TN: Ch. Leoville Barton (St. Julien) 1986

[dlo]

Brooding dark red colour but full of life and vibrancy. Earthy, cedary nose at first with a fair dose of barnyard, although this trait dissipates with extra breathing. A little later, cassis/blackcurrant fruit begins to rise immersing some of the rather feral beginning, giving the wine a degree of freshness and vitality I associate with quality aged red Bordeaux. The palate raises the bar a few notches. Still emphatically young and tight, brimming with blackcurrant, cedar and plum with the vintage thumbprint of firm but resolving tannins and lively acidity. Garners a substantial finish with wonderful balance and terrific sustain. This wine possesses enormous potential for greatness over the next two decades, although I must rate this bottle as the best (of many) I've tried over the last few years. 93 points.

[monghead]

Wow, this wine still seems so young at 24 years of age. Was it purchased on release and stored by yourself since?

Cheers,

Monghead.

[dlo]

Nope.

[pizzler]

It's good to hear the 86 is still holding out. I still have bottles of the 82 and 85 to drink!

[monghead]

Nope.

Reason I ask is did you get it from auction, and if so, how long ago? Will I be wasting my time (and money) with sourcing similar '86s from auction now? I guess I just don't want to end up with vinegar that costs 3-4 figures per bottle.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[dlo]

Fair enough, Mong. The last bottle of this I bought from auction was pretty tired. This bottle came from my deceased friend's cellar that was sold off by his widow about 2 years ago. It had been impeccably stored since coming out to Oz in a temperature-controlled container soon after release.

[Mike Hawkins]

Glad you had a good bottle. Last time I had it, like many Medocs from 1986, it was ruthlessly tannic.

Cheers

Mike