This wine was my first purchase of an older bottle of Bordeaux ($85). I was on the fence of opening it this past weekend because WS and Parker said it won't be ready until 2008 and 2004 respectively. But good friends were over, I was cooking up a storm, and the wine was freely flowing. We started with a '96 Finca Dofi Priorat (JT92pts), then moved on to a '00 Quilceda Creek (corked!) and a '99 Etude Cabernet (JT92pts). I felt like I needed to make up for the corked bottle, so I asked my friends if they wanted to try a Bordeaux with some bottle age on it - the twinkle in their eyes said it all! Here are my notes:

The '90 Leoville Barton possessed a very youthful purple color. As it was decanted for about 30 minutes, the aromas of classic Bordeaux opened up with lots of dark fruits and baking spices. The most intruiging nose of the night. The wine showed expansive fruit flavors on the palate, and still had some tannins that would've smoothed out with further decanting. It is beginning to enter it's drinking window, and will last for a long time. A very nice wine: 93+ points for me.

Tasted at the 1990 Bordeaux Dinner, 12/15/04:

The only wine that saw some decanter time at the table, that hour and a half or so was not enough for this young wine. Showing a tremendous fat nose of crushed berries, chocolate, spice, and minerals, the potential is all there for this to blossom in another 5-10+ years. Firmly tannic on the palate, this is a muscular, powerful wine that is rich, pure, vibrant, and monolithic at present. Finishes long and fine, 93+ points.

wow, a blast from the past. thanks for the notes.