 2000.
Dark and deep, lovely pure black currant action, svelte, with super fine grain tannin, great length... properly good, and of First Growth quality.
A gem. VERY pleased.. [3 magnums left]
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11/27/2015 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
This is a great 1990 - only first hints of evolution, but on the way to greatness
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11/14/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep ruby with only a shadow of sediment, this wine is fully mature.
Wonderfully integrated nose of black raspberry, cherry and fig compote. Seamless silky mouthfeel with finish which sails on and on.
If a date, this is a 40 year old recently retired senior executive beauty who is pursuing her passion as an artist.
Outstanding and highly recommended. AAA+
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10/30/2015 - Paul S wrote: 96 Points
1982, '89 and '90 Left-Bank Bordeaux Dinner (Imperial Treasure Shanghai, Ngee Ann City, Singapore): Wow. I have not had such a good Bordeaux in a long time. While this has the chops to age for decades yet, it actually drank pretty well after a couple of hours in the decanter, beating out a very strong line-up on the way to being crowned the wine of the night. On the nose, it had a really nice bouquet that seemed to be a deeper echo of the 1982 Las Cases that we had alongside, with rich accents of spice and mineral, and then savoury notes of earth and meat and powdery herb, all woven through rich, gummy cassis aromas. Lovely. Like the 1982 Palmer (which was the best bottle in the earlier flight though), it was really on the palate where this wine truly shone. There was just something wonderfully pure and effortlessly complete about this that made it stand out from amidst its competition. It had an immense amount of strength and power, with really full, large-scale flavours cassis and blackberries underscored by a serious spine of mineral and savoury, meaty tones as it stretched into tremendously long finish. Yet such was the purity and precision of the wine, with its deep core of wonderfully velvety tannins and juicy acidity, that all this power and intensity seemed to be carried without any effort at all, so that the impression that one was left with was of clarity and grace, rather than weight or density. Really gorgeous stuff, and with a great dish of roasted lamb shoulder – just magic. I could have gone on drinking this all night. I should say that we actually had two blind bottles of the 1990 on the night; one was perhaps more advanced than the other, so it showed a bit meatier and more savoury; but other than that, both bottles were consistently wonderful. A great wine all round, and while really enjoyable even now, it has the balance, depth and structure to go on aging for just about forever.
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10/25/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Still so youthful. Transparent dark ruby color. Nose took an hour to open up. Black currant, lots of cedar and pencil shavings, bacon, and green pepper. The nose still hasn't evolved fully with its tertiary elements. Full-bodied but soft. Tannins are round but still a bit forward. Acidity where it should be. So it still isn't at optimal balance and nose needs to evolve. Accessible but should improve over next few years.
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9/23/2015 - ETT95 wrote: 89 Points
Cork is firm and not sign of a faulty bottle. The colour is still red and firm. Alcohol is still detectable at nose. No tannin left and fruit has almost gone. Rather soft but not elegant with everything integrated. Taste of the terror's tertiary flavour. No reason to cellar longer upon the experience of this bottle. In comparison with other entries, the bottle might have storage problems or bottle variation.
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8/1/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Reinterpreted Paris Tasting 'Best Bottle Circle' Style (Emmen, Switzerland): Clear red with first bricking at the edges. Nose shows sweet raspberries and leather. Very long finish and great complexity at the same time highly elegant. Tannins are a bit dry...but this is trying to find the hair in the soup. Overall a great LLC to drink now and over the next decade
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8/1/2015 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
very old school matronly pencils, leather & cedar . Yes was in fine form and delicious with beef , yes will remarkably last another 10-20 years, but... Lacked freshness , wasn't very moorish but well build old school splendour. for the genre 94/95, for pleasure 92/93. Two hour decant.
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7/23/2015 - chcook Likes this wine:
PNP. cork wet most of the way up. Color dark. unlike the last bottle that I had, which I thought was premature, this one is youthful. not knowing the vintage my son suggested that this "needs more time". I think that it is delicious, and the structure is resolving but the dense fruit is going strong. really amazing. years left in the tank
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7/10/2015 - dbhatiamd wrote:
Have had this wine MANY times....... Sadly this bottle is corked. DQ
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6/11/2015 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Wine dinner at Blacksalt - Prévost, Krug, Pichler, Raveneau, Fevre, Grivot, LLC, Yquem & etc. (Blacksalt, Washington DC): This seems slightly off/too advanced, especially considering this being LLC. I would rate this 90pts but this is not correct.
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6/7/2015 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine:
I have had this wine many times but this time exceeded all expectations. Decanted, heavy sediment, dark ruby and a nose of cedar and cigar box. Mouth coating, elegant with an extremely long finish. Mature but will keep for many years. 99 points
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5/30/2015 - enochling wrote: 94 Points
Expressive nose of fragrance and earth. Powerful palate with good finish
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5/9/2015 - tbabes wrote: 97 Points
Opened, but not decanted, about 30 minutes prior to service. Purple-ruby core, turning towards blood-red at the rim. Notes of cassis, lilly, truffle, with hints of roasted game meat and leather. Medium-bodied, with a velvety texture, great balance and delineation, and a long and complex finish.
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4/21/2015 - sooper65 wrote: flawed
Oh dear
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4/8/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Black raspberry, roasted chestnuts, dark earth, warm vanilla. Some dark savory spice on the back. Sweet tannins and an overall tangy palate. Quite smooth at this point. Well paired with lamb saddle and morels.
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1/31/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Solid dark ruby color. Gorgeous nose of ripe cassis and black currants with smoky graphite and roasted walnuts. Rich and decadant ( after a 4-hr decant) but with plenty of structure underneath. Great flavors of black earth, charred walnuts and black currants lead to a deep, complex finish with notes of minerals, dried red flowers, bitter chocolate and a bit of roasted meats. A great vintage for LLC and being halfway through my case purchased on release, I would say this wine has firmed up a bit in the last few years and has a long life ahead of it. These '90 Bordeaux's are hedonistic and display some chocolate notes suggesting a bit of overripeness but there is plenty of structure left under many of them. I must say, I find myself reaching for them a lot when I just want something great to drink. 95+
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1/11/2015 - FransS wrote: 92 Points
Difficult wine, bit paprika, firm body, at the end a bit alcoholic. Very good, but missing the balance to be great.
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12/18/2014 - Christine Havens Likes this wine: 95 Points
The 1990 Léoville Las Cases opens with primary aromas of Iodine, blood, minerals, graphite and black cherry. After sitting open for 2-3 hours it exhibits perceptibly sweet tertiary notes of orange peel, roses and baking spice. This is a dark, powerful Saint-Julien with impressive concentration and grip on the attack followed by notes pencil lead, cedar and cinnamon. Still in possession of a lot vibrancy, it could age for another decade or more, easily. The finish is not as lengthy as I might have expected.
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11/9/2014 - SteelerFan wrote: 95 Points
Terrific showing. Drank with 90 Lynch Bages and Pichon Baron and this was clearly WOTN. Dark ruby color and complex, deep nose. Cigar, earth, tobacco stacked on top of a solid core of dark fruit. Excellent mature Bordeaux.
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10/13/2014 - brianakrin wrote: 95 Points
excellent. Great nose of bordeaux graphite , elegant but with a rich core of dark cherry fruit. well balanced. Long. Ready but will hold
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9/21/2014 - agricola Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is a big wine, deep colour, impressive bouquet (cassis, dark tabacco, leather). At the palate rich layers of black and red fruit, soft tannins. Enormous concentration yet well balanced and full of harmony and elegance. Seems to be on its top now. Much better than the 82 LLC I had tasted a few months before.
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9/15/2014 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Leather and cedar nose with earth; classic St Julien; deep and mature blackberry with texture; sweet cedar and earthy chocolate; fully integrated and somewhat soft tannins; outstanding; drink now.
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9/9/2014 - melzar wrote: 93 Points
From 750:My wine group's blind vertical of LLC. My third favorite among nine vintages. 78 79 82 85 86 90 95 00 07. Would have been very special had it not had such good company. Ready to drink, but with many years of positive evolution ahead. Excellent nose, palate and finish. Well balanced. Drink now or hold indefinitely. The last "old school" LLC in the tasting. Recent vintages show a trend toward a more modern international style.
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8/16/2014 - europat55 wrote: 95 Points
Birthday Dinner (Weijia & Jonathan's House): Fabulous nose (A). Gorgeous palate (A-/A).
My #1, Group's #1. Tasted blind.
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8/8/2014 - MC wrote:
From an auction lot this bottle has a good fill but run-up on the cork all the way to the edge. Decanted an hour and enjoyed over the next 3 hours. This is really good, and nothing to complain about, but I do agree with some of the notes that suggest it is a bit warm, and is showing the heat of the vintage. Big, ripe, dark fruit with plenty of tannin and well made overall - this has a long life ahead of it. But I really do think (based on this bottle) I prefer the '89 right now - especially with food. A-
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8/2/2014 - tbabes wrote: 99 Points
For my tastes, this is as enjoyable + pleasurable as mature red bordeaux gets. Intoxicating aromas of cassis, black truffle and cedar, with great depth, a velvety texture, and long + focused finish.
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7/11/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a very elegant LLC that is approaching maturity. There are wonderful flavors of black fruits and grilled nuts with notes of graphite and minerals on the complex finish. This is not as thickly-textured as many of the other '90's tonight but it is more precise and more elegant. Drinking so beautifully now.
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6/21/2014 - PJT Likes this wine: 99 Points
Velvety earthy red berry that caresses the nose. Definite bricking around the edges but still deep red color. Wonderful vibrant fruit on the edges of your tongue followed by smooth earthy berry fruit. No tannins, great fruit, incredibly well balanced. As close to perfect as I think I've ever had.
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6/6/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 98 Points
David/TY Dinner with Hans, Julian, Bun, Walter and wives (AMC Library): decanted for an hour. glorious showing. packed with layers of flavours. long and complex palate. loved it.
