Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2004
For the first time Anthony Barton supplemented the Chateau's traditionally short and severe winter pruning with some green harvesting to bring yields down to 58 hl/ha. The 2004 is a classic Cabernet-dominated blend that offers tremendously alluring fruit blossom aromas. The palate suggests flavours of crushed blackcurrant and cherry fruit, fastened by a core of fine ripe tannins, finishing on elegance and finesse.
critic reviews
The 2004 Léoville Barton is less opulent on the nose than the Langoa but offers a little more refinement and terroir expression. A touch of seaweed develops with time. The palate is fresh on the entry. It is one of the most saline Léoville Barton that gets the saliva flowing. It is classic old-school Anthony Barton with a judicious dab of black pepper and menthol furnishing the finish. Excellent.
This is an impressively endowed vin de garde that should age effortlessly for 20-30 years. How Anthony Barton continues to fashion uncompromisingly primordial Bordeaux that are always among the biggest and densest of all the St.-Juliens is beyond me, but he does it year in and year out. Moreover, when its time to set the price, he appears to have the consumer foremost in his mind. The 2004 is a classic Leoville-Barton meant for long aging. Concentrated, with loads of smoke, creme de cassis, forest floor, and earthy notes emerge from this impressive, but oh, so backward wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+.