Dark aromas for a St. Julien. Aromas of dark berries, farmyard, smoke and rusty iron, like in a Pessac. Dense and powerful on the palate, with pronounced tannins.
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Opaque ruby, animal, barnyard, sweet notes, undergrowth some menthol, mushrooms, spicey, basically everything we love about aged Bordeaux is in here. Silky tannins. This is ready to go, simply amazing. Will easily hold another decade.
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Compared to the 95, the acidity of the 96 stands out. Because of the acidity but the wine has a more lively, fresh and energetic character. The 96 is probably perfect for a pairing with a proper dish.
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Château Léoville Poyferré - Saint-Julien 1996 Lots of dark fruit, cassis and blackcurrant. (lots of) Leather and Forrest floor. Still more than enough acidity and nice chewy tannins. Love the long aftertaste, it lingers for more than 30 seconds. At its peak with some more years to go.
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CdB BoG; 1/25/2024-1/27/2024 (Denver): Loving the 1996 vintage right now. No formal notes but drinking great, full of fruit, smooth but present tannins. Yum.
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Day 2 after Coravin. A dark burgundy color, almost no bricking. Nose is big, but of stewed prunes, green pepper, mint, cedar. In the mouth, high acidity, with hint of sourness. Not tannic. Long finish. I want to like this more but it has a sour tartness that is a little off-putting. Pairs well with a warm turkey and cheese hoagie.
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Classic aged Bordeaux, in a good way. After 2 hour decant the nose was lifted, on the palate the wine had a coolish entry with high notes and then a strong lasting slightly spicy finish. Agree with prior tasting notes below including green peppers and cedar etc. I would however describe the stewed fruits more as tamarillo flavour . I think this wine has a long life ahead but also at a very good drinking window.
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Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1996 Color: ruby red, pristine. One would think this wine is 5 years old. First nose: cedar or mint. Then barnyard. Now green pepper 🫑 followed by a whiff of Montreal steak spice. Barnyard comes and goes, as does the cedar. Pallet at the onset is lean and muscular but tannic and austere. Needs air. Double decant. Cedar on the nose. Nose is not primary, there are virtually no fruits here, but not tertiary either. Cedar, spice, green pepper, ground black pepper, graphite (led pencil HB #3 ). Palate oscillates between tannic and smooth, eventually becomes softer as one would expect from a St-Ju. But lacking a bit of follow-through on the finish. Pallet now showing stewed red fruits and berries as I close it up and leave 1/3 for tomorrow. A good showing, needed more air or cellar time. 93.
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Nose of saddle leather, tobacco, dried earth, dried cherry, and wood. Full body, med acid, med tannin. This is signing. Much better bottle than last time. Texturally lovely and plenty of life left. Enjoy over the next 10 years max.
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A very elegant and classical Poyferre, silky in texture, with powerful fruity notes on the palate (and nose), well-balanced acidity, and tannins - a very good Poyferre, which has not reached its end of life yet. The finish is long and in my humble opinion, the drinking window is still open for another odd 5 years from today.
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Will the 96's ever shed their tannic structure of the vintage? Probably not. This bottle showed all sorts of savoury notes and a bruised fruit melange. Oak is very welcome & integrated nicely. Umami x amaro and very bordelaise. Quite tasty with grilled lamb chops. Fans of fruit, you will not enjoy this wine, IMHO.
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We saved the best for last. We’ve been wanting to open this bottle for awhile now, but were saving it for a dinner like this. The 1996 Château Léoville Poyferré is an absolute gem of a wine. Had between our main courses and desserts, the wine opened up to a subtle earthy nose before the palette presented itself to be herbaceous and spice driven, with much of the red cherry fruit still intact. A finish that brought in tobacco and cassis made this wine feel silky to the point where you never wanted the feeling to stop lingering. The 2005 Château Léoville Poyferre was probably a top two 2005 we’ve had the chance to try, but this 1996 vintage from the producer might be one of the wines of the year thus far for us. Undeniably elegant, this wine was 96 points on the night.
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Nose: Cedar, wet gravel, barnyard funk with an underlay of rich juicy berries fireworks, pepper, rosemary, vanilla
Everything else: Silky and integrated, minerals, black cherry, plums, blackberry, blueberries, licorice, juicy but dry, long finish, spices. Lively and still in its prime. Should drink well into 2030. This would pair perfectly with a delicate Japanese Wagyu A4. (A5 is just too much fat for me)
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Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (2/3) and Merlot (1/3) with a little bit of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (50-75% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind in a 1996-themed tasting.
Evolved yet still almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a developed dried-blood color rim. The nose feels brooding yet attractive with slightly sweet-toned aromas of chokeberries and black cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of old leather, light phenolic smoky nuances, a juicy hint of bilberry and a cedary touch of oak spice. The wine is firm, textural and quite open-knit on the palate with a medium body and complex, layered flavors of ripe blackcurrants and wizened dark berries, some crunchy notes of fresh dark plums and bog bilberries, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, light woody notes of pencil shavings, a hint of fresh blueberry and a faint barnyardy touch of brett. The overall feel is pretty structured and sinewy yet not aggressive, thanks to both the high acidity and the firm medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is long, firm and moderately yet not aggressively tannic with an intense aftertaste of ripe dark fruits and juicy bilberries, some wizened blackcurrant tones, a little bit of leathery funk, light notes of tobacco, a smoky hint of phenolic spice and a touch of cedar.
A beautifully harmonious, vibrant and quite intense Bordeaux that shows some age, but at the same time still retains a remarkable amount of structure and relatively youthful fruit, making it feel like it is just past its adolescence and slowly entering its middle age. There's also a teensy bit of brett that seems to come and go, but always stays nicely in the background, letting the classic Bordelais aromatics and flavors stay nicely on the fore. This wine is by all standards an excellent 1996 St. Julien that is drinking really well right now and doesn't really call for any additional aging, but I'd say the wine's plateau of maturity is quite long way off and this wine will not only keep but evolve and improve for years more. It is really built for the long haul. Very highly recommended. With my guess I went with Bordeaux immediately, but for the appellation I went for Graves instead of St. Julien. Oh well.
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K&L Saturday Bordeaux tasting. Just a small taste but this was beautifully balanced with pure dark fruit, graphite, and leather. Good structure and strong finish. Lots of class in this tasting and some of the younger wines will likely surpass it in time, but this was the wine of the tasting for me. 94-95
Tasted 5 hours after decanting. This was largely passed at the tasting table as it had a strong aroma of brett. That finally blew off at the end of the night to the happy surprise of the few of us who had remained behind to clean up.
deep red color starting to show maturity at the rim, full on bretty nose for over 4 hours that made it impossible to even want to taste the wine, and then- as sometimes happens- the funk vanished leaving a fine classic nose of cassis, cedar and bell pepper, a slight vegetal streak as well, on the palate cassis and cherry fruits- mature but remaining fresh, forest floor and pine needles, good length that is drying out slightly on the very tail end, robust and a bit rustic - and in a wonderful place, pair it with a hearty steak.
***, ready to drink with time in hand
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What always impresses me about a really top quality wine is the ability to wear it’s age effortlessly. This is silky, with lovely freshness, but also with the slightly baked fruits, umami, gentle tobacco and lovely floral notes of a mature Bordeaux. Graceful, beautifully balanced and ready to drink. Highly recommended.
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Very nice, quite soft fruit forward, blackberry and black currant. Noticeable oak, may blow off. Good freshness. Good integration. Long some complexity. Drink now and will last another 15 to 20 years.
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This is a dry red wine. Medium ruby in color with obvious bricking at the rim. Medium + intensity nose with muted but still present dark fruit. Ample tertiary notes of leather, graphite, and slight bret. The body is medium - with subtle soft tannin and fading acidity. The wine is aged but balanced and lovely to drink. This is an outstanding fully matured left bank Bordeaux.
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Really nice round mouthfeel , resolved tannins and dark (but slightly muted) fruit. But man, you better be OK with brett to enjoy this wine. Updated Review 12/15/22: opened a 2nd bottle and there was no barnyard problem. Coffee, Leather and same mouthfeel. Very enjoyable bottle at peak drinking window. Seems like many Bordeaux from the 1990's have bottle variation regarding brett (Barton, Montrose ....)
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I gave this about 60 minutes of slow O. Deep earthy nose with black fruit and hints of mushroom; the palate shows nicely with savory dark berries. It becomes more angular and minerally with extended air, eventually bordering on austere, so I do question whether this is one for the (really) long haul.
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A better showing this time out, it is fully mature and doesn't really need decanting now. It is a lovely mature Bordeaux with a deeply aromatic nose displaying characteristics of a wine a decade or more older. Everything is integrated and in excellent working order on the palate and finish, but I do find it lacks depth and complexity.
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Slightly rustic on the nose but there’s red fruit in the background. Spice, dried leaves, tobacco, raspberry, dried cherry, and cedar. The fruit comes out on the palate. It’s medium body with medium acidity and moderate tannin. All in all, wel balanced and drinking quite well at the moment. It has time left, at least another 5-10 years. Don’t let the nose fool you, this is great.
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Very musty despite an hour in the decanter. Initially thought this was corked, but it improved a bit after another hour. Some nice fruit lurking underneath, but the mustiness never went completely away.
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Showing great today. PnP then followed over a couple hours in a group tasting in a Grassl 1855.
Moderate homogeneous bricking, lifted aromatics of blackcurrant and pen ink with a hint of purple florals in the wings. Mild green notes peek in after 90 minutes or so. Good palate weight/density and well integrated. This is drinking great now and stands to hold for 5-10 years But I doubt if it will improve all that much from here
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A great and consistent 1996. Ruby color with a brick rim. The cassis fruit soars from the glass with cinnamon spice and lightly tanned leather. Full and velvety palate with a long chiseled finish. There is still so much fruit yet the tobacco/leather is making itself present on the finish. My favorite vintage for this wine. (95)
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Beautifully balanced Bordeaux, full of supple grace. Just drinking perfectly right now. A bit of brett, tobacco and elegant leather, dark cherry, and anise on the long finish. No need to decant. Let it open up in the glass. Superb.
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From MAG. Consistent to my last note. Beautiful, mature mid-weight Bordeaux with complex tertiary notes. Love the classic proportions here. Very popular, served at two SG farewell dinners, both times it was very well received by what were very experienced Bordeaux drinkers.
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I really want to like this wine more, but it seems to hold something back. It is lean, and borders on the sour. Nice nose of red and black fruit, cedar, and has a dryness and acidity that goes well with rich food. But by itself it dabbles with astringency and is borderline not fun to drink.
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Beautiful rich barnyard, cedar and tobacco. Absolutely delicious. Flavor faded after about an hour, but the nose remained, so. I stuffed the glass with my last few bites of rabbit stew.
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Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Opened this after the disappointing '84 Mayacamas and was rewarded. Just on a pop and pour, this was showing beautifully. Man, I love the '96 vintage in Bordeaux. This has a great perfume and a lovely mix of dark berries, leather and pencil. Love it.
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Cedar, pipe tobacco, melted fudge, blackberries and even a floral note are readily apparent, and get progressively stronger with aeration. Medium-bodied on the palate, with loads of earth, iron, minerals, plums and black fruits, accompanied by still-substantial, mouth-coating tannins on the long, refreshing finish. This is squarely in its drinking window, but given the sheer density and structure, well-stored bottles should provide pleasure for at least another decade. Outstanding! 13% ABV on label. 95.
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Gave this 60 minutes of slow-O. Definitely the best showing so far - I think this is really coming into the zone. Great nose of dark fruits, damp soil, sous bois, cooked mushrooms. Very lifted and elegant. Medium plus tannins and good acidity. Really in a nice spot, and changed my opinion of this producer. The last glass held up well under vacuum seal overnight.
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3 Leovilles Dinner. This showed better than the '90 LP. More stuffing -- richer palette with longer finish and the wine didn't disappear like the '90. A lovely wine that should have another decade or more. Tobacco, cedar, camphor, some raspberries, a hint of mint and moist leaves.
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We are most definitely in the storage impacted stage of this wine. This bottle was smoking with that signature earthiness that Poyferre can deliver, in line with some of the finest Bordeaux producers of the classic league. Earth, violets, coffee with time in the glass, and beautiful cedar and potpourri bouquet laced with earth. Lacks the length to be any more than this, but this is good enough! Drink
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The 1996 immediately has a far more fascinating and multifaceted nose. Dusty red fruit, mixed with floor polish and lots of coffee. Very fine indeed.
More flavor than the '95, and a bit more approachable, with less acid and a rounder taste, though perhaps not as refined a texture as the '95. Tannins are a little softer too (though plenty left still).
Overall this is the better wine, but both are delicious. Drink now.
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90 pts on third day after tapping with Coravin. Forgot to take notes on days 1 and 2, although my recollection it took 2-3 hours to open up each time. On second day impression was initially one of harsh sourness. On this, the last glass on day 3, nose is muted. Some cedar, red currants. The most pleasant part of this is it has good weight and velvety texture and powdery tannins.
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Translucent brick-garnet. Earth, dried fruit, tobacco and touch of brett; light to medium bodied, slight grip of tannins on the midpalate, notes of gravel, blackcurrant and earth, lively acidity with good length. Round and plush in texture. This bottle lacked some cut and definition.
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As schoolbook example of mature claret, especially on the nose. Forest ground, cigar box, and exotic spices. Tannins are fully resolved, and the only thing to maybe complain about is that the fruit could have been richer and fresher. But this is compensated by the long and complex finish that lingers for 30+ seconds. No rush to drink up, but hard to say if further cellaring will be beneficial.
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Terrific Bordeaux. Decanted 90 minutes. Cassis jam, cough-drop, and stalky green wood emerged immediately and intensified with air. Medium weight with more cassis, red cherry, tree resin, and dried tobacco leaf melded together beautifully. Medium/long finish with drying, palate-cleansing tannins. Fresh and on-point. Firmly in it's early drinking window, this beauty will go on for a good long while and continue to evolve.
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Drinking beautifully. Full of tannin. Will last at least 5-10 more years. Wonderful barnyard bomb with enough red fruit to keep this alive for a long finish.
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Brought to a large gathering; no detailed notes. Decanted 45 minutes, brought to gathering where it was slow-O-ed for 4 hours.
Dark in color this was still in some ways a baby with very little bricking. Dark cherry, currant, plum with olives and tobacco. Tannins are present but not in your face. Paired with Filets Mignons with Black Bean Ragout.
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Decanted for an hour. Lush and open knit wine, earthy aromas then a supple wine with fused cherry and anise, saturated dark fruits, long, balanced finish. All tannins resolved. A wine of stature and grace.
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All in all a good experience but a tad thin and dusty. Slight clove and wood that’s not quite cedar on the nose and dark berries on palate. Might be worthwhile to age.
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(4/30/21) From a 750ml bottle that was purchased on the secondary market and was still filled well into the neck. The bottle was decanted, and then the first glass was poured and allowed to develop in the glass.
This wine appeared very youthful, with only a slight age-appropriate lightening of color. It showed loads of sous bois and cigar, as well as some black cherry and a little charcoal on the nose on PnP. The palate held a lot of tobacco leaf and a little black cherry, but the fruit here was all about very pure, tangy red currants and cranberries. The palate was badly marred, however, by quite a bit of unripe, drying tannins. The acidity was good, but because of the tannins, the finish was just so-so.
The second glass, after the wine had been in the decanter for 1.5 hours, showed some positive changes. The cigar and sous bois had receded a bit, allowing more black cherry to assert itself on both the nose and the palate, but the wine was still mostly about the red fruits, and because the tannins were unripe, air hadn’t done anything to help the dryness problem in the finish.
In the end, this was a nice enough fully mature but not terribly complex bottle of wine loaded with unripe tannins. If it hadn’t been for the tannins, it would have merited a higher score. As is was, the most memorable thing about this bottle will certainly be its price. I had a comparatively humble 1996 Potensac several weeks ago (from the same seller) that displayed much more complexity and gave a much more pleasurable tasting experience than this bottle—at one-third the price, mind you.
Perhaps a long decant would have helped here. Maybe other bottles are better. Maybe this is simply what it is. It’s hard to say. In the end this bottle barely made it into the “good/distinguished/above average” category for me. 13% abv. (***/15/89)
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Bricking. A lush and generous wine showing barnyard, liquid anise, dollops of cherry cola, tobacco, and complex dark fruits. This is followed by a sexy finish that lingers for minutes. Decant for an hour before serving.
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As with many left bank wines from 1996 this is fully mature, but should stay at its best for at least 5 years. It is not in the Premier league of the year but is a good decent wine. It has a typical taste profile as per previous notes, and the tannin has sweetened but still gives a decent kick. I do find it falls a bit flat towards the end of the palate and on the finish.
Garnet, browning around the rim. Layered nose, bright raspberry, cassis, pencil shavings, woodsmoke and balsamic, the full spectrum of left bank in one precise, expressive packet. Palate is supple, a burst of red cherry and cranberry with a silky plum and black currant undertone with firm but fine tannins and a wonderful acidity. Long finish of blood, leather, tobacco leaf and forest floor. Stunning, seductive and beautifully mature Poyferré.
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Excellent color. Deep rich dark fruit, consistent with St. Julien. A bit raw to start then softened and became rich and a pleasure to consume. This wine is in a good place now but I suspect it will be fun to drink over the next decade.
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Deep dark red, with no sign of bricking. A bit of barnyard/horse on the nose, but no sign of that on the palate. Subtle red fruits, earth, and a long, long finish of olives and tobacco. Drinking really well right now. (Drank to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our engagement.)
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Medium garnet color turning crimson rust at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose is perfumed, even effervescent, revealing its lively acidity at the onset and highlighted by smoke, leather and vanilla on aged dark berries. The palate is medium bodied with youthful acidity that carries boysenberry, raspberry, black currants, and dried cranberry followed by secondary notes of incense, leather, graphite and cola on toasted oak. Finishes long and persistent with a silky finish. Drink now until 2032. 93+
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Pretty intense aromas with this beautiful tones of sweet perfume that lies over lightly warm forest berries that top over melted vanilla ice cream. It is built around with stables, anise, leather belt, licorice and hints of sweet tobacco. Medium to medium + full-bodied wine with a pronounced good, balanced and round mouthfeel of blackberries, blackcurrants, leather, licorice, spices and quite clearly bacon tones. The acidity is high and refreshes the wine. The tannins are well integrated, but have a slightly drying finish.
A delicate Bdx that has filed away all sharp edges and surfs with life. The wine has entered the drinking phase, but still has more to give. 94 points.
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Florals, dark fruits, earth, pencil shavings aromas...dark currants, perfectly mature medium bodied flavors glide gently with still mid palate weight and beautiful finish. In a word, classic!
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Typical LP, very enjoyable but perhaps a little lighter than usual. Medium bodied, Nice, even floral fruit with multiple secondary notes, telltale smoke and oak, cedar. Tannins resolved. Seemed to put on weight with air. Really singing at the end of the evening. Had a 2 hour slo-ox and 1 hour decant prior to serving.
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Meaty aromas with cedar, tobacco, graphite, blueberry and black currant. The texture is lush. Some greenish tannins kick in on the finish, which means it's got some room to improve, or it's time to drink up. I'm betting on the former and will revisit in a year or two.
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Really nice wine, showing well, but no fireworks. Black currant and dark plum on the palate with a bit of green pepper, at least initially. The sides here are smooth and the structure has softened, but this is still rather primary and could use more time to develop more interesting complexities. With Jim W. at La Sirene on Amsterdam Ave.
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I took my own advice and only decanted this bottle for about 45 minutes. This was the best showing yet for this wine. Red and black cherry, tobacco and sous bois. I'd say drink now, although I will note this held up surprisingly well overnight in the fridge under vacuum seal.
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Down to my last couple of bottles, this has always been a winner and this bottle did not disappoint. Beautiful mature Bordeaux. Enjoy now or over the next decade. An hour in a decanter allows this to open up nicely.
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Stored in a cold cellar since release. Still deep colour. Little sign of age. Restrained subtle bouquet. Sweet no tannins. Depth and length. Lovely. Seems to have many years in hand.
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Opened alongside a 96 GPL both with 2hr decant and surprisingly the LP was somewhat overshadowed. I expected more of an intriguing battle between the two. Perhaps just the bottle of course, will update note having tried further bottles. 92 for now but no more.
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This is a wine for those who enjoy a wine that is not only fully mature but perhaps just a little over-mature. Even the brick red colour suggests a happy but tired wine. The nose is elegantly lifted, dark and perfumed. On the palate, beautiful mouthfeel of dark fruits, interacting with tannins that have been fully integrated into the wine.
Assessing this wine comes down to your personal vision of wine. Some noted experts can only drink young Sauternes; I prefer them old. Some like farmyard in their white Burgundies; I can handle that, but it is not my preference.
Le style, c'est l'homme. If you like your claret heading downhill, then this is your wine. Personally, I wish I had drunk it 2-3 years ago. It remains, nonetheless, a very fine wine. But if you have any, you should drink them now rather than later.
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Close to fully mature here, the wine is medium-bodied, earthy, round, soft and fleshy with a generous dose of sweet, ripe, black fruits, smoke, licorice, dark cherry and earth. Not as concentrated as some of the top wines from 1996, but the tannins are ripe, the wine is round, plush and sensuous with a beautiful, ripe, sweet, red pit fruit finish.
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Nice bouquet of black currant, tobacco and leather. Delicate and well-balanced wine. Medium acidity and tannins. Long and wonderful finish. Perfect right now.
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A real bouquet, very layered with blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, undergrowth and graphite. Medium-bodied, acidity coming through slightly more, tannins fully integrated. A delicious wine that has elegance rather than power. Long luscious finish. Great wine, really enjoyed it.
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Needs an hour in a decanter. Opens up to a lush, complex wine of great depth and pleasure. Long on the palate with an intoxicating aroma. Nevertheless, a bit thinner than previous bottles. Drink now.
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Very similar to my note five years ago. Perfect condition bottle bought in 1999 and stored in temperature controlled conditions. Big nose of blackcurrant, tobacco and cedar then undergrowth finally giving way to graphite and plums. Lots of very soft tannins although a little dry on the palate. No trace of the previous bitterness on the finish. Very persistent. Would have scored higher if it had some more charm but an excellent wine nonetheless. It could improve judging by the excellent 1955 I had last week.
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After opening a corked bottle, this last bottle was magnificent. Cassis, blackberry, cherry, tobacco, earth and truffle. Long finish. Perfect balance overall and still has a few years to go. I still have an 1982, a few 2015. Will I get some 2018?
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Certainly ready to drink, this as previous notes is fully mature. It is classic in its profile with blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cedar with a deeply aromatic nose. The tannin has sweetened, and everything is in harmony. The finish is well balanced and with decent length. It is a very enjoyable wine, but I do find it a little lean on the palate. There is no rush to drink this but I feel it has peaked and should stay here for the next 5 years or more.
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Light earth and blackberry nose; moments of balance and elegance; moments of structure and tar; overall coming around strong but still a bit too tannic.
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Decanted and aerated for 4 hours which helped the wine open up. Very masculine nose of cassis, black currants, leather, earth and pencil shavings and confirms why I love this vintage. on the palate medium to full bodied, very precise wine, multi structured and still 10 years from peaking given magnum format. Finishes long with very soft tannins.
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Drank prior to and at the beginning of a dinner consisting of Duck Confit. Not as good as I expected it to be, more acidic than you would think, nose was lacking. Time did not soften it appreciably. Certainly not turned, perhaps a few more years
Drank at parent’s house in celebration of Dad’s birthday. Decanted about 2.5 hours. Great nose, palate was very good, but a bit lean. Should try shorter decant for next bottle.
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Finally, this stubborn Léoville Poyferré has entered its drinking window. Classical in every sense, this old-school claret is now shining with complex cassis fruit, black olives and cigar box tones. The tannins are still a bit unresolved, but the depth and length is exceptional. Still, I will let my remaining bottles sleep for another 5-10 years, because I think this wine will eventually evolve into something extraordinary. 94+
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Finally, this stubborn Léoville Poyferré has entered its drinking window. Classical in every sense, this old-school claret is now shining with complex cassis fruit, black olives and cigar box tones. The tannins are still a bit unresolved, but the depth and length is exceptional. Still, I will let my remaining bottles sleep for another 5-10 years, because I think this wine will eventually evolve into something extraordinary. 94+
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Clear garnet with slight bricking and a clear watery edge. The nose is reminiscent of fresh red fruits, tobacco, leather, farm animals with a slight beefy overtone. The palate is typical of an medium-aged Bordeaux, on the upper end of medum-bodied, dry, reasonably well-structured, smooth and nuance after several hours of exposure to air. The flavors includes ripe red and some blue fruits, tobacco, some herbaceous characteristics, well integrated oak and cedar with ample amounts of acidity and tannin to keep this wine vibrant and interesting. It concludes with a good amount of earthy minerality to complement the red berry fruits nicely towards the medium length finish. A good wine but short of spectacular.
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Going from strength to strength. This wine is at an absolute peak. The aroma and tastes are effusive and complex, with a magnificent and long tail. Earthy and supple, a bit of delicious bretty barnyard, cherry cola and cigar box cedar, licorice, all with incredible depth and saturation. This is a magnificent Bordeaux in a great place right now.
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7/12, good cork, decanted 1/2 hour. Deep garnet core, pale garnet rim. This is quite reserved on the nose - too reserved really - showing some dark, rich fruit and earth. Medium/full on the palate, attractive dark, rich fruit on initial entry, touch of cedar and meatiness, fresh acidity, but falls away on short-medium length tannin dominated finish. Not obviously faulty but perhaps not the best bottle.
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This has come a long way in 5 years - it's still young and tight, but the purity, focus, and classic St. Julien character (and Leoville Poyferre lushness) are evident here. Ripe current, cedar, and ganache conveyed in a suave, potent package - just a delight. I'd be very much inclined to hold these for another 5 years at the minimum, though there's a certain infanticidal joy to opening this now.
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Decanted 90 minutes. Dark fruits, earth and leather on the nose. Mushrooms, earth, iron and leather on the palate. Tannins present early on, but smoothed out over the evening. Fairly pronounced acid. Not quite as integrated as I was hopng for, but very much enjoyed.
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Corked. Had some funk upon opening, but seemed to blow off with air. But after 2 hours in the decanter, I could tell right away that something wasn't right. Nowhere near the worst I've experienced, and in fact most of us at the dinner drank a little of the wine, but it wasn't showing as it should have. A real shame, as you could tell it would have been a beautiful wine but for the cork taint. Note for future bottles: a little shut down at first, needs some time in the decanter to open up.
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Still a striking purple in color with only a hint of bricking at the edge. What a sexy wine. Smoky black cherries and rich plums that absolutely saturate the palate. Perfect balance with just the right amount of acidity to keep it fresh. A terrific wine.
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This wine continues to impress - one of my favorites of the vintage and a great value. Now that others from ‘96 are starting to drink well, this classic claret refuses to take a back seat. The color still contains some garnet. The nose imclides loads of ripe cassis and cedar. Bright, full, complex - combines the vintage’s acid backbone with terrific fruit. An enticing recipe. (95)
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Bricking at the edge, blood red core. Nose is not overly expressive - notes of tobacco, dried fruit, red cherry, spice, and wet rock. Primal. On the palate, full bodied, with moderate tannin and medium high acidity. There’s a nice core of fruit but this is still quite taught. With only about an hour of air, I think this will improve. It’s got years ahead of good drinking. Revisit in another 2-3 years.
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Really quite elegant. Damn ...the nose on this was quintessential Bordeaux of 20 + years. Dark black fruit, cedar, graphite, and a bit of barnyard funk. Still very fresh acidity. Tannins ...like melted butter! Bottle @ Wally’s Santa Monica.
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This drinks like a wine a decade or more older, and is displaying secondary and tertiary characteristics, and the real question is how long it can stay at this level. Indeed I personally agree with other reviews in suspecting it is at the beginning of a very gradual decline. The nose is wonderfully deep with classic blackcurrant, cherry, plum, and cedar, and as noted by a fellow reviewer would be worthy of 95 upwards. However, whilst deep and well balanced in the mouth and on the finish, it is light on the palate and a little one dimensional. It only needs an hour or less in the decanter, and I personally am looking to finish remaining bottles over the next couple of years.
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Had after 30 min decant and drank over 2h, it did not change in character over the period. On the nose this was a 95-96, absolutely tantalising aromas of black currant, leather and deep, rich, fresh soil. On the palate it was somewhat less impressive, a very good mature Bordeaux but a little bit thin on the mid palate and a finish that did not quite keep the balance but hinted at acidity and slight bitterness. Enjoyed it for sure but it was better a few years ago.
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Another excellent bottle. The 1996 Poyferré keeps going from strength to strength. It has to be the most undervalued Bordeaux in the market. Liquid velvet, dark plums, licorice, and an intriguing touch of brett. Long and complex. A most welcome guest at any dinner party.
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Lovely and deep and ripe from first pour after splash decant. Black currants, pencil, leather and soil. Became more sour over time. I suspect it won’t improve but has the stuffing to last another 10 years.
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Just tasted a 1996 Château Léoville Poyferré from Saint Julien. At 23 years of age, this has reached its peak, exhibiting a great balance between aged dark fruits with emerging notes of leather, earth, graphite, cola and espresso. So elegant and silky, this wine still shows a perfumed nose accentuated by violets and blueberry incense. Drink now until 2026.
