1998 - Leoville Barton, 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.

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.