2019 Château Léoville-Barton

The 2019 Léoville Barton has a gorgeous bouquet, very delineated and quite mineral-driven, offering blackberry and briary scents, a whiff of freshly rolled tobacco and a hint of orange rind. The beautifully balanced palate features sappy black fruit and fine acidity, quite gentle at first but developing wonderful poise and weight toward the finish. I adore the way this grows in the glass but retains an appealing spiciness on the aftertaste. Superb. A testament to the late, great Anthony Barton. 13.88% alcohol

- Neal Martin (2021)

Like its stablemate Langoa Barton, the 2019 Léoville Barton is a timeless classic, made for patient connoisseurs. Offering up aromas of blackcurrants, plums, pencil shavings and licorice, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, its deep core of fruit framed by a chassis of rich, powdery tannin that makes itself felt on the youthfully firm finish. While it's clearly built for the long haul, its structural seamlessness and mid-palate plenitude mark it out as one of the finest wines from this château in recent times. Could it be a more concentrated modern-day version of Anthony Barton's brilliant 1985?

- William Kelley (2022)