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This went through a long awkward phase, but now it is drinking beautifully. There is dark fruit, tobacco, and cedar. It's herbaceous and mouthcoating p. Tannins are hardly noticeable. A long and delicious finish.
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Sheer velvet. Wow, this is a heavenly glass of wine. Complex flavors evolve off the palate with plums, cherries, a bit of mocha, all deeply concentrated and pure. No need to decant as this readily unfurls in the glass. From a magnum. Drink now through 2030, but this is really at its peak now.
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This is fully mature and is drinking with minimal aeration time. Flavours of blackcurrent, blackberry, and cedar dominate the wine. The palate is complex and deep, and the finish is reasonably long. As with other left bankers from the year, it is surprisingly advanced, and drinks like a wine twice its age, and I would not see this staying at this level for more than another 3 years or so. In retrospect, it seems in many ways, the initial profile of the left bank in 1996 became the 1995 and vice versa.
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Weekly tasting group RWP #310; Surprise 4 x 3 wines (@ BS): Beautiful bouquet with oak, cedar, tobacco, leather and dark berries and cherries. On the palate cherries, chocolate, firm and beautiful acidity, red berries, rustic impressions and tannin with still a good bite. Beautiful wine in its maturity stage and with still a good bite for at least another 5+ years.
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Q4 - 2018 Tasting - Aged Bordeaux (Pre-1997) (New York, NY): 10 of 19 wines tasted double blind. One of the more youthful wines in the line up today - with the fruit still in primary mode (black currant and blackberry) but the tannins have softened somewhat and this is quite nice to drink. Balanced and enjoyable. Group vote - 2 pennies
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Q4 Wine Club - Aged Bordeaux (Our apt): Wine #10: Opened and decanted. Get some cassis and a lot more tartness in the fruit. Some spice. This is an easier wine to drink. Perhaps a bit less thought producing than some of the others, but still quite enjoyable. (2 pennies)
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With H on her birthday. Popped and poured. Took a few hours to fully open, but once it did, very evocative. Blood, iron, raw meat, damp earth, and a hint of mint fill the nose. Has filled out nicely on the palate after a bit of initial hollowness in the mid-palate. Fine red berry fruit. Tannins are largely gone, but judging from the mostly red ruby color, this has plenty of life ahead. Has all the things we look for in a Bordeaux nearly a quarter century old. Fine old bottle. 5-14-17-9: 95/100.
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First impression after just opening the bottle, tight smells of forest floor and packed fruit hints. 20 minutes later, opening up, taste of sweet red fruit, smooth and very approachable, lush and overwhelming sweet tannins. This wine seems to be in its prime and yes this will even get better in my opinion, years ahead.
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From 3L. Two to 2.5 hour decant. Went through a "dumb" phase after about an hour decant, but rose to the occasion after that. In a terrific place. Can still go a few more years ... but why wait?
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5th of 6 magnums ... some variability across these. Two have been austere and unwelcoming, three, including this one have been just right. Double decanted and given 3 hours of air, this wine was beautifully perfumed, still a rich red with little sign of age, great length and lots to mull over. One left, I hope it’s as good as this one was - and there’s no rush to drink it.
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Funk of age, intense and lively on the plate on opening, no sign of age in the color, put in decanter for 2 hours, then classic and full bodied with bouquet CS and oak, very good red wine that went well with lamb but not mind blowing, should be some upside to come with more complexity expected. Next time decant 30 min.
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 2/15/2018-2/17/2018 (Chicago, IL): Excellent bottle of Bordeaux; dense fruit on the nose and palate, and absurdly young. Juicy and fresh on the palate as well, with some classic cabernet notes. This has aged incredibly well, with so much fruit and just nascent secondary characteristics.
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Deep red, with no lightening at the rim (could be a barrel sample, based on color). With an hour of air, aromas of cassis, pipe tobacco, licorice and hints of incense leap from the glass. Full bodied in the mouth, with dark fruits, minerals, strong acidity and a solid tannic spine on the very long finish that must last close to a minute. This is a classic Bordeaux, albeit one that is very young. A very impressive long-distance runner that is still on the upswing! 95.
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Lots of barnyard on opening. Decanted tableside while we drank a recent Cali cab release. Nose developed nicely after about 30-40 minutes, barnyard blew off and revealed a nice red/black fruit/cassis/earth aroma. Plenty dark in the glass, no evidence of bricking. Full, round mouth feel with plenty more smooth dark fruit with nicely integrated oak. Not a blockbuster but a really decent wine! Still plenty more years to go as the fruit is just starting to soften and maybe move downward.
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A birthday wine for the twins born in '96. An overlooked vintage, it was showing as you'd hope for a 21 year-old Bordeaux. Drink up or hold for a couple more years but it's not going to get better, just more mellow.
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Bordeaux 2005 and Older: A Whole Lot of Leoville (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color, no bricking. Decanted for 1 hour, drank 1 glass over 2 plus hours. This has always been one of my favorite 96's not to mention one of my favorite LP's. There is a great mix of purity, maturity and the youthfulness that you can easily see aging for 20 to 30 more years. A stunning and perfumed nose of earth, fine leather, cassis, funk, violets and pencil lead. The palate is decidedly silky, full bodied with great depth, gorgeous juicy black fruits, damp earth and pencil. This has velvety tannins, great balance and length. Drank this next to a '96 Leoville Barton which was also outstanding, if more youthful and primary. My #2 WOTN.
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One of five Leoville’s at tasting; others were ‘70 LLC, ‘94 LLC, ‘96 LB and ‘04 LP. This was my WOTN, but group was tie with ‘94 LLC and ‘96 LB. Silky tannins and elegant, with balanced fruit and acid. Reminder me how enjoyable it is drinking properly stored Bordeaux with 20-25 years of age.
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This has reached full maturity during the last year (as with a lot of 1996's). Possessing a good nose of blackcurrent and blackberry with hints of cedar, on the palate the wine is fully mature and is classic Bordeaux with good depth and balanced by tannin. The finish is a little short and unbalanced and does detract from the overall experience. However, an enjoyable wine which should be consumed over the next 5 years.
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Popped to pair with grilled Tri-tip steaks about 30 minutes before eating. The cork came out in one piece, and was soaked > halfway up. Glass decanted, the color improved with air, becoming a dark ruby with color out to the edges. The nose features blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, and forest floor. Very good intensity and concentration, this improved considerably with air. Probably at peak now, this actually struck as a touch youthful yet. Some sediment, this was very enjoyable for a 21-year old Bordeaux.
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Celebrating my birthday with family at Rivoli's in Albany. Decanted 2 hours. Very pleasant floral nose. Dark red in color. On the palate, there is dark fruit, pencil shavings, dried herbs and some tea. Initially a bit acidic, it put on weight throughout the meal. A somewhat subdued finish. A couple of years ago I had the sublime 1990 version of this and I was hoping this would be similar. While pretty good, it's really at a different level.
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Ultra supple wine, with black cherry, mocha, dark fruits, a touch of black tea, great length on the palate. Everything a great glass of Bordeaux should be. Worth seeking out.
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Medium acid, fairly monolithic of dark fruit and ephemeral hints of earth. Lacking transparency or vitality. Very well integrated tannin and very drinkable but not enticing by any means. A good bottle, but nothing special. Drink up. Tasted blind, guessed R bank.
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WineLA event: Bordeaux vs. Cabernet tasting (Los Angeles, CA): Tasted blind. Bricking on the rims. Pauillac nose. This tastes similar to a 1994 Pontet Canet I had months back. Mid-palate is slightly hollow but overall a good classic claret with that nice barnyard funk.
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A supple wine with melded tannins, mellow black cherries, dark plums, tobacco, palate saturating length and complexity, balanced. Exotic flavors too including fresh strawberry gastric, bitter blackberries, and black tea. Just a super yummy wine.
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Blackish red in appearance with a slight orangey tinge and an intensely intoxicating nose of sweet fruit, acetone, sage, thyme, and cedar. The palate is remarkable soft and silky, impeccably balanced, medium full-bodied, with complex flavors of savory blue and red fruits, cedar, tobacco, leather, black coffee, integrated vanilla oak, a hint of mint and a stylish earthy mineral and black inky finish. This is a very lovely and nuanced 21 year-old St Julien that is drinking exceptionally well now but still with a long life ahead.
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First of a well kept case. Really lovely scent filling the room upon un-corking. Gave his 3 hours in the decanter. This is a typical left bank and a typical 96 I would say. Sort of textbook. A lot of cranberry on the palate and a tremendous amount of acidity (typical 96 Bdx left bank for me) lending it a lot of structure. This drinks almost like 100 pct Cab Sav to me. It is definitely no lush wine and I am going back and forth if I actually like 96 as a vintage that much. I think I probably am not such a massive fan compared to other truly great years (1990, 2000, 2005) but it has its place if one wants a lean wine that is not ostentatious and one wants the structure. This wine is ready to drink now but can be kept for 10-15 years. Happy to be drinking one of those every year for the next decade. It is not however (nearly) as good as the 2005 (which is selling for less money and of which I have stocked up massively on). Paired well with wagyu ribeye and truffle gnocci.
Jay's Big Bottle Extravaganza (Jay's Home - Martinsville, New Jersey): End of the Bdx flight, from a 3L that had been decanted and re-bottled several hours earlier. From Jay's cellar...well stored bottle. Fun to check in on this one at ~20 years old, I am a big fan of Leoville Poyferre, tends to punch above its price point (IMO).
Dark black/purple color, no real signs of age. Nose was rich black fruits, cedar, mushrooms/truffle, and oak. Dark fruit driven plate, blackcurrant, tobacco, leather and graphite/pencil. Rich texture and nice secondary characteristics through the mid palate...this was a really gorgeous showing for this wine. In a great spot now, should continue at this level (based on this large format...) for several more years
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SLDS February 2017: Green beans, tobacco and some meaty bretty notes. The palate is elegant, with quiet fruit and medium length. Well balanced, this is in a good place for drinking now and over the next few years based on this bottle.
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Opened by Mark. Decanted 3 hours before dinner. Solid cork. Moderately sedimented. Crimson color with an orange brown rim. 2nd time I have had this wine. Aromas of saddle leather. Dry with notes of tobacco, cassis, toasted oak and black cherries. Solid tannins. In a sweet spot at 20 years old. 95 points.
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Fourth bottle of the tasting, served this alongside the 2000 LP. Opened ~3.5 h earlier with an ounce being poured out and then back in the bottle. Deep red in color. Classy aromas of tobacco, cedar, cassis, dark cherries and forest floor. Medium bodied palate shows silky and sweet dark cherry fruit, graphite, well integrated acidity, melting tannins and a long cedar perfumed finish.
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Soft round fruit, leather, mud, smokey coffee. Fairly resolved with some broad acid, earth. A bit muddy. Good nose but palate is not quite so focused. Perhaps a little more time in bottle will help, but overall just not a great wine.
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Did not decant, possibly a mistake. Noted currants, black cherry and dusty, leather, wood and somewhat green leaf or herb. A good balance or acid & tannins. It was elegant even. A very nice aged bordeaux in its drinking decade.
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This is just coming into its own. Opened for 2+ hours. Big and brooding. Great blackberries, dark cherries, and earth notes. Still a good amount of tannins. I had this with the 1966 and I think the 1996 has a while to go. Amazing wine now but will get better over time.
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An hour decant, even better after 3 hours. Also improved at 19 degrees vs 17 when first poured. Black Sour cherries, old mans jag, and wet soil. Perfect with beef. Has another 10 years.
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“Bordeaux 1959 – 2014 (blind)”, flight 6, wine 2. The wine was medium ruby in colour and had a weird nose of dark fruit mixed with chlorine. On the palate the wine seemed equally off; the dark fruit and chocolate flavours seemed somewhat artificial, the wine was dull, with a furry mouthfeel. Very disappointing. Off-bottle? NR
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Really an incredible Bordeaux I have tasted 3 years ago and was still closed! Now it oppened ! Lot of red berrys,some animal aroma,licorice,cigar,coffee,at the point to enjoy! I 've tasted with a friends to cheers my aniversary ! Paired with lamb! Cost /benefit 100% Very remcommended
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Effusive nose, complex on the palate, lush, aromatic, smooth, peacock's tail, long. Drinking exactly the way you want a Bordeaux to drink. Fabulous. Everyone who was served this wine put it to their lips, breathed in, then put the glass down with wide eyes and open mouth without even tasting it. The aroma alone was that saturated and complex.
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Aromas of cassis and blackberry make for a delicate nose. The fruit starts to fade and is met with bold abrupt tannins in the mouth. A very masculine wine. This is drinking well now but will continue to develop.
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Utterly classic left bank Bordeaux, just too young. Fresh sea breeze on the nose, giving way with more air to fresh horse droppings backed by cassis. No detectable graphite. Give it ten years to develop old barnyard and leather. Rating reserved.
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saturated purple, The nose and palate was not nearly as expressive as earlier bottles. really dense and sweet but flat. Extraordinarily youthful- I've had 2005s more evolved than this. Strangely, this wine could be a dead ringer for the 96 Pichon Lalande. Overall it just left me wondering if this bottle was shut down. 90-95
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This continues to over deliver in my book. One of my favorite Bordeaux from 1996. It has the vintage's brightness but is supported by sweet black current fruit and a wonderful spice element. Drinking beautifully, this bottle is full and open. Terrific. (95)
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Total joy. This was a wine of nuance and power -- I'm betting it could keep learning new tricks for another ten years. Over two hours it kept developing. Very close to the Ducru in depth. Delicious with New York steak at Prospect SF.
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Luxurious and expressive bouquet with dark forest fruits, cedar, coffee and chocolate. On the palate dark forest fruits as well, chocolate, graphite, beautiful and elegant acidity and round tannin with still a lovely bite. Overall a beautiful wine still in the first half of its maturity stage. More classical than the wines from the 2000+ vintages, but a beauty alright!
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The perfume offers a smoky bouquet of scents with cassis, cigar box, cedar wood, blackberry, tobacco, coffee and forest floor all showing their essence. Full bodied, round, plush and really starting to soften, the finish is fresh, clean, smooth and delivers a sweet, dark cherry note that sticks with you. Close to fully mature, this bottle was popped and poured and probably enjoyed far too quickly. But isn’t that one of the signatures of all the really great wines? The wine was produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon , 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot.
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This was noticeably better than a bottle drunk a few months ago. On the nose, camphor, cedar, and a hint of bandaid. On the palate, cassis, cherry, and notes of bandaid, leather, and graphite on the medium to long finish, with a slight tannic bite and good acidity. This is outstanding -- perfectly mature and balanced, smooth and long. I hope my last bottle is at the same level.
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Had this wine over dinner with good friends at an Italian restaurant in Singapore. Decanted for about half an hour. Wonderful and rich nose that lasted the entire evening - great perfume with cedar and pencil lead. Rich claret red color typical of Bordeaux. On the palate, it was smooth, medium bodied, flavor of currants, graphite & earth; with only a touch of tannins. Very enjoyable.
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Bordeaux Wimps (La Trompette, Chiswick): Deep garnet, narrow rim. Rich blackcurrant fruit, vanilla, touch of nutmeg. Medium/full bodied, rich dark fruits, lovely contrasting vibrant acidity, slightly tacky tannins on the very good length finish. Excellent ****.
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I had a small taste of this wine and my recollection was that it was one of the best wines tonight. Maybe a little richer and bigger than I might prefer but still a stellar wine.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Very dark red purple color, no hint of age. Decanted for 2.5+ hours. Drank 1 glass over an hour plus. This was probably my wine of the night. It really had it all, the nose was singing, with a great perfume, plenty of saddle leather, earth, cassis, raspberry, and pencil lead. The palate brought everything full circle and emphasized the elegance, full, but weightless, not showing any age at all, leather, violets, cassis, blueberry, pencil, refined, and integrated, and very long. 94+pts. (5000)
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This was left to stand open for an hour. Camphor and cedar on the nose. On the palate, currants, black cherry, and notes of leather, anise, plum, and something green (dill?) on the medium to long finish, with tannins fully resolved and moderate to good acidity. This is probably at its peak based on the lack of tannins; it isn't showing any signs of disintegration after being open for three hours, so it should have some years in the tank yet. It's smooth and elegant -- a good aged Bordeaux. This was a good value at a bit under $90, but I don't think I would pay the $120+ I see it in the market for now.
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Decanted for 2hrs and drank over the following hour. Largely consistent with previous notes didn't quite show as well as when I had it 2mths back (the oak seemed to stick out more prominently today). Still enjoyable. Very opulent and dense, this tastes like a wine half its age and will benefit from a decade more in the cellar.
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Red, pale rim, touch orange Very roasty nose, leather, coffee, a touch animal More leather, dark fruit, Touch of VA, some tannin, Think this needs decanting Will try again tomorrow
Slow ox'ed for 4hrs and consumed over the following hour. Wow this wine was impressive. Expressive bouquet of blackberries with a hint of vanilla. Great concentration on the palate with waves of dark fruit. Medium plus finish. Still has upside from further cellaring. Tertiary notes peeking out from beneath the fruit but have not come out in full bloom yet. Wonderfully smooth and built to last. In the early stage of its drinking window but will easily last another decade or more.
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The nose wasn't giving much up upon opening, but the palate was quite open with dark cherries. With air, cedar and tobacco showed and tannins remained in the background, but the nose remained muted. We drank it at Kitchen A Bistro with their delicious short ribs, and it was a beautiful pairing.
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Excellent condition bottle, cork in great condition and perfect fill.
Typical left-bank Bordeaux flavour descriptors - cedar, cassis, leaf, etc. Nose moderately effusive. Hint of graphite on nose and palate, also forest floor, surprisingly firm tannins emerge on the exit, long finish mostly of those savoury tannins, leaf and graphite.
Take care to drink at correct temperature. Drink at 18 degrees and it is more composed and tight-knit, becomes a bit loose texturally and flavourwise when 20+ degrees. Finicky, yes, but all about maximising enjoyment.
Good, but perhaps lacked a little bit of sparkle and charm that one would expect from a "super second" from a classic vintage.
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Blood red in color with some bricking at the edge of the glass. 13% ABV. Great nose of cigar box, cedar and leather. Medium body with a sense of power that belies the 19 years of bottle age. Flavors of currants, cassis, cherries, graphite and earth. The wine finishes strong and still shows some complex tannins. This vintage of Léoville-Poyferré is showing really well right now but well stored bottles should continue to develop for another 3-5 years.
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A: deep ruby N: clean, medium (+) intensity aromas of cedar, leather, sous-bois, cherry, blackberry, mulberry, sweet spices. Developed P: dry, medium acidity, medium (+) level of round and silky tannins, medium alcohol, medium (+) body, medium (+) intensity of flavors ripe black fruits, spices (cinnamon, red curry, cloves), precious wood. Longest finish. C: outstanding! Balance between tannins and concentration of flavors close to perfection. Tannins are superb. Finish is out of this world. Wine peaking! I have had many of this vintage, today's bottle is fabulous! Wondering why i only mark it 96 ...
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Color: still dark Nose: after 30min decant like a 5 year old Bordeaux, mushroom, earth, complex, soya Palate: wow, Yummy, full of elegance and finesse, still has tannins lurking, lovely complex Bordeaux, WOTN 94
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With a smoky, licorice, cigar box, cassis and blackberry filled perfume, the wine is soft, round, polished and ready to go. It's close to 20 years of age and if you've been holding your bottles, it's really time to pop a cork. The wine was popped and poured.
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Opened by Mark at dinner at Salt of the Earth in Fennville, MI. Decanted about 30 minutes before we drank it. Deep Crimson color. Notes of cedar, currants and tobacco. Pronounced but integrated tannins. Round and lush finish. Medium to full bodied. No rush to drink but I thought it was in a sweet spot for my tastes. 94 points
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Perfect condition bottle bought in 1999 and stored in temperature controlled conditions. Big nose of blackcurrant and cedar then undergrowth finally giving way to graphite and plums. Lots of very soft tannins and some bitterness on the finish. Very persistent. Would have scored higher if it had some more charm but an excellent wine nonetheless. Starting it's downhill slide.
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Bonhams Pre-Auction Tasting (San Francisco): Deep ruby. Backward aromatics. Medium weight. Cassis, herbs, and powerful finishing acidity. Classic and built for the long run. Most impressive now for its balance and potential if given another 20 years.
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Tasted blind. Not decanted. I've had this wine in the past on several occasions, but never has it been as good as this. At first, lots of greenness on the nose, with unmistakable notes of cigar box. With air, it opened to reveal a seductive fruit-driven nose of mulberry and blackcurrant, coupled with tobacco, old leather and coffee. Silky smooth and perfectly balanced.
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1996 Bordeaux at RSJ (RSJ, Southwark): Ripe black fruit, vanilla oak still evident on nose. Slightly showy. Medium/full bodied, sumptuous, polished black fruit, vanilla, touch of earth, fresh acids but not quite so long on the finish. Nonetheless, very good. ***.
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Smoky oak, leather, tobacco, mushroom, spice, and dark fruit. Nice texture, well balanced, good length. Very good wine. But perhaps a bit underwhelming for the property and vintage.
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Very dark red in color. With a youthful appearance, nice but somewhat shy on the nose. Dark fruit, earth and minerality are on the offering though a bit light at this stage. Palate is rich, silky and very well balanced with satisfying senses of plum meat, stone, tobacco leaf and refreshing acidity leading to a smoky finish. The 96 Poyferre seems to have a good depth in it, but maybe not at the right time to reveal it all, perhaps more cellaring time will help.
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Brett initially, gone the second day. Still rather closed. Leave for another five years. Less charming than the 96 Tertre Roteboeuf in the same flight.
Over two years since opening a bottle of this wine. Uncorked, poured a bit out and let the bottle breathe a couple of hours before bringing it to Michel's apartment for some Szechuan, with Patty. My first reaction is "this is rich". The first pour shows red and black fruit of noticeable richness and length. Later, with dinner, red currant and black currants on the palate, a touch of dried herbs, and again, very rich and with good length. I brought the second half of the bottle to the Lighthouse the next night (SJR's Bat Mitzvah), where it showed zero degradation, still notable richness and freshness and length, and showed stronger, younger, more interesting and more robust than the 2002 Lynch Bages and 2002 Pichon Lalande. Really nice Bordeaux. Impressive richness and breed and still very youthful.
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Dinner at Les Nomades. In a great place - classic Bordeaux with a classic French dinner. Beautiful tobacco, cedar and black fruits on the nose. Medium bodied and elegant. Beautifully integrated black fruit intermixed with earth and cedar. 94 points
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Very dark red color with no bricking. Double Decanted for 2 hours. Drank several glasses over 3 hours. This was our red for V-day to pair with dinner. Still somewhat youthful, but very expressive. The nose shows lots of earthiness, perfumed, minerally, leather, dark red and black fruits. The palate is loamy, mineral driven, earthy, black cherry and cassis with anise, leather, round medium tannins and a long mineral and earth finish. Still youthful.
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Pretty much spot on to my last note so hasn't budged too much in a couple of years, perhaps the tannins have resolved a little more. Excellent wine which gives the impression of an even longer life.
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Very similar notes to the last bottle I had. Beautiful nose with typical St. Julien characters. A slight hint of bricking around the edges, but otherwise wonderful color. Decanted for an hour before returning to the bottle and carrying to a Business Meeting in Atlanta. Very balanced wine with beautiful fruit and tannins that are beginning to resolve. It is drinking well right now with a nice decant and I suspect it will continue to drink well for another 5 years.
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More evolution in terms of colour compared to the 2000. Lovely nose, further opening up over the course of the evening. Lots of tobacco notes, cedar, pencil shavings, liquorice. On the palate still quite grippy and tannic, fresh. Not the most seductive maybe, this is quite sleek and masculine, classic. Very good length. This should have many years ahead. 92-94
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Great wine that is certainly on the back end of its' Drinking Window. This was a very elegant wine that still had some body to it. Gave it a 2 hour decant and had with Standing Rib Roast. This would have been the wine of the day had it not gone up against '96 Cos D'Estournel at the same meal.
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Beautiful bordeaux drinking at peak but not on decline. The fruit is still fresh and forward, but nuances on tobacco, olives, earthiness linger in the mid-palate and background. Excellent QPR from a still very reasonably priced vintage that I believe has outperformed it's overall rating. Will hold my last bottle for at least 2-3 years.
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A delicious wine that non the less did not live up to my expectations. Maybe i am getting spoilt by these left bank 1996s that are now drinking so well. We had 2 bottles for a family dinner , quite a bit of variation. Both decanted for 3 hours the second bottle showed markedly better than the first.
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Last bottle of a case. Opened 2 hours before dinner, decanted 45 minutes before dinner. Classic Bordeaux with a small modern twist. Elegant, mid weight wine with fine balance and some tertiary characteristics of mushroom and leather, but still shows nice red and black fruit. The oak note I descibed last time was evident on opening, but blew off in decanter. Very fine wine, on its plateau. Not declining, but I'd plan to consume in the next few years if you have them.
It was a great pleasure drinking a case of this, purchased on release. Starting drinking in 2009. Consumed during both happy and sad occasions. Always seemed right.
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Absolutely terrific balance. Both on the axis of fruit / acidity / tannins, as well as on attack / mid / finish. I find this just a great wine to drink right now. It could have reach a score of 96 had it had more intensity or complexity.
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I don't think it good get any better, ruby in the glass, barn yard on the nose, med alcohol, soft tannins, great finish..esp for a old dog. A classic style BdX.
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Excellent showing tonight. Very typical mid 90s St. Julien nose, with some barnyard funk, leather, dark cherry, and hints of cedar and smoke. On the palate, the wine was smooth, with lots of depth. Nice, long finish. Some bright acidity that mellowed over time. Tannins well-integrated. I love classic Bordeaux wines like this one from LP.
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A bit of Brett upon opening, but the bottle remained reticent and tight. The rough edge mellowed with air, but aroma and flavor never materialized. Smooth and easy to drink, just disappointingly slightly off. Maybe lightly corked or the Brett?
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Some bottle variation but this is a fine Poyferré. Liquid velvet, complex flavor profile, quite long and deeply saturated on the palate. Better bottles rated higher recently. A wonderful, sexy vintage for Léoville Poyferré
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Judgement of Sydney Blind Tasting: Graphite, floral, chocolate and cedar oak aromas. Medium bodied and structurally well defined, providing technical merit without necessarily being super pleasurable. There is a bit of textural interest which lifts it up, it may just be in an awkward stage for now.
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Openned 1 hour before drinking, no decant. Bottle is right in its drinking window. Nose and palate were stereotypical St. Julien. Medium light body. Well integrated tannins. While I have had more delicate St.Julien than this, it was still lovely.
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Dark, bitter coffee, wide fruit, smoky and almost pruney. Herbal menthol finish. Dark acid and burnt oak. Good but not great, a bit of a disappointment for both LP and 1996. Drinking well, early mid maturity. Just a bit disjointed.
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A big 96 claret, with dark colour, ripe flavours and plenty of ripe tannin. Attractive in its way but it lacks vivacity, it's not really refreshing and tasty as good Bordeaux should be. Seems more Californian.
That said this bottle may not have been stored well (I bought it at auction) given the other tasting notes here.
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Couleur un peu brique. Nez initialement ouvert, viande agée, ferme, vieux bordeaux, complexe, fruit, café noir, bois
Initialement, très fermé, tannins granuleux, mais très présents.
Le vin ouvrait peu à peu, à chaque demi-heure, mais s'est vraiment révélé après 2hres, devenant rond en bouche. Le nez révèle alors cuir, un peu de fruit noir, basse-cour. La bouche, tannins souples, cuir, animal ,longueur moyenne, mais très bien tissé, balancé à point. Impression de vouloir sentir et déguster à ce point pour toute la soirée.
Suite à cette expérience et après avoir lu quelques critiques, les vins de cette provenance qui ont été EXTRÊMEMENT été bien conservés et méritent les critiques les plus réservées en tant de temps de consommation. Les critiques de Robert Parker semblent vouloir garder ces vins pour et vitam eternam, j'y crois. Note: A être conservateur plutôt que de vouloir ouvrir ces trésors trop vite... ----- Brick colour.
Nose initially opened , aged meat , barnyard, old Bordeaux , complex, fruit , black coffee, wood
Initially very closed, grainy tannins , but very present.
The wine opened gradually , every half hour, but really revealed itself after 2 hrs , becoming round in the mouth . The nose then reveals leather, some black fruit, barnyard. Mouth, soft tannins , leather, animal, medium length, but very well woven, perfectly balanced. I wanted to breathe and taste at this point for the whole evening .
Critics such as Robert Parker seem to want to keep these wines and vitam eternam , I believe it. Note : To be conservative rather than try to open these treasures too fast... (for wines that have been kept in ideal conditions since their release).
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Best bottle so far. Decanted for 2h. Cassis and black currants in combination with cedar wood, creates the classic Bordeaux nose. It is very classy in the mouth, smooth as can be, with lovely pure fruit backed by fine tannins that are still present in the background. Balance impeccable, intensity very good, and length medium. Drinking very well indeed now, likely to stay at this level for years.
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I was always happy to open one of these. Every bottle would get better and better over the last several years. With the last 2 bottles, Im afraid that we have climbed that hill, and are now starting a decline on the other side.
Earthy, soft and sweet. Perfectly polished and mature, with a slight hint of raisin that fades as the wine breathes and gains weight in the glass over a couple of hours. Classic St. Julien. Drink up.
The other option is hide a couple of these for 10 years and see if it turns into one of those 98 point St. Julien colognes.
