2003 Léoville Barton St. Julien 13.0%
Circa 2005, Michel Lafarge said he thought his 2003s would never close down. That really stayed with me, not only as the single positive about the most maligned vintage of all geek time, but as a clue towards understanding this most mystifying puzzle which is closure, a hazard that I don’t think is found, or would be tolerated, in any other artifact/commodity/merchandise.
Though I find the fringes of wine more interesting than the mainstream, every now and then it’s good to pull out a Bordeaux, as if to recalibrate the center compass. But if I don’t want to dip into my few choice oldies, or drink my slumbering newbies, 2003 beckons. But at what acidity price?
This LB had all the elegant cedar, plums and leather aromas. Classic Gironde comfort. The moderate alcohol level suggests earlier than average picking and, indeed, the acidity is clear and present, quite vibrant. The balance with fruit is excellent, the tannins are still a little young and raspy, the oak is unobtrusive, and the alcohol well integrated. Everything both strong and delicate. What’s not to like? Well, the main excitement came from finding an exception to the low acid rule. The wine seemed practically perfect in every way, just not more than the sigma of the parts. It took us the better part of two hours to finish the bottle, when a Morgon or Chinon, or any level of Burgundy, usually takes way less than an hour. Many of us dislike point scores, finding them useless or worse, but the reciprocal of consumption time might be the sincerest (and most objective) form of flattery.