Joon Lim’s Bordeaux Dreams

I love Bordeaux. I find myself drinking Bordeaux more than any other wine.

My favorite producer is Château Léoville Barton, and I have a 11-year vertical [collection] spanning from the benchmark 2000 vintage, to 2010 in my cellar. I can’t wait for the 2011 vintage to hit the store shelves for that will make it a 12-year vertical. Ultimately, I hope to build a 20-year vertical, and perhaps 30 and so forth if I’m blessed to live that long.

Château Léoville Barton is approximately 112-acres located in the commune of St. Julien. The family history can be traced back almost 200 years to the very first owner of the property, a certain gentleman by the name of Hugh Barton who was Irish by heritage. Anthony Barton, a direct descendent, is the current proprietor of both Léoville Barton and Langoa Barton, another grand cru chateau right next door.

Right now, I’m enjoying a 2006 Léoville Barton (one of two I pulled from the cellar, so my vertical is still intact!). It is absolutely stunning with ripe dark cherry and black currant aromas, powerful and dense on the palate. I kind of regret opening this bottle.

It would have been so much better five years from now… if I had been only a little more patient … I still have regrets about opening the one of two 2000 Léoville Barton about three years ago. In 2040, when I celebrate my 60th birthday, I will open all of the vintages I have amassed over the decades and share them with a group of friends. That’s going to be some party.

Editor’s Note: Joon Lim is a level III, Advanced Sommelier, a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) via the Society of Wine Educators and received first place at Atlanta’s 2011 “Best Sommelier Competition.” After passing his Advanced Sommelier exam, Lim was invited by The Court of Master Sommelier’s to participate in the prestigious “Rudd Roundtable.” He is currently a Sommelier at The Spence in Atlanta, Georgia.