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Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: 93 points
Deep, dense and optimally ripened curranty fruit is teamed with neatly fit oak and hints of dried flowers in the sweet and very involving aromas of this lovely young Saint-Julien, and, while is arguably shows a touch of "California" ripeness, it is classically structured with finely fit tannins that will take time to resolve. It should be reaching its stride in five or six years, but it might not show its best face for twice that time.
Review Date: April 2008
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 92 points
Léoville Barton's 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050.
Review Date: June 2015
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: 90 points
Deep ruby. Sappy, fruit-driven aromas of black cherry, black raspberry and currant. Ripe and dense but lively, with palate-saturating currant and dark chocolate flavors; cooler and drier than many of its St. Julien neighbors. This has excellent energy, even in the context of this vibrant vintage. Here the substantial tannins are finer than those of the Langoa, and the finishing flavors reach the teeth. Today, the finish of this wine makes the Langoa seem a bit tart in comparison. But this, too, is extremely unevolved today, and built for long aging. Wait until 2014.
Review Date: May 2006