Farr Vintners Logo

Léoville Barton 2008

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Léoville Barton

Label

Tasting Notes

Typically extracted and powerful (which is atypical in a vintage such as 2008), this offering may lack charm, but it is "locked and loaded" with plenty of background oak, huge black cherry and black currant fruit, medium to full body and a boatload of tannin. Forget it for 8-10 years and drink it over the following three decades.

92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

Roses, blackberries, currants and wet earth. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and very pretty fruit. Long and juicy. A delicious wine, very balanced.

90/93
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, April 2009

Purplish with a lightish rim. Quite integrated nose. Well balanced. Some savour though no great intensity. Very fine tannins and good balance even if not a very firm imprint of personality. Marked tannins on the finish without a great weight of exciting fruit.

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2009
Read more tasting notes...

Another blockbuster, long-term wine from proprietor Anthony Barton, this 2008 is among the biggest, most back-strapping efforts of the vintage. As with many vintages of Leoville Barton, it is best forgotten for another decade. An inky/purple color is followed by notes of forest floor, camphor, red and black fruits, and a hint of wood. This brawny, masculine-styled St.-Julien possesses huge body, massive concentration, and mouth-searing levels of tannin. However, the tannins are much sweeter than the 2005's were at the same stage, so that should not be an issue as long as potential purchasers exercise patience. This impressively pure, classic Bordeaux should be at its finest between 2020-2050.

92/94
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (182), April 2009

Tasted ex-château and single blind in Southwold. The Leoville Barton 2008 has a very ripe, opulent bouquet that reminded me of Poyferré! It has impressive definition and purity; very good lift but there is a lot of oak to be subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent, velvety entry that disguises its serious tannic backbone. It is very stylish and suave, although there is just a touch of dryness towards the finish. I think it will improve with another decade on the clock. Tasted January 2012.

91+
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, January 2012

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, similar to Langoa this is very ripe and rich on the nose - blackberry, a touch of cedar, fig and Xmas cake. Good definition. The palate is tannic, masculine, good level of ripeness with cedar, blueberry, cassis and blackberry. Very assertive, really lacquers the mouth although I cannot help but think it is a degree too sweet on the prune-tinged finish. Tasted April 2009

90/92
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2009
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.