Léoville Barton 2006

Very dark crimson. Sturdy, tobacco leaf, savoury, some leather and then some ripeness and richness. Lots there, lots to draw you in and no excess of dryness even though it is pretty dry - Léoville Barton? Very energetic and even quite electric in terms of its impact on the palate. Seems to fade on the finish and then revives and completes the tasting experience.

Good bright ruby-red. Pretty aromas of black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, minerals, licorice and violet. Chewy, rich and deep, with good dense mid-palate fruit and excellent concentration. Fuller and sweeter than the Langoa. Finishes long and delineated, with powerful tannic clout and terrific mineral thrust. A serious 2006 for the cellar.

Accurate assessment was not helped by sample variation but at last I found one that expressed the classiscm to come. Blueberry and sloe dominate the nose, rather leaner than normal on the mid palate then fruit power explodes on the finish.

This classically made, dense purple-hued wine exhibits enormous potential, but currently it is forebodingly backward, dense, and broad. Once again, proprietor Anthony Barton delivers a wine with superb concentration, a classic style, and the possibility of three decades or more of ageability. Like most of the finest Leoville Bartons, considerable patience will be required. The 2006 will need 8-10 years of cellaring, and may even rival the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035.

Tasted at the UGC and at a negotiant. An attractive, floral nose with sweet ripe blackberry, blueberry and cedar. Great definition and lift. The palate displays lovely balanced, a succulent core of black fruits with huge grip. Notes of black coffee, liquorish and a tang of salt, slightly bitter on the very unresolved finish. This will need time, a complex, quite intellectual Barton that will come into its own in bottle. Tasted April 2007.

Bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of blackcurrant, mocha, licorice, minerals and cedary oak, with a whiff of truffle. Smooth, sexy and sweet, with harmonious acidity giving a light touch to the dark fruit, mineral and chocolate flavors. Perhaps best today on the very long aftertaste, which features serious but ripe tannins and a chocolatey ripeness. As at a number of other top properties in the northern Medoc, I find much more minerality in the 2006 than I do in the young 2007.