Chateau Leoville Barton 2016

JAMES SUCKLING: "Terrific intensity of dark berries, almost peppery blackcurrants and violets with attractive and integrated, spicy oak and an earthy edge. The palate has a super powerful and long, linear core with plenty of fruit flesh strapped in tight for a long and thrilling ride into the finish. A blend of 86 per cent cabernet and 14 per cent merlot. Try from 2024."

WEINWISSER: "86 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 % Merlot, die exakt gleiche Assemblage wie beim Jahrgang 2015. Extrem tiefes Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte und violettem Rand. Ein Parfüm zum Ausflippen: Viel Veilchen und satte Heidelbeerfrucht, dahinter Brombeergelee und Kokos. Am Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, vereint perfekt Fülle und Eleganz, im langen Finale mit viel blauen Beeren und Kirschtabak, die lange nachhallen. Von der Gewichtsklasse her ein Federgewicht im Vergleich zur Konkurrenz, aber dies macht er mit Finesse und einer unglaublich tiefen Konzentration einfach wett!"

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is so vivid as it brims with pastis-soaked plum, blackberry, black currant and blueberry paste flavors, all carried by a perfectly integrated brambly spine. Tar and ganache notes give the finish an extra kick while everything stays within the mouthwatering roasted apple wood frame. Both regal and rambunctious, this is St.-Julien to a T. Best from 2025 through 2040. 11,667 cases made."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Deep purple-colored and a classic Saint-Julien with its pure crème de cassis, graphite, liquid rock, and essence of lead pencil shavings, the 2016 Château Léoville Barton is full-bodied, concentrated, and backward, with bright acidity and ripe yet certainly present and building tannins. This old-school, classic Léoville Barton has a fine thread of acidity keeping the wine focused and fresh. It’s a beauty, but mostly potential at this point, although it does have beautiful fruit. Savvy readers will hide bottles at the back of their cellar, and I wouldn’t start to think about opening bottles for a least a decade. It’s going to be incredibly long-lived. The blend of the 2016 is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, brought up in 60% new French oak."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, feines Brombeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Pflaumen und Cassis, Nuancen von Edelholz, noch etwas scheu. Saftig, elegant, feine Kirschenfrucht, integrierte Tannine, engmaschig, mineralisch und gut anhaltend, salziger Cassistouch im Rückgeschmack, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep in color the wine offers intensity, vibrancy and length. The wine is all about its big, juicy blast of ripe fruit. It is full-bodied, tannic, joyous and classic. If you can wait about 15 years, this is going to be a knockout!"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The Barton family's flagship wine benefits hugely from the age of the vines. This wine is ripe and concentrated, rich in tannins but with the wonderful black fruits that can be conjured from this vineyard. It will age well and is likely to be ready to drink from 2026."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Leoville Barton delivers a superstar nose of crème de cassis, plum preserves and blueberry compote with suggestions of fragrant earth, unsmoked cigars, licorice and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, rich and seductive with firm yet velvety tannins, it has a decadently rich finish."

DECANTER: "Intense, luxurious, fresh yet also very classically Bordeaux on the nose. Loads of dark berry and currant fruit, allied to a touch of oaky spiciness. Density on the palate but also refined, elegant, and smooth. Drinking Window 2021 - 2045"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Full, rich, intense, almost fruit cake on the nose. Racy and pacy with the tannins well hidden."