Château Léoville Las Cases 1986

Firm and focused, with beautifully articulated currant, raspberry and nutmeg aromas and flavors; very supple for such a lean-textured Bordeaux. Approaching drinkability, but it can use until 2000 to soften. — Léoville Las Cases vertical. 30,000 cases made.

For the last two decades I have been perplexed by this wine. In that time it has not moved an inch. It is a wine that, on occasion, can show its promise but generally remains strictly behind closed doors. The colour is the first indicator; it looks like a five-year-old wine. The nose is phenomenally concentrated but offers very little other than ultra-primary black fruit and a touch of cedar. The palate is wonderfully smooth and phenomenally dense. This is an absolute tour de force of a wine that doesn't yet deliver the hedonistic pleasure that I hope one day it might. There is little doubt that all the elements are there for a legendary wine… I just hope I'm still around to see it if and when it finally opens up.

Having tasted the 1986 Léoville Las-Cases countless times, I wondered whether it would ever come round. The news is, it has, and it is beautiful. Stunning delineation on the nose, this has laser-like focus and breathtaking tension, very mineral-driven with touches of blood orange emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with those once rigid tannins finally softening, layers of black fruit laced with cedar and tobacco with a silky-smooth finish. Heavenly! Tasted at the "Judgement of Clapham Junction" dinner in London.

Full-bodied, structured, burly yet refined, it shows good intensity and weight, with an ever-present tannic backbone that defines the character of the wine. The style is quite classic. As I mentioned, it is still tannic, so either wait a decade or give it 2–3 hours of decanting.

Dark crimson garnet, DELICATE ochre rim, watery edge. On the nose attractive, sweet dark berry fruit, a touch of cedar and tobacco, nuances of blackberries, ripe plums, DELICATE hints of spices, dark minerality with some graphite. Very elegant and balanced, quite powerful, endowed with pleasant extracted sweetness, perfectly integrated tannins, fine chocolate echo, fresh, finesse, enormous length, mineral finish, has now arrived at the top. Should be enjoyed to the fullest now at its peak.