Doug Powers

9.4

Still shows some lovely primary redfruits, cassis, currants, quite tannic as well (characteristic of the 1986s I cellared), long, lingering finish, should show even better after my wife’s grilled lamb and my grilled steak come off the grill. I will say I was nervous when the final 1/8-inch of the cork severed off my old Ah-So cork puller, but not a problem!

Interesting sidebar — I purchased this upon arrival in 1989 at K&L in SF — by that time there were widespread reports of bad corks in Ducru from (at least) 1985 and 1986, so when I visited the shop I explained the situation and committed to purchasing 6 bottles, but only if I knew this batch didn’t have the cork problems — so, I said I’d pay for another bottle and we could open it together in the shop, I’d pay and also buy the other 6 bottles if it was NOT corked, and said if it was corked, then they’d pay for the opened bottle and I wouldn’t take the 6 other bottles — they agreed, we mutually tried the bottle then and there, no cork taint so I paid for 7 bottles total.

Telling the story in part because K&L has always been, IMHO, one of the classiest wine shops in the U.S., and they deserve credit agreeing to my deal (BTW, Wine Advocate had written about the cork taint issue within the preceding 3-6 months, so they were aware of the potential for it) — anyway, they’ve gotten a lot more of my business in the past 35+ years since!! — 3 months ago

with Jim

Wine Dad

8.9

Had at Smith & Wollensky. — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Beautiful ruby in color, with a very wide reddish rim. Bricking at the very top.

Light nose with red and black fruits, light cedar and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, currants, cherries, earth, black coffee, oak, herbs, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 26 year old from the great 1998 vintage in Southern Rhone is drinking beautifully now. Soft and smooth, elegant and earthy.

Not so good right out of the bottle, and needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly, so be patient.

Robert Parker 95 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Showing nice complexity and good balance.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

14% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120 (current vintage). — 5 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Very deep ruby , ruby rim, shockingly young . Very closed still , mineral , creme de cassis , dark and meaty , grafite , chestnut . On the palate very tight and young , cassis with dark blackcurrant , cedar , tobacco and granite . Concentrated but balanced at the same time , gritty tannins , balanced acidity. Long and complex on the finish , with mineral , grafite notes . A great wine surely , this is so young and with huge potential. I suppose more impressive than enjoyable at this stage. This needs time in bottle, maybe come back in 5 years and will last a further 20-30 . — 5 months ago

Edward Nelson

9.4

Turkey Day wine while at Mike’s cabin. The Boy shot a button buck this morning. Best Turkey Day ever. — 7 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

1949 vintage (!!!). Very special half bottle, but more than half the volume lost to evaporation. Opened this gem at Totoraku yesterday to go with two full bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1996 and 1952 (!!). This Temple of Beef demands special occasion wines. Cork fell apart in the bottle so we poured it all in a decanter but did not wait to sip. Pale strawberry-orange color, surprising tart fruit nose, supremely delicate taste with just a bit of fruit and life left. Not the best bottle on the table but certainly not the undrinkable. Interesting experience. Would gladly do it again in the name of science. Oldest Red Bordeaux I have ever tasted. — 7 months ago

Paul J

9.4

Wow! Thanks to Steve K for sharing the retirement wine I got him. Decant for 3+ hours. Dark red color with ample bricking. Rustic, Bordeaux like on the nose and palate. Lost some depth but lovely texture and the age shows nicely. — 7 months ago

with Brooke

Caleb Krell

9.3

A little thin at first, but then got going after an hour or so being opened — 2 years ago

Paul Sombke

8.9

Incredibly smooth wine. Dry for a Pinot but great taste and no harshness at all. Fantastic. — 8 years ago

with Britini A.

Red Wine Lovers

9.6

Tart cherries, underripe strawberries, crunchy, ripping acid, crazy length. Juicy and delicious. Gamay at its best. Sans Soufre! — 11 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Leoville Barton is one of my favorite St. Julien producers and still one of the best values upon release of Left Bank Bordeaux’s. If my memory is correct, I think this was WS’s wine of the year a few years ago.

