Château Leoville Barton 2018
• Domaine: Château Léoville Barton
• Appellation: Saint-Julien
• Classification: Second Growth, 2ème Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France
Château Léoville Barton is steeped in the traditions of the past but make no mistake -- the future for this brilliant estate is an exciting and promising one. With a remarkable history entrenched in a single-family dynasty, Château Léoville Barton boasts the longest familial legacy of a vineyard in all of Bordeaux. Château Léoville Barton has proudly been in the Barton family for centuries, starting in 1725 with Thomas Barton, an Irishman.
Château Léoville Barton was once part of the enormous Léoville Estate, consisting of Château Léoville Barton, Château Léoville Las Cases, and Château Léoville Poyferré. The large property was sectioned off to nobility and fell into Thomas’ hands. Thomas had no choice but to hold onto the estate for the remainder of his life; if he passed away, the holdings would be given to the French Crown due to his Irish heritage. Eventually, the stubborn and unyielding Thomas passed it on to his son, Hugh. Hugh wanted to take over the family business and become a négociant or wine merchant. Hugh had quite the talent for working in the Wine Trade, and Château Léoville Barton thrived under his leadership.
Château Léoville Barton was given the ranking of Second Growth during the 1855 Classification. It is impossible to talk about Château Léoville Barton without mentioning its sister property, Château Langoa Barton. There is no château at Léoville Barton; the wines are all made in the same vat room as the wines at the other estate. Interestingly enough, the structure depicted on a label of Château Léoville Barton is actually the property at Château Langoa Barton. One might ask what the difference is between the two wines if they have the same staff and same vinification room. Though both wines have a ripe, concentrated, spiciness, Château Léoville Barton has garnered quite a bit of attention over the years.
The wines from this esteemed producer are unique to Saint-Julien due to their higher concentrations of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is reflected in the plantings of the vineyards at this 51 Hectare property. The gravely topsoil is planted with mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and dwindling percentages of Cabernet Franc. Since they’ve increased their percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in the wine, they continue to plant more of this varietal in the vineyard. Interestingly enough, their oldest vines are Merlot – some of which are 60 years old.
Many wine drinkers are often taken aback by the strength and fortitude these wines possess, and stylistically they resemble the wines of Pauillac more than their softer Saint-Julien counterparts. Under the new ownership of Anthony Barton, the quality of these wines continues to skyrocket. The esteemed wine critic, Robert Parker Jr, considers the wines of Château Léoville Barton to be, “grossly underpriced,” and the quality level to be close to “Super Second Level.” The accolades continue to pour in.
Tasting Notes
"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, (03/16/2021), Ratings: 97
"They are just hitting it out of the park at Léoville Barton at the moment, keeping the relaxed and effortless feel of a great St-Julien but loading up on the complexity and concentration that lies behind it. You don't see all the mechanisms, but you know they are there. This is going to age exceptionally well, but there's a freshness and juiciness to the structure already that suggests it's going to be great fun to drink along the way. It has glass-staining extraction, with plenty of cassis, graphite and liquorice flavours - everything's turned up high. 60% new oak." - Jane Anson, Decanter, (04/25/2019), Ratings: 96, Drink: 2027 - 2042
"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, Vinous, (03/21/2021), Ratings: 96
LWIN | 1012361 |
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Stock Status | In Stock |
Appellation | Saint-Julien |
Vintage | 2018 |
Brand | Chateau Leoville Barton |
Shipping Weight | 3.000000 |