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5/16/2014 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 92 Points
Doft med mogen mörk frukt, svarta vinbär, tobak, tjära och stalltoner, men samtidigt också vissa gröna toner som jag så ofta hittar i just Las Cases.
Även i smaken mogen mörk frukt, svarta vinbär, lakrits och vissa gröna toner som drar ner helhetsintrycket. Givetvis en riktigt bra Bordeaux med mognad och kraft, med lång fint avslut, men jag kommer varje gång på mig själv när jag dricker detta vin, oavsett årgång, att jag förväntat mig mer än vad jag får.
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4/13/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 88 Points
1990 ANYTHING Dinner (Our house): Drank over 3 hours. Something was up with this bottle. The nose was angular and funky. As if you had ripe red and black fruit covered in dust but not TCA. The palate was full of dark fruit, graphite and tobacco, but was not as smooth as prior bottles.
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4/3/2014 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 96 Points
Hedonism Wines' Enomatic Sampling (Hedonism Wines, Mayfair): Bouquet slightly green, but I liked this particular bottle: sweet, full-bodied, chocolate, malt, earth, underwood. Really great today.
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3/29/2014 - Wine Expresso wrote: 91 Points
I tried 4 bottles recently, 2 bad, 2 good. This is the better one of 4.
Aroma, fruit nose, opened up after 1.5 hours. Full bodied and drinking smooth and nicely for another 1.5 hours. An enjoyable and elegant wine
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3/6/2014 - -E- wrote: 93 Points
(Blind) Klar, dyp rød med mild kant. Mørke solbær, blyantspiss og røk.
Mørksvart, tett, tørr og konsentrert frukt. Saftig, frisk syre. Fast og strukturert utgang med tørre tanniner. Mørk utgang. Flott lengde.
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3/6/2014 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
1990 Bordeaux Horizontal: Blind. Warmish presentation, verging on 'boiled', peculiar, some smoke and minerals, not very expressive, but a good West Bank wine.
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3/1/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
4th of 12, level into neck, decanted one hour, not as exciting as previous bottles lacking some focus and grip, perhaps just a tad too broad and almost sweet for Las Cases, probably a phase as I've normally marked this very fine plus. This bottle fine plus (18/20).
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2/18/2014 - galenico Likes this wine: 94 Points
BORDEAUX 1990 ALLA CIECA (ENOTECA ROSSORUBINO TORINO): Ancora un pó indietro... giovanile e prorompente. Frutti e spezie non ancora terziarizzati. Anche qui il Cabernet la fa da padrone, naso nervoso, spezia pungente, tabacco e tanta materia.
In bocca frutto corposo con tannini ancora presenti e finale suadente.
Miglior rapporto qualità/prezzo.
Tra qualche anno sarà una meraviglia
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2/17/2014 - dream wrote:
Dark ruby color with slightly fading edges. Pretty nose of rip black currants, sweet tobacco and charcoal. Soft ripe smoky black fruits with notes of tobacco and graphite minerals. A silky texture that leads to a finish that ultimately disappoints and lacks complexity. I purchased this magnum at auction years ago and while I can't identify any particular flaws, it just doesn't fire the same way as my case of bottles purchased on release.
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1/17/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 95 Points
"Best of the Best" Tasting (Switzerland): Tasted blind, 3hrs decant: Clear ruby in color. Nose of dark berries (currant), black licorice, tar and smoke. Very nicely integrated tannins, power, elegance and a good length make this a very nice LLC. The only thing which prevents this wine from getting a higher score are the dry tannins which make the wine a bit rustic. Drink now with no hurry.
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1/4/2014 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
From a bottle stored by a friend in mostly appropriate conditions, this wine had a bottom neck fill. It had a purple/red center and red rims with a hint of orange. The medium+ intensity nose focused on black fruits, cassis, clove, and brown spices.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe, as expected, but also balanced with light rounded tannin. The '82, and certainly the '86, were much more closed at this age. The length and richness were very impressive.
While this is great now, I would venture to say this will be even better in 10 to 20 years. I would expect it to pick up a couple points from an already exalted level.
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12/31/2013 - mplsbruin Likes this wine: 95 Points
12/31/2013 Tasting: Blind tasting of ’74 Rutherford cab (95), 84’ Jordan cab (88), ‘95 Paradis-Casseuil (82), ’81 Leoville-Las Cases (84), ’90 Leoville-Las Cases (95), 2010 Boekenhoutskloof cab (87), 2000 Faustino I Gran Reserva (85). My favorites: ’90 Leoville and Rutherford. My least favored: ’81 Leoville, Paradis, Faustino. Correctly identified: Faustino, ’90 Leoville, Boeken, ’81 Leoville.
Notes: "correctly guessed id, classic Bordeaux in prime, top favorite"
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12/21/2013 - Charlie Carnes wrote:
... a $284 bottle of poop. Stayed for three days and wouldn't blow off. The 1982 was amazing. 1990 and 1995 not so much.
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12/21/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at NOMI. Another excellent bottle although I am convinced this will improve with more time.
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11/13/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 97 Points
Pop and pour, consumed over next two hours. Beautiful aromatics pour from the glass. I would have been happy just to sniff this all night. Seamless, complex, fascinating, complete, lots of tertiary development, singing from the pop, but evolved in the glass, revealing nuance after nuance, playing like an orchestra on the palate, haunting, lingering finish. Wonderful. 97+
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11/12/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 96 Points
WineBerserkers SF Bordeaux Tasting (Le Charm, San Francisco): Lovely mature Bordeaux nose, earth, good core of black fruits, nice balance with good minerality, graphite; palate is full bodied, red spiced fruit, good concentration of red fruit throughout palate, nice midpalate concentration; medium-long finish. Very nice classically styled mature bordeaux that is ready to drink now but has life left. The nose is awesome. My WOTN (and appeared to be the consensus WOTN for the group). 95-96.
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11/7/2013 - kenv wrote: flawed
WCC St. Julien (Cafe Capriccio, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Mildly corked. Sad. After putting in some plastic wrap, it does improve: Smoky red fruit. Red fruit in the mouth with cherries and minerals. Still a hint of cork, but now drinkable.
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10/31/2013 - Ary Likes this wine: 98 Points
Dinner with Leoville Las Cases 2000, 1990 and 1982 (semi blind) (Restaurant van Baerle, Amsterdam): A stunning bottle, more developed than earlier bottles we had. Wonderfully complex, earth, minerals, meat and blood in the nose. Medium bodied palate, well delineated with tertiary fruits and pronounced iron and mineral tones - reminding of Pauillac. All followed by a long lingering finish of dark earth and truffle tones.
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10/12/2013 - DougLee wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for about 90 minutes. Darker garnet color with surprisingly little lightening at the edges. Fresh nose of red currant, cedar, a bit of smoke, cassis, cherry blossoms. Youthful on the palate with layers of buoyant red and black currant fruit plus leather, earth, mocha and a tiny streak of bell pepper. Very balanced with moderate acidity and smoothed tannins leading to a long finish of beautiful red fruit, mineral, and delicate grip. Already amazing, this is destined for future greatness.
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9/20/2013 - Nutty08 wrote:
HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting (Chicago, IL - Spiaggia): Having never had a mature LLC, this was quite a treat. While approachable, still youthful. Showing great purity with a core of cassis and cherry fruit, it mixed in some sandalwood and leather. This had an elegant nuanced feel. Could still use some time. A
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9/7/2013 - liber Likes this wine: 96 Points
Chez W, into neck, 1.5 hour decant, med-deep garnet, little development, complex nuanced nose and palate, cassis driven, fullish, very long, nice ripe but not baked fruit, should still improve, super as usual but not quite up to its Northern neighbour (Latour 90) which had even more to it on same night. Very fine plus (18.5/20).
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8/27/2013 - DarinC Likes this wine:
2 glasses from different bottles.
Bottle 1:
Perfect fill. Still youthful in color with slight bricking at the rim. Nose of dried red tree fruit, new leather, iron, some graphite, red & black currant, cigar box, dried flowers. Really expressive perfume after 2 hrs in the glass. Medium body palate with bright acidity at the entry, primarily red tree fruit, iron like minerality, currant, and some pencil and soil tones. Medium to long finish with very few tannins. Just beginning to show secondary. Should go great with food. Drink over the next 7-10 years. 91
Bottle 2:
Different importer. Perfect fill. Youthful color with bricking at rim. Slightly darker fruit profile than bottle 1 on the nose showing more black currant and spice. The differences on the nose carried through to the palate. Medium + body with more concentration than the first bottle. It seems like there's more barrel treatment showing than the first bottle and it's perfectly integrated adding complexity. The finish is slightly longer and more intense. Maturity level comparable to first bottle. Both bottles showed great poise and balance. 94
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7/21/2013 - rosenst1 wrote: 95 Points
Fill at bottom of neck. Cork came out in one piece. Double-decanted. Immediate intense aromas of ripe black fruits. Served two hours later; spectacular bottle just singing; much more complexity, cigar box and graphite combining with intense ripe fruit and a lovely palate intensity with a very long finish. The ripeness of the vintage is balanced with complexity in this bottle; drinking beautifully but not in any danger of going over the hill.
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7/20/2013 - Fatty Cat wrote: 96 Points
0.375 L bottle late Jul 2013: not decanted; rubin red color; immediately after pouring sulfurous off and cork-like taint; however, minutes later: mocca, chocolate, plenty of red and black fruit aromas and flavors; medium body; noble texture; medium/long finish.
A classic claret at highest level. How it should be!
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7/5/2013 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted with Alex at Yan's China Bistro. Bright red color in the glass, nose of leather, barnyard, red bell pepper, cassis, black cherry, plum and fig, more of the same on the palate, very mouth filling, taste complexity was equal to the bouquet, went on to a lovely, long, long finish and great aftertaste. The wine continued to open during dinner and became more white pepper, more red pepper, more mums and more herbs on the nose, the palate became equally more complex also. Fabulous wine.