I haven’t had this since the release at UGC. It was so fresh then. It has definitely put on weight and showing some nice evolution. But, Anthony made his wines for the ages. This will rise 2-3 points with 20 years bottle age.

It is round and lush. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, blueberries, some creamy raspberries & dark cherries. Anise, light graphite, tobacco ash, leather, dark, rich earth with dry leaves, dry river stone, limestone marl, dark spice, dry herbaceous notes, hints of black olive, black licorice, dry stems, mix of dry & candied dark flowers, very nice round acidity and a well; balanced, structured, tensioned and polished finish that last minutes.

Would open this in 2032 and beyond. — 3 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Worth a check in at 10 years. Always an outstanding nose. Needed hours of air and still pretty shy, fruit in particular is closed. Paired with NY strip tonight. Have half a case left of this vintage and will check in again in a couple years. — 4 months ago

Tom Garland

9.2

Decant for sediment and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable murky magenta color with bricking. On the nose: beautiful nose of stewed black fruit/currants, floral, herbaceous, burnt embers, spearment. Taste: classic old school Napa, juicy, balanced, savory wine with dark cherry, baking spice, smoke, sweet tobacco and a nice long earthy cocoa finish. YUM! Drinks well at year 20 and glad to have another bottle. — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Jen

9.2

Still youthful at 1989. Excellent — 5 months ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.0

1995. Lost something. But sure. In great shape and historically lovely. What a treat — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.

Full bodied and elegant.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.

Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.

Robert Parker 95 points.

I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.

A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55. — 6 months ago

Paul T HB

9.7

Pre Lakers game at the Palms, — 7 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.3

Love this ‘18 Napa Silver Oak. Tasting it at the Alexander Valley winery makes it extra special. Subtle tannins, layers of red fruit. Luxurious. — 10 months ago

Meg Herring

9.4

Raspberries, lilacs, wet stone, earthiness. At first the body feels plush and bouncy but then you get bolts of acidity to balance things out. There’s so much depth and complexity. — 5 years ago

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.3

At the peak of perfection. — 10 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

A slightly medicinal note at the front. Good savory fruit. Mint and bloody iron plum. Lucid and distinctive. — 3 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Conrad Green

9.3

Dark plum with a hint of sweet butterscotch at the edges. Lovely purity — 4 months ago

with Paul

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 4 months ago

James Tang

10

Nebbiolo / 2019 / Fav One yet , longer you drink the richer it gets ; can buy at Eataly Vino — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Red & black fruit with notes of cedar, leather & tobacco. Open & seems to be at its prime — 6 months ago

Ira Schwartz

9.5

Finally lost my Heitz MV virginity. One word, wow. The mint-eucalyptus was there on the nose. A very powerful wine that smelled powerful and tasted powerful. Besides the mint , hints of earth & cigar notes but clearly in the background. I was having a hard time trying to grasp how youthful and balanced the wine was on the palate. I found the fruit was on the darker side with lingering tannins. I left this in the decanter for three days. The nose really never diminished, the palate grudgingly. If I had to nitpick I felt it was lacking some of the complexity that I would have expected at this stage. — 6 months ago

Vino Joe

9.3

Another try at this one after a few years and mostly the same result for me. Solid if not spectacular. It needed an hour to open and significantly improved but it was a less impressive mix of earthiness and mature fruit than I have been expecting based on reviews. — 7 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.2

Tasting Silver Oak at the winery in Alexander Valley. What a treat. The 19 is elegant and nicely balanced. Subtle tannins. — 10 months ago

Mono Head

9.4

Delicious delicious. Dark and rich. Well blended. Even at this age it will go several more years. The flavor is just amazing. The roundness is there. Yum. — 6 years ago

Leslie Lerude

10

Mystery wine. Zin? Love. It's a blend. — 11 years ago