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Firstly this bottle was not as good as the last. Lots of black fruit, spice and vanilla on the nose, however I was left with the impression of a little disjointness and being unbalanced. The fruit and tannins were just right but the acid just a little too dominant. Perhaps another 2-3 years for the next bottle or more time in the decanter.
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Decanted and drank. Second to last bottle of case. Slightly more oaky than I would like, but plenty of fruit and structure. Plenty of time left, but I'll probably drink my last bottle in the next year or two.
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Opened and slow oxed for 6 hours prior to consuming. Rich and expansive mouth feel. Dark fruit and earthiness on the palate. A regal, classically styled wine that is just entering it's prime drinking window. No rush though as it will continue to get better over the next 5 or so years.
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Frim, tannic and a bit on the austere side. Decanting helped. the aromatics were the best part of the experience with their tonacco, truffle, cassis and blackberry notes. The fruit was classy, but this wine is always going to please fans of traditionally styled wines more than those that have grown fond of the rounder, more plush sensations found in modern vintages of Leoville Poyferre.
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Deep garnet / red - all purple gone. Some lightening at rim. Nose is really powerful with more coffee and mocha mixed with the classic cassis fruit than I remember from past bottles. Gorgeous feel in the mouth, this wine coats the pallet with waves of sweet fruit and a classic well balanced finish. Good zip. Still a bit of tannin. I think this wine (while delicious) is in a weird place. No longer youthfully sweet and not quite fully secondary, it is a bit in between and therefor lacking a bit of fireworks. I mention this only based in its terrific potential. Tonight, it is only excellent, thought it did begin to come together after 120 minutes. One of the better wines of the vintage in my opinion. (94+)
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Straight out of the bottle a quarter glass had a nice but not very pronounced nose, which improved by 20 sec of swirling. On palate it was intense but edgy as the acidity dominated, but it was long with depth and you could sense deep fruit in the background, still some tannins. Look forward to actually drink this later. Let bottle slow-ox for 20h. For the feature presentation this wine has mellowed. On the nose it appears young. Red as well as black currants, pencil shavings and mineral notes. This is velvety smooth now! Tannins seem all resolved all of a sudden and the finish is nice and long. Terrific! Just the way I like it, but it seemed a fair bit more intense yesterday; this is quite often the case I think, once the wine is perfectly smooth you wish it had more intensity. I guess you can't have everything unless you go for 1st growths. 93-94
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Smelled like a wet brick or stone. Surprisingly fruity upon open but dulled a little bit over time. Pretty good and a little bit of an upside surprise but likely not worth its current price.
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Wow! A stunning bottle of 1996 Léoville Poyferré. This wine is drinking incredibly right now. It is medium black-garnet to the edge, no bricking. Soaring aromas of plums and black cherries. Deeply saturated flavors of licorice, plum, cherry, some tobacco, vibrant berries, bitter black tea, and warm ripe tannins. The only quibble would be that the alcohol stands out slightly above the tannins in warmth, but this will not bother most. The flavor is alive, palate coating, and it lingers for over two minutes. Open a bottle now! A phenomenal wine.
Lovely nose, ripe fruit, wood, tobacco, leather, mushrooms, cedar, spices. Very round and quite elegant on the palate, with a medium, but slightly tannic and bitter finish. Drinking nicely now, but no rush in my view.
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This was really good. Terrific mature Bordeaux nose. Smooth tannins with sweet cherry and berry, leather and earth tastes. Continued to improve for a couple hours after decanting. Drinking great, but may still improve further. Very much in a long and strong drinking window. The first 96 I have opened and very encouraging.
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Double decanted 3 h prior to tasting. Reddish purple in color. The nose takes a while to open to reveal classic aromas of cedar, dried tobacco leaves, dark cassis, pencil lead, earth and gravel. A medium bodied palate shows good structure with crushed black fruits, medium acidity and some remaining and grippy tannins on an earthy finish.
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My 8th bottle, out of 14. Cork was branded with 96 and a 3 on the end. The cork was wet a third of the way up. No sign of the brett I found in some of the previous bottles. Decanted for 1 hour. Subdued tertiary notes on the nose. Resolved tannins, currents, and some balancing acid. Drinking nice now, should have years left.
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Opened four hours before drinking. Initially sweet fruited with a ripe blackcurrant and cedar/cigar box aroma and dark but ripe sweet fruit n the palate. Good structure. With air this retained its St Julien character but took on a little more weight and intensity. Quite full and brooding. Just starting to be approachable but a long life ahead. Intense, long, classic. ****
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My my, this is nice. A healthy medium purple color with a garnet edge and pale rim. Nose of blackberries, cassis, cedar, a bit of beef stock, some green pepper. On the palate medium acidity, medium tannin, still a little coarse and drying but getting there. Medium body and alcohol, a long finish, this is developing really nicely. Still early in its drinking window but plenty of upside with time.
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Cedar and leather; great harmony; balanced; sweet integrated tannins although still showing some aggressive youth at times; smooth sweet blackberry-licorice; excellent long supple and round finish.
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Decanted 1/2 an hour. Deep ruby/garnet core, medium pale garnet rim. Complex, tobaccoey nose with notes of gravel and underlying sweet blackcurrant fruit. Medium/full bodied on the palate, similar flavour profile to the nose, the tannins relatively civilised, good acidity and a good length finish. However those seemed to develop an odd herbal streak after a while the just didn't go away, and it makes this bottle rather hard to rate.
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Martin's Birthday Bash (Gallery Hotel, Singapore): I thought this was very good, but it paled in comparison to strong showings from the 1994 Haut Brion and a 1996 Pichon-Lalande that were the other Bordeaux on the night. This wine does have a great future ahead of it though. Tonight, it showed a nicely expressive, complex nose, where toasty nuts and tobacco notes were wed to ripe aromas of cassis and blackberries, then some funky, meaty barnyardy notes, and shades of roasted capsicum. Really nice if a bit on the ripe, warm side. The one word I would use for the palate is "solid". This had the lovely depth and clarity of a 1996 left-bank, with rich, ripe but pure cassis flavours. It still showed rather primary, but was clearly maturing fast, with little accents of tobacco, earth, meat and spice peppering the finish. It was also a lot softer, plusher than the last bottle I had some four years ago - clearly starting to mellow then, but with plenty of fresh acidity guaranteeting decades of aging yet. I liked this a lot more than the last time I tried it, and given the ripe depth as well as the structure and balance on this, I see it aging beautifully - this is a wine I would love to try in 10, and then 20 years' time.
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Has it all; Georgeous cedar blackberry nose with soft sweet blackberry balanced with soft supple and well acquinted tannins. Never ending complexity with a soft ongong round finish. Every drop was as good as each. Just beautiful.
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Was in the mood for something like this following the Zachys auction earlier this afternoon. Overall, this was very good, but, not surprisingly, too young, and will even better with another 5-10 years. Upon uncorking, the nose is enticing with dark fruit and spice notes. Palate is mostly compact red fruit like red currant, complicated by notes of green lima bean, with tannins that are softening yet still provide strong structure in the background. Young and relatively unevolved in terms of complexities, while softening somewhat on the sides, yet still a firm core of fruit, this has years to go. With air, the red fruit profile darkens to rich dark fruits, and the wine gains in both depth of fruit and broadens horizontally on the palate. The richness of the fruit emerges with air, and the wine shows its poise. While this is young, it is still hard to not take more and more sips. I left a bit in the bottle over night, and there was no degradation, just rich black fruit and a long, detailed finish. Excellent showing. Will be even better in 5+ years.
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From 75cl, perfect cork with the numbers 96 and 2(?) on the end; a bottle of impeccable provenance. Heavy sludge-like deposit. Colour very dark, no bricking to rim yet. Intense perfume on opening (Eau de Parfum de St. Julien?) with no false notes (no "barnyard", nothing jammy), just an ethereal, beautiful heady (cassis/cedar/lily...) perfume ("scent" would be too prosaic), which diminished - alas - in the decanter over the following 3 hours. The compensation was a fine development on the palate. An initially unpleasantly squeaky texture on the thin-bodied, overly acidic entry; the dry, unforgiving tannins on the crabby finish - quite an ugly duckling. Two hours later not quite a swan, but a model Cru Classé Médoc still in its adolescence, but starting to open up and promising excellent things for the future. The taste after 3 hours: rich, fresh humus-like earthiness on the entry yields to exquisite cassis and ripe red fruit on the mid-palate. Dry, powdery tannins on the mouth-shrinking finish. While drinkable now, I'm sure this will improve considerably over the next 10 years. The killer perfume, though, is a plausible argument for uncorking soon... 91+P
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This is a very good moment to start drinking this wine. Medium-dark ruby. Classic, full, close-to-maturity nose. Refined, but broad spectrum, ranging from fresh mint and eucalyptus to smoke, juicy meat and typical Saint Julien freshness and minerality. Cherries, kirsch, black berries, raspberries, orange peel and soft, round tannins. None of the grassy, harsh, unripe tones that many Bordeaux 1996's show. Full, but well balanced and quite elegant on the palate. Long, lingering finish. Enough structure, acidity and power to last for 15+ years, but extremely pleasant drinking now.
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Could smell this all day, gorgeous aromatics and a sign of things to come. Great depth, soft palate with a lovely cedary spine. Medium bodied yet excellent concentration, some unresolved tannins and crunchy acidity provide structure for longer cellaring. Dark red fruits, creamy texture and a hint of soy / saltiness adds some complexity. Really lovely St Julien and glad I have a few more.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Black currant and plum, open with some forest floor notes. Well structured, built to last, but close to fully resolved. Drinking well now, good potential to hold at this level for another 15 years.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): Very dark red color. Decanted just over 2 hours. Drank 1+ glass over 2 hours. Opened more slowly after being back in the bottle for transport. Developed a nice perfume of red and black fruit, florals, and leather. The palate is medium-full bodied with a velvety texture, elegant, nice finish. This was excellent, but not as good as the last 2 bottles I've had. It seemed like it shut down after it had really been singing at the 2 hour point and needed to be coaxed back out. 2-3 hour decant recommended.
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1996 Red Bordeaux (Medoc) , with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Quite dark in colour still. Dark fruits on the nose, light spice and in general very aromatic and open. The highlight of this wine. Quite round and fleshy on the palate, smooth and very light, soft tannins. Good to drink now (probably the only one on our line up of 96s). It is on the low complexity side and lacks the vibrancy of other 96s but still enjoyable in its lightness. 90-92 and drink from now
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Wow & wow - this wine is 16 years old? Amazing. This wine is locked & loaded and ready to go. Medium to full bodied, with plenty of structure and life in it but drinking absolutely beautifully right now... need to buy more.
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This wine is singing now! From Magnum (opened 5 hours earlier) with a silky but powerful palate. Thick dark fruits, oak, lots of (smoked) herbs in the nose. And so soft and elegant, long lingering on. Enough tannins and structure for another 20 years to go.
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This wine has classic Bordeaux written all over it. The nose is still strong with dark fruits, some tar/licorice notes as well as herbs. Full bodied mouth feel with a 30 second finish.
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Inky black color. Classic nose of secondaries, pencil lead, cigar, cedar, etc. Black currant, fig, and dried plum, and pomegranate, finishing with a hint of chocolate.
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Decanted for about 2 hours to pair with pan-fried steaks. Dark garnet color. Nose of musk, pine forest, cedar, blackberries, Indian spcies. Extremely smooth entry on the palate with integrated layers of black currant, plum, chocolate, leather, and a hint of tobacco. Low acidity and sweetened tannins leading to a long, nuanced finish of grippy red fruits. Not a powerhouse but rather a seamless, elegant, effortlessly concentrated beaut of a wine coming into its drinking window.
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The colour is still dark cherry red but showing a tinge of tawny at the edges. On the nose this is unmistakably fine St.Julien, with notes of Cedarwood,Tobacco, Cigarbox and dark berry fruit- evolves in the glass- wonderful ! On the palate it delivers the promise, lovely blackcurrant fruit with a little touch of spice, the tannins are now balanced and give the wine enough grip to sustain its length. It was tried at my good friend Duncan Disorderly's on friday where it was paired with lovely rare roast beef- a great combination, though its fair to say this would be sinfully good with Lamb. Drinking perfectly now but would have another few years at the top yet! 92pts
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Popped and poured. Initially a beautiful traditional Bordeaux nose. A little bit lacking in the palate at first. Drank over the course of an hour. Aromas and flavor profile vastly improved over time. Lovely wine. Dark fruit, tobacco, some usual Bordeaux funk/musty/old house that blew off over time. I have one more in the stash.
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Initially a subdued nose of cassis, blackberry, cedar, chocolate and vanilla. These characteristics were translated to the palate which showed big with elegance and complexity, it was was like tasting chocolate covered black cherries. Great structure with a lifted presence, smooth velvet feel ending in a delicious cassis finish. This has many years to go and will get better.
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Wonderful wine, drinking well but I think is still improving and I might wait a year or two before opening the next bottle. Certainly many years of life left.
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Immediately obvious Bordeaux nose, graphite, lead and tobacco flooded with beautiful dark red fruits. Beautiful texture, fine tannins and an amazingly refreshing finish. The complete package and even at fifteen years of age still seems like it has a long life ahead. Classic Bordeaux.
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This was literally a head turner! Got a small glass late in evening after having tasted at least 20 other wines and except for an awesome '03 Leoville Barton, my 02 Fevre Les Clos and an intriguing SV Karl Lawrence Cab, nothing else came close. Very happy to taste this wine. Wonderful nose, classy, complex and beautifully structured. Happy 15th bday! I'm mostly a Burg guy but.... BDX still matters!
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Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Levain, Mpls): Very dark red color. This was an amazing bottle. Even better that one about 4 months ago. This wine is in such a good place, but it does still require decanting. I gave this bottle 1 hr and we drank over 2 hours. Great perfumed nose of florals, creme de cassis, graphite, smoke, and earth. The palate is elegant with a velvety feel, really layered with rich black fruits, mineral, soft tannins, and a very long finish. Definitely my WOTN and our table's and i heard that from many at the other tables. 95+ easiily.
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Five Decades of Leoville Poyferre with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Earthy, herby on the nose.Very classic secondary nose. Fruit is on the way out and its longevity is a bit to question at this stage. Lacks a bit of concentration. Wnjoyable though at the moment and we would suggest one starts to drink up. 91
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It breaks my heart that I have no more of wine from this year. I served this to guests with steak, it was perfect. Just the right combination of flavor to stand up the a hearty American steak hot off the grill. My guests loved it as did I.
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Deep garnet giving surprisingly little at the rim for a 15 year old wine. Prototype nose of cassis, woodsmoke and chalk. Full endowed, this wine has a slightly exotic side. The weight of the wine is perfect with good flavor penetration and less sweet fruit than past bottles. Still some tannin to resolve. A lovely wine but not the best bottle I have had. (91)
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Luxurious bouquet with a lot of toasted oak, tobacco, cedar and all the other luxurious elements. On the palate a lot of juicy cassis, the same impressions as in the bouquet, a touch of sweetness and beautiful round tannin with still enough power and good acidity. Long finish. Approachable, luxurious and complex wine. Young adult stage now and will probably improve for at least another 3 years and be a beauty a decade or more after that. Great wine! 94 for now and potential for at least 95.
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Definitely needs 2 hours+ decant. Agree that this is probably at peak but should remain there for 5 years or so. Somewhat closed on this occasion but still showing great class. Opened up through the evening. Touch of brick maturity now on the rim. Although slightly closed, nose and flavours blended blackcurrant and red fruits with cedar and earthy maturity. Very fine and preferring marginally to the 96 Leoville B
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Decanted 3 hours prior. dark ruby colour with excellent clarity. Nose of leather, tobacco, pencil shavings; fruit somewhat suppressed on the nose. Palate gradually opened during the evening to reveal sour cherry and cassis, but again somewhat suppressed with earth-flavours dominant. Lovely fine tannins, still strong. Perhaps at an awkward stage of development?
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Minneapolis Wine Club Mixed Bag of $50 plus Reds (John's House): Wonderful wine and drinking at its peak. Leather, funk, raspberry, gravel and tobacco. On the palate it picks up some cranberry elements. Medium and concentrated finish. the groups wine of the night and my second favorite. 93+
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A bit of a disappointment this evening but we may have drunk this too soon after opening. Initially the nose had quite a bit of funk and leather, although both eventually blew off. Once the wine settled, I would say it was both grappy and thin without a lot of finish.
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Mini Offline with Bordeaux and Napa Wines featuring 1996 Poyferre & Mondavi (John's House): Very dark red color. This bottle was decanted briefly and then evolved beautifully over several hours. This was a thing of beauty. The nose was wonderfully perfumed, starting off with earth, a bit of funk, creme de cassis, a bit of smoke, and graphite. Soft and plush in the mouth, medium weight, lovely fruit, nice acid, long finish. This was elegant, a wine to just hold in your glass and savor. Clearly hitting its stride now, and showing plenty of future. This just kept getting better. My WOTN by a hair, group WOTN also by a hair. 94+pts.
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Filled with truffle, smoke, licorice and cassis, the wine is structured, ripe, round and ends with a delicious, sweet black cherry filled finish. At 15, this is drinking great and should remain at this level or improve a little bit for at least another 15 or more years.
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4/12. Decanted 1/2 an hour. Deep garnet core, medium pale ruby rim. Deep, sweet bouquet, showing reasonable development. Blackcurrant fruit, hints of tobacco and minerals, quite sweet and rich. Medium/full bodied on the palate, sweet, slightly minerally blackcurrant fruit, some brighter red fruit notes, cedar, quite rich but also very structured with fine, but still slightly firm tannins and lovely, vibrant acidity. Finish is very long. Excellent, if not quite my preferred style. Needs a few more years to be at its absolute peak, but reasonably approachable now.
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Magnum Madness 2011! (Marshall's place): This wine is a complete infant, and right now, totally shut down. I initially got a strong aroma of distinct Indian curry when I poured it, but this dissipated with some air simply revealing its typical St. Julien structure. Massively grippy on the palate and into the finish, all that is really seen here is imposing structure. It is actually balanced quite well, but all key elements are locked hard. For my palate I wouldn't revisit this for 20 years. 90+
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Very aromatic nose of coffee, cedar, dark fruits as well as perfume floral. Medium - full bodied, this wine is entering secondary stage with better maturity than the previous bottle that I had 2yrs ago. Fine, medium level of firm tannin along with medium level of acidity that form the firm structure with lots of dark fruits as well as cigar box, coffee, roasted herb and dried tea leaves. Very fine with medium length finish. I believe this will become even better when reached full maturity, perhaps in another 5yrs - 7yrs times. Buy - Maybe.
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This wine is at the MOMENT not very evolved- the smelling notes ar e quite nice, but the TASTE ist not showing very nicely, like you would exprect ! it is "farmhouse" smell & taste viollets, hints of spices,aND NICE EVOLVED Wood.. vanilla very soft in taste ... but not much more ! Where is the Leoville celebrety !? it quit disappointing! for this monet -- after eration of more than 15 hours !
not giving me this much energy/ Fun/ Love, Velvet gloves I would have expected !!! (91/ 100Points !) what a shame !
Voluptuous nose, silky, ripe dark fruit with rich leather. Smooth tannin, medium+ body with dark fruit. Light on the finish but still has great length. Concentrated wine but lacking a touch of complexity on tonight's showing.
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A consistently outstanding wine. Very deep color – which I have found in all 3 ’96 Bordeaux this week. Classic red fruit and cedar nose. This is a tad more reserved than some past bottles which were a bit more exotic. There is a lovely richness/creaminess to the wine that just intensifies and smoothes the classic flavor profile and acidy of the vintage. The finish is incredibly long and sweet – hiding a good dose of tannin on the finish. I don’t think this is yet at its apogee – a good 5 or more years still to go. That said, lovely, thoroughly enjoyable, fresh and serious. (94+)
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Weekend Wine with Summer Part II; 9/17/2010-9/18/2010 (Las Vegas, NV): Spicy nose of coffee, graphite, lavender, mushrooms, blackberries, and subtle soil. Massive wine still with dense black fruit that's wonderfully intertwined with elegant earth, tobacco, dried roses and leather. Still VERY dark wine that's a dark violet to the edge. Classic Saint Julien in my eyes. Be warned that this is still brutishly young and requires a decant. If you have this wine in your cellar know that it will be a truly wonderful bottle down the road (95-97 point territory)...and we're talking another 10 years. Given the warning, it's quite enjoyable at the moment.
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Enjoying this more and more with each bottle. Still vibrant red colours with no real sign of age. Beautiful classic St J aromas of cassis and cedar with loads more going on now. Great clean black fruits on the palate intertwined with the complex earth, tobacco and now spicy flavours of middle maturity. This will go on improving for some considerable time, but really good now. Goes fantastically with simple roast beef (rare).
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Quite a solid performer. Though lacking some elegance, it has earthy, spicy character and good balance of slightly rustic tannins, medium length. Overall I'd say a bit foursquare and not very St. Julien, but a very nice wine after all.
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In the end: A very impressive showing tonight from this 1996 Leoville Poyferre. I'll give it a 93+. It was a St. Julien Duhart Milon tonight, with beautifully ripe black currant fruit, cedar and RMP "pencil shavings" on the nose, deep Asian Lafite/Duhart ruby/purple color, I don't want to create an issue where none presently exists, but this is a Hong Kong / Singapore kind of wine.... If Alfred Tesseron were running this estate it would be featured at or near the top (behind Lafite, Carruades, Duhart, in that order) at the finest restaurants in the East. Tremendous nineteen-ninety-six bouquet. This wine is fourteen years old and reaching its "plateau of maturity" <rolls eyes>, but will age well for another twenty years. Earth and leather in the end, like one of those old-school Gruaud Laroses. It will be fun to watch this wine turn into something different, a tobacco and coffee aging old-styled claret. I have a 3L of this wine that I'll probably uncork in about 15-20 years. Right now, this impressive, "layered" wine continues to soar.
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Still young, this solid, powerful, tannic wine offered cassis, blackberry, tobacco and earthy notes. After an hour in the glass, it began to open and added charm. The wine ended with a tanninc, dark berry finish. Give it another 3-5 years.
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Impossible not to like this wine -- sophisticated, understated, well integrated. Ready to drink with an alluring brick coloured rim. Perfect with lean beef -- a real cowboy wine.
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I tasted this a number of times on separate occasions in 2009. I typically bring it up from the cellar a day or two before the dinner. I find it presents at its best if I remove the cork about six hours before serving. A gorgeous nose and pure silky loveliness in the mouth. Most recently tasted alongside the 1996 Barton and the 1996 Clos du Marquis. Most thought the Barton won by a fraction, but they were three cracking wines. I suspect this will get better.
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Took a bottle to a friends place with some cheese. Popped open and drank. Got better with time. Should have decanted cor at least an hour. Excellent!!!
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Magnum drunk with Sichuan food (not spicy). Immediate impact on the nose, distinctive earthy taste and recognisably St. Julien. Felt a little tight right to the last gulp though, as if there is more to come but we probably consumed it a little too quickly. Also, will undoubtedly benefit from a few more years in the bottle.
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Second of a case. Decanted 2 hours. A youthful deep red claretty hue, not very developed even at 13+ years of age. Complex nose: St Julien hallmarks of cassis, black cherries, graphite and cedar; but other aromas lurking behind - leather? cigarsmoke? ... Very good. Stylish palate: well balanced. Not lacking in stuffing, but not too forward either. Classic St Julien reserve? A magic balancing act between opulence and austerity. This is somewhat lean (not a criticism), still somewhat tightly coiled. Still needs more cellaring time to open out. Ample tannin on the excellent finish suggests this has a good way to go yet. Very good to excellent, but wait before trying another.
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S$220. Decanted 1 hr, drunk over 2. The wine didn't evolve considerably over the 2 hrs that it was drunk. Served blind to friends and the consensus is a classic left bank Bordeaux. Plenty of earth notes with good fruit and a high level of tannins. Pleasurable to drink now, but will wait another 3 yrs to allow the tannins to soften and for the wine to open up more. Personally, I'm a bit disappointed with the price-quality ratio, would readily pay $160 (wine and label).
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opened and slow ox'd for 5 hours. Decanted for an hour, back into the bottle to the restaurant. re-decanted at the restaurant. The nose never opened up during this whole time. The wine needs more time. Dark currant and cassis with a little herbs provenance. Tight with a medium length finish. Needs time - I'll probably wait another 5 yearts before even checking in again.
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Still youthfully dark. Unmistakably St. Julien, cassis and graphite with a floral component. A hint of Brett initially that seemed to all but disappear as it opened. Approachable with lots of life.
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Dark garnet hue with little lightening at the edges. Nose was very striking from the start with scents of cedar, pencil lead, creosote, forest floor, and peat. Palate was very tight at first but after 90 minutes of aeration opened up to yield a velvety-textured wine of clear, round black plum fruit layered with currant, moca, and a bit of tobacco. Sweet, grippy tannins on the long, satisfying finish. Early in its drinking window but already making an indelible impression.
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Still quite tannic. It has good substance to go along with the structure but it needs lots of time to resolve and develop secondary characteristics. Cedar, blackberry, graphite, a bit of earth and mild sweet tobacco dominate the palate....decent finish too.
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Part of a blind tasting of Leoville Poyferre, Barton and Las Cases, 1982, 1990, 1996 and 2000 with Acker. Elegent dark fruits and wood.. Medium sweetness with a taste of raisins and leather. Tannins still a little strong, very early, but drinkable.
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Lovely complex nose. Cedar and pencil shavings, some floral. Disappointing shortish length on the palate, despite being decanted for a reasonable period of time. Still a very good wine drinking well now.
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93-95pts. Deep color with a very dense core. No bricking. Seems muted on the nose upon opening, the palate is more open for business. Soft and silky with pleasant tannins. Now, let's wait a couple of hours. The palate is getting fuller, more flavours are emerging. Also the tannins are getting more prominent. This is a quite full bodied wine. Delicate and quite faint aromas comes forward. I feel that this wine still is in a early stage, and this bottle needs 5 hours to open up, too bad most of it is gone. However, it's a fantastic wine but I don't think I'm opening the next LP-96 for four to five years from now.
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Excellent claret. Full of soft blackberries and cedar with lovely earthy notes. Tannins soft and velvety, drinking perfectly now but could easily last another 10-15 years.
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Did not take detailed notes, but this wine is drinking woderfully now. Just a hint of coarseness, but definitely softened and ready to drink... great Bdx nose and compelxity on the palate.
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Drank over about 4 hours, popped, poured and decanted. Still appears to be fairly young and more closed than I expected. Good deep maroon color. Not alot in the way of fruit, and plenty of tannins. Will wait before trying again.
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This is as good as it gets for Medoc Cru classe' wine. Dark ruby to the rim, sweet berry fruits, cassis and light cigar box with fine tannins and acidity. It is interesting that the wine tasted great from the first sips and needed no coaxing. wonderful.
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This is Bordeaux the way I like it. Deep garnet color followed by a complex nose of red current, smoke and cedar closet – a hint of blueberry. Still very youthful – this wine will only get better. Still a bit of nervous energy. Flavors also deliver on the palate – flamboyant sweetness covers the classic core. Extremely promising. (94+)
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gift harry stanford - a beautiful wine with all the characteristics I love from St Julien the pencil/ceder nose and the wonderful drinkable but structured wine to follow.....a bit of fruit...soft soft tannins....needed a good decant so still has more to give but a fab wine
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Youthful appearance, quite restrained nose at start with steely lean characteristics. This develops really well after a couple of hours in the decanter with cassis, cedar, tobacco and earthy notes. Lovely soft black fruits, for me a slightly unusual zesty satsuma taste in there, which is not unpleasant.
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At Wijn Antiq Amsterdam (blind tasting Left bank, nineties). 5 hours open. Nice fruits, vanilla and tannins, but still fairly closed. Nose has fruit like berries and also brick. This wine promises more than it shows at the moment. The Barton after this bottle was better (at this stage), more shades. Drink from 2012.
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(Tasting note not contemporaneous.) The first bottle from a case picked up at auction in December 2008. Still quite intense and youthful in appearance. Plenty of cassis, cedar and graphite pencils on the nose - quite a well-defined and "lean" set of aromas with none of the almost savoury "earthiness" sometimes observed in, say, a Pauillac of similar age. Very promising. The palate is delicious: very smooth (deceptively "easy drinking") on entry; but as it fills out in the mouth, the structure is all there, and there is plenty of acidity and tannic backbone to support the black fruit. Very pleasant, drinking well now with an excellent finish. (A sample held over till the following day was at least as good.) I look forward to trying more from this case over the next few years.
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Decanted 1 hour. Deep ruby core, medium bright ruby rim. Perhaps slightly reticent on the nose, but quite complex with dark fruit and some tobaccoey and earthy development. Medium bodied on the palate, quite sleek and more fruity than the nose with cassis fruit. Good purity, some earthy development fresh acidity and some firm tannins still on a good length finish. Nice enough but improved with time in glass and should be much more to come from this. Next bottle - 2 years.
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Dark purple/black. Nose is somewhat reserved, and while shows good complexity, or the potential for complexity, the aromas of cassis, currant, tobacco and minerals still seem fairly primary. Not much secondary development yet. Palate is quite full bodied, with immense amounts of material, yet the wine seems nicely balanced. Full texttured palate, tobacco, cassis, and minerals. Big, but balanced. Tannins have definiely softened. Very impressive wine, but I don't perceive it as complex at this point. Has great potential, and while it was very enjoyable with New Yorks, this should improve with time. Loively wine.
