Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. The Langoa Barton has a very refine bouquet with blackberry, cedar, smoke and lots of dark plum that is all well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple chewy entry. Graphite tinged black fruit and fine tannins are there in abundance. It is quite masculine with a refined, very classic finish. This Langoa Barton is drinking well now. Tasted March 2013.

This is often looked at as the second wine of Leoville Barton, but it is actually a separate estate, producing wines that are slightly softer than the more formidably endowed and broodingly backward Leoville Bartons. The outstanding 2003, a softer version of the Leoville Barton, exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, sweet black cherries intermixed with subtle herbal notes, roasted meats, juices, and black currants. In the mouth, it is expansive, savory, round, and seemingly on a much faster evolutionary track than Leoville Barton. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15-18 years.