Léoville Barton 2020

Silky tannins, quiet classicism, juicy black fruits, crushed rocks, liqourice and mint, beautiful definition. What an example of how good St Julien can be in this vintage, with rose peal and tomato leaf aromatics also. Brilliant. Right up alongside their excellent 2019. Good old Leoville Barton, a reliable old friend that never lets you down. 60% new oak.

Full bottle 1,345 g. Cask sample taken 6 April. 85.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot. Aged for 18 months in barrel (60% new).Lustrous purple. Minerally, stony, saline nose. Really remarkably opulent on palate entry which almost distracts from those massive tannins underneath. There's just a suggestion of vintage port tannins here (not the sweetness). Very fine winemaking indeed. I have to admit I was tempted to swallow this, it was so majestic. I don't remember being as bowled over by a Léoville Barton at this early stage before. Lovely, confident, persistent finish. Such grace! 13.6%Drink 2030 – 2055

(85% CS, 15% M; 34hl/ha; 13.6% ABV; 60% new)Inky purple; dense, closed, raw blackcurrant and subtle gravel; concentrated, medium- to full-bodied, muscular wine, firm in acidity and firmly tannic, a clear long-term prospect, but without the sinews of 2010, for example; crisply ripe blackcurrant in flavor, long to taste across the palate, with a notable tenacity rather than sheer size. Elegance, complexity, finesse, and length. A sort of 1996 with more matter? This will probably need a decade and a half to really mellow and “bouquet.” 2030–50+.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Leoville Barton slowly emerges from the glass with fragrant notes of peonies, cinnamon toast, cedar, Ceylon tea, and fallen leaves, giving way to a core of fresh blackcurrants, black raspberries, and mulberries plus a hint of wet pebbles. The new oak nuances on the medium-bodied palate contribute a cedary character to the vibrant black fruit and earthy flavors and a firmness to the ripe, grainy tannins, supported by a lively backbone, finishing long and perfumed. Still quite tight-knit and primary, give it a good 5-7 years in bottle and drink it over the next 25-years+.

In some ways, the 2020 Léoville Barton has become more serious than when I encountered it from barrel. It's lost its puppy fat and delivers quite intense blackberry, blueberry and incense aromas, a little oak to be assimilated yet still very focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a "coolness" on the entry, taut yet deep with a core of black fruit that lacquers that mouth. It's like a Bentley purring on the finish that is very persistent - an outstanding Léoville Barton.

The 2020 Léoville Barton was picked September 15–16 and matured in 70% new oak. It is one of the best vintages that I have encountered in barrel. Wow! This shoots from the glass with beautifully defined black fruit, mineral-rich aromas, pixelated with laser-like focus. The palate is medium-bodied with chiseled tannins, a perfect line of acidity, layers of vibrant, vivacious black fruit and a very persistent finish that is pure class. If you don’t have this in your cellar, then there will be a Léoville Barton–shaped hole to fill. Drink 2028-2055.

A full-bodied red that builds on the palate with lots of blackberry and blueberry character, as well as chocolate. Mineral and graphite undertones. Chewy, yet very integrated. Excellent, as expected.

The 2020 Léoville Barton reveals a deep purple-black color, springing from the glass with vivacious scents of crushed black cherries, cassis and black raspberries, plus hints of cinnamon toast, wild sage, red roses and sassafras. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with muscular black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.Drink 2026-2047

Packed full of black chocolate shavings, liquorice, cocoa bean, concentrated cassis and bilberry fruits. Good quality, will bed down and age extremely well, with depth and character but also classicism. As with many in this corner of the Médoc peninsula in this vintage, the austerity to the tannins is very much to the fore right now. May be upscored when in bottle.Drinking Window 2029 - 2045