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7/5/2013 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fireworks in a bottle! Perfect 4th of July BBQ steak accompaniment. Everything going for it from extremely well integrated tannins to layers of delicious fruit with a finish that latest longer than prime time commercials. WOW simply doesn't describe all of the components in the bottle.
The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Slow. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Silky texture.
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6/17/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Racquet Club. Very similar to my last experience. Great nose of tobacco, sweet red fruit and earth. Very forward and ripe with a slight minty element and a long smooth finish. Very broad and expansive in the mouth.
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5/28/2013 - Dsen Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful nose of spice and black currant, silky tannins, well balanced, beautiful
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2/11/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
We're talking fabulous aromas of Cuban tobacco interspersed with cassis, chocolate, Allspice and coffee in this Bordeaux. This wine is huge. Stunningly concentrated. Meaty but refined. Powerful, muscular and flawlessly sophisticated. Still tannic, but the tannins are very elegant. This is First Growth in quality! Still young, well stored bottles will easily last for 50 years!
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1/25/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby color without much fading. Pretty nose of grilled nuts, black fruits and spicy earth. Classic LLC with flavors of black currant and that great black earth and mineral quality I find from this vineyard. Medium-bodied with a slight roasted nut character and then builds to a complex finish with notes of dark chocolate, damp earth and minerals. Still very young and not showing much secondary flavor development so as silky and lovely as this is to drink now, I need to keep my hands off the rest of my bottles for a few more years. 93+
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1/18/2013 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
1990 Bordeaux dinner with Latour, Beausejour Duffau, Montrose and etc (Capital Grille Tysons, VA): Wine no 4 – earth, lead pencil, mint, plume and eucalyptus. Lean fruit expression, polished silky palate and nicely integrated tannins. Lynch Bages.
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1/12/2013 - aof Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gloriously perfumed with undertones of cigar box and brandy infused cake. Harmonious with perfectly weighted density and a silkiness remniscent of a Haut Brion. Notes of black tea and pepper on a notable finish. This is why I love aged Bordeaux in a fine vintage.
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1/11/2013 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
20 Vintages of Château Léoville Las Cases: Most balanced, complex and rich, very fine fruit core, promising indeed.
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1/4/2013 - Chuck Miller wrote:
My last bottle, purchased on release. Consumed at a steak dinner at Morton's alongside a 1982 Ch. Margaux. Both lovely and still youthful. Almost a coin toss. Happy to drink either of these over the next 5-10 years, as long as it's your bottle!
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12/25/2012 - t_moderne wrote:
Pop and pour; cork came out clean and intact. Had wine up to about 3/4 of the lenght of the cork. Nose of lead pencil and some cellar funk. In the mouth, good plum flavor with cigar box and lead pencil notes. Lead pencil and cedar notes are the dominate profile. Elegant. A refined glass of wine with smooth tannins.
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12/18/2012 - Billigan wrote: 95 Points
Right out of the gate, the blast of cedar and tobacco on the nose is enough to knock you back a few feet. The graphite/lead pencil smell was also the strongest I’ve ever felt in a wine (you hear the descriptor thrown around a lot, but this was the first wine to really take me back to grade school, grinding away at the sharpener on my Ticonderoga #2s). A forward vintage for sure, but the wine maintained plenty of elegance and balance, and I never got the impression of "overripeness" here. Plus, this is Las Cases, so it showed enough tannic bite on the palate to remind me that I’d opened it too soon. I know France is usually the reference point, but as I’m not that experienced with Bordeaux, I’ll flip it around here: this drank like a Dunn Howell Mountain from a great year.
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11/22/2012 - Eric Likes this wine: 96 Points
A great bottle at Thanksgiving. The nose just screams of Bordeaux with all of the prototype Las Cases lead pencil. The palate is raging to go, ripe, atypically forward for a Las Cases but still wonderful and with an appropriately dry edge of austerity on the finish. If you like 1990 and are a fan of the Las Cases style in general, I can't see how you wouldn't enjoy this one.
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11/17/2012 - kennyg wrote: 98 Points
This is incredible. Perfect balance of fruit, tannins, and acidity. Potentially at or near peak if you enjoy. I have not enjoyed a wine more recently. WOTN with competition from a PerryMore Stageocach 07, Pianpoloere Barolo 00, Giradin Corton--Perrieres Grand Cru 96. Wow
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11/15/2012 - JulianSkeels Does not like this wine: 94 Points
(Note: I am not a fan of 1990 Bdx) Tastes more of 1990 than St Julien. Popular and accessible, but no minerality and disappointing length. Eclipsed by 1985 and 1996. After 3hrs in glass, finish was more like sherbert. Supplied by LLC and bottle was perfect.
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11/9/2012 - rdewolff Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was a stunning wine. Blind degustation, found it's year, but wasn't sure of the wine itself.
Stunning! Deep red robe, little brick color starting to appear. Round, full body, red fruit. Wow!
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10/25/2012 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
Leoville Las Cases 2004 > 1982, with Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London): A glorious wine. Some browning on the rim but other than that glossy and youthful in colour. Nose starts of on the light fruit dominated, ripe sweet fruit a touch of right bank. It soon develops its herby cabernet notes though. Fleshy wine, good balance and richness, depth and opulent and complex. Burgundian in a way, quite round and on the fruit. Decent tannin and with a nice finish. Accessible now but this feels it will only improve with more time and easily has another 10-15 years.
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10/21/2012 - BradE wrote:
Drank well. A bit ripe, but enjoyable.
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9/29/2012 - Julia7ich wrote: 97 Points
Dark transparent ruby with garnet highlights. Rich cassis and earthy notes with nuances of saddle leather and tobacco. Still quite youthful and firm with abundant fine-grained tannins. Bright refreshing acid lends juiciness to the luscious sweet fruit. Incredibly long and satisfying finish.
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8/21/2012 - chcook wrote:
Popped and poured. Cork wet to top and soft. Color garnet brick with browning edges. Nose mostly secondary w cedar and leather framing the dark fruit. Swishing shows significant tannin and some acid starting balanced and soft and becoming more tart with air. Sipping shows resolved Bordeaux fruit with med long somewhat tart finish. Great with lamb chops tonight, a little disappointed with this bottle alone. Seems a little further along than it should be to me.
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8/10/2012 - King JR wrote: 96 Points
Spectacular and totally surprising! This was a fantastic claret! Still rich, full, robust with fantastic silky tanins! Held up amazingly next to the Lafite '90. Amazing nose, backed up by an enchanting palette. Wish I had more of this. Possibly one of the best value older Bordeaux's available.
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7/8/2012 - pjaines wrote:
Bordeaux v Burgundy III; 7/7/2012-7/9/2012 (The Square, London): Hyper refined and linear - this is sleek and paired back with incredible concentration and purity. Laser like precision of fruit, structure and tannins - very compact. Still young and really needs another 10 years to let that fruit develop even more. Excellent.
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6/25/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This is a perplexing wine. Some bottles are tight, holding its obvious charms in reserve. Other bottles are starting to open, becoming expressive. This particular bottle needed more time. Smoke, tobacco, cigar box, grave, cedar chest and cassis scents led to a full bodied, powerful, tannic wine that clearly has more to offer as it develops.
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6/23/2012 - canan wrote: flawed
Leoville Las Cases - Vertical Tasting (Le Sommelier, Copenhagen): ..... Very Annoying ....
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6/7/2012 - tooch wrote: flawed
Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Corked.
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5/4/2012 - Zinlady wrote: 97 Points
Wine was brought by Tony to 1990s tasting. Leoville is his favorite Bordeaux winery and it was his last bottle of six. We served this wine 5th of six wines. It was dark and had a wonderful body and finish. Served with cheeses - cheddar, mahon and appenzeller. They went so good with it. The wine was loved by everyone and was only topped by the Chateau Montrose.
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4/25/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: flawed
Corked, what a pity.
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3/23/2012 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
Somewhat unfair to put this up against the 89 haut brion. Once that was downed (!!), this wine just kept on going. Classic, precise claret with lovely and persistent redder fruit profile. Superb in its own right.
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3/4/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Double decanted and drank over 4 hours. Great nose of tobacco, sweet red fruit and earth. Very forward and ripe with a slight minty element and a long smooth finish. This had opened up quite a bit since my last tasting 2 years ago.
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2/11/2012 - cortoncharlie wrote: 95 Points
textbook classic las cases. definitely one of the more accessible to drink now together with the 85.
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2/4/2012 - acyso wrote:
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Quite an animalistic nose, with some notes of barnyard funk. Very austere on the palate, with no sweetness whatsoever. Tastes hollow, just a boatload of acid; I'm led to believe something is amiss here. Not scored.
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2/3/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 96 Points
Rich Chun dinner with Arthur, Desmond, D, PN, Perran and wives (The Principal): wonderful bouquet of black currants, tobacco, sweet earth. open, ripe and forward, yet maintaining freshness throughout. one of the best las cases I've had.
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1/3/2012 - hargy wrote: 90 Points
considering how highly rated this wine is, it was rather disappointing - lovely bouquet and the tannins are fully integrated but the wine lacked in length and depth - on this showing, drink soon but perhaps it was an odd bottle?
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12/31/2011 - Marc wrote: 97 Points
New Year's Eve in Eketahuna: A stunning wine of great power. This is archetypal medoc - displaying the essence of dark black currant, graphite and toast in a massive slightly monolithic framework. This could well become a perfect wine in 10 - 20 years. Popped and poured and had it had a half day in a decanter it would shown even better. 97+++points.
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12/31/2011 - paulst wrote: 99 Points
Tar, leather and cedar nose; smooth soft perfectly balanced fruit and acidity; opulent blackberry and soft sweet light black cherry; tobacco; sweet lingering ever present soft tannins; perfect blending of red to light on the edges; beautiful poca dot residual tannins in the glass; St Julien at its finest.
