John Chardonnens

9.1

Erg goed , mijn eerste port gedronken bij Rick. — 7 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Medium ruby , slighter narrower ruby / pink rim , a little less bright . Slightly deeper , darker fruits , blueberry, violets , with scorched earth , mineral and grafite . On the palate , more intensity and power perhaps , more noticeable though still velvety tannin , dark fruits , mineral , saline , fresh cigar. Lovely fresh acidity , balanced alcohol . Long saline , mineral tinged, slightly toasty finish . Needs time obviously , but will be one of the great wines from a great vintage in 20 years, just wait — 15 hours ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 months ago

Hannah Shapiro

9.0

browner colour, smells of burnt caramel, apricots, amber honey - very syrup-y. not as sweet as the other port. tastes like raisins, maple syrup-esque. tastes similar to the maple syrup taffy/lollipops. not as fruity as the other port. after chocolate the flavours are softened and honestly not as sweet — 17 days ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

The 1999 Latour has a dark garnet color with little aging on the rim. The nose is closed initially and demands coaxing, eventually revealing blackberry, cedar and light pencil-shaving aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, displaying some secondary notes of clove, white pepper and a distinct earthiness that comes through on the finish. [Post-script: this is one of the few vintages I identified correctly!] Tasted blind from double magnum at a 20-year retrospective at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2024)
— a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.9

Blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months all in new French oak, deep Ruby with aromas of berry fruits, floral, tobacco and flinty notes. On the palate flavors of rich berry fruits and black currants with cacao and tobacco spice, on a well integrated frame. Fine soft fluffy tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy spice and tobacco cedar mineral character. Impressive! A wow factor wine! Will last for several decades! — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Very deep ruby , ruby rim, shockingly young . Very closed still , mineral , creme de cassis , dark and meaty , grafite , chestnut . On the palate very tight and young , cassis with dark blackcurrant , cedar , tobacco and granite . Concentrated but balanced at the same time , gritty tannins , balanced acidity. Long and complex on the finish , with mineral , grafite notes . A great wine surely , this is so young and with huge potential. I suppose more impressive than enjoyable at this stage. This needs time in bottle, maybe come back in 5 years and will last a further 20-30 . — 3 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Aged in French oak (85% new) for 12 months, medium Ruby with aromas of red berry fruit, floral and herb spice. On the palate flavors of cherry and tart raspberry with smoky and pleasant earthy herb notes, wrapped in vivid acidity and nice mouthfeel. Fine chalky tannins, good balance, long finish ending with fruit, smoke and oak character. Nice. — 23 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Leoville Barton is one of my favorite St. Julien producers and still one of the best values upon release of Left Bank Bordeaux’s. If my memory is correct, I think this was WS’s wine of the year a few years ago.

I haven’t had this since the release at UGC. It was so fresh then. It has definitely put on weight and showing some nice evolution. But, Anthony made his wines for the ages. This will rise 2-3 points with 20 years bottle age.

It is round and lush. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, blueberries, some creamy raspberries & dark cherries. Anise, light graphite, tobacco ash, leather, dark, rich earth with dry leaves, dry river stone, limestone marl, dark spice, dry herbaceous notes, hints of black olive, black licorice, dry stems, mix of dry & candied dark flowers, very nice round acidity and a well; balanced, structured, tensioned and polished finish that last minutes.

Would open this in 2032 and beyond. — 2 months ago

Laura Purdy

9.8

Beautiful. — 3 months ago