critic reviews
The 1989 Leoville Barton is deep garnet-brick in color. It jumps from the glass with notes of unsmoked cigars, warm cassis, new leather, and iron ore, followed by hints of dried bay leaves and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate is intense, spicy, and impactful, delivering loads of mature fruit layers and a lively backbone, with a sturdy, chewy texture and a long, mineral-laced finish.
The bottle of 1989 Léoville-Barton is probably the best I have encountered over the years; indeed, it is better than a bottle opened by Lilian Barton-Sartorius when I visited the property a few weeks earlier. It has a comely old-school claret bouquet of red fruit infused with cedar and loamy scents, and maybe some dustiness, but I have come to expect that in older vintages of this Saint-Julien. The palate is medium-bodied, pure and elegant, with svelte tannin and moderate acidity and a surprisingly sweet, almost precocious finish thanks to that year’s hot summer. It has softened in recent years and yet there is still good backbone and grip to this wine. Just enjoy. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London.