Léoville Barton 2017

Léoville-Barton is one of the very few wines, from any appellation, that combines power and finesse with such grace in 2017. Rich, deep and wonderfully expressive, the 2017 has so much offer. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon comes through loud and clear. Inky dark, fruit, game, spice, mint, licorice and lavender all build in a wine of regal elegance and head spinning beauty. For its combination of quality and price, Léoville-Barton remains one the most consumer-friendly wines of the Left Bank. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot. The September rains were especially challenging for the Merlot and Cabernet Franc. As a result, Cabernet is pushed up in the blend, while there is no Franc at all. 2025 - 2047.

The 2017 Leoville Barton is deep garnet in color. It waltzes out with a stunning perfume of redcurrant jelly, warm cassis, and Morello cherries, followed by an undercurrent of peonies, dark chocolate, licorice, and wet slate. The medium-bodied palate delivers a firm backbone of beautifully ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the layer upon layer of fruit and floral notes, finishing with great length and poise. Stunning!

The 2017 Léoville-Barton, which is aged in 60% new oak, is endowed with far more concentration on the nose compared to the Langoa with layers of blackberry, dark plum, violet and orange pith scents that are beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, so fresh and vibrant, silky smooth in texture with a vivid, refined finish. There is a sense of panache about this Léoville-Barton, a fabulous wine for the vintage. Drink 2022-2045.

Tasted blind. Deep ruby. Dark-fruited and brooding on the nose – this has clear potential. The palate is very muscular, with a solid framework on which to build the fruit. Notes of cassis and spice are in harmony, showing the precision of the winemaking here. Rich and spicy but well managed. This is chiselled and very fine. Long and driven on the finish.
Drink 2025 – 2040

The purity of cabernet sauvignon really comes through here with currants, blackberries and stones. Perfumed, too. Medium to full body. Very fine, polished tannins and a fresh, fruity finish. This shows a compact palate with a polished, creamy finish. Much higher percentage of cabernet than is usual. Drink after 2023.

This has a stronger, tighter and more concentrated expression in this vintage than its sister property, although it's not as concentrated as its last few vintages. It's back to a more old school expression for the appellation, suiting the vintage, and it's one of the better-framed wines on display here. Good quality, with ground coffee, dark chocolate and tight cassis notes, all subtly and harmoniously put together. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038

Deepest crimson. Dark, savoury and spicy black fruit with a lovely balsamic note but also a light vanilla sweetness and a more subdued graphite layer. Complex already. On the palate, this is succulent, firm but polished. Tannins are very fine, definite. A harmonious whole and a juicy finish.
Drink 2025-2037

With 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot in the mix, this is the most strongly Cabernet wine ever produced here. Picked 15-29 September with maturation in 60% new oak. A deep and brooding nose of cassis with a hint of dried violets and smoky liquorice. The palate is richly tannic but ripe. This mouthcoating structure provides an ample frame for pure cassis and cedar. This wine has great delineation of fruit and supreme elegance, but still the power and ripeness to linger with lightly exotic spices of nutmeg and clove on the finish.

Concentrated black fruits the nose is firm the palate has a rich mix of black cherry and cassis. Power in a velvet glove there is mid structure the fruit wrapped around with generous rich flavours the back palate and finish lighter streamlined and elegant. 2026-40

Rather more structured than Langoa, as usual, but also a little more feisty, dense and rather more tannic and active on the palate, too. There is the traditional cassis theme and the tannins and oak are not dominant, allowing the fruit to expand and develop during the experience. There is some tension with the tannins but they do not shut the wine down as I have seen in other properties. I expect it to age slowly and incrementally, waiting some time before it softens - perhaps a decade or more.