Leoville Barton 2010

St Julien, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes
Anthony Barton appeared to have made a scintillating wine in 2010 and I hoped it would live up to expectations. It does. And judging by the mutterings I heard from others, I was not alone in that opinion. The Leoville Barton is more bashful on the nose than the Langoa Barton, although there are clearly abundant, pure blackberry and blueberry fruit encased within and they will burst forth with bottle age. The palate offers exquisite balance with luscious, intense black tarry fruit on the entry that exert a gentle but insistent grip. There is a wonderful symmetry to this wine and a life-affirming sense of harmony and precision on the finish. This is unequivocally a fabulous Leoville Barton enveloped in an effortless aura a wine that easily surpassed even my own lofty expectations. Score: 97 Neal Martin, erobertparker.com 01 March 2013
Tasted at the chateau and twice at the UGC , the Leoville-Barton is a touch more timid than the Langoa at this stage, but it opens up to reveal blackberry, cassis, violets and a touch of cedar, quite Margaux-like in profile. The palate is full-bodied with exquisite purity, insistent grippy tannins, a seamless texture like the Langoa and harmonious towards the long, refined, velvety finish. Gorgeous from head to toe. Drink 2020- Tasted April 2011. Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, erobertparker.com Maturity: 2020+ 15 April 2011
Aromas of pure blackberries and violets follow through to a full body, with super velvety tannins and a delicious balance of sweet fruit, light vanilla and nuts. Really savory and beautiful. Superb wine. I like this better than 2009. Try in 2018. Score: 97 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com Maturity: 2018+ 04 February 2013
A splendid showing, much stronger from bottle than it was from barrel, the Leoville Barton is one of the spectacular wines of the vintage. Inky purple to the rim, its huge tannin gives this wine real potential for 30-50 years of longevity. It is a classic, powerful Bordeaux made with no compromise. A superstar of the vintage, the wine has notes of pen ink and crème de cassis, good acidity, sweet, subtle oak, and massive extraction and concentration. I thought it was one of the most backward wines of the vintage two years ago, and nothing has changed in the ensuing upbringing of the wine in cask except that the wine now seems even richer, denser and fuller than I previously thought. The beautiful purity, symmetry, and huge finish of nearly a minute make this one of the all-time great classics from Leoville Barton. Anticipated maturity: 2028-2065+. (96+ Points) Score: 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2028-2065+ 01 February 2013
The 2010 Leoville Barton was almost impossible to evaluate because of its highly extracted, masculine, muscular style. However, it exhibits a dense purple color along with surprising amounts of oak, excruciatingly painful tannin levels, good acidity and a massive mouthfeel. One of the biggest, most backward wines of the vintage, forget it for a decade and drink it over the following 30+ years. Unfortunately, I have passed the age where it makes sense to buy a wine such as this. Score: 91 - 93 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 04 May 2011
Utterly inviting nose - lightly spiced, restrained and dark-fruited. Playing hard to get. Touch of vanilla sweetness but overall not sweet on the nose. Surprisingly velvety on the palate - dense but rounded tannins. No edges at all but dry and dusty freshness on the finish. A conundrum. Score: 17 Julia Harding MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2017-2035 10 April 2012
Deep inky-purple. Knockout aromas of smoky plum, chocolate-coated blackcurrant, balsamic vinegar and aromatic herbs. Suave, sweet and fine-grained, with creamy-rich cassis, smoke and sweet spice flavors given definition by firm acidity. Finishes with subtly powerful, building length and fully ripe tannins. This strikes me as the best Leoville Barton in years, a really mesmerizing wine that's already remarkably pliant and accessible but also has a great future ahead of it. Drink from 2018 through 2040. Score: 93 - 96 Ian D'Agata, International Wine Cellar Maturity: 2018-2040 01 May 2011
A classic nose of intense blackberry fruit and spicebox. On the palate, very clean and with layers of cool, polished fruit and well-harnessed fine tannins that coat the mouth. Racy acidity. Complex and classic. Score: 94 - 96 Albany Vintners 27 April 2011
Black with a purple edge. Less obviously aromatic than the Langoa 2010. Drier but still very ripe and voluptuous. Tea leaves and a savoury note. Real energy. This should be a very long-term player. Tasted blind 8 Apr: Still lots of blue in the colour here. Scented and mineral. Relatively lightweight. Bone dry. A bit austere at the moment. Makes me think that these 2010s need a fair amount of weight to work..? Quite long though. (Score: 17++ 22-36) This wine may overtake Langoa in the long term but is certainly less expressive at this stage. (17.5+ Points) Score: 17 - 18 JancisRobinson.com, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2040 19 April 2011
Fine concentration, quite understated at the start, then the purity and depth of fruit, classical Leoville firm texture and length becomes plain, a wine that repays keeping. Score: 18 - 19 Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2020-2040 01 April 2011
Dark and winey, with a terrific core of plum and macerated black currant fruit woven with a note of black cherry reduction. Tarry but polished. Grippy but velvety. And plenty long. Score: 94 - 97 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 31 March 2011

Tasting Notes

Anthony Barton appeared to have made a scintillating wine in 2010 and I hoped it would live up to expectations. It does. And judging by the mutterings I heard from others, I was not alone in that opinion. The Leoville Barton is more bashful on the nose than the Langoa Barton, although there are clearly abundant, pure blackberry and blueberry fruit encased within and they will burst forth with bottle age. The palate offers exquisite balance with luscious, intense black tarry fruit on the entry that exert a gentle but insistent grip. There is a wonderful symmetry to this wine and a life-affirming sense of harmony and precision on the finish. This is unequivocally a fabulous Leoville Barton enveloped in an effortless aura a wine that easily surpassed even my own lofty expectations.

