Château Léoville-Las Cases Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

David Kline

Plummy, blackberry, dried currants, mulberry, lavender, cedar, tobacco and smoke. Smoky graphite and mineral opening with fully integrated tannins and overall cohesion. Lovely floral and berry mix with mulberry, cassis and currant, lavender, rose, and violet. Strong showing on a 38 year old wine. #chateauléovillelascases #léovilllascases #stjulien #bordeaux #deuxiemecru #appellationsaintjuliencontrolée #bordeauxrouge #1986

Bob McDonald

See previous note from 96 weeks ago where I said that I would drink the last one when my son Hugh was home from NY (born 1987) which came to pass last night. Overall not as impressive as the previous tasting but retains its silky tannin structure. Very dark in colour - opaque. Notes of cassis and pipe tobacco - overall dusty without the depth of fruit of the previous tasting. Just medium bodied. Tasting Book recommend a drinking window till 2035 which I would not agree with. Leads me to think I will be drinking my bottles of 86 Mouton sooner rather than later.

Jeff Loo

Best btl of the 86 LLC I’ve had. Showing well but easily another 20-30 years is not out of the question. Fragrant and complex all while retaining freshness. A beauty.

Bob McDonald

From the excellent 1986 vintage. Still dense in colour - a deep Ruby. Cedar cigar box dusty some tobacco, mint, a touch of menthol and remnants of black currant. Medium weight with inner strength. The proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. In total balance finishing with soft pliant tannins. Always with these old wines there is the trade off between losing the exuberance of youthful fruit versus the complexity and softening tannins brought by extended cellaring and hoping you pop it at the best time. I have one of these wines left which I hope to share with my son, Hugh (born 1987) and his girlfriend if they can get home from New York for Christmas this year.

Pascaline Lepeltier, MS

Master Sommelier, Wine Director Rouge Tomate New York

Extremely firm - Almost Pauillac like - a little vegetal in the finish increased its austerity

Doug Powers

Towering about the other 5 wines in tonight's blind tasting, massive redfruits, great acidity hides the massive tannins, great wine that seems close to first growth quality!!

Lewis Chester

1986 vintage. Chrismaka lunch at the house. Served after 3.5hr decant (which was probably a few hours short of what I would do next time round). Medium garnet hue - the only true sign of age I found in the wine. Strong pencil sharpening, creme cassis and smoke. Cedar. Very youthful. A lot of fruit. Amazingly youthful. Complex. On the palate, medium plus acidity and tannins - ripe. Medium alcohol. Medium plus concentration of flavour. Balanced. Very long finish. Depth and balance. This is so young still. Don't open for another 10+ years. Drink 2026-2056+. Wonderful potential, but still a baby. Is there a wine on the planet built for the long term better than Las Cases? NB: this is superior to the 1982 I had a month ago.

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

Every major holiday demands a celebratory wine. This Saturday Labor Day weekend, it’s a 1986 Leoville Las Cases. The other weekend, we had Ribcap’s with a good Bordeaux & Napa Cabernet but, it was not what I was looking for with an Allen Brothers Ribcap. Allen Brothers steaks are the top 1% of beef in the country. This 86 Leoville Las Cases started slow but, in short order excelled. The cork (not from my storage) made me hesitate to an extended decant. Even with the Durand corkscrew, it was a little tricky to remove the cork. However, the wine was still sound. My favorite pairing is a Ribcap & an old Bordeaux. For me, no meal is slower or better. I grew up the youngest in a family of seven...raised by a single mother. My father passed away while I was four months conceived. So, we ate fast and fought for every scrap. The nose reveals classic Bordeaux notes & style. Ripe, funky barnyard fruits of; cooked; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, black plum, dark cherries, slight dry cranberries, pomegranate, blueberries & rhubarb. Steeped tea, cola/red licorice, anise, golden brown to slightly burnt pie crust, dark, rich, turned earth, dry stones, limestone, cedar notes, old tobacco, underbrush, graphite, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, bay leaf, hints of eucalyptus/mint, old, soft leather, touch of mushrooms, just a hint of band-aid/va, with bright, fresh & withering; dark, red, blue, purple flowers framed is soft violets. The palate is; smooth, elegant, ripe and juicy. The 86 still shows some baby, slightly tarry & teethe tannins. The structure, tension, balance and length are incredible. This 86 has years of life ahead of it if you enjoy them at this age and older as I do. Ripe, funky barnyard fruits of; cooked; blackberries, dark cherries, black, strawberries, black plum, dark cherries, slight dry cranberries, pomegranate, blueberries, faint raspberries notes, & rhubarb. Steeped tea, cola/red licorice, anise, golden brown to slightly burnt pie crust, crispy toast, dark, rich, turned earth, dry river stones, charcoal w/ ash, limestone/sandstone, dry clay, cedar notes, old tobacco with ash, underbrush, graphite, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, bay leaf, some vegetal characteristics, hints of eucalyptus/mint, old, soft leather, touch of mushrooms, used expresso grounds, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha powder, hints of band-aid/va, with bright, fresh & withering; dark, red, blue, purple flowers framed is soft violets. The acidity is a gentle rain shower and perfect. The long finish defines elegance, balance in fruit & earth, well knitted and goes on for several minutes in perfect harmony ending with dry earth & juiciness over the top. What a treat it is to drink Bordeaux of this age & older. I love the style of 80’s Bordeaux and really appreciate the 12-13% ABV of that decade. Wish that never changed. Not sure this makes it to 2060 but, there is still plenty of life in it. Don’t be afraid to decant it 1-2 hours without question on well stored bottles. Photos of; Chateau Leoville Las Cases, old large wood vats, their archway you see as you enter the property from the D2 & staff working their Estate vines.

Eric L.

Lovely herb on the nose. Still had very nice fruit. The texture was very silky. Lovely!!

Todd W

Nose of earth, currants and leather. Big and tannic as one would expect for an '86 Bordeaux. Solid and enjoyable; preferred aromas more than flavors.