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12/12/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
beautiful
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12/9/2011 - cos82 wrote: 94 Points
Brought to my annual holiday lunch at Bibou and served side by side with an 89 Ducru and 89 Beychevelle to accompany a French capon prepared 2 ways: the breast in a cream reduction with salsify and the leg au jus. Opened 2 hours, but not decanted. Dark ruby in color with cassis, leather, truffle and tobacco on the nose. Beautiful smooth balanced palate of blackberry, cassis, earth, leather and mineral. Nice finish and no tannin. Although ratings on CT for this wine are very high, I preferred the spicyness of the Ducru. The Beychevelle was also at its peak. Beautiful wines with a beautiful dish.
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11/24/2011 - gsquireh wrote: 96 Points
Full bodied, royal ruby and purple and a near perfect nose with all the characterisics of a great Bordeaux- lead pencil, tobacco, currant, sweet earth, forest floor, blackberries and black cherries.
Wonderfully rich, concentrated, balanced, smooth and a lingering fisnish.
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11/19/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes, the wine offered scents of tobacco, cassis, truffle, black cherry, smoke, menthol, stone and leather. Full bodied and concentrated with ripe, pure, refined, Cabernet Sauvignon, this is really starting to open up. The long, pure, velvet in an iron glove finish leaves a lasting impression. Most of the tannin has melted away. While the wine should continue to improve, there is no reason to delay popping a bottle if you have more than a few in your cellar. I've tasted this wine a lot over the years. Some bottles have displayed a longer, deeper finish. This was a good, but probably not a perfect bottle. Such is life. I'm looking forward to the next one.
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11/2/2011 - bigcat wrote: 98 Points
Opened a magnum, decanted, and let sit for 2 hours. Immediately after open a bit of menthol in the nose, however, after sitting for two hours it really opened up. Lots of earth, cedar, leather, and cassis. Round flavors, proper amount of tannin. Served it with fantastic Prime Rib and it was truly a match made in heaven.
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10/16/2011 - Ydaucourt wrote: 97 Points
Sublimissime ! Une classe folle, du velour, une longueur .... Génial
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10/5/2011 - hdgroot wrote: flawed
Diner in Amsterdam, Bordewijk. Completely corked. Pitty....
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9/19/2011 - tbabes wrote: 100 Points
For me, this remains an utterly perfect wine and a true pleasure to experience. The fill was into the neck and the cork (which was soaked haflway to the top) was sound. Opened (but not decanted) about 1 hour before service and consumed over the following 2 hours. A purple-ruby core, turning to blood red at the rim. Notes of cassis, ripe plums, roasted fennel, and truffle jump from the glass, followed by hints of flower, graphite and grilled meat. Medium-bodied, with a glorious and velvety texture; layers of flavor, great balance, and laser-beam focus on the long and complex finish. For me, this absolutely blows away every other vintage of Leoville Las Cases (to include the '82, 86, '95 and '96) that I've tasted.
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9/18/2011 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Again the Las Cases has the most youthful color of the three Léovilles. It has a beautiful and classical bouquet with good cassis, cedar, lead pencil etc. On the palate the same elements, some bell pepper, beautiful juice and well integrated oak. The good tannin still holds a promise and the wine can easily last another decade. At this moment I score it one point less than the Poyferré tasted beside it, because the latter had even some more luxury and was more a point.
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9/10/2011 - psmith wrote:
Popped and poured, which may have been a mistake. Clearly lots of stuffing but showing little on the nose - traces of dark fruit. Firm palate. Weighty. Needs time.
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9/10/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Popped, decanted and poured. Lots of dark fruit, mostly black cherry, with lots of fairly powerful spice. Very ripe fruit comes through particularly from middle to the end. Very showy, seemed very young today.
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8/6/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 95 Points
Drank after a Ch. Clinet 1990 and a Ch. L'Evangile 1990 which were both served way too warm on an extremely hot night. So we pulled this out of the cellar and splash decanted before serving almost straight away. No detailed notes but this was stunningly good and surprisingly open.........absolutely textbook St. Julien First Growth....gorgeous.......thanks Greg.
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7/12/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
1990s Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 13.5%
Opened for 1hr. Beautiful vibrant ruby red. Some alcohol at first but blew off very quickly. The intense aromas displayed very good depth with tobacco, smoke meat and incredible intense sweet dark fruits in the core, truly engaging. Rich, dense with inner power on the palate that wrapped in a elegance, feminine package. I’m surprised this is drinking so well yet so young. I especially like the expansive, velvety mouth feel with excellent purity. Layers of seductive sweet dark fruits along with fresh mineral, autumn leaves and spices that underpinned firmly by the sweet acidity backbone and sweet tannin. This has stunning length with persistent and drive. This is such a classy, seductive Las Cases that flirting with its elegance, finesse and depth. I believe this will easily continue to evolve over the next 10yrs and drinking well for the next 2decades. WOTN for me and many. Buy – Yes.
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7/12/2011 - salil wrote: 96 Points
This is the complete package; leather, pencil lead, cigar smoke, cassis and red fruits all combining seamlessly into a fantastic, full bodied and superbly balanced whole. Drinking beautifully right now with plenty of fruit framed by mature, developed flavours, and most of the tannins resolved giving this a very polished, silken texture. Amazing wine that's hard to do justice to in words. WOW! will have to suffice here.
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7/1/2011 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
Some random exclusive wines (@ TBa): Wow! I love Léoville las Cases. Very classical in the bouquet as well as on the palate. In the nose there is a little pleasant barnyard, cassis, cedar, cigar box and lead pencil. And although the bouquet is mature it is also still so youthful. On the palate signs of maturity as well, but also beautiful cassis, ripe black fruits and beautifully round and soft still powerful tannin. Beautiful acidity. Harmonious, classical and complex wine. Will probably not really gain anymore, but if you own a perfect bottle like this one was, it will probably still be as good in 2020.
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5/21/2011 - AlanM68 wrote: 96 Points
Tasted alongside a Lafite 1990 and a Gruaud Larose 1990, the Las Cases was plainly the winner. Still plenty of fruit though showing the emergence of farm. Great length. Decanted for about 2 hours before drinking. Time on its side still but doubt it will get much better than this.
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4/28/2011 - wallstreet wrote: 94 Points
Wine is full mature. Needed some time in the decanter to open up. As time went on, it put on weight. The nose was full of pencil lead, old barnyard, just the way a nice older Bordeaux should smell. The taste revealed totally integrated flavors and this wine is ready for business. It still has backbone and can easily improve over next 5-10 years. But I think the drinking window on CT is a bit optimistic. I do not believe this wine would perform well in 2026. We had this side by side with 90 LMHB, which I did prefer over the LLC. We also had Vega Sicilia Unico 90 which was a bigger wine and provided much pleasure. For the 90 LLC, I say drink up by 2020. A great, mature Bordeaux that most likely would not impress the Napa Cab folks out there.
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4/27/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
One of the best LLC I ever had. Lots of flowery perfume on the nose, no signs of mature age, this baby will outlast us all.
Served from decanter over 3 hours dinner. Don't give this wine as a gift to your mother-in-law, life is short - treat yourself nicely.
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4/23/2011 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
drunk next to the 85 LasCases. this wine also looked very young, garnet color. dark fruits on the nose, bit of lead pencil and earth. weighty in the mouth and very long with a touch of dryness. this wine also opened up well over dinner and had a great broad and long finish. pipped slightly by its older brother but this wine has a long and pleasant life ahead of it
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4/23/2011 - vine20 wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet with no bricking on the edge. Mature fruit nose very pronounced. Decanted 90 minutes. Dark red fruits of black cherry and plum are integrated into a smooth presentation that is dominated more by the tannin -- which is still significant but does not detract -- and the tobacco, leather, flinty graphite and white pepper highlights. Lots of barnyard. Big weight wine, long finish. This wine is still developing, and I think it has a couple of years before it's at its best
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2/28/2011 - sandwich wrote: 97 Points
Triple decanted and double blind tasted but the cork was removed only once. Leather on the nose, tobacco on the tongue, lead pencil shavings on the mid palate, crushed rocks on the gums, and dry roasted venison marrow on the finish. The subtle essences of white pepper were almost (but not completely) concealed by the almost non-existent whiff of black pepper. This powerful, yet subdued wine was able to both display and conceal the obvious and hidden attributes. The 1990 Leoville las Cases was the hands down, overwhelming choice (by a vote of 4-3) for wine of the night at the 2011 Chappaqua Cassoulet Cookout.
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2/25/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Shama's LLC Offline (The Square, London): An interesting mix of sweet fruit and blackcurrant leaf herbaceousness on the nose, opening up to a quite seductive, sweet, spicy element, almost a little slutty. Long and lovely, but almost a little too comely.****1/2
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2/14/2011 - la turque wrote: 98 Points
Brilliant!!! Completely agree with Jeff Leve's note from Nov. 2010.
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2/12/2011 - Ho Bryan wrote: 97 Points
Wow. An amazing wine, and at its peak right now.
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1/20/2011 - Faryan wrote: flawed
Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): Merde! Corked...
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1/7/2011 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Wow, a superb showing for this wine after opening my case purchased on release. Double-decanted and brought it to a wine dinner at L'Artusi in the west village, NYC and served after being open about 4 hours. Black color with little fading. Gorgeous nose of roasted nuts, black fruits and graphite. Drinking beautifully now with some nice secondary flavor development but seems like it is still just short of it's peak. Medium-bodied and oh so silky with wonderful flavors that echo the nose. The finish is quite complex with notes of black minerals and nuts and the tannins are so smooth. Las Cases is not the most expressive wine compared to the other seconds but this is really refined and classy juice comparable to the firsts in this wonderful vintage. 2 bottles tasted with similar notes.
