1979 Château Léoville Las Cases, France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien, Wine Review

A nice showing for this wine admittedly past prime but still offering up something worth drinking. Purple/brown in color with an orange/brown rim, mostly opaque and a bit flat. The nose has a lot of funk going on. Aromas of barnyard, dusty attic, macerated fruits but also a bit of black raspberries (dried and fresh) and some cigar tobacco. Medium bodied. Tannins all resolved. Strong acidity. On the palate, this has some depth and complexity. A bit of cassis along with dried fruits, earthiness and slight tobacco. Moderate finish. These need to be consumed soon. Better with food, it will work with a beef stew.

Grade:

B-

Score:

Vintage:

1979

Current Price:

$225.00USD

1996 Château Léoville Las Cases, France, Bordeaux, St. Julien, Wine Review

Vintage:

1996

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$375.00USD

This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc from the excellent 1996 vintage. Great showing. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and some mint on the end. Full bodied. Great velvety texture. Medium tannins. Perfect balance. On the palate, this is complex and deep yet still seemingly youthful. Delicious. Long finish. This drinks great on its own and would work well with all but the lightest foods. Deck breast would work very well. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.

1983 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru), France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien, Wine Review

Vintage:

1983

Score:

Grade:

What a treat. The cork was popped, waited ten minutes and decanted for sediment. This is classic old Bordeaux. Deep ruby in color with some bricking at the rim. The nose is great with cassis, cherries, tobacco, some funk and dried cherries. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, this is complex and delicious. Most likely past prime but not a whole lot. This bottle had been purchased on release and properly cellared. Flavors of cassis and cherries layered with dry earth and funk. Great balance. Nice finish. Drink now if you own any. A bottle like this will work with dinner but it

1961 Château Gruaud Larose, France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien, Wine Review

Vintage:

1961

Grade:

This has a different shaped ullage so saying low-shoulder fill is quite accurate. The fill was about four inches down from the top of the cork. The cork was removed and the bottle blew off stink for a bit and then we tried it. It did get a bit better over the subsequent 20 minutes before dying a quick death. Garnet in color, mostly clear and a bit flat. On the nose there is dust, saddle leather, dusty attic and just a hint of dried cranberries. Medium bodied. On the palate, there is just a hint of cherries with leather and earth. A bit tart. Clipped finish. There are surely people

1964 Château Haut-Bailly, France, Bordeaux, Graves, Wine Review

Vintage:

1964

Score:

Grade:

A-

1979 Château Latour Grand Vin, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage:

1979

Score:

Grade:

B+

Current Price:

$619.99USD

Part of a 40th Birthday party celebration. I am not sure if this was a great example of this wine, but the wine was sound if old and still with plenty of life left. Pop and decant for sediment, it took about 30 minutes to blow off the bottle stink. Purple in color, ruby/brown at the rim. The nose has leather, some funk, cherries and dried cherries and dust. On the palate, there is still some cherry fruit left. Also some underlying earthiness. A nice bit of acidity is keeping it lively without being over the top. Fades at the finish. It's always fun to drink older wines and this one

1979 Château Léoville Las Cases, France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien, Wine Review

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