2021 Château Léoville-Barton

The 2021 Léoville-Barton is a gorgeous, classically built Saint-Julien. Graphite, leather, blue-toned fruit, spice, tobacco, licorice and lavender are immediately alluring. Medium in body and vibrant, the 2021 exudes finesse from start to finish. It is very much on the restrained side, with all the elements impeccably balanced. I would give this a few years in the cellar. It really blossoms with air, but the best is clearly yet to come.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

This wine has aromas of blackberries, graphite, tar, bramble berries and blackcurrants. Grape skin as well. Medium- to full-bodied, with very integrated, ever-so-refined tannins that fan across the palate and show definition and tension. It's supple, savory and svelte, long and vivid at the end. A little shy but will deliver more excellence in three or four years. Better after 2027. (07/2024)

Dark currants, tobacco, graphite, and an undeniable sense of minerality all define the 2021 Château Léoville Barton, a medium-bodied, concentrated Saint-Julien that has good mid-palate depth, ripe yet polished, integrated tannins, and outstanding length. It's a ripe, textured, impressive 2021 that stays in the fresher, classic style of the vintage. Based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in 60% new oak, it will be an early-drinking Barton by this cuvée’s standards, yet it’s still going to have well over two decades of prime drinking. (04/2024)

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Leoville Barton was aged in 60% new oak. It has a deep garnet-purple color and it gently wafts from the glass with classic scents of cassis, blackberries, and kirsch, giving way to nuances of violets, crushed rocks, and powdered cinnamon. The medium-bodied palate delivers taut, muscular black fruit, with approachable, grainy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and minerally. Wonderfully classic! (04/2024)

The 2021 Léoville Barton has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of cassis and plums mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings, menthol and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and refined, built around lively acids and a chassis of sweet, powdery tannin that will reward some bottle age with greater plenitude. It's a real success.

- William Kelley (02/2024)