Chateau Leoville Barton 1996

WEINWISSER: "Sehr tiefes, dunkles Granat-Purpur, wenig Reifetöne. Mineralisches Bouquet, Putzfäden, Schweiss, Erdöl, darunter schwarze Beeren, Backpflaumen, Nasenbild mit viel tiefgründiger Grösse. Im Gaumen fest und fein, elegante, stützende Adstringenz, viel schwarze Beeren, Teer und Lakritze, nachhaltiges Finale, noch ungestüm und mindestens drei Jahre von der ersten Genussreife entfernt."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 1996 Leoville Barton is deep brick-colored. It gallops out of the glass with powerful, classic scents of blackberry preserves, dried mulberries, and tobacco leaf, with hints of cedar chest and crushed rocks, plus a waft of wild sage. The light-bodied palate has a sturdy backbone of chewy tannins and a lively line to frame the impactful, mature, Cabernet flavors, finishing long and lifted."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 1996 Leoville Barton appears more youthful than the 1996 Langoa Barton in the glass with a healthy deep garnet core. The aromatics unfurl gracefully in the glass revealing briary, wild hedgerow, black truffle and sandalwood scents -- firmly in secondary aroma stage but with appreciable presence and intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin that form its firm and classic structure, spice, white pepper and cloves infusing the slightly animally red berry fruit. This is an adorable Léoville Barton that is occupying a very "happy" place at the moment -- superb precision, old school claret at its best. Decant for an hour no more, then enjoy. Tasted July 2016."

FALSTAFF: "Mittleres Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, breitere Randaufhellung. Zar karamellig unterlegtes rotes Kirschkonfit, feine Kräuterwürze. Ein Hauch von Pflaumen. Mittlere Komplexität, eleganter Körper, eher rotbeeriger Touch, eine Spur zu weitmaschig, es fehlt etwas an Länge."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Tannic, young and slightly on the austere, masculine side of the style range. The nose offers secondary notes of tobacco, earth and cedar, but on the palate the wine is still young, crisp and tannic. Give it another 5 years and it could soften. But it will always be a beefy, traditional style of Bordeaux wine."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Wild berries on the nose, with an exotic flower undertone. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. Gorgeous red. Give it time.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective."