Chateau Beychevelle 1986

WINE SPECTATOR: "Remarkably complex with rich, concentrated, tannic currant, spice and anise flavors, wrapped in smoky, cedary oak that gets tastier with every sip. It's best to wait until this one can fully develop, in 1997 or '98."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, dunkler Farbkern, violetter Rand. In der Nase zunächst recht balsamisch, nach Bouillon, süßes dunkles Beerenkonfit, ätherische Nuancen, etwas Eukalyptus und Minze, hält im Glas mit Luft sehr gut an. Am Gaumen elegant, salzig-mineralische Komponente, gute Komplexität, saftig und süß, mit feiner Beerenfrucht im Nachhall, frisches Finale, hat noch gutes Reifepotenzial."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The years have been kind to this wine, as the tannins have become subdued and integrated, giving the wine structure along with lift, ripe, juicy cassis and a distinctive cigar box note that really works. Medium/full bodied and just entering its prime time window, this is a great example of classic Bordeaux."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 1986 Beychevelle, which I tasted from magnum at the château, has what you might describe as a light-hearted nose with joie-de-vivre. Even from a larger format, among many 1986s tasted, this is one of the most approachable with wild strawberry, mulberry, cola and graphite aromas that unfurl in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with spice and clove on the entry. It comes across as fleshier than I was anticipating and atypically for the vintage, tapering towards the finish. Arguably rustic compared to some of its Saint Julien bedfellows, it nonetheless has charm and a sense of classicism. Tasted July 2016."