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Had this for CF's 30th birthday. Continues to show the tea leaf and undergrowth that I LOVE about Poyferre. Complicated similarly to the previous bottles I've had with dried flowers, meat smoke and pure cassis liqueur.
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Drunk alongside a '96 Clerc Milon and a '95 LLC. I thought this was drinking the best of the three, although all were very good. This combined a complex nose of red and dark fruit, and little elements of tobacco, oak. Very smoothe, with a nice, lingering finish.
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This is a psychologically complicated wine. There's a lot going on here, as it attempts to cope with childhood issues. I always love to use the term "layered" when I describe Leoville Poyferre from any vintage-- I think I saw Parker or Suckling or somebody use that descriptor once-- and I truly think it fits, particularly with the 1996 vintage. This thirteen year old is strapping and gangly. The thick T-bones are on the grill.... I personally think it has a vegetal streak running through it. Tobacco, oak, and coffee. Complex, but still an adolescent. I'm going to be disappointed in myself if I uncork my next bottle sooner than the twenty year mark for this wine. Rating: 92 points.
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Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux 1996 Vintage (Rodwell House): A bouquet of saddle leather, liquorice with black fruit yet possible Brett issues as well. Some smoke, meat and wildness confirm. On the entry, the fruit appears quite subdued, leaning more to marmite, meat and some chalky tannins. Overall, the palate lacks balance with a lively acidity that lifts, little fruit to balance and then a dry bitterness on the back palate. Didn't really improve in the glass either. Slightly bacterial?
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Very non-descript in the glass. Nose is very mellow and soft. The wine is smooth and finishes well but if anything comes up short relative to other great Bordeaux's. This is a pretty good wine that I much prefer to the '95.
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Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting. Great opulent nose. Deep dark rich fruit, vanilla and chocolate. Palate doesn't match. Maybe this is in a dumb phase. If the palate would hold up to the nose this would be some serious stuff.
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Opened with Olch next to a '96 Freemark Abbey Bosche Cab from his cellar. Both showed a graceful and typical learning-curve of age. Dark, earthy though somewhat reticent at first, the wine came around eventually to exhibit floral-driven aromatics complicated by black olive, cassis liqueur and even a certain ferric sensibility. Wonderful.
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Decanted about an 90 minutes before serving. Cassis fruit, with graphite and animal notes just as strong as the fruit on the nose, and lesser cigar box aromas. In the mouth, black cherry arrives to accompany the returning cassis. The fruit is surprisingly forward and sweet-toned given the savory vegetal-mineral notes that dominated the nose. The finish is nearly 45 seconds, and dominated by black cherry and sweet tobacco. That finish might be its best dimension. The wine is still very young. I'll hold mine for another three years at least, and I'd bet on this going strong for another 15 to 20. J. said she much preferred this to the '90 Hermitage La Sizeranne we had last night, which I thought was drinking perfectly at its peak and scored a 94. I preferred the older Rhone to this younger Bordeaux, but it's probably a toss-up depending on your preference.
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Decanted about 30 minutes before serving. Graphite and tobacco notes on the nose. In the mouth, black cherry and cassis. The fruit shows mineral notes that dominated the nose. The finish lasts forever and is dominated by black cherry, cedar, and cigar. Great wine.
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Ducru Vertical (Lam Soon): Also showing lots of horse and bell pepper greenness. Big wine on the onset but still very elegant with finesse. Exceptional like a lady with style.
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Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical (1978, '85, '86, '95 and '96, with a few extras) (Richfield, Lam Soon Building, Singapore): I found this a tad modern and very young still. Rather forward nose, with blackberry and plum held up with buttery oak and coffee. Sweetish palate, very friendly, with fresh acid and more dark fruit. Very, very tight tannic structure, okay at first, but it seemed harsher and harsher as the wine got some air, especially right at the back of the tongue. The wine still seemed balanced, but I think it really needs time to integrate and show its strength.
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Clear dark ruby in the glass. Medium bodied. Reticent nose of dark fruits and earth. On the palate spicy, with more fruit with hints of tobacco and cigar box. Longish finish. Very nice.
My guess is that this is still developing and needs more time in the bottle.
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Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Intense, deep black fruited nose, cassis fruit and spice. Deep, spicy and still quite tannic on the palate, signature 96 fresh acidity provides good balance and the finish is long but overall this is still a bit bound up and tight, especially when tasted next to the mature, open 97. Should improve.
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Served on a British Air flight. Lovely wine, though the small glass used made it difficult to assess. Still a very youthful claret with noticeable tannin, but very balanced. Highly enjoyable.
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Ruby with brown edge. Layers of flavor. Blueberry, Blackberry and cake spices, some vanilla with a nice, sweet finish. I'm not a specialist in Bordeaux, so my pts are just go along to get along, but I can tell this is one fine wine. It takes a few hours to open. Nice balance between fruit, tannins and acid. My only caveat that the acids are a little high, which makes this wine sprightly and fresh, but perhaps lighter rather than bold. My flavor impressions also suggest medium bodied rather than heavy. But, I can't complain at all.
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At last I get this wine. The last 2 bottles seemed very austere. Double decanted and left for an hour, this was rich with blackcurrant, smoke and tobacco. Lovely complex and long flavours. Much more forward than the L. Barton of the sasme vintage. Now really looking forward to the rest. Perfect with the roast sirloin of beef.
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We couldn't believe how good this wine was. It was streets ahead of a Lagrange 2000 which was itself very good. Drinking perfectly now. Could it get even better?
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Youthful nose of blackberry, spice, cassis and cedar. Intensely tannic on the palate, but the structure is good and this is going to improve greatly once the tannins soften and it takes on additional complexity. Needs time.
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This is drinking great now. A wonderful nose -- rich perfume -- the signature bordeaux nose. On the palate, the wine is very open and accessible, with lively fruit, and a long finish. Only a slight green bitterness on the finish. This had that one thing I love in bordeaux wine -- a nose that makes you sit and smell it. My friend from L.A. sat and sniffed and sniffed, which makes the wine last longer. Paired extremely well with Morgan Valley leg of lamb, slow roasted on the BBQ while the snow dumped outside. A perfect finish to an awesome day skiing the greatest snow on earth.
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Popped and poured for our daughter's 5th birthday (with the in-laws). A wine with restraint, depth, purity of fruit and a long tasty finish. I would suggest leaving these until 2012 as the wine is evening out and starting to loose its youth and become more interesting to drink. Certainly a wine that could see a point of two more in 7-10 years.
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Nice! 1996 Bordeaux. Dark garnet, lots of secondary flavors....earthy, leathery. One of my colleagues said it smelled like manure but I though it was more of pencil shavings and tobacco with a core of fruit. Definitely complex but what's missing is the finish. It's good but it didn't leave me saying, "wow, that was one heck of a wine." In fact, for $100, I dunno if I would purchase again but it's good. Very well balanced...no trace of heat. I tried swirling and sniffing to find heat but there was none. Decanted for about an hour. It probably would have been ever better with more air. We opened 3 other bottles while I was letting this wine sit and everytime I smelled it, it seemed to get better.
The nose was very nice.
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My 40th...Bordeaux, CdP, Quilceda, etc. (Seattle): Very youthful and primary – even more so than the Ducru. Plenty of sweet black fruit, grip, and definition. Stands toe to toe with the Ducru except at the finish. I’ll leave this alone for quite awhile.
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Bordeaux Blind (Wine Exchange - Orange, CA): Slight orange brick red color. Funky earthy nose but the wine yields notes of cedar, lead pencil, and cherry. Nice flavor complexity. Still has some firm tannins. Comments: If you can get past the weird nose on this wine it does show a large array of flavors. This hairy beast has plenty of character and life left in it. Recommended.
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Not as good a bottle as on prior occasions, but enjoyable nonetheless. The depth of fruit did not seem to be there, but it was well-balanced, with some tobacco and earth notes alongside cassis/dark fruit. Tannins are rounding out, but perhaps still a little closed.
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Inky dark wine with some cedar, current/dark fruit on the nose. Palate shows strength with stong core of minerality and slate. Tannins present but not overpowering. Midpalate was a bit hollow as WS stated in their review. Finish was moderate. I did find that this wine improved with aeration with more complexity and the midpalate expanding a bit.
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Farewell to a Friend: Probably a faulty bottle, there was a line of wine running up the entire side of the cork from memory. Very much dominated by earth, vegetables and vegemite on the nose and tannin on the palate. Flavour fell away on the mid-palate and never returned. Cleaned up a very slight amount in the glass, but it was still pretty un-enjoyable.
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I have had a few vintages of LP and this is my favorite. Bigger in style, high tannin, earth and barnyard. Mineral and oak are present as well. Also, has a meaty note.
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Hot on the heels of the Pinot tasting at the 35th Street Bistro, I opened this to accompany swordfish seared with black peppercorns and smoked oyster mushrooms (perhaps not the best pairing). My note-taking skills were rather impaired by this point, but the wine showed a firm, tight core of black currant and plums, with hints of sandalwood, tobacco, charcoal, and stone. The finish was a bit short and this bottle never really opened up as I though it would, indicating to me that it needs a good bit more time. The last bottle I had was July 2005.
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Nice Bordeaux. Could still use some time; but its drinking nice now. Good barnyard, but could improve. Nice plum flavors, berries, cherries; the fruit is still very nice; but it still has a pretty strong tannin showing.
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after reading TN's in Cellar Tracker, I had great expectations from this wine. I like a dose of brett in my Bordeaux and was looking forward to it. What I got instead was some rubbery notes and none of the barnyard I was expecting. The bottle didn't have any signs of storage imperfections, but something was wrong with it.
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Still too young to drink, but what potential. Lovely, earthy aroma--signature Bordeaux. Too tannic at first, but softened and opened a bit after decanting for an hour and a half or so. Began to show spice, dried red fruits, tobacco. I didn't really pick up on the cedar and vanilla noted by some. This good now, but it will be spectacular in ten years. Amazingly, the '99 is more approachable now, as is the '95.
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Took a few hours to hit its stride. Absolutely gorgeous earthy bouquet, waves of violets. Thick rich ripe dark fruits, blackberries, plums, and well integrated french oak on the palate. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
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(at Abacrombie – Baltimore) this caused a lot of debate at the table. Many believed it was ever so slightly corked. I could not find this on the nose, but the finish was more abrupt than anticipated. That said, the nose (to me and a few others) was on the exotic side of Saint Julien. Currents, spice and rocks. Will try another bottle soon to compare – a pristine bottle should be monumental. (17?)
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This is a wine that improved the longer it aerated. In the beginning, was a bit out of balance and had some definite brett. however with air the brett seemed to fade a bit. the wine became more complex, soft, with a nice finish complete with some soft tannins. this wine will definitely improve with age.
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Evolves over 11 hours. At first open with a little brett, at 5-6 hours a huge dollop of merde/barnyard. Two hours later the nose settles to lovely earthy dark fruits. On the palate open with deep dark fruit and dark burnt chocolate
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Still very deep and dark. Opaque ruby, narrow pale ruby rim. Nose immediately open (not decanted in advance), showing cassis and spice with hints of tobacco and earth. Very fruity on entry, with cassis/blackcurrant prominent, the complexity on the nose not immediatly obvious, eventually this also gives up hints of cedar, tea-leaves and earth. Not much more than medium bodied, this has decent depth and lovely (medium +) balancing acidity, in perfect harmony with tannins and fruit. There is some dryness on the finish, but although it will undoubtedly improve, this is certainly approachable now. Outstanding - 91 - with potential upside.
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This wine was simply splendid and at its peak last evening. We had it with a crown roast of pork from Allens. The nose was exuberant and filled with scents of roses, black cherries, currants and kirsch. The taste was balanced and complex with intense flavors of black cherries, kirsch, currants and mushrooms. Too bad I had only one bottle of this beauty.
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After 2 hours in a pitcher the majority of the barnyard aroma faded into an earthy nose. The mouthfeel of the wine seemed to soften. Good overall dark fruit, cassis flavor with a nice smooth finish. 91
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Drinking very well right now from 1/2 bottle. Cassis, earth, well balanced, subtle tannin. Excellent length. Certainly capable of further aging, but delicious right now.
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I opened this at 2:30 with my last bottle in mind. Decanted and left for 2 hours and then returned to the cleaned bottle. VacuVin'd and taken to dinner. Still showed some of the barnyard as the last one. With the decanting time the characteristic resolved down to more of an earthy note. Very dark. Rich and extracted. A good match for the truffled veal dish.
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I had first enjoyed this over dinner at Ambria in Chicago. What a wonderful discovery. Delightful, sumptuous, persistent structure. Intense nose abounds in soft flavors of flowers, blackcurrant and roasted oak.
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Purchased this bottle and drank following the Garagiste 2002 Bordeaux tastings, including Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, Cos Estournel, pape clemente, haut brion, cheval blanc, montose, leoville las cases, palmer, etc. Needless to say, this was much more mature and would have cracked the top 5 of the 2002s. Very smooth, velvety texture. Excellent example and follow up from the younger bordeauxs. Impressive.
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50+5+12+17+8. Had this at Ruth's Chris on Father's Day with a wonderful filet. Opened about 4.5 hours before drinking, did not decant. Had a wondeful smell in the bottle with some chocolate and dark berry scents. It did have the barnyard scent in the glass but quickly burned off. Paired perfectly with the filet and had wonderful black pepper flavors and a nice long finish. My last bottle, wish I had more.
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Tasted single blind at Loren Sonkin's against 9 other 95/96 Bordeaux's. My 9th place, the groups 2nd. My concern was a noteworthy barnyard nose when opened. Those using larger glasses noted that the barnyard blew off relatively quickly. I used an INAO glass and the wine did not lose its barnyard/brett during the tasting. Loren indicated that the leftover had lost the barnyard by the next day. Looking past the barnyard, a wine that certainly deserved it's second place finish with the group. Big mouthfeel, some smokey notes with lots of black fruits and leather.
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Dark ruby/purple colour; opaque. Aromas of cedar, vanilla, blackberry, truffles, smoke. Medium-full bodied, tannins already integrating nicely, but still nears more time in the cellar. Cedar and black fruit on the palate. Moderate finish, ~30-35s. Lots of potential. 93 points for now, could increase with time.
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Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Diogo Belo. Bright disc. Opaque ruby/garnet robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense black and red currants, coffee, mocha and brier. Full-bodied on the palate, with somewhat high acidity and big dry tannins. The flavors follow the nose. Medium, astringent finish. Needs time.
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An interesting note by Rob, after 2 hours of decanting the '96 and '99 appeared to be exactly the same wine. But, by the time of the tasting these were very different. The '96 is like the '99 but on steroids. Profound notes of sweet tobacco, pepper, herbs, and ripe fruit could be detected. The tannins are sweet and chewy, and noticibly more intense and acidic than the '99. Ripe black cherries and spicey oak dominate the super finish. The '96 wines continue to show very, very nicely. 3rd Place for WOTN.
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Tasted at an off-line amongst other Bordeaux in a similar class. This was an eye-popping wine from the first whiff and sip. My notes had words like "LUSCIOUS (in caps), excellent, classic Bordeaux nose, fresh cracked black pepper, elegant AND powerful". Ripe juicy mouthfeel, with unobtrusive but sturdy tannins in the background.
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3/16/2024 - AudunG wrote: 93 Points
Dark aromas for a St. Julien. Aromas of dark berries, farmyard, smoke and rusty iron, like in a Pessac. Dense and powerful on the palate, with pronounced tannins.
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2/18/2024 - Ara Kafafian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opaque ruby, animal, barnyard, sweet notes, undergrowth some menthol, mushrooms, spicey, basically everything we love about aged Bordeaux is in here. Silky tannins. This is ready to go, simply amazing. Will easily hold another decade.
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2/10/2024 - PoyferrAgent1998 wrote: 91 Points
Compared to the 95, the acidity of the 96 stands out. Because of the acidity but the wine has a more lively, fresh and energetic character. The 96 is probably perfect for a pairing with a proper dish.
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2/4/2024 - Frankie63 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Château Léoville Poyferré - Saint-Julien 1996
Lots of dark fruit, cassis and blackcurrant. (lots of) Leather and Forrest floor. Still more than enough acidity and nice chewy tannins. Love the long aftertaste, it lingers for more than 30 seconds. At its peak with some more years to go.
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1/27/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
CdB BoG; 1/25/2024-1/27/2024 (Denver): Loving the 1996 vintage right now. No formal notes but drinking great, full of fruit, smooth but present tannins. Yum.
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12/24/2023 - Ian_Rhie wrote: 94 Points
Perfect drinking window. Tannins are all softened, plum, jammy berries, leather, classic Bordeaux.
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10/21/2023 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 91 Points
Day 2 after Coravin. A dark burgundy color, almost no bricking. Nose is big, but of stewed prunes, green pepper, mint, cedar. In the mouth, high acidity, with hint of sourness. Not tannic. Long finish. I want to like this more but it has a sour tartness that is a little off-putting. Pairs well with a warm turkey and cheese hoagie.
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9/28/2023 - MRG73 wrote: 94 Points
Classic aged Bordeaux, in a good way. After 2 hour decant the nose was lifted, on the palate the wine had a coolish entry with high notes and then a strong lasting slightly spicy finish. Agree with prior tasting notes below including green peppers and cedar etc. I would however describe the stewed fruits more as tamarillo flavour . I think this wine has a long life ahead but also at a very good drinking window.
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9/24/2023 - FabesMTL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1996
Color: ruby red, pristine. One would think this wine is 5 years old.
First nose: cedar or mint.
Then barnyard. Now green pepper 🫑 followed by a whiff of Montreal steak spice. Barnyard comes and goes, as does the cedar.
Pallet at the onset is lean and muscular but tannic and austere. Needs air.
Double decant. Cedar on the nose.
Nose is not primary, there are virtually no fruits here, but not tertiary either. Cedar, spice, green pepper, ground black pepper, graphite (led pencil HB #3 ).
Palate oscillates between tannic and smooth, eventually becomes softer as one would expect from a St-Ju. But lacking a bit of follow-through on the finish.
Pallet now showing stewed red fruits and berries as I close it up and leave 1/3 for tomorrow.
A good showing, needed more air or cellar time. 93.
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9/10/2023 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Nose of saddle leather, tobacco, dried earth, dried cherry, and wood.
Full body, med acid, med tannin.
This is signing. Much better bottle than last time. Texturally lovely and plenty of life left. Enjoy over the next 10 years max.
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7/28/2023 - luHar1423 Likes this wine: 97 Points
A very elegant and classical Poyferre, silky in texture, with powerful fruity notes on the palate (and nose), well-balanced acidity, and tannins - a very good Poyferre, which has not reached its end of life yet.
The finish is long and in my humble opinion, the drinking window is still open for another odd 5 years from today.
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7/9/2023 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 93 Points
Will the 96's ever shed their tannic structure of the vintage? Probably not. This bottle showed all sorts of savoury notes and a bruised fruit melange. Oak is very welcome & integrated nicely. Umami x amaro and very bordelaise. Quite tasty with grilled lamb chops. Fans of fruit, you will not enjoy this wine, IMHO.
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5/11/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 96 Points
We saved the best for last. We’ve been wanting to open this bottle for awhile now, but were saving it for a dinner like this. The 1996 Château Léoville Poyferré is an absolute gem of a wine. Had between our main courses and desserts, the wine opened up to a subtle earthy nose before the palette presented itself to be herbaceous and spice driven, with much of the red cherry fruit still intact. A finish that brought in tobacco and cassis made this wine feel silky to the point where you never wanted the feeling to stop lingering. The 2005 Château Léoville Poyferre was probably a top two 2005 we’ve had the chance to try, but this 1996 vintage from the producer might be one of the wines of the year thus far for us. Undeniably elegant, this wine was 96 points on the night.
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3/31/2023 - Drinkslogger Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose:
Cedar, wet gravel, barnyard funk with an underlay of rich juicy berries fireworks, pepper, rosemary, vanilla
Everything else:
Silky and integrated, minerals, black cherry, plums, blackberry, blueberries, licorice, juicy but dry, long finish, spices.
Lively and still in its prime. Should drink well into 2030. This would pair perfectly with a delicate Japanese Wagyu A4. (A5 is just too much fat for me)
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1/14/2023 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (2/3) and Merlot (1/3) with a little bit of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (50-75% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind in a 1996-themed tasting.
Evolved yet still almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a developed dried-blood color rim. The nose feels brooding yet attractive with slightly sweet-toned aromas of chokeberries and black cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of old leather, light phenolic smoky nuances, a juicy hint of bilberry and a cedary touch of oak spice. The wine is firm, textural and quite open-knit on the palate with a medium body and complex, layered flavors of ripe blackcurrants and wizened dark berries, some crunchy notes of fresh dark plums and bog bilberries, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, light woody notes of pencil shavings, a hint of fresh blueberry and a faint barnyardy touch of brett. The overall feel is pretty structured and sinewy yet not aggressive, thanks to both the high acidity and the firm medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is long, firm and moderately yet not aggressively tannic with an intense aftertaste of ripe dark fruits and juicy bilberries, some wizened blackcurrant tones, a little bit of leathery funk, light notes of tobacco, a smoky hint of phenolic spice and a touch of cedar.
A beautifully harmonious, vibrant and quite intense Bordeaux that shows some age, but at the same time still retains a remarkable amount of structure and relatively youthful fruit, making it feel like it is just past its adolescence and slowly entering its middle age. There's also a teensy bit of brett that seems to come and go, but always stays nicely in the background, letting the classic Bordelais aromatics and flavors stay nicely on the fore. This wine is by all standards an excellent 1996 St. Julien that is drinking really well right now and doesn't really call for any additional aging, but I'd say the wine's plateau of maturity is quite long way off and this wine will not only keep but evolve and improve for years more. It is really built for the long haul. Very highly recommended. With my guess I went with Bordeaux immediately, but for the appellation I went for Graves instead of St. Julien. Oh well.
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1/14/2023 - signotim wrote: 94 Points
K&L Saturday Bordeaux tasting. Just a small taste but this was beautifully balanced with pure dark fruit, graphite, and leather. Good structure and strong finish. Lots of class in this tasting and some of the younger wines will likely surpass it in time, but this was the wine of the tasting for me. 94-95
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12/17/2022 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
Tasted 5 hours after decanting. This was largely passed at the tasting table as it had a strong aroma of brett. That finally blew off at the end of the night to the happy surprise of the few of us who had remained behind to clean up.
deep red color starting to show maturity at the rim, full on bretty nose for over 4 hours that made it impossible to even want to taste the wine, and then- as sometimes happens- the funk vanished leaving a fine classic nose of cassis, cedar and bell pepper, a slight vegetal streak as well, on the palate cassis and cherry fruits- mature but remaining fresh, forest floor and pine needles, good length that is drying out slightly on the very tail end, robust and a bit rustic - and in a wonderful place, pair it with a hearty steak.
***, ready to drink with time in hand
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12/9/2022 - Hendmo Likes this wine: 95 Points
What always impresses me about a really top quality wine is the ability to wear it’s age effortlessly. This is silky, with lovely freshness, but also with the slightly baked fruits, umami, gentle tobacco and lovely floral notes of a mature Bordeaux. Graceful, beautifully balanced and ready to drink. Highly recommended.
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11/30/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice, quite soft fruit forward, blackberry and black currant. Noticeable oak, may blow off. Good freshness. Good integration. Long some complexity. Drink now and will last another 15 to 20 years.
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11/11/2022 - srwatters Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a dry red wine. Medium ruby in color with obvious bricking at the rim. Medium + intensity nose with muted but still present dark fruit. Ample tertiary notes of leather, graphite, and slight bret. The body is medium - with subtle soft tannin and fading acidity. The wine is aged but balanced and lovely to drink. This is an outstanding fully matured left bank Bordeaux.
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11/10/2022 - rstark wrote:
Really nice round mouthfeel , resolved tannins and dark (but slightly muted) fruit. But man, you better be OK with brett to enjoy this wine. Updated Review 12/15/22: opened a 2nd bottle and there was no barnyard problem. Coffee, Leather and same mouthfeel. Very enjoyable bottle at peak drinking window. Seems like many Bordeaux from the 1990's have bottle variation regarding brett (Barton, Montrose ....)
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11/7/2022 - JCGuthrie wrote:
I gave this about 60 minutes of slow O. Deep earthy nose with black fruit and hints of mushroom; the palate shows nicely with savory dark berries. It becomes more angular and minerally with extended air, eventually bordering on austere, so I do question whether this is one for the (really) long haul.
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10/12/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
A better showing this time out, it is fully mature and doesn't really need decanting now. It is a lovely mature Bordeaux with a deeply aromatic nose displaying characteristics of a wine a decade or more older. Everything is integrated and in excellent working order on the palate and finish, but I do find it lacks depth and complexity.
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10/9/2022 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Slightly rustic on the nose but there’s red fruit in the background. Spice, dried leaves, tobacco, raspberry, dried cherry, and cedar.
The fruit comes out on the palate. It’s medium body with medium acidity and moderate tannin. All in all, wel balanced and drinking quite well at the moment. It has time left, at least another 5-10 years. Don’t let the nose fool you, this is great.
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9/17/2022 - Javachip wrote: flawed
Very musty despite an hour in the decanter. Initially thought this was corked, but it improved a bit after another hour. Some nice fruit lurking underneath, but the mustiness never went completely away.
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9/17/2022 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
Showing great today. PnP then followed over a couple hours in a group tasting in a Grassl 1855.
Moderate homogeneous bricking, lifted aromatics of blackcurrant and pen ink with a hint of purple florals in the wings. Mild green notes peek in after 90 minutes or so. Good palate weight/density and well integrated. This is drinking great now and stands to hold for 5-10 years But I doubt if it will improve all that much from here
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9/5/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
A great and consistent 1996. Ruby color with a brick rim. The cassis fruit soars from the glass with cinnamon spice and lightly tanned leather. Full and velvety palate with a long chiseled finish. There is still so much fruit yet the tobacco/leather is making itself present on the finish. My favorite vintage for this wine. (95)
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9/2/2022 - Lipsman wrote: 97 Points
Beautifully balanced Bordeaux, full of supple grace. Just drinking perfectly right now. A bit of brett, tobacco and elegant leather, dark cherry, and anise on the long finish. No need to decant. Let it open up in the glass. Superb.
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8/28/2022 - WbstrSt Likes this wine:
From 750. In a great place right now—fully mature, enchanting nose, gentle palate with mild acidity and tannins.
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8/10/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
From MAG. Consistent to my last note. Beautiful, mature mid-weight Bordeaux with complex tertiary notes. Love the classic proportions here. Very popular, served at two SG farewell dinners, both times it was very well received by what were very experienced Bordeaux drinkers.
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4/3/2022 - Philippe_C wrote: 95 Points
Quite strict nose of cigar box, smoke, red cherries… Very crispy red cherries, cigar, tobacco, super integrated and silky tannin, lenght of 30 sec!
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4/2/2022 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 90 Points
I really want to like this wine more, but it seems to hold something back. It is lean, and borders on the sour. Nice nose of red and black fruit, cedar, and has a dryness and acidity that goes well with rich food. But by itself it dabbles with astringency and is borderline not fun to drink.
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3/26/2022 - Ereynoldnelson Likes this wine:
Beautiful rich barnyard, cedar and tobacco. Absolutely delicious. Flavor faded after about an hour, but the nose remained, so. I stuffed the glass with my last few bites of rabbit stew.
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1/30/2022 - Cmainardi wrote: 92 Points
Good mature bored.
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12/12/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Opened this after the disappointing '84 Mayacamas and was rewarded. Just on a pop and pour, this was showing beautifully. Man, I love the '96 vintage in Bordeaux. This has a great perfume and a lovely mix of dark berries, leather and pencil. Love it.
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12/7/2021 - J o e wrote: 95 Points
Cedar, pipe tobacco, melted fudge, blackberries and even a floral note are readily apparent, and get progressively stronger with aeration. Medium-bodied on the palate, with loads of earth, iron, minerals, plums and black fruits, accompanied by still-substantial, mouth-coating tannins on the long, refreshing finish. This is squarely in its drinking window, but given the sheer density and structure, well-stored bottles should provide pleasure for at least another decade. Outstanding! 13% ABV on label. 95.
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12/5/2021 - Andice wrote: 93 Points
Very enjoyable, in final third of drinking window. Rounded, creamy, resolved tannin w fruit still present. Balanced and nicely done
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11/9/2021 - JCGuthrie wrote: 94 Points
Gave this 60 minutes of slow-O. Definitely the best showing so far - I think this is really coming into the zone. Great nose of dark fruits, damp soil, sous bois, cooked mushrooms. Very lifted and elegant. Medium plus tannins and good acidity. Really in a nice spot, and changed my opinion of this producer. The last glass held up well under vacuum seal overnight.
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11/8/2021 - PDavisMarble wrote: 93 Points
3 Leovilles Dinner. This showed better than the '90 LP. More stuffing -- richer palette with longer finish and the wine didn't disappear like the '90. A lovely wine that should have another decade or more. Tobacco, cedar, camphor, some raspberries, a hint of mint and moist leaves.
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10/9/2021 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
We are most definitely in the storage impacted stage of this wine. This bottle was smoking with that signature earthiness that Poyferre can deliver, in line with some of the finest Bordeaux producers of the classic league. Earth, violets, coffee with time in the glass, and beautiful cedar and potpourri bouquet laced with earth. Lacks the length to be any more than this, but this is good enough! Drink
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10/8/2021 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted the 1995 and 1996 side by side.
