The Château Langoa Barton 2005 offers plenty of concentration on the nose: blackberries, blueberry, a touch of cedar and tobacco emerging from the glass, opening and gaining intensity all the time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is beautifully balanced in the mouth, perhaps just a little conservative but with great precision and length. It has the freshness and vitality to be approachable now, though I would prefer to leave this for another 4 or 5 years. 93+

This vintage emphasizes dark chocolate and French roast coffee scents. Its luscious cherry flavors give a soft, round impression in the middle, then it lightens up a little, needing time for the flavors to extend. The fineness of Langoa is there, and should be more apparent in ten years' time.

Big, ripe, almost exotic, this has developed impressively over the past 18 months. Its tannins are certainly huge, but so is the fruit, warm, rich and enticing. Very powered, it thrusts black currants and acidity right up front.