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12/17/2010 - wenderoth wrote: 95 Points
Deep crimson/purple colour with a little lightening at the rim, but exquisite clarity. Nose of tobacco, pencil shavings, menthol, tar, liquorice and black fruit. So youthful on the palate! Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry and maybe a little anise on the palate with some subtle secondary earthy notes. Big fleshy midpalate and a long, long finish supported by the finest and most elegant tannins. A really classy and serious wine still drinking youthfully and very hard to resist. I will try and restrain myself for another 2-3 years until I open the next one.
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11/13/2010 - jreis wrote:
This wine is just in a fantastic place at the moment. White pepper, precise limestone minerals,leather and just a hint of bell pepper on a very clean and precise nose. Opulently textured on the palate just balanced between primary and secondary fruit. Palate also has white pepper, leather and beautiful minerals, but as well lots of rich ripe black fruit. This certainly has decades of good drinking ahead of it, but to me it is in such a good place, why wait?
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11/11/2010 - Joealex wrote: 95 Points
Excellent balance,silky texture, nice concentration, bitter aftertaste, Very nice indeed. However today's prices of this wine are ridiculous
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11/3/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
1990 Leoville Las Cases makes itself known with aromatics of Asian spice, earth, fresh blackberry, caramel, cigar box, tobacco and cassis. This powerful, full bodied, rich, intense wine is polished, sophisticated and intense. It fills your mouth with strong, ripe tannins and round textures. The long, pure, concentrated finish could be mistaken for a top First Growth from a great year. Still young, this can be enjoyed today, but it’s only going to get better with time. This is probably my favorite vintage of Leovlle Las Cases at the moment.
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10/28/2010 - JamesM wrote:
Léoville Las Cases, St Julien 1990
Decanted 1.5 hours before pouring. Beautiful, deep ruby red to rim, no sign of age. Not a powerful nose: elusive scents of cassis, minerals and a hint of leather. The word purity comes to mind - the Bordeaux equivalent of a Puligny? - and this is underscored by the palate. This bottle delivered perfectly resolved tannins, providing the well-integrated structure and depth to support delicious, ripe dark fruit with a hint of cassis, a touch of minerally earthiness and a long finish. Not rich and mouth-fillingly powerful but exceedingly classy, intense, focused and an absolute joy. Wonderful wine at or close to its peak of perfection; it will probably last for many years so no hurry to drink remaining stock. 97 points.
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8/23/2010 - tbabes wrote: 100 Points
Opened (but not decanted) about 1 hour before service; the fill was well into the neck, and the cork was pristine -- great provenance here! A beautiful purple-ruby color, with no signs of amber. An ethereal (and slightly exotic) bouquet, offering up notes of ripe dark fruits (cassis, blackcurrant, and plum) fennel, white truffle, and tapenade; a hint of cedar as well. Medium-bodied, wonderfully full and deep, with loads of fruit, incredible balance, velvety tannins, and a pure, long and focused finish. For me, this bottle was pure perfection!
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8/14/2010 - pmonge wrote:
Opened 1 hour in advance and decanted. Color still bright and not showing its age at all. Wonderfully and intensely perfumed from the start, with complex fruit and tertiary nuances. Perfume was intense and very clean. All impression were confirmed in the mouth: intense, powerful, balanced, extremely long.Not at its apogee yet, but absolutely a delight to drink. Maybe my best experience with a Cabernet or Merlot based wine. Varietal notes (that I usually don't like very much) were not in strong evidence. We were concerned about the status of this bottle, as it had been bought from an auction, but it lived up to our best expectations.
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7/5/2010 - WinoRick wrote: 96 Points
Puchased as a future for $36.... This wine continues to improve. Intense fruit with complexity and balancing acidity. I think it'll continue to improve, but I probably won't hold back drinking this spectacular wine.
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7/2/2010 - agbailey wrote: 95 Points
Spectacular. More detailed note to follow.
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6/25/2010 - canan wrote: 98 Points
Misc Bordeaux 1990 tasting - Martin: What a beautiful nose!! Loads of pine, pencil shavings, iron and smoked meat.. Great intensity and very classic.
The same classic things follows into the palate with and amazing flavor of black currant leaves. Nice strokes of freshly ground coffee and a little blueberries.
Just a very minor hint of leather and sewer.
Perfect elegance and balance! A huge wine.
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6/25/2010 - Terkel wrote: 98 Points
Bordeaux 1990 - 20 years later (Martins office): Dark red color, still with a reddish hue. Very pure nose with fresh and elegant blackcurrant fruit and pencil shavings. Extremely refined. Bringing the same cool, pure blackcurrant fruit on the palate along with notes of blackcurrant leaves and stalks and pencil shavings. On the mid palate and finish it grows in complexity adding black cherries, tobacco, prunes and cigar box to the mix. The sweetness and juiciness of the fruit it of great pleasure, but it does not lose its intellectual side, having an underlying mineral and iron streak. Amazing length, laser-like purity and extraordinarily delicious.
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6/20/2010 - mkelson wrote: 95 Points
A wonderful, full bodied wine with great nose and flavor. It was a little bit tannic after decanting for a couple of hours, but still a delight.
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6/18/2010 - blanquito wrote: 90 Points
1980s Bordeaux; 6/18/2010-6/20/2010: My biggest disappointment of the evening, this LLC was sulking somewhere outside midtown Manhattan. Yes, there’s a certain lush, creaminess with morello cherry and soft tannins that says this is an LLC of a different color, but it’s aromatically tight and seems a little lean. Off bottle?
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5/22/2010 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Powerful wine still quite tannic but drinking well. Excellent.
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5/18/2010 - MRichman wrote:
1990 Left Bank Bordeaux Horizontal: Broad with a dark base and sweet core. Herbal and complex. Very nice.
B+/A-
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5/16/2010 - fandj wrote: 98 Points
OMG, drank this with a rack of lamb for our anniversary. Absolutely beautiful, classic Bordeaux. Drinking beautifully now, but plenty of life left. This is a lovely, lovely wine!!
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5/12/2010 - Jossik wrote: 94 Points
Più buona dell'altra bevuta, molto minerale, dritto, austero. Inizialmente chiuso, poi si apre anche su frutta scura ma piacevole. Bellissima la bocca, lunga, anpia, tanto tannino ma molto vellutato
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4/11/2010 - BradE wrote:
From 375. Needed air, but with that and a little time, this was great.
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4/5/2010 - Larry Brooks wrote: 92 Points
Napa vs. Bordeaux (Rick's House): less punch in the palate and finish then the top contenders on this night.
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4/2/2010 - BFG wrote: 97 Points
Just awesome. Incredible nose of classic Bdx notes of tobacco, stone, and black fruit. Extremely balanced on the palate, with good fruit, fairly resolved tannins, and a long finish. This was from a half-bottle, so may have shown a touch more age (in a very good way) than a 750 would.
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2/2/2010 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
French Wine Tasting in Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C. (Lavandou Restaurant, Washington D.C.): WOTN. Oh my goodness. Like Chris Bublitz, I literally cheered over this wine. Sex and sophistication came to mind, with flavors of lead pencil and cassis but warm and very giving without an ounce of flab or flat. Rich, yet complex, this wine has reached that happy apotheosis reserved only for the greatest wines where depth of flavor, purity of expression and solidity of structure create palate pleasure with a long finish. It also stood up to my pepper steak with - oh no! - acid filled roasted tomatoes. Quite easily, the wine of the night!
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1/17/2010 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 1-2 hours prior to consuming. Quite closed and not really ready to drink, but thick and dramatic in intensity. Swirling produced definite St. Julian/Pauilliac like aromas, lead pencil, etc., but I was struck with how this clearly needs another 5 years. Not sure the 82 is more or less ready than this.
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1/2/2010 - paulst wrote: 98 Points
Fine excellent Bordeaux; decanted 7 hrs; when opened seemed unimpressive, 7 hrs later, rich, complex, concentrated, sweet; has it all, complex with long smooth finish and perfect acidity.
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12/27/2009 - loverboy wrote: 95 Points
Best Las Cases I've ever had, to me it's better and more mature than the 1982. Killing nose of pauillac like but a little more creamy, gelatin, tobacco and red and black fruits keep changing in the glass. Very fine tannin with long long aftertaste which last nearly a minute
Ready for business now and should stay that way for a very long time.
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12/19/2009 - psmith wrote:
Really liked this bottle. Classic, medium bodied tobacco and well-integrated dark fruits. Well-resolved bottle, but clearly capable of lasting a long time. Very enjoyable. Classy wine.
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12/12/2009 - Surfer714 wrote:
after an hour decant this was a very nice wine...
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10/17/2009 - ricknat1 wrote: 91 Points
Part of a blind tasting of Leoville Poyferre, Barton and Las Cases, 1982, 1990, 1996 and 2000 with Acker. The nose is sweet, creamy and delicious. Relatively forward with caramel, cream and fruits subdued but lacking in intensity. maybe it nees more ti
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9/24/2009 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
The nose on this was great, full of cedar, mushrooms, earth and tobacco. The wine had great balance, dark fruit, but not as sweet as some of the other '90's can be, and long finish.
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9/11/2009 - jlgnml wrote:
HDH BYOB at Dave's Primehouse (Dave's Primehouse, Chicago Il): War, sented with a hint of turpentine. Not at all bad, but would need several more years of aging.
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9/6/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 91 Points
Very big nose of minerals leather and some tar. Full bodied with still very full fruit. Finish was a little clipped and wine seems like it is starting to turn bad. Probably slightly off bottle but still drinking nicely.
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8/12/2009 - french16 wrote: 92 Points
I think it was a very nice wine but without the elegance and depth than I usually get with LLC.
Decanted for 3h, and it showed a lot of tar, cedar, dark fruits with a roasted edge.
Didn't get much of mineral notes that LLC can show.
Still very enjoyable.
92-93pts
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7/14/2009 - Purpletongue Likes this wine: 97 Points
I am rarely one to write a public note about a wine, or anything else for that matter. After pulling a bottle of the 1990 Leoville Las Cases from a corner of the wine cellar tonight however I am moved to report a sublime experience. I'm not much on the numbers rating scheme but by my numeric rating I mean merely to reflect an appreciation for a wine that ranks as one of the top handful of delights in a given year of consumption.
