Chateau Leoville Barton 2005

WEINWISSER: "Dunkles, tiefes Granat mit violettem Schimmer. Nobles, feines Bouquet, viel schwarze Kirschen. Edelhölzer, Zedern, sanft tintig im Untergrund. Im Gaumen viel Stoff, ausgeglichene Adstringenz, sehr guter Rückhalt, fleischige und asketische Tannine, viel Reife verlangende Gerbstoffe im Nachklang, Schwarzschokobitterkeit. Ein grosser Wein, Kraft und Finesse vereinend, mit tollem Potenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Power and elegance merge effortlessly in this superb wine. Its pure black currant fruit is tightly coiled, supported by just the right amount of firm tannins. Great aging potential. A triumph."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This offers aromas of spices, dried dark fruits, meat and berries. Full and muscular on the palate, with strong tannins and a long, long finish. This is very powerful and chewy, but a little bit tight. This is a wine for the cellar. Don’t touch this until 2018."

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2005 Léoville-Barton is clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Powerful and strapping in the glass, the 2005 is a big, big wine. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of inky black fruit, new leather, spice, gravel, mocha and licorice. The wine's sheer density is impressive, but its balance is even more compelling. I might be temped to give this another few years in the cellar. Readers lucky enough to own it will find a thrilling, potent Saint-Julien that overdelivers big time. I loved it."

WINESPECTATOR: "Delivers breathtaking aromas of blackberry, currant, licorice and flowers. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and supersilky tannins. Dark chocolate, currant, berry and licorice follow through. This is racy and beautiful. Best after 2015. 20,375 cases made."

DECANTER: "Powerful and compelling, this blend of nearly 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot with a suggestion of Cabernet Franc was slow to open but with time produced polished aromas of red and blackberry fruit with hints of graphite, leather, and smoke. The texture is firm and tannic, but there is enough density to make it all work exceedingly well—one of the pleasant surprises of the tasting. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, tolle Deckung, violette Reflexe, in der Nase suggestive Fruchtsüße, zarter Dörrobsttouch, Honig, Nougat, ein Hauch von Gewürzen. Am Gaumen lebendig strukturiert, kraftvolle, süße Tannine, zeigt eine gute Länge, sehr gutes Entwicklungspotenzial, wirkt enorm mineralisch und ernsthaft."

WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Espresso bean, cassis, spice, earth, cedar and tobacco open the nose. With a serious tannic backbone that demands more time in the cellar, give this powerful, structured, masculine wine another 5-10 years to soften and become fun to drink. It’s going to be worth the wait."

WINEADVOCATE: "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."

ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Healthy deep crimson. Clean, intense nose. Lots of ripe if slightly simple blackcurrant fruit. Dusty end. No charmer! A mouthful of minerals. But there is life here too."