Leoville Barton 2018

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.

Score: 97

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2021 - 2061 19 July 2021

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Léoville Barton simply sings of crushed black cherries, blackcurrant cordial and wild blueberries with touches of violets, dark chocolate, allspice and cardamom with a waft of stewed tea. Full-bodied, rich and decadently fruited in the mouth, the generous fruit has a solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and layered.

Score: 94 - 96

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019

The 2018 Léoville Barton was picked from 21 September until 6 October and then matured in 60% new oak. It has a ripe and generous bouquet with blackcurrants, blueberry, crushed violets that might cheekily be described as Langoa-plus. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. This has firm grip, one of the most structured Léoville-Bartons that I have encountered with a slightly lactic finish. Where this succeeds is in the alcohol that is kept under control (14.03%) so that there is no warmth and delineation is upheld throughout. Superb.

Score: 94 - 96

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2045 01 November 2019

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.

Score: 96

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2042 15 April 2019

The 2018 Léoville-Barton is fabulous. Graphite, gravel, crème de cassis, mint, violet, spice and exotic spices are some of the many notes that infuse this stunningly beautiful unctuous Saint-Julien. In 2018 Léoville-Barton has an extra dimension of volume and resonance, yet it never loses its super-classic mid-weight structure and regal bearing. The blend is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot.

Score: 93 - 96

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019