My favorite vintage from this chateau to drink today is the superb 1985 Léoville Barton, a sumptuous, demonstrative wine that bursts with aromas of cedary currant fruit, plums, loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and charming, with an enveloping core of fruit, melting tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish, it's at its peak today but in no danger of imminent decline.

The 1985 is a gorgeous example that may well represent a more modern-day clone of the splendid 1953. Dark ruby/garnet with an open-knit, complex, ripe nose of sweet red as well as black currants, vanilla, fruitcake, tobacco, cedar, and earth, the wine is medium-bodied with exceptional sweetness, soft tannin, and a supple, very nicely layered finish. A classic midweight Bordeaux, it will drink now and over the next decade. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 1/02.