1998 Chateau Leoville Barton 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien

The 1998 Léoville Barton was ordered from the list at the 1925 Bistro in Bordeaux so we could raise a glass to Anthony Barton. This bottle seemed different from my last: more intensity on the nose, a mélange of red and black fruit, brown spices and cedar. The palate is not as light as I recollected; it's rather firm with saturated tannins and grippy with impressive density towards the finish. I was surprised at the backward showing of this, and as such, I believe it has greater longevity than I once estimated. Jan 2023

This opaque purple-colored, muscular, full-bodied, classically made St.-Julien displays impressive concentration, chewy, highly-extracted flavors of black fruits, iron, earth, and spicy wood, and a powerful mouth-feel. A pure, uncompromising, traditionally-styled wine, it is to be admired for its authenticity, class, and quality. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035. Readers seeking classic, muscular, extremely long-lived Bordeaux should always keep this outstanding classified growth in mind. It continues to sell for a price well below its intrinsic value.

This opaque purple-colored, muscular, full-bodied, classically made St.-Julien displays impressive concentration, chewy, highly-extracted flavors of black fruits, iron, earth, and spicy wood, and a powerful mouth-feel. A pure, uncompromising, traditionally-styled wine, it is to be admired for its authenticity, class, and quality. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035.

Full ruby. Bright, pungent aromas of cassis, kirsch and bitter chocolate. Dense, sweet and sappy in the mouth, with a strong mineral character. Finishes very firm and long, with ripe, mouthcoating tannins. Classic claret in the making, austere in the best sense.

Firm, structured, tannic, classic, austere and youthful, this needs at least a decade for the tannins to become civilized and catch up with the secondary nose that is developing. April 2016

Medium ruby. Very pure aromas of black cherry and licorice, with faint nutty and herbal nuances; comes across as distinctly riper than the Langoa. Dense and chocolatey, with sound acids and underlying minerality giving the flavors impressive clarity. Richly oaky. Finishes long, with big, ripe tannins. May 2001

Very minty, with blackberry and dark currant on the nose. Spicy too. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a spicy, floral and currant aftertaste. Solid and very pretty. Give it more time.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008).