The 1996 immediately has a far more fascinating and multifaceted nose. Dusty red fruit, mixed with floor polish and lots of coffee. Very fine indeed.
More flavor than the '95, and a bit more approachable, with less acid and a rounder taste, though perhaps not as refined a texture as the '95. Tannins are a little softer too (though plenty left still).
Overall this is the better wine, but both are delicious. Drink now.
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9/27/2021 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 90 Points
90 pts on third day after tapping with Coravin. Forgot to take notes on days 1 and 2, although my recollection it took 2-3 hours to open up each time. On second day impression was initially one of harsh sourness. On this, the last glass on day 3, nose is muted. Some cedar, red currants. The most pleasant part of this is it has good weight and velvety texture and powdery tannins.
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9/25/2021 - lightning wrote: 87 Points
Translucent brick-garnet. Earth, dried fruit, tobacco and touch of brett; light to medium bodied, slight grip of tannins on the midpalate, notes of gravel, blackcurrant and earth, lively acidity with good length. Round and plush in texture. This bottle lacked some cut and definition.
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9/24/2021 - Larre Likes this wine: 95 Points
As schoolbook example of mature claret, especially on the nose. Forest ground, cigar box, and exotic spices. Tannins are fully resolved, and the only thing to maybe complain about is that the fruit could have been richer and fresher. But this is compensated by the long and complex finish that lingers for 30+ seconds. No rush to drink up, but hard to say if further cellaring will be beneficial.
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8/16/2021 - drmarclevine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Terrific Bordeaux. Decanted 90 minutes. Cassis jam, cough-drop, and stalky green wood emerged immediately and intensified with air. Medium weight with more cassis, red cherry, tree resin, and dried tobacco leaf melded together beautifully. Medium/long finish with drying, palate-cleansing tannins. Fresh and on-point. Firmly in it's early drinking window, this beauty will go on for a good long while and continue to evolve.
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7/31/2021 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at 67
Beautiful and rich with a broad complex palate.
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7/27/2021 - VegasDocEasy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully. Full of tannin. Will last at least 5-10 more years. Wonderful barnyard bomb with enough red fruit to keep this alive for a long finish.
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6/27/2021 - Bellissimo wrote:
Brought to a large gathering; no detailed notes. Decanted 45 minutes, brought to gathering where it was slow-O-ed for 4 hours.
Dark in color this was still in some ways a baby with very little bricking. Dark cherry, currant, plum with olives and tobacco. Tannins are present but not in your face. Paired with Filets Mignons with Black Bean Ragout.
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6/20/2021 - kfk wrote: 94 Points
Perfect drinking window. 30 min decant. Mature but with plenty of fruit left. No sign of decline
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6/19/2021 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic aged Bordeaux. Nose of damp earth, mushrooms, forest floor. Delicious
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6/8/2021 - DaleW wrote:
Fresh, open, giving. Sweet cassis and graphite, a little fennelseed edge made it a bit exotic, happy with this. B+
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5/30/2021 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for an hour. Lush and open knit wine, earthy aromas then a supple wine with fused cherry and anise, saturated dark fruits, long, balanced finish. All tannins resolved. A wine of stature and grace.
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5/5/2021 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine: 90 Points
All in all a good experience but a tad thin and dusty. Slight clove and wood that’s not quite cedar on the nose and dark berries on palate. Might be worthwhile to age.
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4/30/2021 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 89 Points
(4/30/21) From a 750ml bottle that was purchased on the secondary market and was still filled well into the neck. The bottle was decanted, and then the first glass was poured and allowed to develop in the glass.
This wine appeared very youthful, with only a slight age-appropriate lightening of color. It showed loads of sous bois and cigar, as well as some black cherry and a little charcoal on the nose on PnP. The palate held a lot of tobacco leaf and a little black cherry, but the fruit here was all about very pure, tangy red currants and cranberries. The palate was badly marred, however, by quite a bit of unripe, drying tannins. The acidity was good, but because of the tannins, the finish was just so-so.
The second glass, after the wine had been in the decanter for 1.5 hours, showed some positive changes. The cigar and sous bois had receded a bit, allowing more black cherry to assert itself on both the nose and the palate, but the wine was still mostly about the red fruits, and because the tannins were unripe, air hadn’t done anything to help the dryness problem in the finish.
In the end, this was a nice enough fully mature but not terribly complex bottle of wine loaded with unripe tannins. If it hadn’t been for the tannins, it would have merited a higher score. As is was, the most memorable thing about this bottle will certainly be its price. I had a comparatively humble 1996 Potensac several weeks ago (from the same seller) that displayed much more complexity and gave a much more pleasurable tasting experience than this bottle—at one-third the price, mind you.
Perhaps a long decant would have helped here. Maybe other bottles are better. Maybe this is simply what it is. It’s hard to say. In the end this bottle barely made it into the “good/distinguished/above average” category for me. 13% abv. (***/15/89)
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4/20/2021 - Lipsman wrote: 97 Points
Bricking. A lush and generous wine showing barnyard, liquid anise, dollops of cherry cola, tobacco, and complex dark fruits. This is followed by a sexy finish that lingers for minutes. Decant for an hour before serving.
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4/13/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
As with many left bank wines from 1996 this is fully mature, but should stay at its best for at least 5 years. It is not in the Premier league of the year but is a good decent wine. It has a typical taste profile as per previous notes, and the tannin has sweetened but still gives a decent kick. I do find it falls a bit flat towards the end of the palate and on the finish.
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3/13/2021 - Phil7C wrote:
A
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3/4/2021 - Weinberg Falls wrote: 94 Points
Garnet, browning around the rim. Layered nose, bright raspberry, cassis, pencil shavings, woodsmoke and balsamic, the full spectrum of left bank in one precise, expressive packet. Palate is supple, a burst of red cherry and cranberry with a silky plum and black currant undertone with firm but fine tannins and a wonderful acidity. Long finish of blood, leather, tobacco leaf and forest floor. Stunning, seductive and beautifully mature Poyferré.
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2/27/2021 - DH90 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent color. Deep rich dark fruit, consistent with St. Julien. A bit raw to start then softened and became rich and a pleasure to consume. This wine is in a good place now but I suspect it will be fun to drink over the next decade.
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2/16/2021 - MaineMark Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark red, with no sign of bricking. A bit of barnyard/horse on the nose, but no sign of that on the palate. Subtle red fruits, earth, and a long, long finish of olives and tobacco. Drinking really well right now. (Drank to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our engagement.)
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1/8/2021 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 93 Points
Medium garnet color turning crimson rust at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose is perfumed, even effervescent, revealing its lively acidity at the onset and highlighted by smoke, leather and vanilla on aged dark berries. The palate is medium bodied with youthful acidity that carries boysenberry, raspberry, black currants, and dried cranberry followed by secondary notes of incense, leather, graphite and cola on toasted oak. Finishes long and persistent with a silky finish. Drink now until 2032. 93+
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12/24/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote: 94 Points
Pretty intense aromas with this beautiful tones of sweet perfume that lies over lightly warm forest berries that top over melted vanilla ice cream. It is built around with stables, anise, leather belt, licorice and hints of sweet tobacco. Medium to medium + full-bodied wine with a pronounced good, balanced and round mouthfeel of blackberries, blackcurrants, leather, licorice, spices and quite clearly bacon tones. The acidity is high and refreshes the wine. The tannins are well integrated, but have a slightly drying finish.
A delicate Bdx that has filed away all sharp edges and surfs with life. The wine has entered the drinking phase, but still has more to give. 94 points.
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12/11/2020 - dajapino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Florals, dark fruits, earth, pencil shavings aromas...dark currants, perfectly mature medium bodied flavors glide gently with still mid palate weight and beautiful finish. In a word, classic!
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12/6/2020 - Geoff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Typical LP, very enjoyable but perhaps a little lighter than usual. Medium bodied, Nice, even floral fruit with multiple secondary notes, telltale smoke and oak, cedar. Tannins resolved. Seemed to put on weight with air. Really singing at the end of the evening. Had a 2 hour slo-ox and 1 hour decant prior to serving.
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11/27/2020 - SteelerFan wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. Cigar, dark red berry, earth. Mature and classic. A bit drying on the end, as the tannins remain. Drinking well.
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11/26/2020 - auhead Likes this wine: 94 Points
Meaty aromas with cedar, tobacco, graphite, blueberry and black currant. The texture is lush. Some greenish tannins kick in on the finish, which means it's got some room to improve, or it's time to drink up. I'm betting on the former and will revisit in a year or two.
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11/10/2020 - Pknut wrote:
Really nice wine, showing well, but no fireworks. Black currant and dark plum on the palate with a bit of green pepper, at least initially. The sides here are smooth and the structure has softened, but this is still rather primary and could use more time to develop more interesting complexities. With Jim W. at La Sirene on Amsterdam Ave.
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11/10/2020 - JCGuthrie wrote: 93 Points
I took my own advice and only decanted this bottle for about 45 minutes. This was the best showing yet for this wine. Red and black cherry, tobacco and sous bois. I'd say drink now, although I will note this held up surprisingly well overnight in the fridge under vacuum seal.
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10/26/2020 - olalar wrote: 94 Points
Mature Bordeaux at it's best. Sweet fruit, forest floor round tannins, long long velvet taste. Too bad this was the last one...
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10/21/2020 - Burgundy Mitch Likes this wine: 93 Points
Down to my last couple of bottles, this has always been a winner and this bottle did not disappoint. Beautiful mature Bordeaux. Enjoy now or over the next decade. An hour in a decanter allows this to open up nicely.
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10/15/2020 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stored in a cold cellar since release. Still deep colour. Little sign of age. Restrained subtle bouquet. Sweet no tannins. Depth and length. Lovely.
Seems to have many years in hand.
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9/30/2020 - Vinterest Angus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened alongside a 96 GPL both with 2hr decant and surprisingly the LP was somewhat overshadowed. I expected more of an intriguing battle between the two. Perhaps just the bottle of course, will update note having tried further bottles. 92 for now but no more.
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9/19/2020 - vide Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a wine for those who enjoy a wine that is not only fully mature but perhaps just a little over-mature. Even the brick red colour suggests a happy but tired wine. The nose is elegantly lifted, dark and perfumed. On the palate, beautiful mouthfeel of dark fruits, interacting with tannins that have been fully integrated into the wine.
Assessing this wine comes down to your personal vision of wine. Some noted experts can only drink young Sauternes; I prefer them old. Some like farmyard in their white Burgundies; I can handle that, but it is not my preference.
Le style, c'est l'homme. If you like your claret heading downhill, then this is your wine. Personally, I wish I had drunk it 2-3 years ago. It remains, nonetheless, a very fine wine. But if you have any, you should drink them now rather than later.
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8/24/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Close to fully mature here, the wine is medium-bodied, earthy, round, soft and fleshy with a generous dose of sweet, ripe, black fruits, smoke, licorice, dark cherry and earth. Not as concentrated as some of the top wines from 1996, but the tannins are ripe, the wine is round, plush and sensuous with a beautiful, ripe, sweet, red pit fruit finish.
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8/24/2020 - cch1966 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nice bouquet of black currant, tobacco and leather. Delicate and well-balanced wine. Medium acidity and tannins. Long and wonderful finish. Perfect right now.
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8/17/2020 - tmagsmaken wrote: 93 Points
A real bouquet, very layered with blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, undergrowth and graphite.
Medium-bodied, acidity coming through slightly more, tannins fully integrated. A delicious wine that has elegance rather than power.
Long luscious finish. Great wine, really enjoyed it.
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8/10/2020 - yinha Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking well - austere but refined. Best served with a main in my view.
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4/19/2020 - Lipsman wrote: 95 Points
Needs an hour in a decanter. Opens up to a lush, complex wine of great depth and pleasure. Long on the palate with an intoxicating aroma. Nevertheless, a bit thinner than previous bottles. Drink now.
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4/8/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very similar to my note five years ago. Perfect condition bottle bought in 1999 and stored in temperature controlled conditions. Big nose of blackcurrant, tobacco and cedar then undergrowth finally giving way to graphite and plums. Lots of very soft tannins although a little dry on the palate. No trace of the previous bitterness on the finish. Very persistent. Would have scored higher if it had some more charm but an excellent wine nonetheless. It could improve judging by the excellent 1955 I had last week.
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3/29/2020 - Jaber wrote: 93 Points
After opening a corked bottle, this last bottle was magnificent. Cassis, blackberry, cherry, tobacco, earth and truffle. Long finish. Perfect balance overall and still has a few years to go. I still have an 1982, a few 2015. Will I get some 2018?
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2/21/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
Certainly ready to drink, this as previous notes is fully mature. It is classic in its profile with blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cedar with a deeply aromatic nose. The tannin has sweetened, and everything is in harmony. The finish is well balanced and with decent length. It is a very enjoyable wine, but I do find it a little lean on the palate. There is no rush to drink this but I feel it has peaked and should stay here for the next 5 years or more.
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2/10/2020 - FabianG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect to drink (2020) with polished tannins and smooth finish
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1/15/2020 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light earth and blackberry nose; moments of balance and elegance; moments of structure and tar; overall coming around strong but still a bit too tannic.
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1/10/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and aerated for 4 hours which helped the wine open up. Very masculine nose of cassis, black currants, leather, earth and pencil shavings and confirms why I love this vintage. on the palate medium to full bodied, very precise wine, multi structured and still 10 years from peaking given magnum format. Finishes long with very soft tannins.
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1/5/2020 - Animalmom2 wrote: 89 Points
Drank prior to and at the beginning of a dinner consisting of Duck Confit. Not as good as I expected it to be, more acidic than you would think, nose was lacking. Time did not soften it appreciably. Certainly not turned, perhaps a few more years
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1/1/2020 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Drank at parent’s house in celebration of Dad’s birthday. Decanted about 2.5 hours. Great nose, palate was very good, but a bit lean. Should try shorter decant for next bottle.
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12/26/2019 - Larre Likes this wine: 94 Points
Finally, this stubborn Léoville Poyferré has entered its drinking window. Classical in every sense, this old-school claret is now shining with complex cassis fruit, black olives and cigar box tones. The tannins are still a bit unresolved, but the depth and length is exceptional. Still, I will let my remaining bottles sleep for another 5-10 years, because I think this wine will eventually evolve into something extraordinary. 94+
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12/25/2019 - Larre Likes this wine: 94 Points
Finally, this stubborn Léoville Poyferré has entered its drinking window. Classical in every sense, this old-school claret is now shining with complex cassis fruit, black olives and cigar box tones. The tannins are still a bit unresolved, but the depth and length is exceptional. Still, I will let my remaining bottles sleep for another 5-10 years, because I think this wine will eventually evolve into something extraordinary. 94+
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12/25/2019 - Praxis wrote: 92 Points
Clear garnet with slight bricking and a clear watery edge. The nose is reminiscent of fresh red fruits, tobacco, leather, farm animals with a slight beefy overtone. The palate is typical of an medium-aged Bordeaux, on the upper end of medum-bodied, dry, reasonably well-structured, smooth and nuance after several hours of exposure to air. The flavors includes ripe red and some blue fruits, tobacco, some herbaceous characteristics, well integrated oak and cedar with ample amounts of acidity and tannin to keep this wine vibrant and interesting. It concludes with a good amount of earthy minerality to complement the red berry fruits nicely towards the medium length finish. A good wine but short of spectacular.
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12/20/2019 - Lipsman wrote: 98 Points
Going from strength to strength. This wine is at an absolute peak. The aroma and tastes are effusive and complex, with a magnificent and long tail. Earthy and supple, a bit of delicious bretty barnyard, cherry cola and cigar box cedar, licorice, all with incredible depth and saturation. This is a magnificent Bordeaux in a great place right now.
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11/23/2019 - Paul D wrote: 87 Points
7/12, good cork, decanted 1/2 hour.
Deep garnet core, pale garnet rim. This is quite reserved on the nose - too reserved really - showing some dark, rich fruit and earth. Medium/full on the palate, attractive dark, rich fruit on initial entry, touch of cedar and meatiness, fresh acidity, but falls away on short-medium length tannin dominated finish. Not obviously faulty but perhaps not the best bottle.
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11/15/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
This has come a long way in 5 years - it's still young and tight, but the purity, focus, and classic St. Julien character (and Leoville Poyferre lushness) are evident here. Ripe current, cedar, and ganache conveyed in a suave, potent package - just a delight. I'd be very much inclined to hold these for another 5 years at the minimum, though there's a certain infanticidal joy to opening this now.
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11/7/2019 - JCGuthrie wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Dark fruits, earth and leather on the nose. Mushrooms, earth, iron and leather on the palate. Tannins present early on, but smoothed out over the evening. Fairly pronounced acid. Not quite as integrated as I was hopng for, but very much enjoyed.
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10/30/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light sweet tar and blackberry nose; elegant and balanced; nice acidity with coarse fruit; lingering finish.
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10/19/2019 - Mike V wrote: 94 Points
Really good! Dried herb and dark red fruit.
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10/19/2019 - galewskj wrote: flawed
Guys Night Out with Wagyu Tenderloin and Crepe Cake: corked
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10/18/2019 - JCGuthrie wrote: flawed
Corked. Had some funk upon opening, but seemed to blow off with air. But after 2 hours in the decanter, I could tell right away that something wasn't right. Nowhere near the worst I've experienced, and in fact most of us at the dinner drank a little of the wine, but it wasn't showing as it should have. A real shame, as you could tell it would have been a beautiful wine but for the cork taint. Note for future bottles: a little shut down at first, needs some time in the decanter to open up.
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10/18/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Wonderfully mature claret with forest floor, dark fruit, some farmyard. Excellent mouthfeel, mature tannins. Classic Medoc.
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10/17/2019 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Guys Night Out: Bring Something You're Looking Forward To Drinking (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): So yes, this was corked, but you could still see the beauty of this wine. Too bad as I love this wine.
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9/12/2019 - edjBoca wrote: 91 Points
Opened very slowly. Dark fruit and cocoa. Medium body.....must be off judging by the other notes....
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9/1/2019 - Lipsman wrote: 98 Points
Still a striking purple in color with only a hint of bricking at the edge. What a sexy wine. Smoky black cherries and rich plums that absolutely saturate the palate. Perfect balance with just the right amount of acidity to keep it fresh. A terrific wine.
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8/17/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
This wine continues to impress - one of my favorites of the vintage and a great value. Now that others from ‘96 are starting to drink well, this classic claret refuses to take a back seat. The color still contains some garnet. The nose imclides loads of ripe cassis and cedar. Bright, full, complex - combines the vintage’s acid backbone with terrific fruit. An enticing recipe. (95)
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8/4/2019 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Bricking at the edge, blood red core.
Nose is not overly expressive - notes of tobacco, dried fruit, red cherry, spice, and wet rock. Primal.
On the palate, full bodied, with moderate tannin and medium high acidity. There’s a nice core of fruit but this is still quite taught. With only about an hour of air, I think this will improve. It’s got years ahead of good drinking. Revisit in another 2-3 years.
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7/29/2019 - Patrick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good to go.
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7/27/2019 - havana4 🍾🍇 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really quite elegant. Damn ...the nose on this was quintessential Bordeaux of 20 + years. Dark black fruit, cedar, graphite, and a bit of barnyard funk. Still very fresh acidity. Tannins ...like melted butter! Bottle @ Wally’s Santa Monica.
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7/22/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
This drinks like a wine a decade or more older, and is displaying secondary and tertiary characteristics, and the real question is how long it can stay at this level. Indeed I personally agree with other reviews in suspecting it is at the beginning of a very gradual decline. The nose is wonderfully deep with classic blackcurrant, cherry, plum, and cedar, and as noted by a fellow reviewer would be worthy of 95 upwards. However, whilst deep and well balanced in the mouth and on the finish, it is light on the palate and a little one dimensional. It only needs an hour or less in the decanter, and I personally am looking to finish remaining bottles over the next couple of years.
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5/31/2019 - MrBrege wrote: 92 Points
Had after 30 min decant and drank over 2h, it did not change in character over the period. On the nose this was a 95-96, absolutely tantalising aromas of black currant, leather and deep, rich, fresh soil. On the palate it was somewhat less impressive, a very good mature Bordeaux but a little bit thin on the mid palate and a finish that did not quite keep the balance but hinted at acidity and slight bitterness. Enjoyed it for sure but it was better a few years ago.
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5/6/2019 - Arcturus wrote: 92 Points
92. Holding up well. Graphite, stone, tobacco. Last one.
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4/26/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Earthy cedar and blackberry; balanced with a tannic tilt.
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4/19/2019 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 96 Points
Another excellent bottle. The 1996 Poyferré keeps going from strength to strength. It has to be the most undervalued Bordeaux in the market. Liquid velvet, dark plums, licorice, and an intriguing touch of brett. Long and complex. A most welcome guest at any dinner party.
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4/18/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light tobacco-cedar nose; earth; light earthy blackberry; nice finish.
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3/16/2019 - neilsforest Likes this wine: 89 Points
Enjoyed by all. Drunk alongside a Chateau Clinet 1995. Has life left in it Doubt it will get better
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3/5/2019 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely and deep and ripe from first pour after splash decant. Black currants, pencil, leather and soil. Became more sour over time. I suspect it won’t improve but has the stuffing to last another 10 years.
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2/20/2019 - heymamalow Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic, well made Bdx. So elegant and well balanced. Black fruit, some tobacco, chocolate and graphite notes. Knits together in a smooth package.
Could last for quite some time yet so will wait to try another bottle.
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2/17/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rustic with cedar; sweet and sour; well knit; semi sweet blackberry finish.
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2/15/2019 - winemaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really good. Savory, herbal in a good way, earthy. Tobacco. In the zone, will hold for years.
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1/27/2019 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 94 Points
Just tasted a 1996 Château Léoville Poyferré from Saint Julien. At 23 years of age, this has reached its peak, exhibiting a great balance between aged dark fruits with emerging notes of leather, earth, graphite, cola and espresso. So elegant and silky, this wine still shows a perfumed nose accentuated by violets and blueberry incense. Drink now until 2026.
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1/26/2019 - Diane (LI) wrote:
This went through a long awkward phase, but now it is drinking beautifully. There is dark fruit, tobacco, and cedar. It's herbaceous and mouthcoating p. Tannins are hardly noticeable. A long and delicious finish.
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12/28/2018 - Lipsman wrote: 95 Points
Sheer velvet. Wow, this is a heavenly glass of wine. Complex flavors evolve off the palate with plums, cherries, a bit of mocha, all deeply concentrated and pure. No need to decant as this readily unfurls in the glass. From a magnum. Drink now through 2030, but this is really at its peak now.
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12/19/2018 - MRichman wrote:
Very good. Drinking well, no need to wait. A soft, mature BDX.
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12/18/2018 - Berge65 wrote:
Had at Kevin’s holiday blind tasting
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12/18/2018 - HEBRO 10 Does not like this wine:
Bitter
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11/14/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is fully mature and is drinking with minimal aeration time. Flavours of blackcurrent, blackberry, and cedar dominate the wine. The palate is complex and deep, and the finish is reasonably long. As with other left bankers from the year, it is surprisingly advanced, and drinks like a wine twice its age, and I would not see this staying at this level for more than another 3 years or so. In retrospect, it seems in many ways, the initial profile of the left bank in 1996 became the 1995 and vice versa.
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11/12/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #310; Surprise 4 x 3 wines (@ BS): Beautiful bouquet with oak, cedar, tobacco, leather and dark berries and cherries. On the palate cherries, chocolate, firm and beautiful acidity, red berries, rustic impressions and tannin with still a good bite. Beautiful wine in its maturity stage and with still a good bite for at least another 5+ years.
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11/4/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Q4 - 2018 Tasting - Aged Bordeaux (Pre-1997) (New York, NY): 10 of 19 wines tasted double blind. One of the more youthful wines in the line up today - with the fruit still in primary mode (black currant and blackberry) but the tannins have softened somewhat and this is quite nice to drink. Balanced and enjoyable. Group vote - 2 pennies
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11/4/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Q4 Wine Club - Aged Bordeaux (Our apt): Wine #10: Opened and decanted. Get some cassis and a lot more tartness in the fruit. Some spice. This is an easier wine to drink. Perhaps a bit less thought producing than some of the others, but still quite enjoyable. (2 pennies)
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9/26/2018 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 95 Points
With H on her birthday. Popped and poured. Took a few hours to fully open, but once it did, very evocative. Blood, iron, raw meat, damp earth, and a hint of mint fill the nose. Has filled out nicely on the palate after a bit of initial hollowness in the mid-palate. Fine red berry fruit. Tannins are largely gone, but judging from the mostly red ruby color, this has plenty of life ahead. Has all the things we look for in a Bordeaux nearly a quarter century old. Fine old bottle. 5-14-17-9: 95/100.
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9/9/2018 - Bear45 Likes this wine: 93 Points
First impression after just opening the bottle, tight smells of forest floor and packed fruit hints. 20 minutes later, opening up, taste of sweet red fruit, smooth and very approachable, lush and overwhelming sweet tannins. This wine seems to be in its prime and yes this will even get better in my opinion, years ahead.
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9/8/2018 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 93 Points
Judgement of Singapore (Home (Singapore)): Leather, cedar. Lovely velvety tannin which are now integrated. Savoury. Long finish. Drinking perfectly right now.
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7/29/2018 - MLwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 3L. Two to 2.5 hour decant. Went through a "dumb" phase after about an hour decant, but rose to the occasion after that. In a terrific place. Can still go a few more years ... but why wait?
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7/14/2018 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
5th of 6 magnums ... some variability across these. Two have been austere and unwelcoming, three, including this one have been just right. Double decanted and given 3 hours of air, this wine was beautifully perfumed, still a rich red with little sign of age, great length and lots to mull over. One left, I hope it’s as good as this one was - and there’s no rush to drink it.
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4/22/2018 - aikane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Funk of age, intense and lively on the plate on opening, no sign of age in the color, put in decanter for 2 hours, then classic and full bodied with bouquet CS and oak, very good red wine that went well with lamb but not mind blowing, should be some upside to come with more complexity expected. Next time decant 30 min.
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4/1/2018 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark, big & full bodied, opened 2 hours, imho the 96 is a top Poyferre but still about 5 years from being ready, a 2-3 hour decant is needed
93
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2/17/2018 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 2/15/2018-2/17/2018 (Chicago, IL): Excellent bottle of Bordeaux; dense fruit on the nose and palate, and absurdly young. Juicy and fresh on the palate as well, with some classic cabernet notes. This has aged incredibly well, with so much fruit and just nascent secondary characteristics.
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1/4/2018 - J o e wrote: 95 Points
Deep red, with no lightening at the rim (could be a barrel sample, based on color). With an hour of air, aromas of cassis, pipe tobacco, licorice and hints of incense leap from the glass. Full bodied in the mouth, with dark fruits, minerals, strong acidity and a solid tannic spine on the very long finish that must last close to a minute. This is a classic Bordeaux, albeit one that is very young. A very impressive long-distance runner that is still on the upswing! 95.
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12/26/2017 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of barnyard on opening. Decanted tableside while we drank a recent Cali cab release. Nose developed nicely after about 30-40 minutes, barnyard blew off and revealed a nice red/black fruit/cassis/earth aroma. Plenty dark in the glass, no evidence of bricking. Full, round mouth feel with plenty more smooth dark fruit with nicely integrated oak. Not a blockbuster but a really decent wine! Still plenty more years to go as the fruit is just starting to soften and maybe move downward.
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12/25/2017 - achasd Likes this wine: 91 Points
A birthday wine for the twins born in '96. An overlooked vintage, it was showing as you'd hope for a 21 year-old Bordeaux. Drink up or hold for a couple more years but it's not going to get better, just more mellow.
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12/21/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 2005 and Older: A Whole Lot of Leoville (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color, no bricking. Decanted for 1 hour, drank 1 glass over 2 plus hours. This has always been one of my favorite 96's not to mention one of my favorite LP's. There is a great mix of purity, maturity and the youthfulness that you can easily see aging for 20 to 30 more years. A stunning and perfumed nose of earth, fine leather, cassis, funk, violets and pencil lead. The palate is decidedly silky, full bodied with great depth, gorgeous juicy black fruits, damp earth and pencil. This has velvety tannins, great balance and length. Drank this next to a '96 Leoville Barton which was also outstanding, if more youthful and primary. My #2 WOTN.
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12/21/2017 - liquid art Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of five Leoville’s at tasting; others were ‘70 LLC, ‘94 LLC, ‘96 LB and ‘04 LP. This was my WOTN, but group was tie with ‘94 LLC and ‘96 LB. Silky tannins and elegant, with balanced fruit and acid. Reminder me how enjoyable it is drinking properly stored Bordeaux with 20-25 years of age.
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11/15/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 92 Points
This has reached full maturity during the last year (as with a lot of 1996's). Possessing a good nose of blackcurrent and blackberry with hints of cedar, on the palate the wine is fully mature and is classic Bordeaux with good depth and balanced by tannin. The finish is a little short and unbalanced and does detract from the overall experience. However, an enjoyable wine which should be consumed over the next 5 years.
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10/4/2017 - wicozani Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped to pair with grilled Tri-tip steaks about 30 minutes before eating. The cork came out in one piece, and was soaked > halfway up. Glass decanted, the color improved with air, becoming a dark ruby with color out to the edges. The nose features blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, and forest floor. Very good intensity and concentration, this improved considerably with air. Probably at peak now, this actually struck as a touch youthful yet. Some sediment, this was very enjoyable for a 21-year old Bordeaux.
