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Léoville Barton 2015

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

This is a very focused Barton with ultra-fine tannins that are so polished and chalky. It drives through the center palate with currant and berry character. Full-bodied, polished and straightforward with driving tannin. Love the texture. Class. Yes. Drink in 2021.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

The 2015 Leoville Barton has a medium to deep garnet color. It is a little shut down and reluctant to play, eventually offering scents of baked blackberries, blackcurrant cordial, and cedar chest, followed by hints of crushed rocks and smoked meats. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with bright, energetic fruit and compelling freshness, supported by ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long and lifted.

96
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, November 2022

Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Polished and cool and smooth. Great job of tannin management! Very noble. But not the most concentrated
Drink 2024-2044

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2019

I absolutely loved the 2015 Léoville-Barton and this has everything you could want from a Left Bank Bordeaux. Cassis, smoked earth, graphite, tobacco leaf, and thrilling amounts of minerality all emerge from this inky colored, full-bodied, power-packed, brut of a Saint-Julien that holds everything together and stays pure, balanced and elegant on the palate. It has a lot of tannins, yet more than enough fruit. The 2015 is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, brought up in 60% new French oak, and it needs 7-8 years of bottle age and will shine for 2-3 decades. Bravo! 2026 - 2056

97
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

The nose is concentrated with depth richness black fruits and the start of the palate has brooding power. The fruit on the mid palate is ripe with black cherry and cassis backed by dark chocolate. A hint of cedar wood at the back adds to the complexity with coffee beans and cassis on the finish.

92/94
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

Grippy and quite backward - as it often tends to be at this early stage - but this has plenty of fruit power and concentration in reserve, with fine tannins and stylish oak integration. One for the cellar. Drink: 2025-35

94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

This is a firmly structured Léoville Barton with feisty tannins and cerebral acidity, making you consider this wine’s trajectory in order to guess at when it will approach its purple period. I venture that we are a decade away because the epic Cabernet here is cool, introverted and contemplative and this means that it is more backward and less initially flattering than many other wines. I expect tasters will underestimate this wine and its potential, but is it the very essence of the estate and it reflects the huge potential of the vintage, too.

18+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

The 2015 Leoville Barton is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot picked between 19-22 September and 28 September until 5 October for the Merlot and Cabernet respectively. Matured in 60% new oak, it has a more compelling and intense bouquet than the 2015 Langoa Barton at this early stage, whereas in other years I have found the siblings closer together. It delivers some lovely blackberry, sage and cigar box scents. The palate is very refined with edgy tannin, beautifully balanced with seamlessly integrated oak. It is the classic Léoville-Barton style, full of energy and showing more breeding than the Langoa on the finish. This is just an outstanding, classic, drop-dead gorgeous Léoville Barton that is destined to give immense pleasure over the coming years. Bravo Anthony, Lilian et al. Drink 2025 -2050.

94/96
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

A very savory and fruity red with red currant and plum aromas and flavors. Full body, firm backbone of tannins and a fresh finish. A generous and fruity young red. Fruity forward in a reserved way.

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2016

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Leoville Barton offers up notions of warm red currants, black raspberries and dark chocolate with wafts of cigar box, violets and bay leaves. Elegant, medium-bodied and sporting great freshness, the taut, tightly wound palate of intense red fruits and floral accents is well-framed with firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering mineral note. 2022 - 2042

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim Fe), February 2018

Deep crimson. Fresh and zesty. Much more lifted than its Langoa stablemate. Really rather glorious actually. Very fresh but with slaty undertow. Now this is a 'mineral' wine!
Drink 2028-2045

18
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, November 2017

Glowing purplish crimson. Very obviously 'sweeter' and chunkier than the Langoa Barton just tasted. But not too much. Full of appeal. And there is masses of tannin here! Lots going on here.
Drink 2027-2045

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016
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.