Château Léoville Barton 2023

As so often, a noble-scented nose, playful and seductive, dark berries, cherries, underpinned by a mineral note; gripping on the palate, with sensational tannin quality. The wine shows tension and plenty of elegance, dense yet featherlight, with excellent length. A grace.

The 2023 Léoville Barton takes time to open in the glass, delivering vivid blackberry and briar mixed with cedar, delicate floral scents of peony surfacing with time. It is typical Barton but with greater precision compared to vintages 10 or 20 years ago. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, pretty, not powerful or weighty, yet light on its toes with ample mineralité on the finish. More approachable than the 2022, this is an excellent Léoville Barton.

Flowers, blackberries, tobacco, cedar, and spice box aromas pop with ease in the perfume. Parked in the middle of classically-reserved, and modernity, there is a chewy, salty edge to the wealth of currants in the mid-palate, and in the finish that really works here. The wine is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2030-2060.

Deep dark ruby colour, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Fine herbal savouriness, cassis, dark cherries, floral nuances, candied orange zest in the underlay. Juicy body, red cherries, fine tannins, freshly structured, mineral and clinging, full of finesse with an animating style, shows length and good ageing potential, a delicate wine.

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 13% vol., 50 hl/ha. Seductive, dense blueberry-driven bouquet with licorice, violets, blueberry drops and Brazilian tobacco. On the complex palate, silky texture, balanced verve, tight-knit tannin framework and a linear body, very profound. In the concentrated, never-ending finish, noble cassis spice, lilac and deep, dark minerality. An incredibly elegant St. Julien that impresses with precision and energy. Tasted four times; at the estate I reach for the higher score.

This was one of the real standouts En Primeur for me, and I am so so happy to see it delivering now it is in bottle. Inky, juicy, finessed, reserved, exactly what I found when tasting last year, and this is delicious, muscular, old school, fragrant, Left Bank, St Julien typiciity, graphite, crayon, cassis, tension, boom. Barton family owners, 60% new oak for ageing. This is a single point upscore - very different in character from the Poyferré, both exceptional.

Score: 94–96. Serious, perfumed, eloquent, the nose evokes a majestic library, with period wood-paneled walls and a large bouquet of spring flowers on the central table. The palate is more intense, voluptuous, enveloping the mouth with plush red fruits (raspberry, red cherry) and brushed velvet tannins.

With vivid — and subtle — notes of cassis, iris, violet and seashell minerality, this seamless wine impresses in 2023. Prominent tannins (it is, after all, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon) show refinement, with plenty of palate depth and classy juiciness leading to a long finish that denotes both lightness and depth. A quintessential St-Julien. Ageing in 60% new oak will ensure a long-lasting wine that would be fine upon release but will benefit from a decade of ageing in your cellar.

A lovely aromatic, elegant nose—precise, mellow, fresh, and nicely floral—with some breadth, fine yet deep intensity, and a touch of graphite. It shows notes of blackberry, cornflower and, more subtly, ripe red berries, alongside hints of sweet spices, infusion, and an almost roasted-juicy bigarreau cherry nuance, as well as discreet touches of camphor and smoke, plus a subtle hint of nutmeg, graphite, and a fine textured feel. The palate is beautifully handled—fresh, balanced, silky—and offers a tangy backbone, freshness, tension, and minerality. It reveals notes of juicy/fleshy blackberry and violet and, more lightly, dense/fresh wild red berries, with touches of cornflower and violet, as well as hints of nutmeg, toasty notes, cardamom, salinity, pulpy blue fruits, vanilla, and toasted almond. The tannins are tasty, supple, and fresh. Iodized touches on the finish/savory persistence. Freshness and elegance with a stretched/slender profile.

An impressive wine from the Barton family, this is poised and classic. Its pure black currant aroma and balance of spice and black fruit flavors are fully integrated. This ripe mostly Cabernet Sauvignon wine is beautifully succulent and should be ready from 2029.

This red’s sappy intensity belies the overall modesty of the vintage, offering an enticing wave of kirsch, plum compote and blackberry reduction that melds with melted black licorice and roasted apple wood. Youthfully grippy, but a velvety accent emerges on the ink-stained, lingering finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2042. 11,700 cases made.

The depth and serenity of Léoville Barton’s bouquet set the tone from the outset. The wine clearly has ambitions—first and foremost to be true to itself, but also to affirm its place among the appellation’s elite. Nuances of ripe black berries, liquorice, graphite and cedar play a major role in this. Dense on the attack, the wine unfolds with confidence and elegance. It is precise, revealing its power with subtlety, well framed by velvety tannins, while a structuring acidity brings energy and character to the finish. A truly beautiful wine to follow throughout its journey. So much enthusiasm and elegance. A genuine quiet force!

Logo on the cork: JL (Lafitte Liège) And indeed, the ageing brought it out. Dark, intense, purple colour. Very aromatic nose, refined and pure, with ripe fruit notes. A subtle whole. Delicate on entry, fleshy on the mid-palate, with real class through the progression and plenty of flavour; the wine melts on the palate—long, complex and deep, with finely detailed flavours. It’s superb, irresistibly drinkable and very fresh.

The 2023 Léoville Barton is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, burning embers and a discreet touch of new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, supple and layered, it's deep, dense and classically structured, with ripe tannins, excellent purity of fruit and a penetrating finish. It's a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that weighs in at 13% alcohol.