Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2020

Name: Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien
Brand: Château Léoville Barton
Price: 381.53 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2002 2003 2005 2010 2018 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Tasted twice. The UGC sample was uncharacteristically weak so we requested a fresh sample, and boy, what a difference. This has real gravitas. The colour when you pour into the glass is opaque, with just the finest slither of purple. So deep and brooding; serious, intense, introverted, then some stary fruit emerges with faint notes of floral fragrance. On the palate the texture of the fruit is very impressive, it’s creamy and mouthcoating, pure crème de cassis, boysenberries and mulberry, vivid and long. This has all the hallmarks of a noble and powerful Leoville Barton full of concentration and depth, enveloped by imposing yet integrated tannins that coat the palate with lingering flavours of Valrhona chocolate, Asian spice and blackcurrant. Glorious! 85.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14.5% Merlot cropped at a paltry 34 hL/ha.

critic reviews

96/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2020 Léoville Barton has a very concentrated and opulent bouquet with lavish blueberry and bilberry fruit and a veneer of new oak that will be subsumed in the near future. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe tannins. Cedar and touches of baking powder infuse the layered red fruit, segueing into a spicy, persistent finish. Classy. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2060

date of review 11/2024

98/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2020 Leoville Barton has a deep garnet-purple color. It is incredibly primary and youthful with expressive scents of crème de cassis, ripe juicy plums, and black raspberries, opening out to hints of vanilla pod, coffee, star anise, and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully restrained, with lovely tension and firm, very fine-grained tannins, finishing so long and achingly graceful. Wow!

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2055

date of review 12/2023

95+/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A superb wine, the 2020 Leoville Barton exhibits generous aromas of blackberries and creme de cassis mingled with hints of licorice, pencil shavings and classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a concentrated core of fruit, sweet tannins and a nicely defined finish, it bears some similarities with the estate's demonstrative 2000 vintage, even if the two growing seasons were quite different. I suspect it will tighten up with more time in bottle, hence the plus sign next to my score, but right now, the 2020 is unusually accessible out of the gates.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2055

date of review 04/2023

95/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2048

date of review 02/2023