Medium ruby garnet , garnet terracotta rim. Slightly sweet , roasted nose, with chestnut some sous bois , grafite , slight seaside hints. After a while a touch more herbal. On the palate quite stern dark fruits , mineral , grafite notes , quite dry tannin and ok balanced acidity . Reasonable length and sous bois , grafite tinged finish . This is still quite young though its appearance is slightly more advanced than the 1988 . Needs a decant and held up well over the 5 hours we had it open . Drink now and over the next 5-10 years. A little pedestrian overall and is outclassed by the superior 1988. — 5 months ago
This wine rocks. Gripping wine.
Raspberry and some black fruits. Very dense and structured.
Held up well with heavy Italian food
Softening with airtime. Around 3 hour mark - provides some interesting elegance with drying tannins.
A winner for the birthday queen — a year ago
Have held onto a six pack of these for several years but it’s not been long enough…super sparkly, like it’s a ‘24. Despite decanting two hours! Love the Rafanelli but needs a lot of age. — 2 months ago
Agree with others’ comments including “chewy” and “lots of tannins left” yet fruit-forward. Kind of reminded me of a Meritage. Very nice with filet. Held up well; needed a little time to open. — 5 months ago
1978 vintage. Great fill with a fully saturated cork. Used a Durand to remove and cork held up but big cork splinters shedding upon removal. Decanted and tasted over the course of an hour. Super silky, not chunky, sed. Light-medium body. Had to coax the nose out a little but revealed cassis, tobacco, dark plum, sandalwood and cherry pits. All these plus a slight, beef broth touch in the flavors. Not improving but can sustain another half-decade in this incarnation. Gorgeous, old BDX. Drink now till 2029. 12.8.23. — a year ago
Medium ruby garnet, still quite young looking , garnet rim . Quite sweet sous bois , with some spice , cedar and earthy cigar notes , almost liquorice hint. Touch smoky on the palate , with a more roasted red fruit hint on the palate . Quite rounded sweet tannin , balanced acidity and ok length . This is at the end of its drinking window apparently, still showing ok , and held up quite well in the glass , shows quite a lot of the warmth of the vintage . It reminded me of the 1990 in that respect, though is overall more complex and longer on the palate than that vintage . Drink now and over the next few years , I don’t see this improving from here. — 4 months ago
Medium garnet , medium wide garnet terracotta rim . Tobacco , sous bois , touch of ash and coffee . On the palate quite rounded but firm tannins , dark cassis , cedar , sous bois . Good acidity and medium grafite tinged finish . Overall a touch rustic in comparison to the other Leovilles , but this is drinking perfectly now , no rush however as this held up well in the glass,
so now and over the next 5-10 years — 7 months ago
Jason Chiu
Enjoyed with a Cantonese beef stew, dad's recipe. Decanted 3 hours before dinner and it still held tight graphite, cedar, and black fruit notes. A touch closed up or young right now, will revisit my next bottle in 5 to 10 years — 2 months ago