Chateau Leoville Barton 2021

WEINWISSER: "Der Léoville Barton 2021 ist viskos, leuchtend und dunkel in der Farbe. Supernatürlich, reichhaltig und tief, präsentiert er sich in der Nase sehr locker, konzentriert und ansprechend. Mit viel ätherischer Würze im Obertonbereich und dichter, satter Cabernet-Frucht mit liköriger Intensität. Frisch, tiefgründig, reif und distinguiert im Geruch. Im Mund zeigt er sich dicht und klar strukturiert, sehr drahtig und konzentriert, mit viel fleischiger Fülle und likörig-reifer Extraktsüße. Ganz locker und rassig, ewig lang, mit feinster Säure und reifen, engmaschigen, druckvollen Gerbstoffen. Ein großer Barton mit enormer Präsenz und beachtlicher Detailliertheit. 13.0 Vol.-% Alkohol."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The sandalwood and grey-pepper aromas lead to a powerful wine with elegance and refinement. It has weight and beautiful concentration. It is impressive and sure to age well. Drink from 2028."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This wine has aromas of blackberries, graphite, tar, bramble berries and blackcurrants. Grape skin as well. Medium- to full-bodied, with very integrated, ever-so-refined tannins that fan across the palate and show definition and tension. It's supple, savory and svelte, long and vivid at the end. A little shy but will deliver more excellence in three or four years. Better after 2027."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2021 Léoville Barton has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of cassis and plums mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings, menthol and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and refined, built around lively acids and a chassis of sweet, powdery tannin that will reward some bottle age with greater plenitude. It's a real success."

DECANTER: "Concentrated and herbal, creamy and smooth, this is immediately classy with concentration, while keeping a cool blue fruit and mint freshness throughout. Structured, with well-defined texture and some power, it doesn't have the overt acidity and vibrancy some 2021s do, so this is a more serious take, but I like it a lot – a classic St-Julien wine with signature and salty, wet-stone finish. Tannins are verging on austere, but this has the bones to age well and to be very enjoyable."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Leoville Barton was aged in 60% new oak. It has a deep garnet-purple color and it gently wafts from the glass with classic scents of cassis, blackberries, and kirsch, giving way to nuances of violets, crushed rocks, and powdered cinnamon. The medium-bodied palate delivers taut, muscular black fruit, with approachable, grainy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and minerally. Wonderfully classic!"

JEB DUNNUCK: "Dark currants, tobacco, graphite, and an undeniable sense of minerality all define the 2021 Château Léoville Barton, a medium-bodied, concentrated Saint-Julien that has good mid-palate depth, ripe yet polished, integrated tannins, and outstanding length. It's a ripe, textured, impressive 2021 that stays in the fresher, classic style of the vintage. Based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in 60% new oak, it will be an early-drinking Barton by this cuvée’s standards, yet it’s still going to have well over two decades of prime drinking."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Ockerrandaufhellung. Feinwürzig, ein Hauch von Edelholz, schwarze Waldbeeren, Orangenzesten sind unterlegt. Mittlerer Körper, reife Kirschen, zarte Süße, reife Tannine, zarte Mineralität, gut entwickelt und zugänglich."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Fresh, vibrant and energetic, there is a crispness to the red fruits that perfectly balances classy and classic. You also find ample notes of cigar wrapper, cedar, flowers and savory-edged, red currants in the nose and on the lifted, medium/full-bodied, crisp palate. The wine blends 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2060."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A stride ahead of the pack, with more flesh to its core of black currant and black cherry notes. Backed by singed applewood, cedar and tobacco accents, this shows a subtle twang of iron on the slightly austere finish, but the grain is relatively fine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2036. 11,500 cases made."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid-deep ruby-purple. Focused, with dark, fresh cherry and blackcurrant on the nose. Driven and full of energy, the palate is direct and deep, with admirable intensity and structure. An impressive example of the vintage that will need a few years to hit its stride."