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9/6/2017 - mhudes wrote: 91 Points
Celebrating my birthday with family at Rivoli's in Albany. Decanted 2 hours. Very pleasant floral nose. Dark red in color. On the palate, there is dark fruit, pencil shavings, dried herbs and some tea. Initially a bit acidic, it put on weight throughout the meal. A somewhat subdued finish. A couple of years ago I had the sublime 1990 version of this and I was hoping this would be similar. While pretty good, it's really at a different level.
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9/2/2017 - aaronhk wrote: 93 Points
3 hour decant. Black cherry, coffee, chocolate, bramble, caudalie for dayz. Excellent
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8/8/2017 - Lipsman wrote: 96 Points
Ultra supple wine, with black cherry, mocha, dark fruits, a touch of black tea, great length on the palate. Everything a great glass of Bordeaux should be. Worth seeking out.
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6/9/2017 - edjBoca Likes this wine: 93 Points
This evolves decanted over 2 hours. From reticent medium bodied St Julien; this soars to the height of sweetness and beauty.
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4/22/2017 - yossarian.livez wrote: 89 Points
Medium acid, fairly monolithic of dark fruit and ephemeral hints of earth. Lacking transparency or vitality. Very well integrated tannin and very drinkable but not enticing by any means. A good bottle, but nothing special. Drink up.
Tasted blind, guessed R bank.
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4/22/2017 - Keeping It Real wrote: 89 Points
WineLA event: Bordeaux vs. Cabernet tasting (Los Angeles, CA): Tasted blind. Bricking on the rims. Pauillac nose. This tastes similar to a 1994 Pontet Canet I had months back. Mid-palate is slightly hollow but overall a good classic claret with that nice barnyard funk.
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3/30/2017 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 97 Points
A supple wine with melded tannins, mellow black cherries, dark plums, tobacco, palate saturating length and complexity, balanced. Exotic flavors too including fresh strawberry gastric, bitter blackberries, and black tea. Just a super yummy wine.
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3/29/2017 - Praxis wrote: 93 Points
Blackish red in appearance with a slight orangey tinge and an intensely intoxicating nose of sweet fruit, acetone, sage, thyme, and cedar. The palate is remarkable soft and silky, impeccably balanced, medium full-bodied, with complex flavors of savory blue and red fruits, cedar, tobacco, leather, black coffee, integrated vanilla oak, a hint of mint and a stylish earthy mineral and black inky finish. This is a very lovely and nuanced 21 year-old St Julien that is drinking exceptionally well now but still with a long life ahead.
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3/27/2017 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 92 Points
First of a well kept case. Really lovely scent filling the room upon un-corking. Gave his 3 hours in the decanter. This is a typical left bank and a typical 96 I would say. Sort of textbook. A lot of cranberry on the palate and a tremendous amount of acidity (typical 96 Bdx left bank for me) lending it a lot of structure. This drinks almost like 100 pct Cab Sav to me. It is definitely no lush wine and I am going back and forth if I actually like 96 as a vintage that much. I think I probably am not such a massive fan compared to other truly great years (1990, 2000, 2005) but it has its place if one wants a lean wine that is not ostentatious and one wants the structure. This wine is ready to drink now but can be kept for 10-15 years. Happy to be drinking one of those every year for the next decade. It is not however (nearly) as good as the 2005 (which is selling for less money and of which I have stocked up massively on). Paired well with wagyu ribeye and truffle gnocci.
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3/25/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 95 Points
Jay's Big Bottle Extravaganza (Jay's Home - Martinsville, New Jersey): End of the Bdx flight, from a 3L that had been decanted and re-bottled several hours earlier. From Jay's cellar...well stored bottle. Fun to check in on this one at ~20 years old, I am a big fan of Leoville Poyferre, tends to punch above its price point (IMO).
Dark black/purple color, no real signs of age. Nose was rich black fruits, cedar, mushrooms/truffle, and oak. Dark fruit driven plate, blackcurrant, tobacco, leather and graphite/pencil. Rich texture and nice secondary characteristics through the mid palate...this was a really gorgeous showing for this wine. In a great spot now, should continue at this level (based on this large format...) for several more years
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2/15/2017 - CamWheeler wrote: 89 Points
SLDS February 2017: Green beans, tobacco and some meaty bretty notes. The palate is elegant, with quiet fruit and medium length. Well balanced, this is in a good place for drinking now and over the next few years based on this bottle.
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2/11/2017 - Vino Me wrote: 95 Points
Opened by Mark. Decanted 3 hours before dinner. Solid cork. Moderately sedimented. Crimson color with an orange brown rim. 2nd time I have had this wine. Aromas of saddle leather. Dry with notes of tobacco, cassis, toasted oak and black cherries. Solid tannins. In a sweet spot at 20 years old. 95 points.
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1/11/2017 - devraj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fourth bottle of the tasting, served this alongside the 2000 LP. Opened ~3.5 h earlier with an ounce being poured out and then back in the bottle. Deep red in color. Classy aromas of tobacco, cedar, cassis, dark cherries and forest floor. Medium bodied palate shows silky and sweet dark cherry fruit, graphite, well integrated acidity, melting tannins and a long cedar perfumed finish.
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1/4/2017 - MRichman wrote:
Soft round fruit, leather, mud, smokey coffee. Fairly resolved with some broad acid, earth. A bit muddy. Good nose but palate is not quite so focused. Perhaps a little more time in bottle will help, but overall just not a great wine.
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12/21/2016 - chrs Likes this wine: 92 Points
Did not decant, possibly a mistake. Noted currants, black cherry and dusty, leather, wood and somewhat green leaf or herb. A good balance or acid & tannins. It was elegant even. A very nice aged bordeaux in its drinking decade.
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12/4/2016 - tadams66 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is just coming into its own. Opened for 2+ hours. Big and brooding. Great blackberries, dark cherries, and earth notes. Still a good amount of tannins. I had this with the 1966 and I think the 1996 has a while to go. Amazing wine now but will get better over time.
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12/3/2016 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
An hour decant, even better after 3 hours. Also improved at 19 degrees vs 17 when first poured.
Black Sour cherries, old mans jag, and wet soil. Perfect with beef. Has another 10 years.
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11/21/2016 - PSPatrick wrote:
“Bordeaux 1959 – 2014 (blind)”, flight 6, wine 2. The wine was medium ruby in colour and had a weird nose of dark fruit mixed with chlorine. On the palate the wine seemed equally off; the dark fruit and chocolate flavours seemed somewhat artificial, the wine was dull, with a furry mouthfeel. Very disappointing. Off-bottle? NR
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10/22/2016 - Ganso Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really an incredible Bordeaux
I have tasted 3 years ago and was still closed!
Now it oppened !
Lot of red berrys,some animal aroma,licorice,cigar,coffee,at the point to enjoy!
I 've tasted with a friends to cheers my aniversary !
Paired with lamb!
Cost /benefit 100%
Very remcommended
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10/21/2016 - Lipsman wrote: 98 Points
Effusive nose, complex on the palate, lush, aromatic, smooth, peacock's tail, long. Drinking exactly the way you want a Bordeaux to drink. Fabulous. Everyone who was served this wine put it to their lips, breathed in, then put the glass down with wide eyes and open mouth without even tasting it. The aroma alone was that saturated and complex.
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9/28/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromas of cassis and blackberry make for a delicate nose. The fruit starts to fade and is met with bold abrupt tannins in the mouth. A very masculine wine. This is drinking well now but will continue to develop.
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9/25/2016 - Vinomane wrote:
Utterly classic left bank Bordeaux, just too young. Fresh sea breeze on the nose, giving way with more air to fresh horse droppings backed by cassis. No detectable graphite. Give it ten years to develop old barnyard and leather. Rating reserved.
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9/17/2016 - cbuhlman wrote:
saturated purple, The nose and palate was not nearly as expressive as earlier bottles.
really dense and sweet but flat. Extraordinarily youthful- I've had 2005s more evolved than this. Strangely, this wine could be a dead ringer for the 96 Pichon Lalande. Overall it just left me wondering if this bottle was shut down.
90-95
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9/11/2016 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
This continues to over deliver in my book. One of my favorite Bordeaux from 1996. It has the vintage's brightness but is supported by sweet black current fruit and a wonderful spice element. Drinking beautifully, this bottle is full and open. Terrific. (95)
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7/19/2016 - ledocq Likes this wine: 94 Points
Total joy. This was a wine of nuance and power -- I'm betting it could keep learning new tricks for another ten years. Over two hours it kept developing. Very close to the Ducru in depth. Delicious with New York steak at Prospect SF.
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7/9/2016 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Luxurious and expressive bouquet with dark forest fruits, cedar, coffee and chocolate. On the palate dark forest fruits as well, chocolate, graphite, beautiful and elegant acidity and round tannin with still a lovely bite. Overall a beautiful wine still in the first half of its maturity stage. More classical than the wines from the 2000+ vintages, but a beauty alright!
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6/19/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
The perfume offers a smoky bouquet of scents with cassis, cigar box, cedar wood, blackberry, tobacco, coffee and forest floor all showing their essence. Full bodied, round, plush and really starting to soften, the finish is fresh, clean, smooth and delivers a sweet, dark cherry note that sticks with you. Close to fully mature, this bottle was popped and poured and probably enjoyed far too quickly. But isn’t that one of the signatures of all the really great wines? The wine was produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon , 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot.
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6/8/2016 - RichardP wrote: 94 Points
This was noticeably better than a bottle drunk a few months ago. On the nose, camphor, cedar, and a hint of bandaid. On the palate, cassis, cherry, and notes of bandaid, leather, and graphite on the medium to long finish, with a slight tannic bite and good acidity. This is outstanding -- perfectly mature and balanced, smooth and long. I hope my last bottle is at the same level.
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5/7/2016 - APH Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had this wine over dinner with good friends at an Italian restaurant in Singapore. Decanted for about half an hour. Wonderful and rich nose that lasted the entire evening - great perfume with cedar and pencil lead. Rich claret red color typical of Bordeaux. On the palate, it was smooth, medium bodied, flavor of currants, graphite & earth; with only a touch of tannins. Very enjoyable.
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4/29/2016 - Paul D Likes this wine:
Bordeaux Wimps (La Trompette, Chiswick): Deep garnet, narrow rim. Rich blackcurrant fruit, vanilla, touch of nutmeg. Medium/full bodied, rich dark fruits, lovely contrasting vibrant acidity, slightly tacky tannins on the very good length finish. Excellent ****.
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4/26/2016 - MarceloIdeses Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic vintage for Poyferre. Ready to drink.
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4/9/2016 - DaleW wrote:
Very good, more open than some, cassis with tobacco and cedar shavings. A-/B+
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3/20/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
I had a small taste of this wine and my recollection was that it was one of the best wines tonight. Maybe a little richer and bigger than I might prefer but still a stellar wine.
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3/20/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Very dark red purple color, no hint of age. Decanted for 2.5+ hours. Drank 1 glass over an hour plus. This was probably my wine of the night. It really had it all, the nose was singing, with a great perfume, plenty of saddle leather, earth, cassis, raspberry, and pencil lead. The palate brought everything full circle and emphasized the elegance, full, but weightless, not showing any age at all, leather, violets, cassis, blueberry, pencil, refined, and integrated, and very long. 94+pts. (5000)
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2/14/2016 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
This was left to stand open for an hour. Camphor and cedar on the nose. On the palate, currants, black cherry, and notes of leather, anise, plum, and something green (dill?) on the medium to long finish, with tannins fully resolved and moderate to good acidity. This is probably at its peak based on the lack of tannins; it isn't showing any signs of disintegration after being open for three hours, so it should have some years in the tank yet. It's smooth and elegant -- a good aged Bordeaux. This was a good value at a bit under $90, but I don't think I would pay the $120+ I see it in the market for now.
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2/14/2016 - Saint Stephen wrote: 92 Points
From memory, a very nice mature Bordeaux with beautiful fragrant nose but slightly underwhelming performance in the mouth. Did I just write that?
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2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2hrs and drank over the following hour. Largely consistent with previous notes didn't quite show as well as when I had it 2mths back (the oak seemed to stick out more prominently today). Still enjoyable. Very opulent and dense, this tastes like a wine half its age and will benefit from a decade more in the cellar.
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1/3/2016 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
lean and evolved nose of graphite, dark fruit, chocolate and some wet stone. Matches the palate. Medium body and finish.
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12/24/2015 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
Red, pale rim, touch orange
Very roasty nose, leather, coffee, a touch animal
More leather, dark fruit,
Touch of VA, some tannin,
Think this needs decanting
Will try again tomorrow
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12/17/2015 - dchoo077 wrote: 93 Points
Slow ox'ed for 4hrs and consumed over the following hour. Wow this wine was impressive. Expressive bouquet of blackberries with a hint of vanilla. Great concentration on the palate with waves of dark fruit. Medium plus finish. Still has upside from further cellaring. Tertiary notes peeking out from beneath the fruit but have not come out in full bloom yet. Wonderfully smooth and built to last. In the early stage of its drinking window but will easily last another decade or more.
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11/7/2015 - Diane (LI) wrote:
The nose wasn't giving much up upon opening, but the palate was quite open with dark cherries. With air, cedar and tobacco showed and tannins remained in the background, but the nose remained muted. We drank it at Kitchen A Bistro with their delicious short ribs, and it was a beautiful pairing.
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9/5/2015 - lightning wrote: 90 Points
Excellent condition bottle, cork in great condition and perfect fill.
Typical left-bank Bordeaux flavour descriptors - cedar, cassis, leaf, etc. Nose moderately effusive. Hint of graphite on nose and palate, also forest floor, surprisingly firm tannins emerge on the exit, long finish mostly of those savoury tannins, leaf and graphite.
Take care to drink at correct temperature. Drink at 18 degrees and it is more composed and tight-knit, becomes a bit loose texturally and flavourwise when 20+ degrees. Finicky, yes, but all about maximising enjoyment.
Good, but perhaps lacked a little bit of sparkle and charm that one would expect from a "super second" from a classic vintage.
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8/31/2015 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Blood red in color with some bricking at the edge of the glass. 13% ABV. Great nose of cigar box, cedar and leather. Medium body with a sense of power that belies the 19 years of bottle age. Flavors of currants, cassis, cherries, graphite and earth. The wine finishes strong and still shows some complex tannins. This vintage of Léoville-Poyferré is showing really well right now but well stored bottles should continue to develop for another 3-5 years.
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8/9/2015 - toineton wrote: 96 Points
A: deep ruby
N: clean, medium (+) intensity aromas of cedar, leather, sous-bois, cherry, blackberry, mulberry, sweet spices. Developed
P: dry, medium acidity, medium (+) level of round and silky tannins, medium alcohol, medium (+) body, medium (+) intensity of flavors ripe black fruits, spices (cinnamon, red curry, cloves), precious wood. Longest finish.
C: outstanding! Balance between tannins and concentration of flavors close to perfection. Tannins are superb. Finish is out of this world. Wine peaking! I have had many of this vintage, today's bottle is fabulous!
Wondering why i only mark it 96 ...
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8/8/2015 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color: still dark
Nose: after 30min decant like a 5 year old Bordeaux, mushroom, earth, complex, soya
Palate: wow, Yummy, full of elegance and finesse, still has tannins lurking, lovely complex Bordeaux, WOTN
94
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7/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
With a smoky, licorice, cigar box, cassis and blackberry filled perfume, the wine is soft, round, polished and ready to go. It's close to 20 years of age and if you've been holding your bottles, it's really time to pop a cork. The wine was popped and poured.
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6/28/2015 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Mark at dinner at Salt of the Earth in Fennville, MI. Decanted about 30 minutes before we drank it. Deep Crimson color. Notes of cedar, currants and tobacco. Pronounced but integrated tannins. Round and lush finish. Medium to full bodied. No rush to drink but I thought it was in a sweet spot for my tastes. 94 points
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6/28/2015 - mnoljo wrote: 91 Points
A cedar cigar nose. Cherry cola and earth with a nice bright finish
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5/31/2015 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect condition bottle bought in 1999 and stored in temperature controlled conditions. Big nose of blackcurrant and cedar then undergrowth finally giving way to graphite and plums. Lots of very soft tannins and some bitterness on the finish. Very persistent. Would have scored higher if it had some more charm but an excellent wine nonetheless. Starting it's downhill slide.
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5/28/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Bonhams Pre-Auction Tasting (Bonham's - San Francisco, CA): Tasting, brief note. Fresh black spice highlighted by very good spicebox. Still firmly structured, this is good now, but with clear upside potential as it softens.
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5/28/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Bonhams Pre-Auction Tasting (San Francisco): Deep ruby. Backward aromatics. Medium weight. Cassis, herbs, and powerful finishing acidity. Classic and built for the long run. Most impressive now for its balance and potential if given another 20 years.
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5/24/2015 - Rani Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Not decanted. I've had this wine in the past on several occasions, but never has it been as good as this. At first, lots of greenness on the nose, with unmistakable notes of cigar box. With air, it opened to reveal a seductive fruit-driven nose of mulberry and blackcurrant, coupled with tobacco, old leather and coffee. Silky smooth and perfectly balanced.
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5/16/2015 - cnordstr wrote: 89 Points
A bit shy, not so expressive, after taste does not linger. Consistent w prev notes. Leave for 5 yrs.
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5/6/2015 - Paul D wrote:
1996 Bordeaux at RSJ (RSJ, Southwark): Ripe black fruit, vanilla oak still evident on nose. Slightly showy. Medium/full bodied, sumptuous, polished black fruit, vanilla, touch of earth, fresh acids but not quite so long on the finish. Nonetheless, very good. ***.
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5/2/2015 - JVG wrote:
Smoky oak, leather, tobacco, mushroom, spice, and dark fruit. Nice texture, well balanced, good length. Very good wine. But perhaps a bit underwhelming for the property and vintage.
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5/1/2015 - Cheungtp wrote: 93 Points
Very dark red in color. With a youthful appearance, nice but somewhat shy on the nose. Dark fruit, earth and minerality are on the offering though a bit light at this stage. Palate is rich, silky and very well balanced with satisfying senses of plum meat, stone, tobacco leaf and refreshing acidity leading to a smoky finish. The 96 Poyferre seems to have a good depth in it, but maybe not at the right time to reveal it all, perhaps more cellaring time will help.
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4/8/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
An initially closed and slightly musty nose, gave way to blackberry and pepper with air time. Could still benefit from more time in the bottle. 91+
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3/8/2015 - cnordstr wrote: 91 Points
Brett initially, gone the second day. Still rather closed. Leave for another five years. Less charming than the 96 Tertre Roteboeuf in the same flight.
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2/20/2015 - Pknut wrote:
Over two years since opening a bottle of this wine. Uncorked, poured a bit out and let the bottle breathe a couple of hours before bringing it to Michel's apartment for some Szechuan, with Patty. My first reaction is "this is rich". The first pour shows red and black fruit of noticeable richness and length. Later, with dinner, red currant and black currants on the palate, a touch of dried herbs, and again, very rich and with good length. I brought the second half of the bottle to the Lighthouse the next night (SJR's Bat Mitzvah), where it showed zero degradation, still notable richness and freshness and length, and showed stronger, younger, more interesting and more robust than the 2002 Lynch Bages and 2002 Pichon Lalande. Really nice Bordeaux. Impressive richness and breed and still very youthful.
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2/15/2015 - sastewart wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Les Nomades. In a great place - classic Bordeaux with a classic French dinner. Beautiful tobacco, cedar and black fruits on the nose. Medium bodied and elegant. Beautifully integrated black fruit intermixed with earth and cedar. 94 points
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2/14/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Very dark red color with no bricking. Double Decanted for 2 hours. Drank several glasses over 3 hours. This was our red for V-day to pair with dinner. Still somewhat youthful, but very expressive. The nose shows lots of earthiness, perfumed, minerally, leather, dark red and black fruits. The palate is loamy, mineral driven, earthy, black cherry and cassis with anise, leather, round medium tannins and a long mineral and earth finish. Still youthful.
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2/13/2015 - deverett wrote: 94 Points
Pretty much spot on to my last note so hasn't budged too much in a couple of years, perhaps the tannins have resolved a little more. Excellent wine which gives the impression of an even longer life.
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2/12/2015 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very similar notes to the last bottle I had. Beautiful nose with typical St. Julien characters. A slight hint of bricking around the edges, but otherwise wonderful color. Decanted for an hour before returning to the bottle and carrying to a Business Meeting in Atlanta. Very balanced wine with beautiful fruit and tannins that are beginning to resolve. It is drinking well right now with a nice decant and I suspect it will continue to drink well for another 5 years.
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2/7/2015 - RedWineLover66 wrote: flawed
Sadly undrinkable. Had to dump the entire bottle. Decanted for hours with continual tasting. Just as bad the following day.
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2/2/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
More evolution in terms of colour compared to the 2000. Lovely nose, further opening up over the course of the evening. Lots of tobacco notes, cedar, pencil shavings, liquorice. On the palate still quite grippy and tannic, fresh. Not the most seductive maybe, this is quite sleek and masculine, classic. Very good length. This should have many years ahead. 92-94
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1/21/2015 - Roger Davison Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still vigourous, muscular and youthful. Highly recommended
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12/27/2014 - englishman's claret wrote: 89 Points
Not unappealing per se, just simple. Was it just tight? Perhaps - but a few hours in the decanter didn't do much for it.
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12/25/2014 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine that is certainly on the back end of its' Drinking Window. This was a very elegant wine that still had some body to it. Gave it a 2 hour decant and had with Standing Rib Roast. This would have been the wine of the day had it not gone up against '96 Cos D'Estournel at the same meal.
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12/25/2014 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful bordeaux drinking at peak but not on decline. The fruit is still fresh and forward, but nuances on tobacco, olives, earthiness linger in the mid-palate and background. Excellent QPR from a still very reasonably priced vintage that I believe has outperformed it's overall rating. Will hold my last bottle for at least 2-3 years.
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12/24/2014 - senex wrote: 92 Points
A delicious wine that non the less did not live up to my expectations. Maybe i am getting spoilt by these left bank 1996s that are now drinking so well. We had 2 bottles for a family dinner , quite a bit of variation. Both decanted for 3 hours the second bottle showed markedly better than the first.
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12/3/2014 - iritak wrote: 93 Points
Very good wine, as usual with this winery and vintage. Needs few hours in decanter . After that, the wine is great
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11/25/2014 - senex Likes this wine: 94 Points
2 hour decant-light and fragrant. I suspect it would have done even better with more air.
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11/23/2014 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Last bottle of a case. Opened 2 hours before dinner, decanted 45 minutes before dinner. Classic Bordeaux with a small modern twist. Elegant, mid weight wine with fine balance and some tertiary characteristics of mushroom and leather, but still shows nice red and black fruit. The oak note I descibed last time was evident on opening, but blew off in decanter. Very fine wine, on its plateau. Not declining, but I'd plan to consume in the next few years if you have them.
It was a great pleasure drinking a case of this, purchased on release. Starting drinking in 2009. Consumed during both happy and sad occasions. Always seemed right.
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11/18/2014 - MrBrege wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely terrific balance. Both on the axis of fruit / acidity / tannins, as well as on attack / mid / finish. I find this just a great wine to drink right now. It could have reach a score of 96 had it had more intensity or complexity.
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10/24/2014 - wino121 wrote: 91 Points
I don't think it good get any better, ruby in the glass, barn yard on the nose, med alcohol, soft tannins, great finish..esp for a old dog.
A classic style BdX.
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10/23/2014 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 93 Points
Excellent showing tonight. Very typical mid 90s St. Julien nose, with some barnyard funk, leather, dark cherry, and hints of cedar and smoke. On the palate, the wine was smooth, with lots of depth. Nice, long finish. Some bright acidity that mellowed over time. Tannins well-integrated. I love classic Bordeaux wines like this one from LP.
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10/22/2014 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
A bit of Brett upon opening, but the bottle remained reticent and tight. The rough edge mellowed with air, but aroma and flavor never materialized. Smooth and easy to drink, just disappointingly slightly off. Maybe lightly corked or the Brett?
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9/26/2014 - AccaDacca Likes this wine: 93 Points
Short decant. Dark fruit along with some cedar, medium body, balanced. Classic nose. Quite nice and in a good spot.
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9/10/2014 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Some bottle variation but this is a fine Poyferré. Liquid velvet, complex flavor profile, quite long and deeply saturated on the palate. Better bottles rated higher recently. A wonderful, sexy vintage for Léoville Poyferré
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8/23/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Judgement of Sydney Blind Tasting: Graphite, floral, chocolate and cedar oak aromas. Medium bodied and structurally well defined, providing technical merit without necessarily being super pleasurable. There is a bit of textural interest which lifts it up, it may just be in an awkward stage for now.
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8/17/2014 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Openned 1 hour before drinking, no decant. Bottle is right in its drinking window. Nose and palate were stereotypical St. Julien. Medium light body. Well integrated tannins. While I have had more delicate St.Julien than this, it was still lovely.
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7/21/2014 - MRichman wrote:
Dark, bitter coffee, wide fruit, smoky and almost pruney. Herbal menthol finish. Dark acid and burnt oak. Good but not great, a bit of a disappointment for both LP and 1996. Drinking well, early mid maturity. Just a bit disjointed.
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4/26/2014 - ProfByron wrote: 86 Points
A big 96 claret, with dark colour, ripe flavours and plenty of ripe tannin. Attractive in its way but it lacks vivacity, it's not really refreshing and tasty as good Bordeaux should be. Seems more Californian.
That said this bottle may not have been stored well (I bought it at auction) given the other tasting notes here.
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4/22/2014 - Le croque bouchon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Couleur un peu brique. Nez initialement ouvert, viande agée, ferme, vieux bordeaux, complexe, fruit, café noir, bois
Initialement, très fermé, tannins granuleux, mais très présents.
Le vin ouvrait peu à peu, à chaque demi-heure, mais s'est vraiment révélé après 2hres, devenant rond en bouche. Le nez révèle alors cuir, un peu de fruit noir, basse-cour. La bouche, tannins souples, cuir, animal ,longueur moyenne, mais très bien tissé, balancé à point. Impression de vouloir sentir et déguster à ce point pour toute la soirée.
Suite à cette expérience et après avoir lu quelques critiques, les vins de cette provenance qui ont été EXTRÊMEMENT été bien conservés et méritent les critiques les plus réservées en tant de temps de consommation. Les critiques de Robert Parker semblent vouloir garder ces vins pour et vitam eternam, j'y crois. Note: A être conservateur plutôt que de vouloir ouvrir ces trésors trop vite...
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Brick colour.
Nose initially opened , aged meat , barnyard, old Bordeaux , complex, fruit , black coffee, wood
Initially very closed, grainy tannins , but very present.
The wine opened gradually , every half hour, but really revealed itself after 2 hrs , becoming round in the mouth . The nose then reveals leather, some black fruit, barnyard. Mouth, soft tannins , leather, animal, medium length, but very well woven, perfectly balanced. I wanted to breathe and taste at this point for the whole evening .
Critics such as Robert Parker seem to want to keep these wines and vitam eternam , I believe it. Note : To be conservative rather than try to open these treasures too fast... (for wines that have been kept in ideal conditions since their release).
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4/6/2014 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Limited notes
Nose - Nice. Cigar box, cedar, etc. Abit of carmel.
Palate - Abit of meat. Still good fruit. Reasonably delicate.
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3/23/2014 - MrBrege wrote: 93 Points
Best bottle so far. Decanted for 2h. Cassis and black currants in combination with cedar wood, creates the classic Bordeaux nose. It is very classy in the mouth, smooth as can be, with lovely pure fruit backed by fine tannins that are still present in the background. Balance impeccable, intensity very good, and length medium. Drinking very well indeed now, likely to stay at this level for years.
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2/23/2014 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
I was always happy to open one of these. Every bottle would get better and better over the last several years. With the last 2 bottles, Im afraid that we have climbed that hill, and are now starting a decline on the other side.
Earthy, soft and sweet. Perfectly polished and mature, with a slight hint of raisin that fades as the wine breathes and gains weight in the glass over a couple of hours. Classic St. Julien. Drink up.
The other option is hide a couple of these for 10 years and see if it turns into one of those 98 point St. Julien colognes.
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1/23/2014 - AWBryce Likes this wine: 92 Points
Some stink on the nose (consensus was "horse's ass"), dark fruits, cedar. Herbal, slightly bitter on the palate. Long finish.
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1/1/2014 - JustDrinkIt wrote: 91 Points
Aerated in a Decanter for 2hrs
Firstly this bottle was not as good as the last. Lots of black fruit, spice and vanilla on the nose, however I was left with the impression of a little disjointness and being unbalanced. The fruit and tannins were just right but the acid just a little too dominant. Perhaps another 2-3 years for the next bottle or more time in the decanter.
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12/15/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Even better than the last bottle. This was smoother and more integrated. Just love the fruit and silky texture. Outstanding.
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12/10/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and drank. Second to last bottle of case. Slightly more oaky than I would like, but plenty of fruit and structure. Plenty of time left, but I'll probably drink my last bottle in the next year or two.
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12/8/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
I found this surprisingly approachable. Soft ripe red fruit, leather and sweet tobacco. Some tannin on the medium finish.
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12/6/2013 - lepetitchateau wrote: 92 Points
Very young esp on the nose, lead pencils but on the palate this is some dilution, touch short. Sweet finish.
