Chateau Leoville Barton, Cru Classe, 2022
Country: France Region: Bordeaux (Saint Julien)
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Blend Vintage: 2022
Colour: Red Style: Dry
Producer: Chateau Leoville-Barton
30 hl/ha in 2022. This is 14.1% alcohol and made from 83% Cabernet Sauvignon. 11.5% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc. Picked from the 8th to the 23rd of September. Elevage in 60% new oak.
The 2022 Léoville Barton is performing brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, pen ink, cigar box and spices. Medium to full-bodied, suave and velvety, it's dense and concentrated, with terrific energy and persistence. As readers will remember, it's the first vintage produced in the estate's new winery, which more than doubled the number of vats, permitting sub-plot by sub-plot harvesting and vinification, along with a number of other technical improvements that translate into enhanced purity and precision. 2027 - 2055
A superb 2022, where the property's natural propensity to structure adds depth, power and longevity to a vintage where many wines seem open and soft. Dark and seductive with notes of cassis, black cherries, blackberries and charcoal embers. The palate shows the glossy, primary plushness of the vintage on entry but quickly focuses into dark fruit which is enveloped by ripe but plentiful and chalky tannin. Pure and linear, this is a driven, ageworthy wine that is a good choice for those looking to lay something down this year.
Very polished and poised with blackberry and blueberry character. Medium body with tight and focused tannin tension. Lively finish. Harmonious for the vintage.
The 2022 Leoville Barton is deep garnet-purple in color. It jumps from the glass with notes of crème de cassis, plum preserves, and blueberry compote, followed by hints of Indian spices, mossy tree bark, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and decadent, with firm, yet velvety, tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy.
Retains signature character and architecture, combined with a come-hither ripeness that is all about the 2022 vintage. A brilliant wine, luscious and supple with cassis and bilberry, damson and black cherry along with cocoa bean and mandarin. Delivers confidence and ageability. The Barton family continue to make this wine unmissable.
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Dark-fruit and spice notes. Layered fruit on the palate. Big tannic frame but tannins ripe and refined. Again (see Langoa Barton), the oak present in this sample resulting in a chewy, drying finish. Seems to have the potential but needs retasting. (JL) 14.1%
Drink 2032– 2050
