Even better from bottle than from cask, and one of the finest wines of the vintage, this dense purple-colored 2002 reveals wonderfully sweet notes of charcoal, fresh mushrooms, smoke, earth, leather, cassis, and cedar. Full-bodied, highly extracted, broodingly backward, dense, and deep, this impressively endowed offering is built for the long term. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. One of the classic wines of Bordeaux and still realistically priced, Leoville-Barton is becoming increasingly popular because of the extraordinary quality/price ratio it offers.

Good bright ruby. Superripe aromas of cassis, black cherry, licorice and dark chocolate. Penetrating and firmly structured, but also fleshy and sweet, with a chocolatey flavor and good chewy depth. Finishes with big tannins and very good persistence. Has the big structure and focus of the better Medoc examples, but will it have the classic elegance of this chateau?