1986 Red Blend

The 1986 has wonderful opulence and fatness that is surprising to see, particularly in view of the tannic style of many of the 1986 Medocs. However, there is no doubting its ability to age well, as it has plenty of tannin. This... Read More

Tasted 7 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes - WA, RP (10/1994)

The 1986 Haut-Brion, which I thought should be fully mature by now, remains a backward, highly concentrated, powerful wine with more noticeable tannin than most top vintages. The wine does possesses a tell-tale smoky tobacco and... Read More

For L'Arrosee, this vintage has taken an atypically long time to round into shape. It has always possessed considerable power as well as a muscular, concentrated style and hefty tannin. Beginning to shed its tannin, it reveals... Read More

Powerful, magnificent, complex and rich, with generous black cherry, curran t and vanilla aromas and flavors shining through the tough tannins, turning a bit chocolatey on the finish. Has everything it needs to age classically... Read More

Tasted from my cellar, the 1986 has consistently been outstanding, falling short of being sublime. The spicy, peppery bouquet reveals aromas of dried herbs and red currant fruit. Medium-bodied, austere, but youthful, vigorous,... Read More

In contrast to the elegant, graceful, finesse-filled 1985 (which may turn out to resemble the classic 1953 in 15 years), the 1986 is a great wine, but so, so backward and tannic. This huge, dense, medium- to full-bodied wine exhibits... Read More

The 1986 Leoville-Las Cases, which Delon continues to believe is his finest vintage in the eighties (even eclipsing the 1982), still exhibits a black/purple color with no signs of age. The nose offers up aromas of exceptionally... Read More

This is a good rather than dazzling 1986. On close examination, the wine is excessively tannic without the fruit to soften and balance the wine's astringency. Moreover, the wine's mid-range palate is somewhat short, no... Read More

After stumbling over some wines I thought were high class Bordeaux, I nailed this wine in one of the blind tastings for this article. In most tastings where a great Bordeaux is inserted with California Cabernets, the Bordeaux... Read More

An extraordinary success for this estate (and also the finest wine they produced in the decade of the eighties), the 1986 remains extremely backward. It reveals an impressively saturated dark purple color, followed by a tight... Read More