2012 Château Léoville Barton
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Tasting notes
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot. 60% new oak. Deep coloured with inky dark fruits and a bit of graphite minerality on the nose. This is much more forward than usual – quite approachable, even – and is less impenetrably tannic than recent vintages. A lighter style of Leoville Barton though competent as always. FINE+RARE
Critic scores
FINE+RARE
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A more mid-weight, elegant expression from this château, the 2012 Château Léoville Barton is nevertheless an outstanding wine with plenty to love. Revealing a vivid ruby hue as well as beautiful cassis and darker currant fruits, it has lots of graphite, cedar pencil, and spicy notes, medium body, a light, elegant mouthfeel, and soft, ultra-fine tannins. This complex, elegant Barton shines with just an hour of air and will continue drinking nicely over the coming 10-15 years.
The 2012 Léoville-Barton has a touch more precision and drive compared to 2012 Langoa-Barton, blackberry and raspberry, cedar and mint, almost Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite feisty and vibrant with good concentration on the finish. This is quite a serious Saint-Julien, and it has the substance to age well in bottle. Excellent. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
Garnet. More guts and less charm than the Langoa 2012. Very dry, uncompromising finish for the moment. Wait! (JR)