2003 Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien

(95+ points)  One cannot admire enough proprietor Anthony Barton and his classic, potentially long-lived wines that are models of power, elegance, and longevity – in short, these wines symbolize what makes Bordeaux so world-renowned! Probably capable of rivaling the 2000, the uncompromisingly made, formidably powerful, masculine, and highly extracted 2003 has an inky purple color to the rim, a big, deep personality with a tight but promising nose of forest floor, creme de cassis, smoke, charcoal, licorice, and perhaps even truffle. It is layered, rich, and set for an exceptionally long life, but don’t expect to get a lot of joy even in this somewhat overtly styled vintage for at least another 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+.

Wine Advocate #164 Apr 2006