Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2005

Name: Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien
Brand: Château Léoville Barton
Price: 1283.47 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2002 2003 2005 2010 2018 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Another resounding success from Anthony Barton, and perhaps one of the few 2005’s that will not get carried in pricing. The nose is impossibly beautiful, forward and developed, with dense plum and cherry fruit, typically dark and rich; beyond the ample cherry fruit it has a curious ichorous, chocolatey character on the palate. The texture is wonderful, almost unctuous, there is plentiful depth and complexity, and fine tannins give a velvety feel on the finish. Outstanding!

critic reviews

93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2005 Léoville Barton has a delightful bouquet with more red fruit than the Langoa, wild strawberry, redcurrant, light cedar and wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and modest depth, quite fresh with a slightly rustic finish. It becomes a little medicinal with time. The 2005 is cut from a different cloth to contemporary Léoville Barton but it is still worth seeking out. Tasted at the château.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2045

date of review 06/2025

95/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2005 Leoville Barton is deep brick-colored. It needs a fair bit of shaking to wake up notes of blackberry preserves, crème de cassis, mince pie, and kirsch, giving way to a perfume of candied violets and wood smoke, plus a hint of cardamom. The light to medium-bodied palate is laden with black and red berry layers, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with epic length and depth. Gorgeous!

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2037

date of review 12/2023

98/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Deep ruby red, this is great stuff, broad-shouldered, laced with aniseed, liqourice, touches of bitter black chocolate, muscular tannins and a luscious fruit core. Lip smacking stuff, with 2005 energy and excitement. Gets more serious as it opens, revealing black pepper spice, sage, rosemary and white pepper. A wonderful wine, one to sink into. You can easily wait to drink this, and it will reward another three to five years in bottle, then go for decades. If you do open it, give it a long carafe. 50% new oak.

DRINKING WINDOW 2024 - 2050

date of review 09/2022

92/100Robert Parker,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Leoville Bartons 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2050

date of review 06/2015