1986 vintage. Sampled five bottles for a 1986 BDX tasting @ Mister A's in San Diego. Double decanted and tasted over four hours. Medium body. Pretty rustic early on and that stayed consistent till the end. Opened up a little later with a splash of bright cherry fruit. Should stay the course for another 5-6 years. 3.14.24 — a month ago
+2 hour decant(little fine/cloudy sediment). A brooding dark magenta color. On the nose: very aromatic notes..lots of blackberry, floral, pencil lead, wet forest floor, sweet oak. Taste: blackberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, herbs, pepper and a gravelly/new leather long finish with some still there kickin tannins. YUM! Gonna give my next bottle a few more years for a better score. — 2 months ago
The 1982 Léoville Poyferré is a vintage that I have not seen for a while. This bottle is splendid. It is Ferrous on the nose and offers wilted rose petals, asphalt and pencil shavings, now firmly into its secondary aromatic phase yet maintaining impressive delineation and freshness. Maybe a little rustic compared to recent vintages, yet charming. The palate is very well balanced, and there is a touch of Brettanomyces that would be understandable given the warmth of the growing season. Cedar and graphite flourish toward the finish. This is at a peak now, and as I averred before, I would drink these sooner unless you have larger formats on your hands. Tasted at Burns & German's dinner to celebrate The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide book at Medlar. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 3 months ago
1989 vintage. Tasted 5.5.23 (9.5), 4.4.23 (6 different btls-avg 9.4) and 12.9.22 (9.6). Above average fill for the age and impressive cork (about 70% saturated). Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Threw a decent amount of powdery sed. Medium nose slightly muted for the first 10 minutes or so but then came roaring to life. Yes, still the hallmark blueberries and cocoa powder along with a dash of raspberry but bigg graphite with this bottle. Drank consistently great for 1.75 hours, then seemed to lose a little steam at the very end. Not improving but still think cellar dwellers need to be popped in the next five years to enjoy the magic before it fades. 3.28.24. — 22 days ago
The 2005 Latour is a huge wine predestined for long-term aging. Noticeably deep in color, it has a showstopping bouquet with intense black fruit, graphite and touches of dried blood and tobacco as it considers moving into its secondary phase. But that's going to be slow coming...it's in no hurry. The palate is medium-bodied and unapologetically classic in style. I notice this bottle is a little grainy in texture, the salinity perhaps heightened as it enters adulthood. The finish has a tangible sense of tension, but it remains backward and swarthy. Immense. Tasted at Woo Cheong Tea House dinner organized by Paulo Pong. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2024)
— a month ago
1982 vintage. Great, upper shoulder fill. Long, aging cork fully saturated but removed with a Durand. Splintered a little upon removal. Decanted and threw less sed than expected. Decaying leather, cedar, hot gravel and lightly roasted button mushrooms in the nose. Light-medium/medium body. All this + some undying cherry and plum flavors mixed in amongst remaining tannins. More thrust and fruit than anticipated with expected structure firmly in place. Really beautiful specimen. Based on this bottle, can hold steady without dropoff for another 4-5 years. 1.12.24. — 3 months ago
Doug Powers
Lovely mature CdP, redfruits, nice balance, medium-long finish, starting to show just a little oxidation. — 7 days ago