2/23/2024 - 2ndvinwine Does not like this wine:

No sediment in the bottle, bright ruby color.

Bright violets, dark chocolate, cherries, and raspberries on the nose. Faint nose of mushroom to start, forest floor, then moss.

Long length of flavor, but not a very pleasant flavor. Tart under ripe cherry on the pallet. Medium tannins. slightly tart cherry, followed by leather, the ending is tart and the aftertaste tightens the pallet.

It got better and less tart after 90 minutes of decanting, but we finished the bottle so I cant tell you the flavor change after the first 90 minutes.

6/10 - wildly underwhelming for a second growth Bordeaux.

12/11/2023 - Nutty08 wrote:

Not sure about this one. Nose and palate are typical. Black fruited, well poised with a little vanilla, coconut, and currants. On the finish this becomes quite dry and austere with a short clipped finish. My wife (without any prior knowledge or bias) said it’s “off” but wasn’t sure what. I found this perfectly drinkable but maybe not up to the typical MB standard (which is very high).
--Night 2, well, maybe it's a bit better? Seemed to fill out a bit on the finish but still seems a bit thing and "weird" with a coarseness that seems atypical. Bumped a point to 90

12/8/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

So very interesting and I which I had more time with it. Lovey berry fruit, red fruit highlights. Comes across as rather elegant and seamless with just a hint of white pepper. Almost seems like there is cinsault in the blend. Lighter on the palate than expected--but by no means is this lacking concentration or energy.

10/1/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Terrific Chianti. Red fruited with a crystalline quality to the fruit. Fine if somewhat astringent tannins. Really fantastic at this point. Will
Soften and deepen but great with pasta at this stage.

2/3/2023 - Nutty08 wrote:

Rather roasted with a coffee element to the fruit. There’s some maturity with cedar spice and tobacco elements trying to come out but I found this heavy and lacking freshness. Tannins still well behind the concentrated fruit, with some astringency, but does has a nice velvety texture.
I’ll likely hold my remaining bottles but don’t care for the flavor profile at this stage and hope for the best.

3/19/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Light crisp red strawberry fruit with a strong savory element. Quite elegantly structured. I like where this is at.

1/23/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

I like it--but man is it structured and firm. Has a nice core of blue and black fruits with some fine red fruit on the aromatics. Fine flinty and graphite on the nose giving a a subtle Graves-like profile. But this has big time Napa fruit it's just behind a wall of (high quality) tannin. Decanted and followed over 5hrs. Needs 3-4 more years.

12/31/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Needed a few hours air to wake up then showed a terrific nose. Extraordinary flamboyant nose of boysenberry and black currants. A little cedar spice and flint. Palate is very concetrated with wonderful purity of ripe fruit. Tannins stick out a bit on the finish and are rather coarse. Lengthy finish. Excellent Napa cab here—maybe could still use a few years to integrate and soften.
Really improved with air. Has a more liquor like character to the fruit but the tannins softened and complexity seemed to deepen.

12/18/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Lovely mix of blues and blacks. Quite polised, but firm tannin in balance. Quite exquisite and even elegant highlight with concentrated restrained fruit profile. Really enjoyed this.

12/1/2022 - Nutty08 wrote:

Definitely a tale of 2 bottles. First was brown ans oxidized despite no flaws to the cork. Second had a vibrant ruby color and was appropriate—but had a strong reductive character that overwhelmed the nose and palate. With a quick decant this improved but did not completely resolve. Some nice red fruit buried in the flint and matchstick notes. Fine tannins. While not a flawed bottle was rather disappointing. Will update if better on night 2.
On jight 2 this was typical, with floral red fruits but still a little watery on the mid palate and lacking concentration like my last bottle a couple years ago.

9/5/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Followed over 2 nights. Had a terrific bramble with red and blueberry fruits mixed with some cedar spice mixed in. Lovely balance. Much less oak influence than a recent Geyserville. Has much upside.

8/14/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Nice classic profile. Has a little herbaciousness to the fruit which added some lift and complexity. Coarse tannins compared to the lineup today— I wish there was a little less oak but it may come into balance with some more time in bottle.
Better on night 2

8/1/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Fine nose with flint and back cherry notes. Hasn’t yet developed tobacco leaf notes. Palate intense and accessible with early maturity on the attack. Fine mild tannins—but I have to agree with others that this hollows out on the mid palate after the attack and the finish is fine but not thrilling. A little underwhelming for a classified growth. May fill out with time but could just be the vintage.