Surely the lush, ripened/dried elderberries and cherries backed up with the tobacco and leather notes and classic lead pencil undertones are on parade; make that Thanksgiving Day Parade. Moreover, a wine that encourages you to lean back in your chair and savor deeply. Heed the wine.
For all the hype of the more recent "vintages of the decade, century. all time, etc." this wine stands among the other great Bordeaux wines of 1990 as evidence of the durability and greatness of that vintage.
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7/9/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 96 Points
Much less evolved than my most recent bottle - this one was vibrant and drinking as I expected and hoped for. Rich nose of dark and red berry, cassis, and a bit of earth, dried herbs and lead pencil. Full, but elegant mouthfeel with vibrant acidity and good balance. Flavors of black cherry, black currant, cassis and pencil. Significant and slightly drying tannins with a fruity, acidic, long finish. Concentrated, flavorful, complex and elegant. Reminds me a lot of the 1989 Lynch-Bages with perhaps just a bit more finesse. Drinking great now -- I would expect many more years of pleasure.
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7/7/2009 - BradE wrote:
From 375. Great bottle - rocking fruit from the get-go, great nose, wonderful.
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6/30/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
With its olive, cassis, cedar and black fruit nose, smells young. The fruit is polished, ripe and pure. There is good intensity and purity to the flavor and the finish is polished
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6/28/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Smoky cassis, cigar ash, truffles, soil, licorice and a mélange of spice are all easy to find. Powerful, yet not demanding, this intense, regal, Cabernet wine is still tannin. But the ripeness of the tannins offers great textures. This structured, full-bodied wine ends with a juicy mouthful of ripe, dark berries, cassis, fennel and earthy flavors. Still young, this has 20-30 more years of life to enjoy.
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6/28/2009 - BradE wrote:
A pleasure for pre-dinner on a Sunday evening.
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6/28/2009 - georgeohr wrote:
From 375. Decanted 1 hour before pouring. Drinking wonderfully now with plenty of life ahead.
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6/18/2009 - foneil wrote: 88 Points
Drinking well in our opinion. Probably not the strongest candidate for long-term aging from here, but another couple of years will serve it well. Classic lead pencil notes, dark red fruit, nicely balanced against a moderate base of tannins now well integrated into the wine. Unlike a few other reviews, we did not decant, but found it tasty once it had a few minutes exposure to the air in nice glasses.
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5/27/2009 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Rich & Dana graciously offered this bottle from their cellar during dinner following the 1989 Bahans. Garnet to the core, opening with what I call a roasted red bell pepper note that I associate with St. Julien. This is followed by notes of red currant, plum, pipe tobacco and roasted herbs. Very fresh and youthful on the palate, with red fruit and a long, elegant finish. Full, complex and absolutely gorgeous, this can be drunk now or held for another ten years. Thanks R & D!
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4/30/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 93 Points
dusty nose. big powerful mouth with good complexity, red fruits,
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4/30/2009 - ScottS wrote: 93 Points
Backstreet Bordeaux Tasting (Backstreet Wine Salon - PHX, AZ): Very expressive nose of crushed berries. On the midpalate cherry, cassis & tobacco. Finely grained tannins and a silky smooth finish. This wine is drinking extremely well.
50+5+14+17+7=93
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4/30/2009 - jivey wrote: 97 Points
Offline Backstreet - If it was not due to un fair competition (00 Haut Brion) this would have been my wine of the night. Spectacularly youthful that continued to open up a display perfect balance and intensity.
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4/30/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 91 Points
dave's bordeaux blowout (backstreet wine salon): expressive, fine tannin, still developing. drink or hold.
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4/30/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
Not a good showing whatsoever. Flat, thin, and utterly outclassed by everything else tonight.
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4/24/2009 - BradE wrote:
Started off a bit slow, but with a little time, moved into its typical glide path.
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4/14/2009 - Phin wrote: 94 Points
Black fruits and lead pencil. Broad and pure. Red fruit and cedar notes emerged as it warmed and opened.
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1/24/2009 - phornby wrote: 89 Points
First of four bottles bought on release and cellared correctly since then. Paired with 1997 Cos D'Estournel for dinner. Opened and decanted at 2:30pm and drunk with the meal starting around 9:00pm. The wine was a little disappointing at first, seeming short on the mid-palate and with a less intense mouth-feel than I was expecting. Nose and finish were classic, and tannins were still there in the background. Both this wine and the Cos were changing in the glass, and eventually the Leoville started showing up to expectations, but only as we approached nine hours after the bottle was opened. Seems to me that thiis wine still needs a couple of years.
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1/20/2009 - Margauxguy wrote: 87 Points
SOme signs of light seepage. Not terrible, but not the sweet St Julien fruit I was expecting, a touch flat and disappointing. Maybe oxidized.
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12/28/2008 - Jossik wrote: 92 Points
Grafite, marmellata di mirtilli, spezie e tamarindo. Bocca ampia e piena.
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11/6/2008 - paulst wrote: 97 Points
Deep rich thick chewy concentrated intense blackberry fruit with leather and earth and long finish.
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10/26/2008 - Barbalax wrote: 94 Points
Tasted side-by-side with the 1983 Poyferré. This one was much better, although the Poyferré was not bad by any means. Very aristocratic touch of cedarbox, black currant fruit and leaves. Still very young, this one will live forever. Needed three hours in the decanter to open up, and then it just improved over the whole evening. First class!
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10/26/2008 - Surfer714 wrote:
One of my Favorite LLC. Still young but after a hour of time wow.....
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10/25/2008 - canan wrote:
Not quite sure what to say about this wine. Simply amazing!!
The nose is just insanely intense with black currant, pine, pencil shavings, chocolate, vanilla and cedar. With additional time in the glas the nose collects itself nicely.
On the palate it is again stunning.. The black currant is pure and fresh with pencil shavings, chalk, coffee and even some sweet dark plum. It is concentrated but still in balance by a huge and impressive acidity.
What a beautiful wine!!!!
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10/25/2008 - Terkel wrote: 98 Points
Left bank Bordeaux: Dark red color with a brick red hue. Beautiful blackcurrant nose with marzipan, graphite, cedar and a tobacco note. The blackcurrant fruit is just singing over the palate, great intensity and superb purity. Amazing complexity on the midpalate with notes of cedar, marzipan, tobacco leaf, licorice and earth. Fantastic balance and the length is unbelievable, it keeps going and going – pure Duracell. Loads of acidity and tannins perfect integrated in the wine. Elegant, powerful and very classic. Wow.
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8/30/2008 - kris.h wrote: 95 Points
32nd Birthday Dinner (Le Gourmand - Seattle, WA): Lovely and intense nose of raspberry, cedar / pencil lead, butterscotch, dark smoky berries, and black currants. Firm tannins on the palate. Perfect balance. Rich fruit and spices on the long glorious finish.
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8/18/2008 - BradE wrote:
From 375. Smooth and delightful.
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7/31/2008 - Spencer wrote: 97 Points
Second bottle from a case purchased at auction last winter. The first bottle had a faulty corked and tasted tired. This one however, was pristine. Big and concentrated, but balanced. Dark fruit, gravel, smoke, lead pencil. Great, supple mouthfeel, and a long, elegant finish. Drinking well now, but should continue to age effortlessly.
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5/17/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 93 Points
Kdawgs birthday and tasting event (Cotes du Rhone Restaurant, Chicago, IL): Sight: Medium red wine that has been clarified. Medium viscosity (more viscous than some of the earlier wines). Overall a young in appearance wine noticeable mostly throught he absence in bricking.
Nose: Cedar and leather come front and center initially. Then giving way oak and red tree fruits of both medium and dark colors. Hazelnuts made a pass at me while the overall bouquet was just shining and bragging in its own right due to the complex and multi-layered nature of the wine.
Tatse: Really excellent! Smooth and integrated.
Overall: An outstanding- wine. 93-94 Points.
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5/17/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
80s Bordeaux Birthday dinner (Cotes Du Rhone Bistro(Chicago, IL)): nose: very alluring menthol and herb laced nose with smoke, graphite, kirsch, and toast complimented with roots and vegetables. Very pretty nose with serious elegance that evolved more and more over the evening and added some allspice notes too
taste: Plush and elegant with wonderful spice notes, herbs, graphite, smoke, mocha, menthol, red fruits that evolved into more dark characteristics, and some vegetable aspects too.
overall: a gorgeous and elegant wine with a bit of kick to it. Nice silky nose that evolved over the course the evening(and day as it had been a graphite bomb when first opened) adding some texture and silk to it also. Very plush and evolved on the palate, but you can sense that it's still young but make no mistake, this is starting to turn out into a beautiful wine. This will get better and will be a fun one to revisit in 5-10 years
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5/17/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
I was surprised how evolved this bottle was. It had a red and brickesh color and a great nose of dark fruit, a hint of earth, cedar, loam and cassis/plumb. Somewhat subtle flavors that matched the nose. Less fruit than I expected for this vintage -- seemed somewhat more subtle than I expected with very soft edges and a smooth texture. A very good wine, but lacking in vibrancy.
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4/4/2008 - Spencer wrote:
From a case recently purchased at auction. The other 11 bottles all had excellent fills, but this one was significantly lower, so I thought I would open it first. The cork was completely saturated and spongy. The wine was excellent, but clearly more evolved than it should be. It did not taste cooked - just a bit tired, so I am hoping that this bottle just had a bad cork. I'll open another bottle sometime soon to compare, though.
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1/25/2008 - kris.h wrote: 94 Points
1989 vs 1990 Bordeaux: Lots of tannin with some nice raspberry fruit.
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1/2/2008 - Siggy wrote: 96 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux at Heidi's (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Third time I've tasted this. Double decanted about 2 hours before pouring. Soaring, complex nose that carries through to a dark palate of black cherries, coffee, pencil lead, meat juice, and smoke. Prodigiously concentrated and structured. Long, tannic finish. Really youthful and very impressive.
