TN: Ch Leoville Las Cases 1990

[Comte Flaneur]

"Lascivious" and "salacious" are words one does not normally associate with Chateau Leoville Las Cases. On the contrary, one normally associates words and phrases like 'austere", "puritanical", "stoical" and "self-flagellation" with this estate. The 2001 that Chris I drank in late March was so shut down and tight that...well I won't go there...but when I opened the 1990 tonight these words sprang to mind. It was like opening a box of Montecristo No 2s....very rich with sweet notes of rich tobacco (also Ramon Allones and Partagas) Bourneville (dark) chocolate, decandently rich chocolate cake and loads of lead pencil. On the palate it is very rich, full-bodied, expansive and low in acidity. I would not call it slutty but it does come across as promiscous and loin-girdingly and provocatively sexy. It reminded me of a hypothetical cross between Lynch 90 and Pichon Lalande 82, somewhere inbetween in terms of style and quality. It also reminded me a bit of the very under-rated Latour 83, but is much more flamboyant. This has always been the standout at LLC verticals I have participated in and it is easy to see why. You can drink this - and perhaps the somewhat more cerebral 1985 - with great pleasure whilst waiting for Godot - i.e., waiting for the the 1982 and 1986 to mature, if you are lucky enough to own all three.

[Claudius]

Comte,
I had a full case of this some years ago but alas it was sold off at auction as part of a divorce settlement...
Oh well.

[Comte Flaneur]

Shucks what a bummer. My ex took all my liquid financial assets but had the decency not to go after my wine.

[JimHow]

Had this at Miami '08, it was one of my wines of the night along with the '82 Gruaud Larose.

[Claret]

I bought a couple of bottles in a store in Princeton, NJ way back when and they are still resting in the cellar. The $50 that I paid then seemed a bit high considering the source, but it was a bargain in retrospect.

I was able to taste the 1988, 1989 and 1990 side by side at a retailer tasting when the 1990 was released and I ranked them 1989, 1990 and last but not least 1988. My lone bottle of 1986 has miles to go before opening.

Purchasing current releases is beyond my means these days.

Ramon Allones is my favorite budget Habana and sadly I have not had one for many years.

Glenn

[JimHow]

Interesting, Glenn, I would rate them 1990 first, 1988 second, and 1989 a distant third....

[Comte Flaneur]

So would I

The 1990 and 1989 are polar opposites...the latter is very backward and more classic in style...the 1988 is a wonderful wine.

I used to be of the opinion that the 1990 was the best LLC out there. Even though it is the most fun to drink I think it will be easily eclipsed by 1982, 1986, 1996 and possibly the 1995 too. And of course the 2000 and 2005 according to reports of how good they are.

As a hedonistic experience though the 1990 is almost on the same level as Pichon Lalande 1982, but is not as good. Another great LLC for current drinking is the 1999, which is much more foward than the 1998, 2001 and 2002.