Léoville Barton 2016

Restrained but textured, a confident delivery of lashings of cassis, bilberry and blackberry fruits. This is an exceptional Léoville-Barton that sacrifices none of its St-Julien signature while delivering a powerful, beautifully sculpted wine. This is a total triumph, my favourite for years at this property.Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

Tasted blind. Full, rich, intense, almost fruit cake on the nose. Racy and pacy with the tannins well hidden.Drink 2026 – 2044

Deep purple-colored and a classic Saint-Julien with its pure crème de cassis, graphite, liquid rock, and essence of lead pencil shavings, the 2016 Château Léoville Barton is full-bodied, concentrated, and backward, with bright acidity and ripe yet certainly present and building tannins. This old-school, classic Léoville Barton has a fine thread of acidity keeping the wine focused and fresh. It’s a beauty, but mostly potential at this point, although it does have beautiful fruit. Savvy readers will hide bottles at the back of their cellar, and I wouldn’t start to think about opening bottles for a least a decade. It’s going to be incredibly long-lived. The blend of the 2016 is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, brought up in 60% new French oak. Drink 2029-2069.

Rich and ripe on the nose the fruit is sweet the palate has a mix of rich cassis and black cherry. Discreet tannins underpin the mid palate has depth and sweetness the back palate a rich mix of fruits. There is enough freshness to balance and although lighter toward the back it finishes with depth of flavour. 2026-40

Making no concessions to sensitive taste buds during en primeur week, this is an unashamedly firm, tannic, densely constructed St Julien that needs at least another decade in bottle. Oaky, firm and compact, with layers of damson, graphite and blackcurrant fruit and a grippy finish. 2027-40

The 2016 Léoville Barton has a beautiful bouquet of blackberry, gravel and hints of black truffle and pencil shavings, blossoming with aeration yet remaining classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with gorgeous ripe tannins that exert gentle grip. Lightly spiced and wonderfully focused, leaving the tongue tingling with glee long after the wine has departed. This is one of the finest wines from the estate in recent years. Drink 2022-2040.

The 2016 Leoville-Barton is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot picked from 29 September until 13 October, matured in 60% new oak and delivering 13% alcohol. It has a more intense bouquet compared to the Langoa-Barton, plenty of intense blackberry and raspberry fruit, minerals, cedar and a hint of licorice. The palate is a little chewy on the entry with good grip in the mouth. This demonstrates the backbone of the finish, just the right amount of spiciness with excellent salinity on the long finish. It is not a once-in-a-lifetime Leoville Barton, but (as usual) it just seems to do everything right. Maybe it's not quite up there with the stellar 2015 Léoville Barton, which I re-tasted at the time, but it is not far off. Drink 2026 - 2055.

The Leoville Barton 2016 is deep garnet in color. It comes galloping out with energetic notes of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries, and baked plums, plus wafts of underbrush, cardamom, graphite, and cedar. Medium-bodied, the palate is slightly dominated by the oak at this youthful stage, featuring chewy tannins and bright acidity to counter the taut fruit, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Leoville Barton delivers a superstar nose of crème de cassis, plum preserves and blueberry compote with suggestions of fragrant earth, unsmoked cigars, licorice and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, rich and seductive with firm yet velvety tannins, it has a decadently rich finish. Drink 2021 - 2046.

Dark blackish purple. Less obviously aromatic than Langoa. Tea-leaf notes. Round texture with gloriously ripe tannins. Really a standout Barton. So unusually supple! Yet with masses of tannins underneath. This will surely be one of the vintage's longer-living wines. Glorious texture and flavour. Utterly minerally dry, but not drying. Very good freshness – much fresher than many of its peers. Real energy.Drink 2027-2047