I have one bottle of 86 LLC. Being in my younger 60’s, I’m going to hold on to it and it may very well be 1 of the Last Bordeaux I drink from my dwindeling Bordeaux collection ! I will be opening 86 Montrose soon with some other Berserkers.
Many 82s have faded in the last 5 years or so, but then I get a very pristine example and I fall head over heels all over again.
We did a big 86 horizontal of top wines in 2008 and all the correct wines were thrilling. I think all 20 or so attendees felt the same way. It was early days too in their curve. The LLC was the one wine that I didn’t swoon for, it was primordial even next to the likes of Mouton and Cos, and it came across as blocky and even boring. It just needed time as Alfert’s recent bottle attests.
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I’ve had a fantastic run of 82s these last couple years. The only one that had faded was Meyney.
These are all gorgeous:
Mouton
LLC
La Mish
La Lagune
Magdelaine 3x
Haut Brion
Canon
Talbot
Ducru
Branaire Ducru
Bourgneuf was fading but quite elegant.
I know there have been others, but this is all I can recall right now.
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They might be making better wines across the board today Jeff, but they don’t taste like the 80s… Sorry brother
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I have to amend something I said earlier about the 1982 vintage. There was some discussion as to whether being such a large crop, the wines might have lost a little concentration.
I have tasted dozens of them, and with very few exceptions, they are still wonderfully aromatic and seem to have bags of time, and no lack of concentration. The successes are not only the wines you would expect, the classified growths, but many less celebrated names such Poujeaux, L’Estage, Senajac and Tour de By.
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I could be wrong (all you Bordeaux lovers look alike to me) but I thought you did not like LLC. For me, LLC has long been one of my favorite wines (probably my favorite non-first growth Medoc) going back to before I knew what vintages I was drinking. I really love the vintages you mentioned but my favorite of the vintages of this era is the 1982. I agree with your description of the 1982 as a primordial beast.
Some friends of mine and I did a small vertical of LLC in late September. I thought we were having the 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990, but after we finished those the host opened a magnificent bottle of 1961.
The 1961 started off slowly, but really picked up speed over about 10-15 minutes and was such a treat to drink. Really special.
See my notes below from the tasting.
Another vintage of LLC I really love is the 1996. Just a great wine, although the last time I had it the wine was still young.
In any case, some notes I wrote on Facebook of the LLC wines from September:
"With the beef main course, we had a LLC vertical starting with 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990, and then at the end having a 1961 by itself. All of these were fabulous wines and so remember that when I state my views. While they were all rich, I thought the 1986, which still has some tannins in it, was the most complex and complete of the first four wines and the 1990 was the richest. The other two were quite solid, but I thought the 1985 was a bit too soft (needed a bit more acidity) compared with the other three. [Note that I had a 1985 several years ago from a magnum that I thought was better, but if I had had the 1985 by itself I might have liked it just as much - it was a great wine in tough company.]
The 1961 has to be viewed in a different category. It is of a totally different generation and from a great vintage. We were a bit afraid how air would impact this wine so it was not opened until we were ready to drink it. Upon opening it (and before decanting it), it seemed a bit light and simple. However, within just a few minutes of double decanting the wine, it really began to open up and sing. Was this better than the other four wines, not sure. Was it absolutely fascinating to have a 60 year old wine that kept changing and adding different flavors - absolutely no doubt.
I have long been a Leoville las Cases fan and it was just a wonderful treat to have these five wines. I am very lucky."
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For more about LLC, see the notes from my good friend Panos Kakaviatos about a LLC tasting he put together in DC several years ago. High class, with Léoville Las Cases | Wine Chronicles (wine-chronicles.com)
My notes on that tasting can be found here. Marvelous tasting of Leoville las Cases last night - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
1986 Chateau Beychevelle was heavily smoke-tainted.
Joke aside, the wine was great. I don’t drink much Bordeaux, but when I do, I make sure it’s from the 80’s
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I don’t recall ever saying that, but then again, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, as Waldo says. Are you sure I did not mention Ducru? That is the château that I avoided for decades after the abysmal taint and performance in the 1980s.
Holy hell… What the hell are you drinking Jeff???
…83 is absolutely lovely.
And before I forget, never underestimate Chateau Meyney, in my opinion, one of Bordeaux’s greatest values. '85 is great but '86 is magic.
Yup. I started a thread a few years ago declaring the 86 Meyney the greatest QPR in the history of QPR. It is now well-settled law, with only Jeffois Leve in dissent.
I do remember you saying you don’t like Ducru - more than once I believe. But, I thought you also said that about LLC.
That was probably me. I have always admired Las Cases, but never really warmed to it. The quality is undoubtedly there, but with the exception of a few vintages they always seemed a little unfriendly. I did like the ‘85,’89 and especially the 1996, and have high hopes for the 2005.
Robert, you really should give Ducru another chance. The wines post 1995 are really made in a style you will love, and I can highly recommend a bottle of the 1996 if you want to try a mature one.
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No, I’ve started to come around, which started with your insistence a few years ago. I had the 1996 a couple of years ago with Marc Frontario, and did even out performed a 1988 Latour that day. I need to grab more of that 1996, but the pricing on that château really has gotten very high.
The price of Ducru is higher, and strangely the lowest priced super seconds Montrose and Pichon Lalande has not risen that quickly. The cheapest of all is Pichon Baron, but not sure that counts a super second.
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I’ve always considered Pichon Baron a super second
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Me as well. I’ve also always thought the 1989 is as textbook as they come. It is clearly the best Pichon Baron I have ever had.
Pichon Baron by their own admission think of themselves this way. I find a lot of similarity with Mouton in general. 89 is the best vintage of PB I’ve had as well, on numerous occasions, but I think you’ll find the 16 to be a worthy contender. 2010 is great too (tasted recently) but again is all primary power (and probably pushing your boundary for ripeness).