You know, the common consensus is that Leoville Barton is by rote, superior to Langoa, but the more my experience grows the less I think that is valid. This Langoa Barton 2004 is just divine with a lifted blackberry, tobacco and menthol-tinged nose with cedar becoming more pronounced with aeration. Wonderful definition. The palate is full-bodied with surprisingly grippy tannins, certainly retaining its masculinity that it showed at primeur, but as I intimated back then, the elevage added some flesh and weight to this wine to leave it with a dense, supple, slightly meaty finish. Lovely! Drink 2012-2020. Tasted November 2008.

Another sleeper of the vintage from this somewhat under the radar step-child of Anthony Barton’s more famous Leoville Barton, the 2004 Langoa Barton exhibits deep, concentrated, chunky, black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of forest floor and aged beef blood. This impressive, full-bodied, powerful, ageworthy St.-Julien is atypically backward and brooding. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025+.

Good medium ruby. Very ripe aromas of black cherry, dark berries and dark chocolate. Dense and fine-grained, with sappy flavors of black cherry, minerals and leather. Finishes with substantial but rather fine tannins. Am I underrating this?