Score: 97

Neal Martin, erobertparker.com 01 March 2013

Tasted at the chateau and twice at the UGC , the Leoville-Barton is a touch more timid than the Langoa at this stage, but it opens up to reveal blackberry, cassis, violets and a touch of cedar, quite Margaux-like in profile. The palate is full-bodied with exquisite purity, insistent grippy tannins, a seamless texture like the Langoa and harmonious towards the long, refined, velvety finish. Gorgeous from head to toe. Drink 2020- Tasted April 2011.

Score: 96 - 98

Neal Martin, erobertparker.com Maturity: 2020+ 15 April 2011

Aromas of pure blackberries and violets follow through to a full body, with super velvety tannins and a delicious balance of sweet fruit, light vanilla and nuts. Really savory and beautiful. Superb wine. I like this better than 2009. Try in 2018.

Score: 97

James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com Maturity: 2018+ 04 February 2013

A splendid showing, much stronger from bottle than it was from barrel, the Leoville Barton is one of the spectacular wines of the vintage. Inky purple to the rim, its huge tannin gives this wine real potential for 30-50 years of longevity. It is a classic, powerful Bordeaux made with no compromise. A superstar of the vintage, the wine has notes of pen ink and crème de cassis, good acidity, sweet, subtle oak, and massive extraction and concentration. I thought it was one of the most backward wines of the vintage two years ago, and nothing has changed in the ensuing upbringing of the wine in cask except that the wine now seems even richer, denser and fuller than I previously thought. The beautiful purity, symmetry, and huge finish of nearly a minute make this one of the all-time great classics from Leoville Barton. Anticipated maturity: 2028-2065+. (96+ Points)

Score: 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2028-2065+ 01 February 2013

The 2010 Leoville Barton was almost impossible to evaluate because of its highly extracted, masculine, muscular style. However, it exhibits a dense purple color along with surprising amounts of oak, excruciatingly painful tannin levels, good acidity and a massive mouthfeel. One of the biggest, most backward wines of the vintage, forget it for a decade and drink it over the following 30+ years. Unfortunately, I have passed the age where it makes sense to buy a wine such as this.

Score: 91 - 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 04 May 2011

Utterly inviting nose - lightly spiced, restrained and dark-fruited. Playing hard to get. Touch of vanilla sweetness but overall not sweet on the nose. Surprisingly velvety on the palate - dense but rounded tannins. No edges at all but dry and dusty freshness on the finish. A conundrum.

Score: 17

Julia Harding MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2017-2035 10 April 2012

Deep inky-purple. Knockout aromas of smoky plum, chocolate-coated blackcurrant, balsamic vinegar and aromatic herbs. Suave, sweet and fine-grained, with creamy-rich cassis, smoke and sweet spice flavors given definition by firm acidity. Finishes with subtly powerful, building length and fully ripe tannins. This strikes me as the best Leoville Barton in years, a really mesmerizing wine that's already remarkably pliant and accessible but also has a great future ahead of it. Drink from 2018 through 2040.

Score: 93 - 96

Ian D'Agata, International Wine Cellar Maturity: 2018-2040 01 May 2011

A classic nose of intense blackberry fruit and spicebox. On the palate, very clean and with layers of cool, polished fruit and well-harnessed fine tannins that coat the mouth. Racy acidity. Complex and classic.

Score: 94 - 96

Albany Vintners 27 April 2011

Black with a purple edge. Less obviously aromatic than the Langoa 2010. Drier but still very ripe and voluptuous. Tea leaves and a savoury note. Real energy. This should be a very long-term player. Tasted blind 8 Apr: Still lots of blue in the colour here. Scented and mineral. Relatively lightweight. Bone dry. A bit austere at the moment. Makes me think that these 2010s need a fair amount of weight to work..? Quite long though. (Score: 17++ 22-36) This wine may overtake Langoa in the long term but is certainly less expressive at this stage. (17.5+ Points)

Score: 17 - 18

JancisRobinson.com, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2040 19 April 2011

Fine concentration, quite understated at the start, then the purity and depth of fruit, classical Leoville firm texture and length becomes plain, a wine that repays keeping.

Score: 18 - 19

Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2020-2040 01 April 2011

Dark and winey, with a terrific core of plum and macerated black currant fruit woven with a note of black cherry reduction. Tarry but polished. Grippy but velvety. And plenty long.

Score: 94 - 97

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 31 March 2011

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