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WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

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Oswaldo Costa

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WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by Oswaldo Costa » Fri May 14, 2010 8:06 am

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.
"I went on a rigorous diet that eliminated alcohol, fat and sugar. In two weeks, I lost 14 days." Tim Maia, Brazilian singer-songwriter.
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Jon Peterson

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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by Jon Peterson » Fri May 14, 2010 10:26 am

Thank you for your notes/thoughts on the 2003 LB. I first had LB with the 1989 vintage and ave been a fan ever since. I think I have some of the 03 but now I'll go to cellartracker ASAP to find out.
Last edited by Jon Peterson on Fri May 14, 2010 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by Jenise » Fri May 14, 2010 12:04 pm

Interesting. I don't think I have the 03 (I pretty much stayed away out of the vintage) so that's a moot point, but I am interested in your satisfaction measurement. Bob and I have a similar scale but for the exact opposite reason, if I understood you correctly: the more a wine amazes, the more we tend to languish over it.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by Oswaldo Costa » Fri May 14, 2010 12:10 pm

Jenise wrote:Interesting. I don't think I have the 03 (I pretty much stayed away out of the vintage) so that's a moot point, but I am interested in your satisfaction measurement. Bob and I have a similar scale but for the exact opposite reason, if I understood you correctly: the more a wine amazes, the more we tend to languish over it.


You did understand me correctly, and I am full of admiration for your restraint! So there goes my point scale down the drain...
"I went on a rigorous diet that eliminated alcohol, fat and sugar. In two weeks, I lost 14 days." Tim Maia, Brazilian singer-songwriter.
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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by Jenise » Fri May 14, 2010 12:43 pm

Oswaldo Costa wrote:
Jenise wrote:Interesting. I don't think I have the 03 (I pretty much stayed away out of the vintage) so that's a moot point, but I am interested in your satisfaction measurement. Bob and I have a similar scale but for the exact opposite reason, if I understood you correctly: the more a wine amazes, the more we tend to languish over it.


You did understand me correctly, and I am full of admiration for your restraint! So there goes my point scale down the drain...


I should probably define "amazes". The bigger the role aroma plays in what makes the wine amazing, the slower we drink. So wines on the more mature side tend to last longer than younger wines, which can be so helplessly gulpable.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by David M. Bueker » Fri May 14, 2010 1:08 pm

Unabashed Leoville Barton fan here. Unless they make some dramatic style shift I will always at least be tempted tobuy it. Whether I can afford to is another matter. I really like the '03, and that's saying something as I pretty much hate 95% of all 2003s from Europe.
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Re: WTN: Leoville Barton, from the vintage that never sleeps

by James Dietz » Fri May 14, 2010 6:12 pm

LB is my go-to Bordeaux. I have had a couple of bottle of the 03 and agree that it is very good. The 07 from half bottles has also been kicking. I have Jenise to thank for getting me to drink LB. So, I'll hang on to my mag of the 03 til I see you and we can all linger over it.
Cheers, Jim

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