7/16/2022 - Nutty08 wrote:

Unfortunately mildly corked. Seems to have nice fruit underneath.

4/17/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Explosive nose with crackling pepper and spice notes. Palate is fine, narrow, quite fresh but nice mix of red and blue fruits. Long peppery finish.

4/15/2022 - texaswinelover wrote:

Took a month off to let my liver reset and this was my 1st bottle since the respite. Delicious. Rich, earthy, feral. But clean and refined.

3/16/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Elegant refined Zin field blend with rather soft and very fine tannins. Mix of blues and blacks envelopes the structure. Very long finish. A unique, elegant and restrained with a remarkedly refined structure. Great stuff.

12/27/2021 - Nutty08 wrote:

Aromatic with a mostly tertiary loam, cedar, and leather nose. Mostly tertiary palate, primary fruit seems long gone. Finish is short, clipped, finishing with an iron/iodine note. Mature wine, that seems a little past peak to me. Even more tired on day 2. Even so this is still elegant and charming and perfectly fine with prime rib. Just doesn’t have the complexity of some others. But it does have soul.
(Given other more experiences taster who favor this being an off bottle, will withhold score)

10/17/2021 - Nutty08 wrote:

Thrilling young bdx. Already very aromatic with leafy notes mixed with the dense black fruit notes. Mild tannins and great length. Really impressive.

9/1/2021 - diggydan wrote:

There's an awful lot of oak barrel in this still. Is "structured" a code word for "oak"???

5/1/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Exotic expressive nose, tons of black currants but some red cherry and rose highlights as well. Dense, very concentrated palate that's quite driven, but very focused and nuanced. Showed mostly black currant profile. Tannins are quite prominent, but ripe and polished, quite fine. Velvety texture and light touch despite the depth. Amazing persistent finish. Really grips the palate so what seemed like minutes at a time. This is the real deal.

6/26/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

As good a young bdx as I’ve ever had. Very accessible in it’s youth with a generous amount of dark plush crystalline fruit. Has considerable depth with a fresh chalky spine. Nose is expressive and quite delineated. Surpassing how fresh and light this is for such a ripe precocious wine. Doesn’t have the magic of aged bdx but really enjoyable now. Tannins come in on the back end but very fine and rather softly textured. Just a hint of vanilla on the nose, otherwise oak well integrated.

Didn't change much on night 2, though the nose was a bit more shy. Powerful dark fruit with a cashmere texture and fine tannins on the back end. This wine seems to be all about the fruit at this point. Yes, this is "glossy" and "sleek" with a modern feel--but it's not overdone at all and retains its "soul" and terroir.

4/17/2021 - Motz wrote:

Suave and feminine stylistically, offering considerable elegance. Seemingly a lighter vintage, yet the quality of fruit stands out. The bouquet and profile deliver pepper, charred earth, herbs (including tobacco), coal, and intriguing meatiness.

On the downside: TOO MUCH OAK!!! Damn! The heavy lumber treatment detracts from the wine's considerable subtleties.

Not an extended ager, though a few years in bottle will round it out. Drink by 2030 or so. 92-93.

5/1/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Pretty tight despite 4hr decant. Tannin are prominent, but a bit coarser than the Macdonald. Mostly blue and back fruit—but the blue fruit note is distinct, as is a fine nuanced cab herbal streak. Great persistence on the finish. Impressive stuff, though the '17 suffered in comparison to the polish and poise of the '16's.

4/13/2021 - cos65 wrote:

Deep ruby black, rather smoky aromas, bordering on acrid. Some slightly sweet, briny flavors that my tasting companion described as salted cucumber.
Decent weight, nice feel, just some odd notes that left me a bit confused. Judgement reserved.

5/15/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Surprisingly muted note. Brilliant Rudy color. Shows a bit of eucalyptus and clean red fruit notes with some loam and barnyard notes. Fine somewhat angular tannins and medium finish. If I didn’t know the producer I would say this probably won’t get better—but knowing this a slow aging bdx I would guess this will develope the expected maturity and aromatics in a few years. Still, not a great vintage for Leoville Barton.

