2005 Château Léoville Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux

Tasted blind. Healthy, deep crimson. Clean, intense nose. Lots of ripe, if slightly simple, blackcurrant fruit. Dusty end. No charmer! A mouthful of minerals. But there is life here, too.Drink 2020 - 2040jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (March 2017)

Deep ruby. The wonderfully perfumed nose offers cassis, minerals, tobacco, flowers, mocha and truffle. Bright, mineral-driven and concentrated, with a terrific underlying backbone giving energy and definition to the dark berry, mineral and chocolate flavours. A floral lift here is exhilarating to find in the very ripe 2005 vintage. Finishes very long and classy, with a firm tannic spine. This is an outstanding vintage for this wine.Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com.com (May 2008)

The 2005 Léoville-Barton is clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Powerful and strapping in the glass, the 2005 is a big, big wine. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of inky black fruit, new leather, spice, gravel, mocha and liquorice. The wine's sheer density is impressive, but its balance is even more compelling. I might be tempted to give this another few years in the cellar. Readers lucky enough to own it will find a thrilling, potent Saint-Julien that over-delivers big time. I loved it.Drink 2023 - 2045antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (April 2021)

This offers aromas of spices, dried dark fruits, meat and berries. Full and muscular on the palate, with strong tannins and a long, long finish. This is very powerful and chewy but a little bit tight. This is a wine for the cellar. Drink from 2018 onwardsjames_suckling, jamessuckling_com (December 2010)

Sweet, vanilla fruit, crusted black fruit. Appealing. Sweet, floral perfumed oak, good depth and ripe, very attractive with good length to balance oak.

Loville Bartons 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2015

What can you say about Anthony Barton? He has made yet another classic wine that will not be approachable for a decade but will last 50 or more years. The inky/blue/purple-coloured 2005 Leoville Barton offers up aromas of forest floor, cedar, spice box, black currants, background oak, and smoke. Boasting massive concentration, full body, and exceptional purity, but excruciatingly tannic and backward, this cuvee is meant for those with 19th-century tastes but exhibits modern winemaking's purity and precision. Patience is demanded with this beauty, as it will take many years to approach any level of accessibility/maturity. Anticipated maturity: 2020 - 2060+Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (April 2007)

The Château Léoville-Barton 2005 has a more multi-dimensional bouquet than the Langoa with blackberry, bilberry, a hint of “Liquorice All Sorts”, and crème de cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with dense ripe tannins, a gentle but insistent grip and superb delineation on the finish that reins the power back in, ensuring that this Barton is a linear classic in style. There is excellent persistence here – a Saint Julien from the top drawer that will give as much pleasure to you as your kids (once they reach drinking age, of course).Drink 2019 - 2050Neil Martin, Wine Advocate (February 2015)