Chateau Leoville Barton (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2003

Professional Ratings

• 98 Wine Spectator
  Intense blackberry and cherry, with hints of currant. Toasted oak and sweet tobacco too. Roses and other flowers, such as lilacs. Full-bodied, with masses of tannins yet incredibly long and seductive. Best after 2012. 18,330 cases made. –JS
• 98 James Suckling
  This has intense aromas of souis bois, mushroom, flowers, spices and ripe berry tart. Full and very rich, with layers of round tannins and intense flavors. This is opulent and wild. So good for a baby but wait until 2017.
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  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+
• 95 Wine Enthusiast
  Somehow Barton has overcome the heat of the 2003 vintage and has come out with a new wine that is rich and elegant. There are generous tannins, ripe black currant fruits, balancing acidity, all in an ensemble that is so much more than the sum of its parts. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.