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1/2/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 96 Points
Wednesdays at Heidi's: The color is a dark reddish black. The nose is surprisingly open and offers a complex blend of dark fruit, tobacco/cigar box and lead pencil. The wine came on strong on the attack showing ripe black fruit, mineral and tobacco/smoke. However, the tannins clamp down hard by mid-palate and somewhat obscure the otherwise nice finish. This is perfectly balanced and has a really nice smooth texture. This is a great young wine that was fun to drink now, but deserves many more years of cellar.
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11/1/2007 - baja wrote:
This was brought over for our Halloween pizza party before taking the kids trick or treating. WOW...is what I have to say. I am always like a kid in a candy store (actually very appropriate for the occasion) when I am handed a bottle like this. This was a pop-decant-and pour. The color was dark ruby with very slight bricking around the edges. The nose....WOW....full of mineral, earth....kind of like the barn thing going on with the poop and all....LOVE THAT!....there was some very nice dark fruits, some spice and cedar. I did a lot of swirling to try to get this as much air as possible in the glass. The full bodied palate had explosive flavors of dark fruit, spice, tobacco, still surprisingly showing some firm tannins....this really needed a couple hours in the decanter....but hey Las Cases and pizza with family and the best of friends....FREAKING PRICELESS MEMORIES!...and that is what life is all made up of. We followed this up with a bottle of 2000 Villa di Capezzana Ghiaie della Furba that had been decanting for over 3hrs. This is also no slouch, 94 point rating from WS, 92.8 on CT and myself rated 92. The reason I bring this up is because after drinking the Las Cases, the Ghiaie della Furba was like drinking an 85pt wine.....that was a wake up call for just how good the Las cases was. I am not going to give this wine a # score due to the circumstances it was consumed and no formal notes taken....but make NO mistake...this was an A+ wine. TampaSteve
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10/9/2007 - Eric wrote:
Dinner at Wilfred's (New York City): Decanted for 2+ hours and then back into the bottle for another 4 hours before service. This was wide open, loaded with lush, ripe fruit, as ripe as any LLC I have ever tasted, textbook for the vintage, not at all roasted but just pure, gorgeously sweet fruit, totally primary right now with a terrific backbone of minerality. This is going to take a while to get there, but tasted alongside 82 and 85 I really like where this one is heading. Much more generous than the 1982. Much more primary than the 1985. Maybe 'ready' in 15 years but still fun right now.
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9/28/2007 - gorm wrote: 93 Points
Uncorked DK tasting: 1989/1990 Bordeaux (Kenneth): Very dark. Intens and brooding nose with licquer-like qualities, black as well as red fruits and hints of bacon, high quality Cuban cigar (Cohiba?) and lots of pepper. In the mouth its sweetnes is subdued by more pepper. Very long and still tannic.
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7/22/2007 - JJA wrote: 95 Points
Opened this on a Friday nite, let some air in and recorked the bottle. On Saturday, the wine was pretty disjointed. Wasn't working at all. Kinda like Mr. Potato Head missing a bunch of body parts!!! On Sunday nite, this wine was absolutely stunning. Incredible aroma. Beautifully integrated, right level of tannin and acid. Put on some weight over the last two days. Multilayered and complex. Full bodied and intense but elegant. Wow. This was awesome. Can I just have this wine experience every night??!!!
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5/12/2007 - dgerst wrote: 93 Points
Great nose of minerals, earth, leather and a touch of cedar. A little muted on the palate but after an hour in the decanter opened up considerably. Went great with prime dry aged filets. Needs time, will not touch one for a few years.
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4/15/2007 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with Evan Lobel & Friends with Lobel's Meats; 4/14/2007-4/15/2007 (The house of Jeff and Fran Kadish in Croton, New York): Pretty solid blackish color, this was sporting an unbelievably fragrant nose of sweet black earth, minerals and black licorice. On the palate, though, the wine didn't quite live up to the nose. It did show delicious blackberry and licorice flavors and possessed that beautiful ethereal texture of a great Bordeaux but virtually no secondary flavor development. I generally think this is a great Las Cases that is beginning to drink well but perhaps out of magnum it just needs a lot more time. 91+
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4/12/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
eBob Angelus vs. Leoville Las Cases Vertical (Onesixtyblue): Full soft red color. Lovely rich floral red fruit nose with a hint of sweet. Nice rich sweet big black fruit with mocha notes on the finish. Nice showing. 94+ pts.
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3/31/2007 - Bruno wrote: 99 Points
Could not have described this better than Eric (below). "A revelation" indeed. Ethereal, almost burgundian in its softness. Layer upon layer of flavor, all in perfect balance.
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2/1/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
HDH Comparative Bordeaux Tasting 1989 & 1990 (Casino Club): Big forward briar spicy red fruit nose. Nice candied spicy red fruit on the palate with a firm structured finish.
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11/3/2006 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with He Who Must Not Be Named (Jim Clary's): Full crimson red color. Big forward black fruit with some green pepper notes. Big tight black fruit with firm tannins and a long coffee finish. Both my and the group's WOTF.
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10/12/2006 - bsherwin wrote:
Sweet 16 Party for our Bordeaux (Triomphe): Horribly cooked. The only fun thing about this wine was describing how bad it was. I thought burning diapers.
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8/27/2006 - KenK wrote: 97 Points
Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Young nose or rich red cherry with toasty edge.
Rich, ripe dark fruits on the palate with nicely integrated tannins.
Very classy and long in the mouth. My favorite of this flight.
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8/26/2006 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Great Wines of Bordeaux dinner (Ken Kailin's): Blind. Full ruby red. Lovely complex nose of briar red fruit and hints of green pepper. Tightish black fruit on the palate with some spice.
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7/16/2006 - wineismylife wrote: 95 Points
NYC Offline (Bridge Cafe): WIML95+,WA96,WS93
Tasted July 15, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Lenox Grand Bordeaux glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of cedar, pepper and graphite. Flavors of black cherries and black berries dominate in this still very young wine. Medium acidity, firm yet integrated tannins. Good overall balance. Full bodied. Too young. Needs more time. No value recommendation.
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5/11/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Decadence II (Tetsuya's, Sydney, Australia): A wild nose of brambly blackberry, black olives, ash, herbs, mint, some mulch and a fair amount of oak lingering in the background. A tightly coiled palate promising so much potential. Lots of pure sweet fruit on the gorgeously long palate. Was sacrificed too young (but it went to a good cause!).
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1/16/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
This was a great wine. The color was dark ruby, and looked like a young wine. The nose was dominated by tobacco/cigar box and lead pencil. The wine came on strong on the palate with dark fruit and earth flavors before turning stern and tannic by mid-palate and the finish. A great young wine that needs many more years of cellar age.
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1/16/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Great Wines at Brad's House (Minneapolis): Same bottle as Siggy's TN... Beautifully expressive nose that reminded me a bit of a more evolved, slightly scaled down version of the 1982 Latour that followed this wine. Gorgeous aromatics of cigar box, cedar and smoke. I loved the weight and texture. This wine is nicely mature, though I'm sure will hold for a while. Thanks Steve!
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1/16/2006 - Siggy wrote: 97 Points
Follow Up Dinner of (Mostly) Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Wow, this was a seriously good bottle. Ugly cork with signs of seepage, but the wine didn't seem damaged. Classic nose of lead pencil and cedar; after about two hours of air, unwound to reveal a beautiful core of minerals and black cherries. Structure, structure, structure is what this was all about. Still tight, with fine-grained tannins.
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12/31/2005 - Chateaunewf wrote: 94 Points
Glorious! Still deep ruby red with little bricking. Beautiful Bordeaux boquet but amazingly primary offering up cassis and cedar. A seemless wine with plenty of fruit overlayed with oak but tottally resolved tannins. Soft and supple. This is a beauty. This will hold for many years and would be interesting to revisit in another 5 to ten years to see if if it devolpes tertiary characteristics. However, I doubt the texture and mouthfeel can improve from this point.
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12/24/2005 - mr_knubbel wrote: 100 Points
Seriously the best glass i have ever enjoyed. Outstanding richness of black fruits, pencil and leather - overwhelming body and lenghth. It took me two nights to drink this perfect bottle in great respect (Riedel Bordeaux Grand Cru Glasses). A wine like winning the Ryder Cup 18,5 : 9,5 two times in a row. The price has gone up sadly to 140 Euros. Drinking Window 2007 - 2015.
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11/2/2005 - Siggy wrote: 95 Points
Dad's birthday dinner. Low/medium neck fill; some signs of minor seepage on the cork. Single decanted for 6 hours. Black/red with no bricking. The nose screams with lead pencil and cedar. Very tight; with coaxing, the palate reveals deep, dense flavors of cassis and smoke. Amazing minerality. The fruit stays mostly in the background, much more so than my other recent 1990 Bordeaux data point, which was a marvelous Cos d' Estournel. Probably needs 5 more years to unwind and fully reveal iteslf.
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8/3/2005 - MRichman wrote:
Leoville Las Cases in NYC (AOC Bedford): Big, punchy with some dark fruit. Smooth and somewhat hot, concentrated, complex and very dense. Could use more bottle age. Wonderful.
A
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6/15/2005 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Huge, massive wine features complex aromas of cassis, wet earth and black fruit. Huge, dense, plush mouth feel makes a seemingly endless finish. Perfect balance. This remains amazingly youthful.
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5/31/2005 - Eric wrote: 96 Points
When tasting this before I have had bottles which have been stunningly forward, and I have had some which have been promising yet too young. Purchased from a restaurant list, this one fell into the latter category. Tight, young, beautiful, screaming with minerality, and showing loads of lead pencil and cassis, this bottle was gorgeous yet ultimately too young to flip over. I threw rare lamb at it, three hours or air, hard cheese, and yet it never offered up its full potential. Still, the graphite, minerality and purity of this wine is utterly striking. And with air and coaxing it shows ripe cassis on the nose amidst wafting notes of cedar and even some powdered sugar. You can tell this is ripe, yet ultimately this is just too young. Still, this is a stunning claret with amazing potential.