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11/17/2013 - EhrlichDY Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and slow oxed for 6 hours prior to consuming. Rich and expansive mouth feel. Dark fruit and earthiness on the palate. A regal, classically styled wine that is just entering it's prime drinking window. No rush though as it will continue to get better over the next 5 or so years.
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10/14/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Frim, tannic and a bit on the austere side. Decanting helped. the aromatics were the best part of the experience with their tonacco, truffle, cassis and blackberry notes. The fruit was classy, but this wine is always going to please fans of traditionally styled wines more than those that have grown fond of the rounder, more plush sensations found in modern vintages of Leoville Poyferre.
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10/7/2013 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Deep garnet / red - all purple gone. Some lightening at rim. Nose is really powerful with more coffee and mocha mixed with the classic cassis fruit than I remember from past bottles. Gorgeous feel in the mouth, this wine coats the pallet with waves of sweet fruit and a classic well balanced finish. Good zip. Still a bit of tannin. I think this wine (while delicious) is in a weird place. No longer youthfully sweet and not quite fully secondary, it is a bit in between and therefor lacking a bit of fireworks. I mention this only based in its terrific potential. Tonight, it is only excellent, thought it did begin to come together after 120 minutes. One of the better wines of the vintage in my opinion. (94+)
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9/3/2013 - MrBrege wrote: 93 Points
Straight out of the bottle a quarter glass had a nice but not very pronounced nose, which improved by 20 sec of swirling. On palate it was intense but edgy as the acidity dominated, but it was long with depth and you could sense deep fruit in the background, still some tannins. Look forward to actually drink this later. Let bottle slow-ox for 20h.
For the feature presentation this wine has mellowed. On the nose it appears young. Red as well as black currants, pencil shavings and mineral notes. This is velvety smooth now! Tannins seem all resolved all of a sudden and the finish is nice and long. Terrific! Just the way I like it, but it seemed a fair bit more intense yesterday; this is quite often the case I think, once the wine is perfectly smooth you wish it had more intensity. I guess you can't have everything unless you go for 1st growths. 93-94
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8/25/2013 - pikemasterflash wrote: 92 Points
Smelled like a wet brick or stone. Surprisingly fruity upon open but dulled a little bit over time. Pretty good and a little bit of an upside surprise but likely not worth its current price.
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7/31/2013 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow! A stunning bottle of 1996 Léoville Poyferré. This wine is drinking incredibly right now. It is medium black-garnet to the edge, no bricking. Soaring aromas of plums and black cherries. Deeply saturated flavors of licorice, plum, cherry, some tobacco, vibrant berries, bitter black tea, and warm ripe tannins. The only quibble would be that the alcohol stands out slightly above the tannins in warmth, but this will not bother most. The flavor is alive, palate coating, and it lingers for over two minutes. Open a bottle now! A phenomenal wine.
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7/26/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Lovely nose, ripe fruit, wood, tobacco, leather, mushrooms, cedar, spices. Very round and quite elegant on the palate, with a medium, but slightly tannic and bitter finish. Drinking nicely now, but no rush in my view.
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7/25/2013 - Lipsman wrote: 93 Points
Drinking really well now. Good fruit and complexity, smooth with ripe tannins. Highly recommended.
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7/10/2013 - SteelerFan wrote: 93 Points
This was really good. Terrific mature Bordeaux nose. Smooth tannins with sweet cherry and berry, leather and earth tastes. Continued to improve for a couple hours after decanting. Drinking great, but may still improve further. Very much in a long and strong drinking window. The first 96 I have opened and very encouraging.
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7/3/2013 - devraj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted 3 h prior to tasting. Reddish purple in color. The nose takes a while to open to reveal classic aromas of cedar, dried tobacco leaves, dark cassis, pencil lead, earth and gravel. A medium bodied palate shows good structure with crushed black fruits, medium acidity and some remaining and grippy tannins on an earthy finish.
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7/2/2013 - slmral wrote: 93 Points
My 8th bottle, out of 14. Cork was branded with 96 and a 3 on the end. The cork was wet a third of the way up. No sign of the brett I found in some of the previous bottles. Decanted for 1 hour. Subdued tertiary notes on the nose. Resolved tannins, currents, and some balancing acid. Drinking nice now, should have years left.
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6/29/2013 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Opened four hours before drinking. Initially sweet fruited with a ripe blackcurrant and cedar/cigar box aroma and dark but ripe sweet fruit n the palate. Good structure. With air this retained its St Julien character but took on a little more weight and intensity. Quite full and brooding. Just starting to be approachable but a long life ahead. Intense, long, classic. ****
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6/17/2013 - saturnaisland wrote: 95 Points
This is really quite excellent. Elegant and smooth with depth and richness and complexity. Hints of cigar box, tobacco, leather and dark fruit.
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4/15/2013 - dd wrote:
quite nice
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3/24/2013 - PJRONeill wrote: 93 Points
My my, this is nice. A healthy medium purple color with a garnet edge and pale rim. Nose of blackberries, cassis, cedar, a bit of beef stock, some green pepper. On the palate medium acidity, medium tannin, still a little coarse and drying but getting there. Medium body and alcohol, a long finish, this is developing really nicely. Still early in its drinking window but plenty of upside with time.
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3/6/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Leather and tar nose; nice structure; well appointed blackberry; smooth and soft with supple fruit and good length.
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2/27/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cedar and leather; great harmony; balanced; sweet integrated tannins although still showing some aggressive youth at times; smooth sweet blackberry-licorice; excellent long supple and round finish.
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2/12/2013 - ludwigbpm wrote: 94 Points
Sans notes
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2/11/2013 - alamoave Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN in very strong company. Richness without any semblance of excess. At least a decade of life left. Decanted for two hours, which was sufficient.
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2/1/2013 - Paul D wrote:
Decanted 1/2 an hour. Deep ruby/garnet core, medium pale garnet rim. Complex, tobaccoey nose with notes of gravel and underlying sweet blackcurrant fruit. Medium/full bodied on the palate, similar flavour profile to the nose, the tannins relatively civilised, good acidity and a good length finish. However those seemed to develop an odd herbal streak after a while the just didn't go away, and it makes this bottle rather hard to rate.
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1/22/2013 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Martin's Birthday Bash (Gallery Hotel, Singapore): I thought this was very good, but it paled in comparison to strong showings from the 1994 Haut Brion and a 1996 Pichon-Lalande that were the other Bordeaux on the night. This wine does have a great future ahead of it though. Tonight, it showed a nicely expressive, complex nose, where toasty nuts and tobacco notes were wed to ripe aromas of cassis and blackberries, then some funky, meaty barnyardy notes, and shades of roasted capsicum. Really nice if a bit on the ripe, warm side. The one word I would use for the palate is "solid". This had the lovely depth and clarity of a 1996 left-bank, with rich, ripe but pure cassis flavours. It still showed rather primary, but was clearly maturing fast, with little accents of tobacco, earth, meat and spice peppering the finish. It was also a lot softer, plusher than the last bottle I had some four years ago - clearly starting to mellow then, but with plenty of fresh acidity guaranteeting decades of aging yet. I liked this a lot more than the last time I tried it, and given the ripe depth as well as the structure and balance on this, I see it aging beautifully - this is a wine I would love to try in 10, and then 20 years' time.
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12/10/2012 - paulst Likes this wine: 98 Points
Has it all; Georgeous cedar blackberry nose with soft sweet blackberry balanced with soft supple and well acquinted tannins. Never ending complexity with a soft ongong round finish. Every drop was as good as each. Just beautiful.
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12/7/2012 - Pknut wrote:
Was in the mood for something like this following the Zachys auction earlier this afternoon. Overall, this was very good, but, not surprisingly, too young, and will even better with another 5-10 years. Upon uncorking, the nose is enticing with dark fruit and spice notes. Palate is mostly compact red fruit like red currant, complicated by notes of green lima bean, with tannins that are softening yet still provide strong structure in the background. Young and relatively unevolved in terms of complexities, while softening somewhat on the sides, yet still a firm core of fruit, this has years to go. With air, the red fruit profile darkens to rich dark fruits, and the wine gains in both depth of fruit and broadens horizontally on the palate. The richness of the fruit emerges with air, and the wine shows its poise. While this is young, it is still hard to not take more and more sips. I left a bit in the bottle over night, and there was no degradation, just rich black fruit and a long, detailed finish.
Excellent showing. Will be even better in 5+ years.
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11/25/2012 - honest bob wrote: 91 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork with the numbers 96 and 2(?) on the end; a bottle of impeccable provenance. Heavy sludge-like deposit. Colour very dark, no bricking to rim yet. Intense perfume on opening (Eau de Parfum de St. Julien?) with no false notes (no "barnyard", nothing jammy), just an ethereal, beautiful heady (cassis/cedar/lily...) perfume ("scent" would be too prosaic), which diminished - alas - in the decanter over the following 3 hours. The compensation was a fine development on the palate. An initially unpleasantly squeaky texture on the thin-bodied, overly acidic entry; the dry, unforgiving tannins on the crabby finish - quite an ugly duckling. Two hours later not quite a swan, but a model Cru Classé Médoc still in its adolescence, but starting to open up and promising excellent things for the future. The taste after 3 hours: rich, fresh humus-like earthiness on the entry yields to exquisite cassis and ripe red fruit on the mid-palate. Dry, powdery tannins on the mouth-shrinking finish. While drinkable now, I'm sure this will improve considerably over the next 10 years. The killer perfume, though, is a plausible argument for uncorking soon... 91+P
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11/20/2012 - svdheijden wrote: 94 Points
This is a very good moment to start drinking this wine. Medium-dark ruby. Classic, full, close-to-maturity nose. Refined, but broad spectrum, ranging from fresh mint and eucalyptus to smoke, juicy meat and typical Saint Julien freshness and minerality. Cherries, kirsch, black berries, raspberries, orange peel and soft, round tannins. None of the grassy, harsh, unripe tones that many Bordeaux 1996's show. Full, but well balanced and quite elegant on the palate. Long, lingering finish. Enough structure, acidity and power to last for 15+ years, but extremely pleasant drinking now.
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11/17/2012 - deverett wrote: 94 Points
Could smell this all day, gorgeous aromatics and a sign of things to come. Great depth, soft palate with a lovely cedary spine. Medium bodied yet excellent concentration, some unresolved tannins and crunchy acidity provide structure for longer cellaring. Dark red fruits, creamy texture and a hint of soy / saltiness adds some complexity. Really lovely St Julien and glad I have a few more.
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11/3/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Black currant and plum, open with some forest floor notes. Well structured, built to last, but close to fully resolved. Drinking well now, good potential to hold at this level for another 15 years.
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11/3/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Old and resolved barnyard. Very rustic and dirty.
Stinky with nice grip and good acidity. Feminine with some soy and reductive styling.
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10/28/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): Very dark red color. Decanted just over 2 hours. Drank 1+ glass over 2 hours. Opened more slowly after being back in the bottle for transport. Developed a nice perfume of red and black fruit, florals, and leather. The palate is medium-full bodied with a velvety texture, elegant, nice finish. This was excellent, but not as good as the last 2 bottles I've had. It seemed like it shut down after it had really been singing at the 2 hour point and needed to be coaxed back out. 2-3 hour decant recommended.
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10/16/2012 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
1996 Red Bordeaux (Medoc) , with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Quite dark in colour still. Dark fruits on the nose, light spice and in general very aromatic and open. The highlight of this wine. Quite round and fleshy on the palate, smooth and very light, soft tannins. Good to drink now (probably the only one on our line up of 96s). It is on the low complexity side and lacks the vibrancy of other 96s but still enjoyable in its lightness. 90-92 and drink from now
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10/13/2012 - wesyee wrote:
This was great! Shared at OCC swim awards 2012. Wonderful bouquet and very smooth. Well worth it.
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9/28/2012 - 560 B&W wrote: 91 Points
Ready, if served a bit cold
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6/28/2012 - vancouvermatt wrote: 95 Points
Wow & wow - this wine is 16 years old? Amazing. This wine is locked & loaded and ready to go. Medium to full bodied, with plenty of structure and life in it but drinking absolutely beautifully right now... need to buy more.
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5/31/2012 - Black Mikan wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 5+ hrs. cassis, graphite...light smoke and herbs...elegant tannins with some grip. Great finish and great birthday gift.
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5/26/2012 - Ary Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is singing now! From Magnum (opened 5 hours earlier) with a silky but powerful palate. Thick dark fruits, oak, lots of (smoked) herbs in the nose. And so soft and elegant, long lingering on. Enough tannins and structure for another 20 years to go.
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4/5/2012 - JacksonLee wrote: 94 Points
This wine has classic Bordeaux written all over it. The nose is still strong with dark fruits, some tar/licorice notes as well as herbs. Full bodied mouth feel with a 30 second finish.
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3/9/2012 - noppakit s. wrote: 93 Points
From 6.0 Liter
1996 is my favorite Leoville Poyferre.
Classic and very good finished.
Drink now - 2025
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3/3/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Tasted double blind. Almost identical notes to another bottle tasted 4-5 months ago. Elegant and accessible fruit for a 1996.
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3/3/2012 - Bill Bucklew wrote: 90 Points
Inky black color. Classic nose of secondaries, pencil lead, cigar, cedar, etc. Black currant, fig, and dried plum, and pomegranate, finishing with a hint of chocolate.
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3/3/2012 - DougLee wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for about 2 hours to pair with pan-fried steaks. Dark garnet color. Nose of musk, pine forest, cedar, blackberries, Indian spcies. Extremely smooth entry on the palate with integrated layers of black currant, plum, chocolate, leather, and a hint of tobacco. Low acidity and sweetened tannins leading to a long, nuanced finish of grippy red fruits. Not a powerhouse but rather a seamless, elegant, effortlessly concentrated beaut of a wine coming into its drinking window.
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1/27/2012 - BORD1978 wrote: 92 Points
The colour is still dark cherry red but showing a tinge of tawny at the edges. On the nose this is unmistakably fine St.Julien, with notes of Cedarwood,Tobacco, Cigarbox and dark berry fruit- evolves in the glass- wonderful ! On the palate it delivers the promise, lovely blackcurrant fruit with a little touch of spice, the tannins are now balanced and give the wine enough grip to sustain its length. It was tried at my good friend Duncan Disorderly's on friday where it was paired with lovely rare roast beef- a great combination, though its fair to say this would be sinfully good with Lamb. Drinking perfectly now but would have another few years at the top yet! 92pts
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1/2/2012 - audicfa wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Initially a beautiful traditional Bordeaux nose. A little bit lacking in the palate at first. Drank over the course of an hour. Aromas and flavor profile vastly improved over time. Lovely wine. Dark fruit, tobacco, some usual Bordeaux funk/musty/old house that blew off over time. I have one more in the stash.
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1/1/2012 - JustDrinkIt wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2hrs
Initially a subdued nose of cassis, blackberry, cedar, chocolate and vanilla. These characteristics were translated to the palate which showed big with elegance and complexity, it was was like tasting chocolate covered black cherries. Great structure with a lifted presence, smooth velvet feel ending in a delicious cassis finish. This has many years to go and will get better.
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12/28/2011 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine, drinking well but I think is still improving and I might wait a year or two before opening the next bottle. Certainly many years of life left.
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12/26/2011 - deverett wrote: 94 Points
Immediately obvious Bordeaux nose, graphite, lead and tobacco flooded with beautiful dark red fruits. Beautiful texture, fine tannins and an amazingly refreshing finish. The complete package and even at fifteen years of age still seems like it has a long life ahead. Classic Bordeaux.
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12/7/2011 - WinoRick wrote: 89 Points
Tasted with other random Bordeaux. Came thru as lighter and not as complex. A good glass of wine.
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12/4/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
This was literally a head turner! Got a small glass late in evening after having tasted at least 20 other wines and except for an awesome '03 Leoville Barton, my 02 Fevre Les Clos and an intriguing SV Karl Lawrence Cab, nothing else came close. Very happy to taste this wine. Wonderful nose, classy, complex and beautifully structured. Happy 15th bday! I'm mostly a Burg guy but.... BDX still matters!
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12/3/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (Levain, Mpls): Very dark red color. This was an amazing bottle. Even better that one about 4 months ago. This wine is in such a good place, but it does still require decanting. I gave this bottle 1 hr and we drank over 2 hours. Great perfumed nose of florals, creme de cassis, graphite, smoke, and earth. The palate is elegant with a velvety feel, really layered with rich black fruits, mineral, soft tannins, and a very long finish. Definitely my WOTN and our table's and i heard that from many at the other tables. 95+ easiily.
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11/22/2011 - rahimi wrote: 95 Points
Perfection. Drink now decant one to to hours.
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11/17/2011 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Tom's Kitchen
A very nice rich St Julien. Classic cassis nose with earthy undertones. Wonderful smooth taste with a silky feel.
A classic that is drinking now
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11/12/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Roux Weekend with Château Léoville-Poyferré; 11/11/2011-11/12/2011 (Inverlochy Castle *. Torlundy/Fort William, Scotland): Perfect balance between power and elegance, minerals and fruit. Classic Saint-Julien, more feminine and supple than Barton, less massive than Las Cases. Less showy than some other vintages but very much my type. Now - 2016.
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11/10/2011 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Five Decades of Leoville Poyferre with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Earthy, herby on the nose.Very classic secondary nose. Fruit is on the way out and its longevity is a bit to question at this stage. Lacks a bit of concentration. Wnjoyable though at the moment and we would suggest one starts to drink up. 91
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10/23/2011 - Arthur4wine wrote: 94 Points
It breaks my heart that I have no more of wine from this year. I served this to guests with steak, it was perfect. Just the right combination of flavor to stand up the a hearty American steak hot off the grill. My guests loved it as did I.
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10/18/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Acker Merrall 1996 Left Bank Bordeaux Dinner (Balsan - Chicago IL): Black currant and good spice on the nose. Palate showed a similar flavor profile, already starting to come across as accessible, with moderate fruit spice, density and length.
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10/3/2011 - yenda wrote: 93 Points
Bit of barnyard yet excellent wine
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9/30/2011 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet giving surprisingly little at the rim for a 15 year old wine. Prototype nose of cassis, woodsmoke and chalk. Full endowed, this wine has a slightly exotic side. The weight of the wine is perfect with good flavor penetration and less sweet fruit than past bottles. Still some tannin to resolve. A lovely wine but not the best bottle I have had. (91)
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9/24/2011 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Luxurious bouquet with a lot of toasted oak, tobacco, cedar and all the other luxurious elements. On the palate a lot of juicy cassis, the same impressions as in the bouquet, a touch of sweetness and beautiful round tannin with still enough power and good acidity. Long finish. Approachable, luxurious and complex wine. Young adult stage now and will probably improve for at least another 3 years and be a beauty a decade or more after that. Great wine! 94 for now and potential for at least 95.
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9/3/2011 - peetee wrote: 93 Points
Definitely needs 2 hours+ decant. Agree that this is probably at peak but should remain there for 5 years or so. Somewhat closed on this occasion but still showing great class. Opened up through the evening. Touch of brick maturity now on the rim. Although slightly closed, nose and flavours blended blackcurrant and red fruits with cedar and earthy maturity. Very fine and preferring marginally to the 96 Leoville B
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9/2/2011 - wenderoth wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 3 hours prior. dark ruby colour with excellent clarity. Nose of leather, tobacco, pencil shavings; fruit somewhat suppressed on the nose. Palate gradually opened during the evening to reveal sour cherry and cassis, but again somewhat suppressed with earth-flavours dominant. Lovely fine tannins, still strong. Perhaps at an awkward stage of development?
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8/31/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Mixed Bag of $50 plus Reds (John's House): Wonderful wine and drinking at its peak. Leather, funk, raspberry, gravel and tobacco. On the palate it picks up some cranberry elements. Medium and concentrated finish. the groups wine of the night and my second favorite. 93+
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8/28/2011 - pikemasterflash wrote: 91 Points
A bit of a disappointment this evening but we may have drunk this too soon after opening. Initially the nose had quite a bit of funk and leather, although both eventually blew off. Once the wine settled, I would say it was both grappy and thin without a lot of finish.
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8/10/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Mini Offline with Bordeaux and Napa Wines featuring 1996 Poyferre & Mondavi (John's House): Very dark red color. This bottle was decanted briefly and then evolved beautifully over several hours. This was a thing of beauty. The nose was wonderfully perfumed, starting off with earth, a bit of funk, creme de cassis, a bit of smoke, and graphite. Soft and plush in the mouth, medium weight, lovely fruit, nice acid, long finish. This was elegant, a wine to just hold in your glass and savor. Clearly hitting its stride now, and showing plenty of future. This just kept getting better. My WOTN by a hair, group WOTN also by a hair. 94+pts.
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7/22/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Filled with truffle, smoke, licorice and cassis, the wine is structured, ripe, round and ends with a delicious, sweet black cherry filled finish. At 15, this is drinking great and should remain at this level or improve a little bit for at least another 15 or more years.
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6/30/2011 - Flavito wrote: 94 Points
Beat Las Cases and Ducru 95 and 96 in our tasting. Modern, creamy and very open to business, excellent structure and long finish.
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5/13/2011 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
4/12. Decanted 1/2 an hour. Deep garnet core, medium pale ruby rim. Deep, sweet bouquet, showing reasonable development. Blackcurrant fruit, hints of tobacco and minerals, quite sweet and rich. Medium/full bodied on the palate, sweet, slightly minerally blackcurrant fruit, some brighter red fruit notes, cedar, quite rich but also very structured with fine, but still slightly firm tannins and lovely, vibrant acidity. Finish is very long. Excellent, if not quite my preferred style. Needs a few more years to be at its absolute peak, but reasonably approachable now.
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3/12/2011 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 90 Points
Magnum Madness 2011! (Marshall's place): This wine is a complete infant, and right now, totally shut down. I initially got a strong aroma of distinct Indian curry when I poured it, but this dissipated with some air simply revealing its typical St. Julien structure. Massively grippy on the palate and into the finish, all that is really seen here is imposing structure. It is actually balanced quite well, but all key elements are locked hard. For my palate I wouldn't revisit this for 20 years. 90+
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3/8/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Very aromatic nose of coffee, cedar, dark fruits as well as perfume floral. Medium - full bodied, this wine is entering secondary stage with better maturity than the previous bottle that I had 2yrs ago. Fine, medium level of firm tannin along with medium level of acidity that form the firm structure with lots of dark fruits as well as cigar box, coffee, roasted herb and dried tea leaves. Very fine with medium length finish. I believe this will become even better when reached full maturity, perhaps in another 5yrs - 7yrs times. Buy - Maybe.
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3/2/2011 - GlöckliWein wrote: 91 Points
This wine is at the MOMENT not very evolved- the smelling notes ar e quite nice,
but the TASTE ist not showing very nicely, like you would exprect ! it is "farmhouse" smell & taste
viollets, hints of spices,aND NICE EVOLVED Wood.. vanilla very soft in taste ... but not much more !
Where is the Leoville celebrety !? it quit disappointing! for this monet -- after eration of more than 15 hours !
not giving me this much energy/ Fun/ Love, Velvet gloves I would have expected !!! (91/ 100Points !) what a shame !
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2/28/2011 - MRichman wrote:
1996 Bordeaux Horizontal (Harry's, NYC): Broad, rich, soft. Menthol & herb with a coffee core and a lemony finish. A little funky, perhaps a flawed bottle.
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1/28/2011 - alamoave wrote: 93 Points
gorgeous nose and classic bordeaux spice mix; no hurry; decanted for an hour plus
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1/3/2011 - Darren747 wrote: 92 Points
Voluptuous nose, silky, ripe dark fruit with rich leather. Smooth tannin, medium+ body with dark fruit. Light on the finish but still has great length. Concentrated wine but lacking a touch of complexity on tonight's showing.
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1/2/2011 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well now, but might still be on the upswing. Clearly several years of life left.
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12/25/2010 - Jdrake wrote:
Christmas
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10/28/2010 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
classic aroma, lots of flavors, balanced, structured
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10/15/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Perfectly ripe and balanced flavors. These are drinking wonderfully right now.
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9/28/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
A consistently outstanding wine. Very deep color – which I have found in all 3 ’96 Bordeaux this week. Classic red fruit and cedar nose. This is a tad more reserved than some past bottles which were a bit more exotic. There is a lovely richness/creaminess to the wine that just intensifies and smoothes the classic flavor profile and acidy of the vintage. The finish is incredibly long and sweet – hiding a good dose of tannin on the finish. I don’t think this is yet at its apogee – a good 5 or more years still to go. That said, lovely, thoroughly enjoyable, fresh and serious. (94+)
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9/18/2010 - summerella wrote:
Nose (I have a cold...):
Cherries, gardenias initially
Matthew smells all of the male smells, look at the girly ones I smell. :)
Very dark, completely opaque, low viscosity
Slightly tannic (my doing, accidentally poured the sediment into the decanter...), rich, yummy
Olives (aftertaste), oranges
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9/18/2010 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Weekend Wine with Summer Part II; 9/17/2010-9/18/2010 (Las Vegas, NV): Spicy nose of coffee, graphite, lavender, mushrooms, blackberries, and subtle soil. Massive wine still with dense black fruit that's wonderfully intertwined with elegant earth, tobacco, dried roses and leather. Still VERY dark wine that's a dark violet to the edge. Classic Saint Julien in my eyes. Be warned that this is still brutishly young and requires a decant. If you have this wine in your cellar know that it will be a truly wonderful bottle down the road (95-97 point territory)...and we're talking another 10 years. Given the warning, it's quite enjoyable at the moment.
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9/5/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 92 Points
Very subtle nose. Nice wine tonight but not showing as well as it has in the past. My recent GPL of the same vintage was better.
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8/15/2010 - peetee wrote: 95 Points
Enjoying this more and more with each bottle. Still vibrant red colours with no real sign of age. Beautiful classic St J aromas of cassis and cedar with loads more going on now. Great clean black fruits on the palate intertwined with the complex earth, tobacco and now spicy flavours of middle maturity. This will go on improving for some considerable time, but really good now. Goes fantastically with simple roast beef (rare).
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8/9/2010 - cfe wrote:
Great wine, still ascendant, but classic Bdx aromatics, still quite dense, showing great minerality, and a long finish. Not at peak yet.
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7/25/2010 - Rani wrote: 90 Points
Quite a solid performer. Though lacking some elegance, it has earthy, spicy character and good balance of slightly rustic tannins, medium length. Overall I'd say a bit foursquare and not very St. Julien, but a very nice wine after all.
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7/16/2010 - JimHow wrote: 93 Points
In the end: A very impressive showing tonight from this 1996 Leoville Poyferre. I'll give it a 93+. It was a St. Julien Duhart Milon tonight, with beautifully ripe black currant fruit, cedar and RMP "pencil shavings" on the nose, deep Asian Lafite/Duhart ruby/purple color, I don't want to create an issue where none presently exists, but this is a Hong Kong / Singapore kind of wine.... If Alfred Tesseron were running this estate it would be featured at or near the top (behind Lafite, Carruades, Duhart, in that order) at the finest restaurants in the East. Tremendous nineteen-ninety-six bouquet. This wine is fourteen years old and reaching its "plateau of maturity" <rolls eyes>, but will age well for another twenty years. Earth and leather in the end, like one of those old-school Gruaud Laroses. It will be fun to watch this wine turn into something different, a tobacco and coffee aging old-styled claret. I have a 3L of this wine that I'll probably uncork in about 15-20 years. Right now, this impressive, "layered" wine continues to soar.
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7/10/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Still young, this solid, powerful, tannic wine offered cassis, blackberry, tobacco and earthy notes. After an hour in the glass, it began to open and added charm. The wine ended with a tanninc, dark berry finish. Give it another 3-5 years.
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6/16/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 93 Points
1995-1996 Bordeaux evening (At Hugo's): developed aroma, full-bodied, structured, rich, tannic, silky - simply greater each time I taste it.
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6/7/2010 - Niagara wrote: 92 Points
Impossible not to like this wine -- sophisticated, understated, well integrated. Ready to drink with an alluring brick coloured rim. Perfect with lean beef -- a real cowboy wine.
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5/11/2010 - bjohnson350 wrote: 93 Points
Temp
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5/6/2010 - Duncan Disorderly wrote: 93 Points
I tasted this a number of times on separate occasions in 2009. I typically bring it up from the cellar a day or two before the dinner. I find it presents at its best if I remove the cork about six hours before serving. A gorgeous nose and pure silky loveliness in the mouth. Most recently tasted alongside the 1996 Barton and the 1996 Clos du Marquis. Most thought the Barton won by a fraction, but they were three cracking wines. I suspect this will get better.
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5/1/2010 - cybergod wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at a Sauvignon wine tasting. Needs more time, but outstanding.
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4/27/2010 - rahimi wrote: 93 Points
Took a bottle to a friends place with some cheese. Popped open and drank. Got better with time. Should have decanted cor at least an hour. Excellent!!!
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2/20/2010 - Eckers wrote: 92 Points
Magnum drunk with Sichuan food (not spicy). Immediate impact on the nose, distinctive earthy taste and recognisably St. Julien. Felt a little tight right to the last gulp though, as if there is more to come but we probably consumed it a little too quickly. Also, will undoubtedly benefit from a few more years in the bottle.
