Chateau Leoville Barton 1999 (review)

91 points

St Julien, Bordeaux. 12.5% (their label seems to always say 12.5% I wouldn't trust it)

Very dark red and shiny. Wonderful smoky aromas, smells like a great wine should, like it is some new fine food dish you have never tried - and want to. Yum, this is a fine wine. Classic, but approachable; a perfect example of what the 99 vintage can be.

The oak is toasty, the fruit fine. It is very consistent across the palate, quite soft (in the sense of dilute) in a characteristicly 99 style. But this wine is still very good.

Vintages like 99 should be cheaper than super great vintages, but we'd wish that all wines of "merely very good" vintages would be like this.

PS 99 was a good ripe vintage that was hit by some rain.