Château Léoville Barton 2021

Noble on the nose, with cherry, blackberry, cassis, floral tones, and stony notes. On the palate, elegant and long-lasting, with rock-hewn tannins and great reserves. Excellent again this year.

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.

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.

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 2011 Léoville-Barton marks the first vintage with Cabernet Franc in the blend, which Damien Barton explained was thanks to the smaller vats recently installed in the cuverie. There is a sense of airiness on the nose, very focused and well-defined with blackberry, bilberry and crushed stone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and sappy with ripe black fruit and a fine bead of acidity, showing a touch of spice box and cinnamon on the finish. Superb.

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.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle ochre brightening on the rim. Subtle savoury aromas with hints of oak, black forest fruits and background notes of orange zest. Medium-bodied, ripe cherries and a subtle sweetness, ripe tannins, delicate minerality, developing nicely and very approachable.

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.

Léoville Barton 2021 is viscous, bright and dark in color. Supernatural, rich and deep, it shows on the nose as very open-knit, concentrated and appealing. There is plenty of ethereal spice in the high register and dense, generous Cabernet fruit with liqueur-like intensity. Fresh, profound, ripe and distinguished on the nose. On the palate it is dense and clearly structured, very taut and concentrated, with plenty of fleshy volume and liqueur-like ripe extract sweetness. Effortless and racy, endlessly long, with the finest acidity and ripe, tight-knit, powerful tannins. A great Barton with enormous presence and remarkable detail. 13.0% vol. alcohol.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc) Silky, dense, elegant, powerful, dark bouquet, cassis cream, cedar, dark tobacco, Black Currant, delicate truffle notes. Tightly knit, multi-layered, finely powerful palate with a dense, creamy structure, powerful dark fruit, concentrated, varied dark aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, very long, powerful finish with sweet afteraromas.

(84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc) Velvety, dense, elegant, powerful, dark bouquet with cassis cream, cedar, dark tobacco, black currant, a hint of truffle. Tightly woven, multi-layered palate, finely powerful, with a dense, creamy texture, dark, powerful fruit, concentrated, diverse dark aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, very long, powerful finish with sweet lingering notes. 19/20 2029 - 2060

Bang-on classic, extremely well balanced and enjoyable, rich cassis and blueberry, black tea, cloves, earthy. Tannins are present, a little austere but in no way drying, and this should age well for a good 15 to 20 years. There's an emotional reason to buy this 2021 vintage also, if you are a fan of Léoville Barton, as Anthony Barton, long-term owner and Bordeaux legend, died in January 2022. 60% new oak. Tasted twice.

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!

How could one not succumb to the elegance and refinement of Barton 2021? This wine boasts that voluptuous and deliciously fruity character that defines it. The tannins are fully integrated and carry a fresh finish.

An opulent nose with purple fruits, marked by woody aromas at this stage. The oak, also present on the palate, will soften with age. The texture is noble and refined.

While still showing the imprint of its élevage, Léoville Barton 2021 has no shortage of grandeur and depth, even in the context of 2021. Its fine-grained tannins provide a framework built for aging, yet with an accessibility that will allow its qualities to be appreciated from youth through to its apotheosis… And that may take time, so you’ll just need enough in the cellar 🙂

Beautiful intense, purple color. Very aromatic nose with pure fruit. The palate is all about tactile softness, with plenty of flavor, black fruit, and a refined tannic structure. It is juicy, delicious, and long. This vintage was vinified in a new vat room that will become gravity-fed next year. Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol: 13.12%. Yield: 39 hl/ha.

95–97. Barrel Sample. Loaded with juicy acidity and layers of spice. The wine is packed with fruit that contrasts with the firm tannins that lie in the background giving a polished structure to this ageworthy wine.