Chateau Léoville Barton St.-Julien 2. Cru Classé 2016

"Wine No. 1 of 2019...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. — JM" - Wine Spectator

"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." - James Suckling

"Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, subtle brightening of the edges, fine blackberry jam, a hint of plums and cassis, nuances of precious wood, still a bit shy. Juicy, elegant, fine cherry fruit, integrated tannins, close-knit, mineral and long-lasting, salty cassistouch in the aftertaste, sure development potential." - Falstaff

"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!" - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

"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." - Wine Enthusiast

"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." - Jeb Dunnuck

"Excellent concentration, exquisite balance, layered fruits, good length, suave tannins. Excellent long term potential" - Robert Whitley

"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." - Robert Parker

"Moden, intens, fyrig duft, solbær, røget med frisk tone. Går igen i smagen, frisk, rig med lang, lang eftersmag med friske solbær." - Vinbladet

"Great straightforwardness, remarkable balance in acidity, small racy notes on the nose, between cedar and Havana typical of Léoville. It could gain half a point after setting if the wood grip is harmonious. It deserves it." - Bettane & Desseauve

Vin nr. 1 av 2019 | Wine Spectator's Top 100