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2/14/2010 - Eating is Cheating wrote:
Second of a case. Decanted 2 hours. A youthful deep red claretty hue, not very developed even at 13+ years of age. Complex nose: St Julien hallmarks of cassis, black cherries, graphite and cedar; but other aromas lurking behind - leather? cigarsmoke? ... Very good. Stylish palate: well balanced. Not lacking in stuffing, but not too forward either. Classic St Julien reserve? A magic balancing act between opulence and austerity. This is somewhat lean (not a criticism), still somewhat tightly coiled. Still needs more cellaring time to open out. Ample tannin on the excellent finish suggests this has a good way to go yet. Very good to excellent, but wait before trying another.
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1/26/2010 - ataraxia wrote: 92 Points
S$220. Decanted 1 hr, drunk over 2. The wine didn't evolve considerably over the 2 hrs that it was drunk. Served blind to friends and the consensus is a classic left bank Bordeaux. Plenty of earth notes with good fruit and a high level of tannins. Pleasurable to drink now, but will wait another 3 yrs to allow the tannins to soften and for the wine to open up more. Personally, I'm a bit disappointed with the price-quality ratio, would readily pay $160 (wine and label).
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1/10/2010 - thirstyman wrote:
opened and slow ox'd for 5 hours. Decanted for an hour, back into the bottle to the restaurant. re-decanted at the restaurant. The nose never opened up during this whole time. The wine needs more time. Dark currant and cassis with a little herbs provenance. Tight with a medium length finish. Needs time - I'll probably wait another 5 yearts before even checking in again.
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1/9/2010 - JScott wrote: 92 Points
Still youthfully dark. Unmistakably St. Julien, cassis and graphite with a floral component. A hint of Brett initially that seemed to all but disappear as it opened. Approachable with lots of life.
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1/9/2010 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Dark garnet hue with little lightening at the edges. Nose was very striking from the start with scents of cedar, pencil lead, creosote, forest floor, and peat. Palate was very tight at first but after 90 minutes of aeration opened up to yield a velvety-textured wine of clear, round black plum fruit layered with currant, moca, and a bit of tobacco. Sweet, grippy tannins on the long, satisfying finish. Early in its drinking window but already making an indelible impression.
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12/26/2009 - pmarsland wrote: 92 Points
Perth and Margaret River Dec 2009; 11/12/2009-2/1/2010: Terrific end to Christmas Day meal. Lots on the enticing classic St Julien nose, woderful concentration on the palate, and lovely 20-30 second length.
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11/28/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful wine drinking very well now with plenty of life ahead.
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11/15/2009 - bmckenna wrote: 92 Points
Very tasty. Had at a tasting, so it was drank before it could fully evolve, but still quite good.
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11/5/2009 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful finish and perfectly ripe fruit.
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11/3/2009 - Anonymous wrote: 93 Points
Still quite tannic. It has good substance to go along with the structure but it needs lots of time to resolve and develop secondary characteristics. Cedar, blackberry, graphite, a bit of earth and mild sweet tobacco dominate the palate....decent finish too.
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10/17/2009 - ricknat1 wrote: 92 Points
Part of a blind tasting of Leoville Poyferre, Barton and Las Cases, 1982, 1990, 1996 and 2000 with Acker. Elegent dark fruits and wood.. Medium sweetness with a taste of raisins and leather. Tannins still a little strong, very early, but drinkable.
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9/28/2009 - Vitisvinifera wrote: 89 Points
Lovely complex nose. Cedar and pencil shavings, some floral. Disappointing shortish length on the palate, despite being decanted for a reasonable period of time. Still a very good wine drinking well now.
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9/13/2009 - J.L wrote: 93 Points
93-95pts. Deep color with a very dense core. No bricking. Seems muted on the nose upon opening, the palate is more open for business. Soft and silky with pleasant tannins. Now, let's wait a couple of hours. The palate is getting fuller, more flavours are emerging. Also the tannins are getting more prominent. This is a quite full bodied wine. Delicate and quite faint aromas comes forward. I feel that this wine still is in a early stage, and this bottle needs 5 hours to open up, too bad most of it is gone. However, it's a fantastic wine but I don't think I'm opening the next LP-96 for four to five years from now.
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9/3/2009 - Darren747 wrote: 95 Points
Excellent claret. Full of soft blackberries and cedar with lovely earthy notes. Tannins soft and velvety, drinking perfectly now but could easily last another 10-15 years.
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8/29/2009 - Henman wrote: 90 Points
On the nose some tobacco and earth.The palate showed tobacco,earthiness and dark fruit.Still in great shape.Has many years ahead.
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8/17/2009 - LARich wrote: 91 Points
Drinking beautifully now
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8/16/2009 - cfe wrote: 92 Points
Did not take detailed notes, but this wine is drinking woderfully now. Just a hint of coarseness, but definitely softened and ready to drink... great Bdx nose and compelxity on the palate.
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8/9/2009 - Cracker Barrel wrote: 89 Points
Drank over about 4 hours, popped, poured and decanted. Still appears to be fairly young and more closed than I expected. Good deep maroon color. Not alot in the way of fruit, and plenty of tannins. Will wait before trying again.
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8/9/2009 - cbuhlman wrote: 95 Points
This is as good as it gets for Medoc Cru classe' wine. Dark ruby to the rim, sweet berry fruits, cassis and light cigar box with fine tannins and acidity.
It is interesting that the wine tasted great from the first sips and needed no coaxing. wonderful.
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8/9/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
This is Bordeaux the way I like it. Deep garnet color followed by a complex nose of red current, smoke and cedar closet – a hint of blueberry. Still very youthful – this wine will only get better. Still a bit of nervous energy. Flavors also deliver on the palate – flamboyant sweetness covers the classic core. Extremely promising. (94+)
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6/23/2009 - drunkstar wrote: 92 Points
gift harry stanford - a beautiful wine with all the characteristics I love from St Julien the pencil/ceder nose and the wonderful drinkable but structured wine to follow.....a bit of fruit...soft soft tannins....needed a good decant so still has more to give but a fab wine
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6/20/2009 - grapemaven wrote: 92 Points
A little too young but showing hints of better things to come.
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5/27/2009 - peetee wrote: 93 Points
Youthful appearance, quite restrained nose at start with steely lean characteristics. This develops really well after a couple of hours in the decanter with cassis, cedar, tobacco and earthy notes. Lovely soft black fruits, for me a slightly unusual zesty satsuma taste in there, which is not unpleasant.
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5/22/2009 - Ary wrote: 91 Points
At Wijn Antiq Amsterdam (blind tasting Left bank, nineties). 5 hours open. Nice fruits, vanilla and tannins, but still fairly closed. Nose has fruit like berries and also brick. This wine promises more than it shows at the moment. The Barton after this bottle was better (at this stage), more shades. Drink from 2012.
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4/21/2009 - yenda wrote: 93 Points
Just brilliant. Tannins still persistent but in rather velvety form. Agree with the others that it improves in the glass big time.
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4/17/2009 - Eating is Cheating wrote:
(Tasting note not contemporaneous.) The first bottle from a case picked up at auction in December 2008. Still quite intense and youthful in appearance. Plenty of cassis, cedar and graphite pencils on the nose - quite a well-defined and "lean" set of aromas with none of the almost savoury "earthiness" sometimes observed in, say, a Pauillac of similar age. Very promising. The palate is delicious: very smooth (deceptively "easy drinking") on entry; but as it fills out in the mouth, the structure is all there, and there is plenty of acidity and tannic backbone to support the black fruit. Very pleasant, drinking well now with an excellent finish. (A sample held over till the following day was at least as good.) I look forward to trying more from this case over the next few years.
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4/13/2009 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Deep ruby core, medium bright ruby rim. Perhaps slightly reticent on the nose, but quite complex with dark fruit and some tobaccoey and earthy development. Medium bodied on the palate, quite sleek and more fruity than the nose with cassis fruit. Good purity, some earthy development fresh acidity and some firm tannins still on a good length finish. Nice enough but improved with time in glass and should be much more to come from this. Next bottle - 2 years.
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4/12/2009 - Roger Davison wrote: 95 Points
Same as last time. A brilliant wine.
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4/10/2009 - cfe wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple/black. Nose is somewhat reserved, and while shows good complexity, or the potential for complexity, the aromas of cassis, currant, tobacco and minerals still seem fairly primary. Not much secondary development yet. Palate is quite full bodied, with immense amounts of material, yet the wine seems nicely balanced. Full texttured palate, tobacco, cassis, and minerals. Big, but balanced. Tannins have definiely softened. Very impressive wine, but I don't perceive it as complex at this point. Has great potential, and while it was very enjoyable with New Yorks, this should improve with time. Loively wine.
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4/6/2009 - jwihardja wrote: 94 Points
Much better than the last bottle (last one was badly corked). Still has plenty of life in it.
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3/30/2009 - TheKel wrote: 94 Points
Had this for CF's 30th birthday. Continues to show the tea leaf and undergrowth that I LOVE about Poyferre. Complicated similarly to the previous bottles I've had with dried flowers, meat smoke and pure cassis liqueur.
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3/15/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Drunk alongside a '96 Clerc Milon and a '95 LLC. I thought this was drinking the best of the three, although all were very good. This combined a complex nose of red and dark fruit, and little elements of tobacco, oak. Very smoothe, with a nice, lingering finish.
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3/13/2009 - JimHow wrote: 92 Points
This is a psychologically complicated wine. There's a lot going on here, as it attempts to cope with childhood issues. I always love to use the term "layered" when I describe Leoville Poyferre from any vintage-- I think I saw Parker or Suckling or somebody use that descriptor once-- and I truly think it fits, particularly with the 1996 vintage. This thirteen year old is strapping and gangly. The thick T-bones are on the grill....
I personally think it has a vegetal streak running through it. Tobacco, oak, and coffee. Complex, but still an adolescent. I'm going to be disappointed in myself if I uncork my next bottle sooner than the twenty year mark for this wine. Rating: 92 points.
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3/7/2009 - Rubinstein wrote: 92 Points
Wine in perfect condition. Still a lot of life left. Medium bodied and very firm an fruity aftertaste. Good balance,
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2/2/2009 - rikipedia wrote: 87 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux 1996 Vintage (Rodwell House): A bouquet of saddle leather, liquorice with black fruit yet possible Brett issues as well. Some smoke, meat and wildness confirm.
On the entry, the fruit appears quite subdued, leaning more to marmite, meat and some chalky tannins. Overall, the palate lacks balance with a lively acidity that lifts, little fruit to balance and then a dry bitterness on the back palate. Didn't really improve in the glass either. Slightly bacterial?
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1/25/2009 - N2Vin wrote: flawed
A load of brett in the wine. A old wet mop. Waste of good money. Someone ought to invent the brettalizer.
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1/8/2009 - pikemasterflash wrote: 92 Points
Very non-descript in the glass. Nose is very mellow and soft. The wine is smooth and finishes well but if anything comes up short relative to other great Bordeaux's. This is a pretty good wine that I much prefer to the '95.
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10/24/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting.
Great opulent nose. Deep dark rich fruit, vanilla and chocolate.
Palate doesn't match. Maybe this is in a dumb phase.
If the palate would hold up to the nose this would be some serious stuff.
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10/9/2008 - MRichman wrote:
Leoville Barton vs. Leoville Poyferre (Morton's NYC): Tannic, tight. Some sweet fruit with acidic tannins. As I've found in the past, this seems like an awkward wine. Not sure where it's going.
B
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10/9/2008 - TheKel wrote: 92 Points
Opened with Olch next to a '96 Freemark Abbey Bosche Cab from his cellar. Both showed a graceful and typical learning-curve of age. Dark, earthy though somewhat reticent at first, the wine came around eventually to exhibit floral-driven aromatics complicated by black olive, cassis liqueur and even a certain ferric sensibility. Wonderful.
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10/5/2008 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Decanted about an 90 minutes before serving. Cassis fruit, with graphite and animal notes just as strong as the fruit on the nose, and lesser cigar box aromas. In the mouth, black cherry arrives to accompany the returning cassis. The fruit is surprisingly forward and sweet-toned given the savory vegetal-mineral notes that dominated the nose. The finish is nearly 45 seconds, and dominated by black cherry and sweet tobacco. That finish might be its best dimension.
The wine is still very young. I'll hold mine for another three years at least, and I'd bet on this going strong for another 15 to 20.
J. said she much preferred this to the '90 Hermitage La Sizeranne we had last night, which I thought was drinking perfectly at its peak and scored a 94. I preferred the older Rhone to this younger Bordeaux, but it's probably a toss-up depending on your preference.
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9/3/2008 - Russ wrote: 94 Points
Second 1.5ltr bottle with dinner. Everyone enjoyed this wine.
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9/3/2008 - Russ wrote: 94 Points
Decanted about 30 minutes before serving. Graphite and tobacco notes on the nose. In the mouth, black cherry and cassis. The fruit shows mineral notes that dominated the nose. The finish lasts forever and is dominated by black cherry, cedar, and cigar. Great wine.
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8/3/2008 - Alex H wrote: 91 Points
Ducru Vertical (Lam Soon): Also showing lots of horse and bell pepper greenness. Big wine on the onset but still very elegant with finesse. Exceptional like a lady with style.
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8/2/2008 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical (1978, '85, '86, '95 and '96, with a few extras) (Richfield, Lam Soon Building, Singapore): I found this a tad modern and very young still. Rather forward nose, with blackberry and plum held up with buttery oak and coffee. Sweetish palate, very friendly, with fresh acid and more dark fruit. Very, very tight tannic structure, okay at first, but it seemed harsher and harsher as the wine got some air, especially right at the back of the tongue. The wine still seemed balanced, but I think it really needs time to integrate and show its strength.
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7/25/2008 - chitowncdpguy wrote: 92 Points
Clear dark ruby in the glass. Medium bodied. Reticent nose of dark fruits and earth. On the palate spicy, with more fruit with hints of tobacco and cigar box. Longish finish. Very nice.
My guess is that this is still developing and needs more time in the bottle.
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7/20/2008 - Paul D wrote: 89 Points
Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Intense, deep black fruited nose, cassis fruit and spice. Deep, spicy and still quite tannic on the palate, signature 96 fresh acidity provides good balance and the finish is long but overall this is still a bit bound up and tight, especially when tasted next to the mature, open 97. Should improve.
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6/30/2008 - GSW wrote: 91 Points
Served on a British Air flight. Lovely wine, though the small glass used made it difficult to assess. Still a very youthful claret with noticeable tannin, but very balanced. Highly enjoyable.
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6/5/2008 - ParkHill wrote: 93 Points
Ruby with brown edge. Layers of flavor. Blueberry, Blackberry and cake spices, some vanilla with a nice, sweet finish. I'm not a specialist in Bordeaux, so my pts are just go along to get along, but I can tell this is one fine wine. It takes a few hours to open. Nice balance between fruit, tannins and acid. My only caveat that the acids are a little high, which makes this wine sprightly and fresh, but perhaps lighter rather than bold. My flavor impressions also suggest medium bodied rather than heavy. But, I can't complain at all.
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5/1/2008 - gsquireh wrote: 94 Points
Terrific cedar nose. Delicious fruit this full-bodied lovely jam in the mouth wine reveals black fruit and
smokey smooth finish.
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3/25/2008 - peetee wrote: 94 Points
At last I get this wine. The last 2 bottles seemed very austere. Double decanted and left for an hour, this was rich with blackcurrant, smoke and tobacco. Lovely complex and long flavours. Much more forward than the L. Barton of the sasme vintage. Now really looking forward to the rest. Perfect with the roast sirloin of beef.
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3/11/2008 - Roger Davison wrote: 95 Points
We couldn't believe how good this wine was. It was streets ahead of a Lagrange 2000 which was itself very good. Drinking perfectly now. Could it get even better?
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2/23/2008 - gowrie wrote: 92 Points
Decanter The Great Bordeaux Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark Hotel, London NW1): Tabacco, pencil lead and ripe plums. Mellow. Drinking well. I preferred the 2004
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2/23/2008 - Vinoguy wrote: 93 Points
Decanter Bordeaux Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark Hotel, London): Beautiful classic nose of smoke, cassis, pencil lead. Structured, concentrated with a real sense of refinement. Still young with potential for improvement.
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2/5/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Youthful nose of blackberry, spice, cassis and cedar. Intensely tannic on the palate, but the structure is good and this is going to improve greatly once the tannins soften and it takes on additional complexity. Needs time.
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2/1/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
HDH 95/96 Comparative Tasting (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): nose: real dark and earthen nose that is also big and jammy. black fruit, smoke, cedar just permeate in teh nostrils
taste: real nice fruit. Black fruit, smoke, and cedar all just jump together
overall: extremely nice wine. I really like the jammyness of this. It's not that ripe type of jammy, but just big and bold
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1/12/2008 - unrelenting wrote: 91 Points
mushroom dominates on the nose but a bit bulky and closed on the palate and lacking of complexity. Didnt have time to decant however.
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12/20/2007 - A&C wrote: 92 Points
This is drinking great now. A wonderful nose -- rich perfume -- the signature bordeaux nose. On the palate, the wine is very open and accessible, with lively fruit, and a long finish. Only a slight green bitterness on the finish. This had that one thing I love in bordeaux wine -- a nose that makes you sit and smell it. My friend from L.A. sat and sniffed and sniffed, which makes the wine last longer. Paired extremely well with Morgan Valley leg of lamb, slow roasted on the BBQ while the snow dumped outside. A perfect finish to an awesome day skiing the greatest snow on earth.
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11/19/2007 - BradA wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured for our daughter's 5th birthday (with the in-laws). A wine with restraint, depth, purity of fruit and a long tasty finish. I would suggest leaving these until 2012 as the wine is evening out and starting to loose its youth and become more interesting to drink. Certainly a wine that could see a point of two more in 7-10 years.
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11/15/2007 - DavidKehler wrote:
This wine was not ready to drink. Two nights later, however, it was delicious. Highly recommended.
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11/2/2007 - miroue wrote: 90 Points
Great nose. Drank and enjoyed in 2007.
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11/1/2007 - hudamang wrote: 91 Points
Nice! 1996 Bordeaux. Dark garnet, lots of secondary flavors....earthy, leathery. One of my colleagues said it smelled like manure but I though it was more of pencil shavings and tobacco with a core of fruit. Definitely complex but what's missing is the finish. It's good but it didn't leave me saying, "wow, that was one heck of a wine." In fact, for $100, I dunno if I would purchase again but it's good. Very well balanced...no trace of heat. I tried swirling and sniffing to find heat but there was none. Decanted for about an hour. It probably would have been ever better with more air. We opened 3 other bottles while I was letting this wine sit and everytime I smelled it, it seemed to get better.
The nose was very nice.
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10/27/2007 - Moorese wrote: 92 Points
My 40th...Bordeaux, CdP, Quilceda, etc. (Seattle): Very youthful and primary – even more so than the Ducru. Plenty of sweet black fruit, grip, and definition. Stands toe to toe with the Ducru except at the finish. I’ll leave this alone for quite awhile.
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9/7/2007 - Saint Stephen wrote: 93 Points
Really good at my 96 left bank tasting with beef, beef, and taters. My second favorite on this night to Pichon Baron.
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9/3/2007 - dd wrote:
very nice dark fruit, decanted and the fruit got better and better nice sweet tannins
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7/28/2007 - Badfish wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux Blind (Wine Exchange - Orange, CA): Slight orange brick red color. Funky earthy nose but the wine yields notes of cedar, lead pencil, and cherry. Nice flavor complexity. Still has some firm tannins. Comments: If you can get past the weird nose on this wine it does show a large array of flavors. This hairy beast has plenty of character and life left in it. Recommended.
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7/28/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 87 Points
Bordeaux Blind (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA): Dark garnet. Definitely yet not unbearably bretty, still shows some leathery fruit character. Bright and juicy and decently long.
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6/17/2007 - djb wrote: 90 Points
Not as good a bottle as on prior occasions, but enjoyable nonetheless. The depth of fruit did not seem to be there, but it was well-balanced, with some tobacco and earth notes alongside cassis/dark fruit. Tannins are rounding out, but perhaps still a little closed.
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6/1/2007 - J-Sho wrote: 91 Points
Inky dark wine with some cedar, current/dark fruit on the nose. Palate shows strength with stong core of minerality and slate. Tannins present but not overpowering. Midpalate was a bit hollow as WS stated in their review. Finish was moderate. I did find that this wine improved with aeration with more complexity and the midpalate expanding a bit.
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5/25/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: flawed
Farewell to a Friend: Probably a faulty bottle, there was a line of wine running up the entire side of the cork from memory. Very much dominated by earth, vegetables and vegemite on the nose and tannin on the palate. Flavour fell away on the mid-palate and never returned. Cleaned up a very slight amount in the glass, but it was still pretty un-enjoyable.
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5/22/2007 - P.A. Cross wrote: 92 Points
I have had a few vintages of LP and this is my favorite. Bigger in style, high tannin, earth and barnyard. Mineral and oak are present as well. Also, has a meaty note.
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5/7/2007 - Moorese wrote: 91 Points
Hot on the heels of the Pinot tasting at the 35th Street Bistro, I opened this to accompany swordfish seared with black peppercorns and smoked oyster mushrooms (perhaps not the best pairing). My note-taking skills were rather impaired by this point, but the wine showed a firm, tight core of black currant and plums, with hints of sandalwood, tobacco, charcoal, and stone. The finish was a bit short and this bottle never really opened up as I though it would, indicating to me that it needs a good bit more time. The last bottle I had was July 2005.
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4/14/2007 - jamiekutch wrote:
Seattle Trip: 90 Krug, 00 Dauvissat Les Clos, 66 Leroy Chap. Cham., 99 Ponsot CdlR, 02 Beauclair BM, 96 Poyferre: Dark fruit with a nice nose thought tightness on the palate. Pencil notes.
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3/26/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
disapointing wine, 1998 was much better
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3/24/2007 - JeffW wrote: 92 Points
Nice Bordeaux. Could still use some time; but its drinking nice now. Good barnyard, but could improve. Nice plum flavors, berries, cherries; the fruit is still very nice; but it still has a pretty strong tannin showing.
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2/27/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
The second bottle was much better,
but I still wouldn't buy it again.
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2/27/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote: flawed
after reading TN's in Cellar Tracker, I had great expectations from this wine. I like a dose of brett in my Bordeaux and was looking forward to it. What I got instead was some rubbery notes and none of the barnyard I was expecting. The bottle didn't have any signs of storage imperfections, but something was wrong with it.
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2/8/2007 - James B wrote: 92 Points
Still too young to drink, but what potential. Lovely, earthy aroma--signature Bordeaux. Too tannic at first, but softened and opened a bit after decanting for an hour and a half or so. Began to show spice, dried red fruits, tobacco. I didn't really pick up on the cedar and vanilla noted by some. This good now, but it will be spectacular in ten years. Amazingly, the '99 is more approachable now, as is the '95.
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1/19/2007 - dd wrote:
great wine plum raisin dark berry beautiful sweet tannin will definitly go for a while
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11/19/2006 - Arcturus wrote: 93 Points
Took a few hours to hit its stride. Absolutely gorgeous earthy bouquet, waves of violets. Thick rich ripe dark fruits, blackberries, plums, and well integrated french oak on the palate. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
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11/6/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
(at Abacrombie – Baltimore) this caused a lot of debate at the table. Many believed it was ever so slightly corked. I could not find this on the nose, but the finish was more abrupt than anticipated. That said, the nose (to me and a few others) was on the exotic side of Saint Julien. Currents, spice and rocks. Will try another bottle soon to compare – a pristine bottle should be monumental. (17?)
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11/4/2006 - J-Sho wrote: 92 Points
This is a wine that improved the longer it aerated. In the beginning, was a bit out of balance and had some definite brett. however with air the brett seemed to fade a bit. the wine became more complex, soft, with a nice finish complete with some soft tannins. this wine will definitely improve with age.
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9/10/2006 - Mike V wrote:
Evolves over 11 hours. At first open with a little brett, at 5-6 hours a huge dollop of merde/barnyard. Two hours later the nose settles to lovely earthy dark fruits.
On the palate open with deep dark fruit and dark burnt chocolate
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8/3/2006 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
Still very deep and dark. Opaque ruby, narrow pale ruby rim.
Nose immediately open (not decanted in advance), showing cassis and spice with hints of tobacco and earth.
Very fruity on entry, with cassis/blackcurrant prominent, the complexity on the nose not immediatly obvious, eventually this also gives up hints of cedar, tea-leaves and earth. Not much more than medium bodied, this has decent depth and lovely (medium +) balancing acidity, in perfect harmony with tannins and fruit. There is some dryness on the finish, but although it will undoubtedly improve, this is certainly approachable now.
Outstanding - 91 - with potential upside.
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5/8/2006 - MRichman wrote: flawed
1996 Bordeaux Horizontal: Sweet nose. Flamboyand, sweet and tropical. Short. Flawed?
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4/19/2006 - johnwine wrote: 94 Points
This wine was simply splendid and at its peak last evening. We had it with a crown roast of pork from Allens. The nose was exuberant and filled with scents of roses, black cherries, currants and kirsch. The taste was balanced and complex with intense flavors of black cherries, kirsch, currants and mushrooms. Too bad I had only one bottle of this beauty.
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3/27/2006 - Arcturus wrote: 91 Points
After 2 hours in a pitcher the majority of the barnyard aroma faded into an earthy nose. The mouthfeel of the wine seemed to soften. Good overall dark fruit, cassis flavor with a nice smooth finish. 91
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3/10/2006 - JScott wrote: 93 Points
A little bretty, but not obtrusive. Gives it some character. Still young but in this format certainly approachable.
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2/9/2006 - Rieslingfan wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well right now from 1/2 bottle. Cassis, earth, well balanced, subtle tannin. Excellent length. Certainly capable of further aging, but delicious right now.
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12/10/2005 - slmral wrote: 91 Points
I opened this at 2:30 with my last bottle in mind. Decanted and left for 2 hours and then returned to the cleaned bottle. VacuVin'd and taken to dinner. Still showed some of the barnyard as the last one. With the decanting time the characteristic resolved down to more of an earthy note. Very dark. Rich and extracted. A good match for the truffled veal dish.
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11/19/2005 - MRichman wrote:
St. Julien Fest (NYC): Nice, full fruit. Not ready. Punchy.
B+
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10/18/2005 - gildedwon wrote: 91 Points
I had first enjoyed this over dinner at Ambria in Chicago. What a wonderful discovery. Delightful, sumptuous, persistent structure. Intense nose abounds in soft flavors of flowers, blackcurrant and roasted oak.
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7/16/2005 - schmittdoggy wrote: 92 Points
Purchased this bottle and drank following the Garagiste 2002 Bordeaux tastings, including Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, Cos Estournel, pape clemente, haut brion, cheval blanc, montose, leoville las cases, palmer, etc. Needless to say, this was much more mature and would have cracked the top 5 of the 2002s. Very smooth, velvety texture. Excellent example and follow up from the younger bordeauxs. Impressive.
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6/19/2005 - fhmesq wrote: 92 Points
50+5+12+17+8. Had this at Ruth's Chris on Father's Day with a wonderful filet. Opened about 4.5 hours before drinking, did not decant. Had a wondeful smell in the bottle with some chocolate and dark berry scents. It did have the barnyard scent in the glass but quickly burned off. Paired perfectly with the filet and had wonderful black pepper flavors and a nice long finish. My last bottle, wish I had more.
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2/3/2005 - slmral wrote: 90 Points
Tasted single blind at Loren Sonkin's against 9 other 95/96 Bordeaux's. My 9th place, the groups 2nd. My concern was a noteworthy barnyard nose when opened. Those using larger glasses noted that the barnyard blew off relatively quickly. I used an INAO glass and the wine did not lose its barnyard/brett during the tasting. Loren indicated that the leftover had lost the barnyard by the next day. Looking past the barnyard, a wine that certainly deserved it's second place finish with the group. Big mouthfeel, some smokey notes with lots of black fruits and leather.
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1/22/2005 - futronic wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby/purple colour; opaque. Aromas of cedar, vanilla, blackberry, truffles, smoke. Medium-full bodied, tannins already integrating nicely, but still nears more time in the cellar. Cedar and black fruit on the palate. Moderate finish, ~30-35s. Lots of potential. 93 points for now, could increase with time.
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9/11/2004 - MRichman wrote:
Bordeaux offline (Tout Va Bien, NYC): A little flat. Good fruit. Full but not rich.
B-
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12/12/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 88 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bottle provided by Diogo Belo. Bright disc. Opaque ruby/garnet robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense black and red currants, coffee, mocha and brier. Full-bodied on the palate, with somewhat high acidity and big dry tannins. The flavors follow the nose. Medium, astringent finish. Needs time.
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12/17/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 93 Points
An interesting note by Rob, after 2 hours of decanting the '96 and '99 appeared to be exactly the same wine. But, by the time of the tasting these were very different. The '96 is like the '99 but on steroids. Profound notes of sweet tobacco, pepper, herbs, and ripe fruit could be detected. The tannins are sweet and chewy, and noticibly more intense and acidic than the '99. Ripe black cherries and spicey oak dominate the super finish. The '96 wines continue to show very, very nicely. 3rd Place for WOTN.
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12/15/2002 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at an off-line amongst other Bordeaux in a similar class. This was an eye-popping wine from the first whiff and sip. My notes had words like "LUSCIOUS (in caps), excellent, classic Bordeaux nose, fresh cracked black pepper, elegant AND powerful". Ripe juicy mouthfeel, with unobtrusive but sturdy tannins in the background.
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10/26/1999 - Double-A Likes this wine:
Banyard, bacon, berry and leather aromas. Full-bodied with distinct flavours balanced by firm tannins; long finish
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