2004 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien

Another sleeper of the vintage from this somewhat under the radar step-child of Anthony Barton’s more famous Leoville Barton, the 2004 Langoa Barton exhibits deep, concentrated, chunky, black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of forest floor and aged beef blood. This impressive, full-bodied, powerful, ageworthy St-Julien is atypically backward and brooding.

What a big-hearted wine this is. It is generous, smooth and ripe, with lovely fruit. There is more than this immediate pleasure, though, because its dense tannins promise a good evolution. Langoa-Barton is the second estate owned by Anthony Barton of Léoville-Barton, and it offers some of the pleasures of Léoville at a lower price. (RV)

Cinnamon and I drank this for our 13th anniversary (we were married in 2004) with steak frites at the lovely Mathilde French bistro in San Francisco. Today I had it again in our staff Bordeaux tasting, right next to the famous 2005. Both times, this wine exceeded expectations, and I couldn't help but buy a little for myself after this second great surprise! I thought this wine drank far better than the 2005 now, and has none of the green notes that critics of the 2004's complain about. The texture is all there at 13 years, and the fruit is dark, fresh and very well balanced by focussed acidity. If you have a steak dinner in your future, this top class Bordeaux is a great choice!