5/14/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine:

Decanted three hours. A little shy but a very pretty nose. The palate is stunning with flavors red cherry, mint, a little tar and herbs. The wine is satiny, well balanced and Burgundian. This is an early phase of maturity and will have a long life ahead of it.

5/6/2021 - racerchris wrote:

Hard on opening. It took a while to soften on the second night.
Never much fruit. I imagine this will be better in 4-5 years.

5/1/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Flamboyant exotic nose, showing some “sweetness” to the fruit notes. Blackcurrants with red berry highlights. Love the elegant ripe polished tannins—awesome texture on the palate. Finely crafted and balanced. Very persistent finish. Great stuff. Everything in balance. A seamless cab from start to finish. Just a hint behind the '16 Macdonald.

4/2/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Splash decanted and tasting outside. Really showed well with ripe currants and red fruit highlights and strong leafy herbal notes underneath. Lengthy finish. Very impressive.

3/22/2021 - jviz wrote:

Suckled again! I bought a couple of these at a good price based on the rating from JS. Now, I don’t drink much brunello and often miss it when blinded, so take this with a grain of salt; but if this is anywhere close to a 100 point wine, I’ll eat my hat.

PnP over a couple hours in a Grassl Cru. Medium ruby, with red cherry and leather polish. Aromatically a bit closed with bright red fruit on the palate and chewy tannins on the finish. Nice balance and lift argue that this will blossom as the tannin shed.

Is it flawed in any significant way? Nope
Will it improve with age? You betcha
Is it a particularly compelling Sangiovese? Not in my book

7/30/2017 - Nutty08 wrote:

This was rather sullen and closed for the first couple of hours. Later, showed some bright red fruits with a bit of roasted character. Red fruit profile and acidity come across like it's Sangiovese (apparently it's not) Not quite to expectations given the price and pedigree.

1/9/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Beguiling intricate nose that only mature bdx can deliver. Pipe tobacco, smoke, and mint of mint. Some bricking on edges. Tertiary fruit on palate, but reasonable depth. Only on the finish where there’s a clipped metallic note do you get a clue this is on a slow downward slope. Solid 30yo bdx. Time to drink.

12/31/2020 - Nutty08 wrote:

Served blind, initially thought this was ripe CA Pinot, but eventually redirected to sanity. Nose is rather refined, floral, with dried, somewhat aged red fruits and mild spice notes. Some cedar wood. Palate is smooth, mostly integrated, liquor quality, and finishes with a distracting metallic note that's slightly bitter. I assume this character is from some unintegrated whole cluster. Overall it's a nice wine, but shows a rather ripe/warm profile and less complexity than expected for a wine of this pedigree/cost.

12/30/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

High tones red fruit highlights with spicy brambly fruit. Polished and seamless, with taught acidity on the palate. Energetic Zin with good depth.

12/25/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Decanted 3hrs. Very taught and focused. Has a red fruit focus but dark “bramble” fruit underneath. Polished fine tannins—“dusty” is an apt description of texture. Energetic, focused— quite refined with impressive complexity. Needs time obviously but the uniqueness for Zin here is obvious.

12/20/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Picked up at Costco, no pretext. Expressive wine, pure red cherry fruit. Some earth mixed in on the nose. Solid Pinot, no idea if it’ll age, but delicious now.

12/15/2020 - Nutty08 Does not like this wine:

Odd wine. Very grapey and smooth, with little varietal character or definition. There’s just a bit of herbal spice and pepper to remind you it’s Cab Franc, but messy undefined palate is the antisisis to a typical cut, narrow acidic palate. Seems unusual for this producer (though my experience is limited)

12/13/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Followed over 2 nights. Damn it needs air. Very structured, but the tannins are quite fine if strong. Very concentrated fruit—but fresh with some lavender notes with typical currants, hint of herbal cab complexity. Oak well in check. Hard to get a good hold on at this point. Needs some years to settle. Best to hold. Pretty serious wine for “entry level”

10/3/2020 - timothynbond wrote:

Decanted two hours before tasting. Deep inky purple with long legs. Overwhelming oak aromas even after the decant -- especially caramel sauce but some vanilla as well, maybe a blueberry muffin. It was like walking into a bakery. At the three hour mark some dark fruit was finally able to poke through. Fairly tannic without much acidity and little to no fruit on the palate. The flavor profile was tar on the front turning to wet gravel mid. The lack of acidity and fruit made this feel very harsh; my wife described it as rustic -- something for the cold winter months with root vegetables and stews. Was a nice complement to the dry aged ribeye we were having but not particularly pleasing on its own. Overall it was fine, but very disappointing relative to expectations.

