Had the 2003 L. Barton last night. Was discussing 2016 bordeaux purchase options with a retired friend and wine buying buddy, now out of state, and he informed me he had 2 filet mignons ready for the grill and thought a 2003 Pontet Canet might be a good complement, as well as reinforce why he was spening all this money on current vintages. He inspired me, as I also had two filets waiting for the grill, and I grabbed a 2003 Barton. Now some of you may think way too young, but no, not to me. But admit full maturity has not occurred. Entry was silky with some spice (clove maybe) and black changing to red cherry fruit. Some leather and tobacco on the finish along with some fine tannins. Very long. I found this relatively youthful and think maturity may be 5-10 years away. But a wonderful wine now nonetheless. Went for a walk after the first glass with dinner, and my wife and I could still taste the wine 20 minutes into the walk. The wine did not budge in profile over the 3-4 hours we slowly worked on it.
thanks for the note. i loved this wine on release.
Great note. I have a few of these but have been reluctant to open one at this point, and this confirms that choice. I have had the 03 Pontet Canet though and I liked it a lot.
Both great wines! I would say that the Pontet Canet 2003 is even younger and more closed than the Barton 2003 to my taste…
My buddy reported that he was quite happy with the 2003 Pontet-Caney. About all he said was that it was seamless and only starting to develop secondary characteristics, with the fruit still quite evident.
Hi Jim! The '03 LB is a rock star in my book! It’s an a-typical wine for LB. I think that their rustic style and the ripe vintage pared rather well together. A few years ago I had all three Leoville’s side by side and the Barton came out on top…Las Cases last, by a wide margin. I’m also a big fan of the '03 PC…
Cheers!
Thanks. Been meaning to grab some of this.
I had an 03 L-B in 2016 that was fantastic. It was my first go with that vintage of L-B and I was enthralled. Much better than the very good 03 Pontet Canet I’ve had numerous times. Probably the best 03 I’ve had. But the price on the 03 L-B has gotten silly, so I’ve been unable to cellar any. .
Patrick you are better off buying and cellaring cheaper - and better - vintages of Leoville-Barton - like 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008. Or similarly, or lower, priced trophy vintages.
I am on a limb here but, in my experience, while the 2003 is a good wine, especially in the context of a vintage which produced a few horror shows, it is atypical and outclassed by the vintages listed above. This was plainly apparent at a vertical we attended a couple of years back, with Lilian Sartorius Barton. I remember her lamenting the challenging growing conditions in 2003, and suggesting that Asian, or was it Indian(?), food might be a good match for it. I was surprised by her almost apologetic tone, and I think the key difference with the other vintages of Leoville on show was that it lacked the impeccable poise and balance that is the hallmark of these wines. Like other 2003s, e.g., Ducru Beaucaillou, I find it surprisingly evolved too. The Langoas lack the complexity of the Leovilles but that is another story.
I hear you Ian. I’ve been looking for a bottle of the 03 partially as a chance to re-evaluate it, as I only got a small pour in a big line up the first time. It sure turned heads in that quick context, but I’d like to spend an evening with it before reaching any profound conclusions.
But given the price of the 03, I think other more traditional vintages are the smart play.
Let me know when you come in to NYC and we’ll open a bottle. I have a few in storage and have not had a taste since release. I’m curious, too, and want to drink some.
The 2003 LB is a terrific wine but still quite young and with a lot of evolution to do. (Pat, I think one of the times I had it was with you, I brought it to the BWE DC dinner). The one time I had a whole bottle over dinner it started out terrific but tightened up and got more closed/tannic over the course of the evening. It is one of the “big” vintages like 2000/2005 and not one of those more “classical” vintages like 1999/2002/2004 that is open and ready to drink right now. But it has so much to offer that it is still very compelling even today.
Agree that given the current prices you might do better with a “smaller” vintage, especially for current drinking. I am not buying any more now that the price has gone up so much. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a terrific wine.
Hey Ramon, I’m still trying to find an opening to get back to NYC but nothing concrete yet. I may try to get away for a just weekend in July if I can find cheap tickets, I’ll let you know.
Marcus, yes that was your bottle of the 03 LB I tried in DC (thanks).