2005 Château Léoville Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux Large Formats with no sharp edges and

with no sharp edges and a wonderful grace and balance

It is a great vintage

cask and bottle

There is freshness here and a fine mousse brings a lively energy

This fine Orcadian dram leaps out of the glass with a surprisingly pungent wave of peat smoke – though

2005 Château Léoville Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux Large Formats with no sharp edges andThe 2005 Loville Barton is clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Powerful and strapping in the glass, the 2005 is a big, big wine. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of inky black fruit, new leather, spice, gravel, mocha and liquorice. The wine's sheer density is impressive, but its balance is even more compelling. I might be tempted to give this another few years in the cellar. Readers lucky enough to own it will find a thrilling, potent