9/25/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Light red cherry character with bright acidity. Strong tannins still but seems to lack concentration on the mid palate. Needs some time to develop aromatics and should be a nice elegant wine—but lacking concentration and energy of “better” years.

Showed much better on night 2. More red cranberry fruit. Less structure.

9/17/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

This showed well almost immediately. Black fruits with distinct red fruit highlights. Plush, rather soft on the palate, just a faint hint of tannins on the mid and late palate. Mild flint and smoke on the nose. Finish is soft, caressing, and chocolatey. Hit the spot tonight. Probably has the structure to age even if rather hidden behind the fruit on this night.

9/18/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Looks like I purchased on release. Sandalwood nose, with a bit of tobacco leaf. Shows a little iron and blood on the palate along with with provincial notes—but notably these elements are rather muted on the nose. Palate was rather soft and plush on entry, fine mostly resolved tannins. Leans toward dark savory fruit, lacking a bit of energy. This bottle was not as strong as my last, and the relative low acidity on the palate seems to imply a shorter lifespan than some other vintages. However, this is well crafted, elegant and seamless—distinct contrast to the more savage and muscular vintages.

8/16/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Still pretty tightly wound. Wasn’t giving up much but had a nice core of cherry fruit and upfront acidity. This has nice “bones” but isn’t giving up too much. Has a little
deeper fruit but also larger scaled acidity and structure compared to the other ‘12’s. Best to bury this one.
Better on night 2. Showed more depth to the fruit and a nice forest note. Seemed to be at an awkward phase, still best to hold.

10/27/2017 - Julian Marshall wrote:

Another disappointing 2005. Thin, still quite tannic, with hints of fruit drowning in a bitter finish. Hopefully this will improve but the lack of intensity of the fruit does not bode very well.

7/14/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Still not sure about the 11’s. Maybe in an odd spot, but always seem to show rather mature fruit, mostly savory elements at this point. No primary fruit left. Color with a little browning—but gains significant lift and elegance with air. Nose is where it’s at, quite floral and elegant, with rose and savory earth character. Palate while fresh, is a bit thin and lacking complexity. Not sure if this will add depth, but time will tell. Drink or hold.

7/4/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Couldn’t think of a better American wine for July 4th. Exceptional young Napa cab. Have it a 3hr decant and it was killed quickly. Very concentrated, leaning towards black currant profile with some cool blue fruit highlights. Palate is silky, very polished with very fine tannins that only come out on the finish—and they are considerable but balanced and incredibly fine. Hints of charcoal on the finish. Certainly performs at the price level. Drink or hold.

5/29/2020 - Nutty08 wrote:

Given a couple hours air. Really showing a ton of oak at this point. Strong coconut notes with drying oak tannins on the back end. Nice fruit though, black fruit, with some savory notes adding complexity. Needs some time to integrate.

Wow! What a transformation on night 2! Oak has receded. Now showing a rather elegant floral nose of red fruits. Quite elegant. Tannins more in check. Now we’re talking! Best to hold or extended decant. Bumped 2 points.

4/15/2020 - Nutty08 wrote:

Followed over 2 nights. Came across as monolithic and heavily oaked. Fruit was concentrated, darker profile, with a silky texture that dried out on the back end with tannic structure. Not a lot of texture or depth on the palate and just a hint of heat on the nose. Seems like the parts were there but out of sync at this point. I generally like the bottling--but usually open when older. best to wait.

5/8/2020 - texaswinelover wrote:

Wow. Killed a baby today. Years and years to go in this delicious, clean fruited, subtle beauty. Balanced perfectly. Lingering clean finish. Will only get better.