One of the tasting groups I'm in decided it was time to check on Bordeaux's controversial 1986 vintage. When these wines were released most of the critics proclaimed it as a great vintage. It started falling out of favor when the years passed but the wines never seemed to open up - most continued to be tight, hard-edged tannic beasts. I'm happy to report that as these wines approach their 20th birthday they're finally becoming drinkable. Not necessarily wonderful, but at least drinkable.

(The founding member of the group had purchased all these wines on release and his cellar conditions are excellent. All the wines were double decanted about two hours before the tasting. Wines are shown in my order of preference.)

1. 1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The nose was earthy and stuffy at first but then opened up and displayed beautiful, expansive, fruity, ripe aromas with a strong lead pencil/graphite character. It still seems quite young in the mouth - I would have guessed 10 years younger - with plenty of black currant flavors and manageable tannins. This is one of those wines that reeks of class and elegance. [94 points]

2. 1986 Chateau Leoville Barton. The aromas are the best thing about this wine - it slacks off a bit in the mouth - and I liked this better than the rest of the group. Deep, rich fruit that smells a lot younger than it is. Whiffs of cherries, red licorice and shoe polish. This wine is very ripe and while it might not be mistaken for an aged California cab, it certainly doesn't scream claret. [92 points]

3. 1986 Chateau Pichon Baron. This was the most approachable wine in the flight and was the group's favorite. I thought it was the most feminine wine in the group and while it drinks well, there wasn't anything compelling about it: it's a simple, straightfoward claret that has reached it's peak. [90 points]

4. 1986 Chateau Pichon Lalande. This was the evening's moving target - it changed more often than a Vegas show girl. At first I didn't like it at all: it was dominated by that mushroomy character you sometimes find in older Bordeaux. Then it morphed into a lovely cedar closet with just the faintest hint of cherries. It was very Pauillac-ish in the mouth - lots of structure and a strong lead pencil flavor - but the fruit is mostly gone. Tough call. [89 points]

5. 1986 Chateau Haut-Brion. Vegetal, barnyard aromas were followed by a distinctly cheesy, lactic character. I'm making it sound worse than it was, but you really had to work at this to find anything to like in the nose. Better in the mouth. It tastes big and much younger than 19 years, but the flavors are all earth and leather - not a trace of fruit. Diehard Bordeaux lovers will enjoy this wine a lot more than those folks with California palates. [86 points]

6. 1986 Chateau Montrose. Closed and stuffy at first, gradually opens up to reveal some prune danish aromas before getting quite musty. Gritty tannins dominate the dense and thick texture. The fruit is long gone but there's still plenty of structure - this was easy to pick as a Saint Estephe. Hard edged, hollow and unloveable. [80 points - I was in a generous mood]

Richard

I have a case of the Mouton and haven't opened the first bottle yet. Everything I read says this wine is far from ready. How close to prime do you feel this is?

I thought it was delicious and enjoyed it thoroughly. When wine gets to be twenty years old I look at it in terms of the risk/reward ratio: how much better can it possibly get (probably not much) versus how much worse can it get if I wait too long (a lot!)

Having a case is a great luxury - open a bottle soon, follow it over the course of an evening and decide for yourself.

Richard

Thanks for the advice.