The Château Léoville-Barton 2005 has a more multi-dimensional bouquet compared to the Langoa with blackberry, bilberry, a hint of “Liquorice All Sorts” and crème de cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with dense ripe tannins, a gentle but insistent grip and superb delineation on the finish that reins the power back in, ensuring that this Barton is linear, classic in style. There is great persistence here – a Saint Julien from the top drawer that will give as much pleasure to you as your kids (once they reach drinking age of course).

Tasted single blind at Southwold. Again, this is showing a lot of extraction and unresolved new oak on the nose with cassis, blackcurrant, liquorice and a touch of fig. Very ripe supple black fruits, lush and generous, exotic almost with a lithe, toasty finish. Very seductive, but they a wall of tannins hits the back palate, then honeyed tones lingering on the aftertaste. Magnificent – I would love to contrast this against the 2003. Drink 2015-2035. Tasted January 2009.

– eRobertParker.com, Feb 2015

Léoville Barton’s 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #219, Jun 2015)

Dark, immature red; intense, cassissy nose, an attractive early bouquet; concentrated, firm, tannic wine, a long term, fairly muscular prospect; crisply ripe in fruit, plenty of juicy flavour there, but all within a very grippy tannic frame; fine fruit and excellent fruit persistence, but still severe. Good wine, but the character of the tannin detracts from what could have been rather special. One the chewier 2005’s. 2023-40