Chateau Leoville Barton 1998

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "This opaque purple-colored, muscular, full-bodied, classically made St.-Julien displays impressive concentration, chewy, highly-extracted flavors of black fruits, iron, earth, and spicy wood, and a powerful mouth-feel. A pure, uncompromising, traditionally-styled wine, it is to be admired for its authenticity, class, and quality. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Firm, structured, tannic, classic, austere and youthful, this needs at least a decade for the tannins to become civilized and catch up with the secondary nose that is developing."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Very minty, with blackberry and dark currant on the nose. Spicy too. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a spicy, floral and currant aftertaste. Solid and very pretty. Give it more time.—´88/´98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010. 22,000 cases made."