82% Cabernet Sauvignon & 18% Merlot
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Léoville Barton needs a little swirling to coax out delicate notions of fresh blackberries, mulberries and cassis, plus touches of pencil shavings, clove oil, charcoal and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a great intensity of earth and mineral-laced black fruit flavors, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. Give it a good 4-5 years in bottle and drink it over the next 20 years+." - Robert Parker
"Was für eine komplexe Nase, eine kleine Droge, Rauch, Stein, Brombeeren und Kirschen, Cassis, , florale Aromen, ein Hit. Der Gaumen ist kräftig und druckvoll, sensationell strukturiert, viel Power, kein Gramm Fett, präzis und mit Rasse, Klasse und Länge. Dieser Barton ist ausgezeichnet und wird hervorragend reifen. 2028-2050 (Verkostet am 21. Juni 2021 im Rahmen der UGCB Probe in Genf)" - Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch
"In this wine, fine and rich tannins partner with powerful black-plum and black-currant fruits. Densely textured while also having swathes of rich fruits, the wine shows both a firm side and one that offers total deliciousness. As it matures, both these aspects will come together. Drink from 2027." - Wine Enthusiast
"Cassis, crushed plum and steeped blackberry fruit is all packed into this wine, along with tar, violet and roasted apple wood notes, plus a terrific tug of warm earth. Shows lots of energy in reserve, with a tightly knit finish pulling everything together. Cellaring required. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2040. 11,600 cases made." - Wine Spectator
"The 2018 Léoville-Barton is a gorgeous, exotic wine. Crème de cassis, lavender, menthol, licorice and cloves race out of the glass. The 2018 marries the natural opulence of the year with a pretty classic sense of structure, making for one of the more compelling wines of the year. I would give this a good decade in the cellar. There is much to look forward to. I especially admire the energy and poise here." - Antonio Galloni
"Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive Edelholznuancen, schwarze Beeren, ein Hauch von Lakritze, Noten von frischen Orangenzesten, vielschichtiges Bukett. Saftig, reife Kirschen, dezente Extraktsüße, seidige, reife Tannine, finessenreiche Struktur, saliner Nachhall, sehr gute Länge, zeigt tolle Harmonie und Länge, ein Klassiker. (2025–2060)" - Falstaff
"Well-polished blackcurrant, cassis and bilberry, everything pretty silky and firm. Not fully showing its generosity at this point but no question that it is going to get there soon. Clear charcoal, graphite and woodsmoke as it opens up. A ton of life ahead, and an appealing sense of mint freshness. Lives up to its en primeur promise - this is Léoville Barton at its most confident. Drinking Window 2026 – 2040" - Decanter
"82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot. Deep ruby colour. Dark and brooding on the nose, with savoury spices and earthy blackcurrant fruit. Superb depth of dark cassis fruit and brilliant retained freshness of acidity. For now, the oak is a little obvious but that is no worry, there is such intensity and such a bold tannic structure that this is best left in the cellar longer than most. Robust, grippy tannins amply frame the fruit and add to the sense of gravitas here. This is a wine that takes the ripe concentration of the vintage and wraps it in house style – freshness and structure. Excellent." - Jancis Robinson
"This estate has been on fire in recent vintages, and the 2018 Château Léoville Barton is up there with the best of them. Based on 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot that was brought up in 60% new French oak, this classic, flawlessly balanced, straight-up awesome Saint-Julien has loads of cassis and mulberry fruits as well as notes of freshly sharpened pencils, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and earth. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has building tannins and healthy acidity, yet the fruit is pure, perfectly ripe, and wonderfully integrated with all the wine's components. As is normal with this cuvée, it closes down with extended air and is going to take a solid 8-10 years of bottle age to reach the early stages of maturity. It's going to evolve for 30-40 years in cold cellars." - Jeb Dunnuck
"The nose is elegant, precise and offers complexity full of finesse, a certain power and a multi-layer side. It reveals notes of fresh blackberry, ripe wild strawberry and small notes of small ripe wild black fruits associated with a touch of violet as well as fine hints of toasted, vanilla, a subtle hint of camphor, cardamom, a discreet hint of cuben pepper and ripe almond. The palate is fruity and offers juiciness, freshness, a good definition, gourmandize, a certain tension, suavity as well as a good structure, a small power, a very discreetly tight grain and a beautiful multi-layer side. On the palate this wine expresses notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, bright cassis and small notes of wild strawberry associated with touches of lily, a racy minerality, small fleshy fruits as well as a hint of fleshy plum, cherry, mocha, toasted hazelnut, a discreet hint of sweet spices, toasted oak and hazelnut. An imperceptible hint of fresh mild tobacco on the persistence. Tannins are elegant, precise and very finely firm. Delicacy full of power." - VertdeVin
"Sweet berries, blackberries, raspberries and violets follow through to a full body with extremely creamy, polished tannins that caress the palate. It’s really long and polished. Gorgeous finish. Drink after 2025." - James Suckling
"82 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 % Merlot, kein Cabernet Franc wurde im Zweitwein deklassiert, 14 % vol., 60 % neue Barriques. Sattes Purpurgranat mit violetten Reflexen. Ein royales Bouquet mit Alpenheidelbeeren, Schattenmorellensaft und erkaltetem Früchtetee. Im zweiten Ansatz verführerisches Cassis, Veilchen und Burley-Tabak. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit sei- diger Textur und engmaschigem Körper gepaart mit einer grossen Finesse, alles ist hier am richtigen Platz. Im aromatischen, nicht enden wollenden Finale ein Feuerwerk aus Brombeeren und Graphit gepaart mit schwarzen Johannisbeerdrops. Wer St.-Julien liebt, der sollte hier zuschlagen!" - Weinwisser
Das Château
Château Léoville Barton ist ein angesehenes Weingut in der Region Saint-Julien in Bordeaux, das in der Klassifizierung von 1855 als zweites Gewächs eingestuft wird. Die Qualität hat sich seit den 1980er Jahren stark verbessert und gilt als einer der zuverlässigsten Weine in Bordeaux, der regelmäßig für seine günstigen Preise gelobt wird. Der Léoville Barton ist ein von Cabernet Sauvignon dominierter Wein, der in seiner Jugend tanninhaltig und streng ist, dann aber intensive Noten von schwarzen Johannisbeeren und Cassis sowie die klassischen Zedernholznoten von Saint-Julien entwickelt.
Der Weinberg mit Kies- und Lehmböden ist zu 74 % mit Cabernet Sauvignon, zu 23 % mit Merlot und zu 3 % mit Cabernet Franc bepflanzt. Nach einer Handlese erfolgt die Gärung in großen temperaturkontrollierten Holzbottichen und der Wein wird in 50 % neuen Eichenfässern ausgebaut.