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4/11/2005 - jfroklage wrote: 96 Points
1990 Leoville Las Cases
Initially quite reserved, but with time and some coaxing in the glass the Las Cases came to life showing off its multidimensional black fruit, graphite and leather notes. Concentrated and exceptionally balanced, with a long dusty tannin-defined finish. Gorgeous and ever-so-worthy! 4+ stars (96
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3/16/2005 - Alpine wrote: 97 Points
This may have been my WOTN, a completely different aminal from the CdP's in the next flight. Just enought age to make it interesting but this have a very long life ahead of it. At first a wiff of green but that blew off. Great depth of furit and concentration...the flavor profile just spread out accross the palate and hung there. Great dark fruits with excellent balance and the tannins are integrating perfectly. One comment was "I can wait to find out what this is to see if I can afford it" Many in the group thought that the wine may have been Cheval Blanc as blind they had the perception of a high percentage of Cab Franc.
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2/26/2005 - Shiraziste wrote:
Holy smokes, thank-you God !! No really. Where is my mum, at 2 am, I need to call her. This is definitely a moment.
Rich black tar core, violet rim
Silky, seductive, rich black cassis on the palate, comparable road-tar, solid fruit. This could very well be perfect. I'd feel comfortable with 5 more years in cellar, but it's rich, mature finish now is stunning.
Layers and layers of evolution over 3 hours, I wish I had 12 more bottles.
Every sip is a religious experience for me, I just wish I had some pizza to go with it
Classic Bordeaux.
98-100 pnts
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2/11/2005 - Eric wrote:
Pre-Parker warmup dinner at Citronelle (Washington DC): My goodness, where did this materialize from? We never really figured that out. This is always one of my absolute favorite bottles of Bordeaux, and a pour from this bottle, late in the evening, long after I was blotto, still delivered the goods. All I can say is "oh baby!"
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2/8/2005 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Drunk at the Royal Overseas League where it cost £45 a bottle (as compared with the £180 that Berry Bros ask for it retail). A perfect young, but approachable, claret. Persistent blackcurrant and plum; the cedar, smoke, charcoal present but in the background. My score is based on its taste now, when it is still not that complex. But it will probably develop into something really spectacular.
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12/31/2004 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
New Years Eve Dinner (Brad): Heat damaged
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12/15/2004 - CSteefel wrote:
This wine seemed to be on something of a roller coaster, showing a powerful nose initially that faded quite rapidly, only to slowly rebound gradually with time. Tobacco and rich cassis notes on the nose, with an impressive structured palate coating texture in the mouth, it was clear that this had at least some of the elements of an exceptional wine. But something seems to be missing here—possibly it was simply too young, but I suspect that this was a slightly off bottle given the rapid collapse of the aromas and the one-dimensional if powerful palate.
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6/30/2004 - Alpine wrote: 97 Points
1990 Leoville Las Cases, This was my WOTN Great depth of fruit, penetration and persistence as the wine crossed the palate. It expanded in the mid palate and had a thickness of fruit and concentration that extended for what seemed to be a minute. Lead pencil, leather, earthy and forest floor rapped around black fruits were all obvious in the aromas. This is a wonderful wine to drink now.
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5/14/2004 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Wine tasting. Nose shows black cherry, cassis, some cherry liqueur, licorice and tobacco, with emerging mushroom aromas. Flavors are all still vibrant and youthful, showing lots of power and concentration but also great texture and balance. Most likely just approaching its peak drinking window.
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3/12/2004 - Eric wrote: 99 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA, USA): Holy crap, this wine is amazing! Dominant notes of cedar are tinged with tobacco, roasted plum, and lead pencil. On the palate this is just unreal, a revelation. This is so youthful yet so complex, powerful and long. Whenever I tasted this wine I had the equivalent of wine-induced Turets syndrome, as I would swear uncontrollably. The 7 tasters rated this as 98, 98, 99, 97, 95+, 95 and 96, the WOTN.
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2/5/2004 - Rani wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at Handford's, in same flight with 1990 Palmer and 1990 Lynch Bages. Medium ruby color, some thinning at the edges, but not much. Nose is slightly herbal - moss, coffee, cedar. Good fruit, powedry tannins and slightly hot finish. This wine is very tightly knit, and would clearly benefit from waiting many more years. Promising and best of the flight.
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11/11/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Tasted in single-blind fashion at an '89/'90 Bordeaux dinner at El Bizcocho. Bottle taken from my personal cellar. Bright disc. Deep-to-opaque ruby robe with dark red rim. Clean, very intense bouquet of black cherry, mocha, dust, damp earth and pencil shavings. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, big ripe tannins and a creamy texture. The flavors mirror the bouquet. Long, smooth finish. Although it is stunning now, it has the stuffing to ensure further improvement in the bottle. Perfectly paired with the farm raised Virginia lamb saddle (with tarbais bean ragout in lamb basil juice).
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10/14/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 94 Points
Dark red. Slightly closed on the nose, but with vigorous swirling, notes of dark berries and forest floor emerged. Well defined and classic in taste, large bodied and well structured. I loved the sweet juicy nature of this wine, and the finish was harmonious, balanced and long on notes of cherries and black currant.
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6/22/2003 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 Bordeaux (Woodinville, WA, USA): This was Laurent's second bottle and was much better than the first. However, this still showed quite differently from the two others times I have had this wine. This bottle had a group rating of 90.25. Very floral with a remarkably sweet palate, very much open for business with a medium finish. My notes were thin by this point of the tasting, but it was a classy, enjoyable wine. Not a great bottle though.
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6/22/2003 - Eric wrote:
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 Bordeaux (Woodinville, WA, USA): Laurent brought two of these in 375ml. The first was NR and seemed badly oxidized. It was briefly alive in the glass showing beautiful, floral and lead pencil notes, but then it died in the glass in a matter of moments. NR
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5/3/2003 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Wine tasting. Lots of fresh primary fruit on nose. Palate also shows mostly primary character with some good spice in background. Good structure in balance with the fruit. Drinking nicely today, with good upside potential from here.
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2/28/2003 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Opened a 750ml from my cellar with Kirk & Melissa Glerum at Rover's. This was another remarkable bottle although not quite at the heights of the 375ml I enjoyed in December. Amazing juice!
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12/27/2002 - Eric wrote: 98 Points
Well I have absolutely no self-control. Tonight we went back to Lampreia, and the 375ml of the 1990 Leoville Las Cases looked so lonely in my cellar I just had to put it out of its misery... I double-decanted it three hours before serving. The fill on the bottle was very good, and the cork was in extremely good shape, no signs of seepage, and the capsule turned easily. The moment I yanked the cork there was already black fruit and lead pencil pouring forth from the bottle. I decanted, rinsed the bottle, poured the wine back in and reluctantly corked it back up (it was already begging to be drunk).
At the restaurant we decanted right away about an hour before eating--the aroma was already spilling out of the decanter--I have never smelled a wine this exuberant! The color was inky black with no lightening at the rim. This is a 12 year old wine? When we finally got to tasting it an hour later the nose was screaming of cedar, lead pencil, and black fruit. Words just can't do justice to the intensity of the nose! The mid palate was lush and powerful, a bit tight for another half hour but finally loosening up and gaining a powerful, velvety smoothness. The wine displayed a lovely balance of tannin, fruit, acid and alcohol. The finish was powerful (45 seconds) and got longer and more complex as the night wore on. If there was any knock against this wine, it was that the mid palate was perhaps a bit tight and not quite as multidimensional as a few other wines I have tasted. Perhaps a couple more years would have helped to resolve that. But wow was this a blockbuster that left me shaking my head after every sip! Finally about 3.5 hours after the initial decant it started to dry out a bit and expose more tannin and cedar--time to finish up. What a bottle! Compared to other descriptions of this wine, I felt like my bottle was perhaps more advanced than some. I'm not terribly experienced, but I would attribute this in part to the 375ml format. All in all, this was one of the most stunning wines I have ever tasted. Incredible juice!
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6/20/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 98 Points
Tasted at vertical Leoville-Las Cases dinner at the University Club. Bright disc, with opaque ruby robe and dark red rim. Clean, intense nose of black cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cola, coffee, anise and pencil. Low-to-medium acidity, with ample but supple tannins. Full-bodied and absolutely delicious on the palate, showing the spectrum of flavors as noted for the nose. Long, smooth finish. This is a fantastic Leoville which will (amazingly) further improve and then should hold for several years thereafter.
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4/1/2002 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Dark red. Marvellous classic cigarbox Bordeaux nose. Yummy. Wonderfully big and boysterous, well-defined and structured. Ripe and dense fruit. Extremely long after-taste. Goes on. GREAT.
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7/27/2001 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
Vineyardgate Wine Dinner at Park Hongkong restaurant in San Francisco (5322 Geary Blvd.): 2001-2025. 96/100.
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2/7/1997 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at blind California vs. Bordeaux tasting. Deep ruby with red rim. Nose slightly more open, with plum, cherry and oak. Still quite tannic and closed on palate, but less so than previous tasting 10/27/93. Needs time. Was able to identify this wine blind!
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7/20/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
1990 Bordeaux Tasting of 6 Red Wines (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nose of coffee, licorice, and sweet fruit, on the palate,, nice, rich, fruity taste, very viscous, good acid, good fruit on the long finish. My #2 and Group #3.
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10/27/1993 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Tasted blind at horizontal 1990 Bordeaux tasting at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Opaque mulberry with violet rim. Nose shows closed currants and oak. Not yet complex. Medium body palate, compact with cranberries and currants. Medium, tannic finish. Personal rank 6, group rank 1 of 8 tasted.
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