On Sep 8, 11:02?pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Ronin wrote:
> > Does anyone have an opinion as to whether the '03 is three times the
> > wine of the '04? They retail in the neighborhood of US$55 for the '04
> > and US$165 for the '03.
>
> The '04Leoville-Bartonhas received a lot of praise recently, and is
> certainly one of the better wines of the vintage. '03s in general are a
> mixed lot, and the pricing has been driven up by the uncritical praise
> of Robert Parker, among others. So, while I have had neither bottle, I
> would be very surprised if I found the '03 much more appealing than the
> '04, but of course your tastes may vary considerably from my own.
>
> Mark Lipton
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

I've had both, and would pick the 2003 as the better wine in a
heartbeat. The 2004 is very very good, the 2003 is on its way to
greatness in my opinion. While 2003 isn't my favorite vintage overall,
a few producers in northern Medoc seem to have hit real homeruns. And
the Barton is best I've tasted (not had the Montrose or Cos, both
supposed to be great).

That said, I'd personally prefer 3 2004s to 1 2003.