For starters, popped open a 1998 Gazin (375ML). This took a while to open up. On release, this wine had a screaming nose of green coffee and black fruits. It’s in a transitional place now; it serves as a testament to the importance of picking the right time to open a bottle. Kind of oaky, not very interesting on the nose, nice balance and lots of stuffing though. More mid-palate richness and longer finish than either of the two wines to follow – I expect it will be good but needs a few years.
2002 (750ML) vs 2003 Leoville Barton (375ML)
Color: The 2002 looks its age. No purple left but no bricking. The 2003 looks a good 4-5 years older. It is starting to show some bricking and has a lot more sediment.
Nose: The 2003 is non-descript on the nose and does not show the praline quality often apparent in 2003s. Touch of heat – as much CdP as Northern Medoc on the nose. The 2002 has a much cooler-fruit profile and is more apparently Cabernet than the 2003. There’s a little currant bush greenness and some violet. Comparatively feminine.
Palate: The 2003 is showing better than any of the recent 2003s I’ve opened. There is a roundness to the wine – the tannins are more polished and the wine is richer than the others I recently tried. Not nearly as good as it was on release (I had a hard time keeping my hands off it when it came out) but it may just be in transition. I do have comparatively more hope for this one. The 2002 is a pleasant surprise. It’s much more obviously a Left Bank Cabernet-driven wine. Someone recently compared this to the 1996 but I find this richer and with a better mid-palate than that wine. There’s definitely some grip, but I like it. The fruit is hanging in there and I think this will offer some good drinking in a few years. Neither have a particularly long finish.
Conclusion: The 2003 on release was a lot more fun than the 2002 ever will be. I like the 2002 a good bit better today b/c it’s more interesting on the nose and offers more of what I like about St. Julien. More than the other 2003s I tried recently, the LB seems like it might just be in a weird spot.