1996 La Réserve de Léoville Barton

Anthony Barton, who was back in form following heart bypass surgery last spring, relies on strict pruning during the winter to keep crop levels reasonable, and does not believe in vendange vert or other later crop-thinning measures. He concentrated his musts by carrying out a saignee, then made the selection of the best materials for his grand vin before each lot went into the crusher. "Yes, the flowering was protracted in '97," says Barton, "but even the pink grapes weren't real acidic. We can't pick within bunches, so we didn't wait longer to harvest. And I believe that it would not have been beneficial to wait because we would have lost flavor in the grapes." Barton noted that he prefers the balance of the '95 to the '96. "Too many tasters believe that the darker and bigger the wine is, the better it is," he said. "But there always the risk that a vintage that takes many years to lose its tannins may also lose its fruit." He cited the '53 and '52 vintages an an example: the '53 was always delicious to drink, Barton pointed out, but the '52 never quite lost its tannic bite. Will the same thing happen with '85 and '86, he wonders.