Ch. Leoville Barton
2nd Growth Grand Cru Classe
Saint-Julien
2009

The producer

One of the longest family-owned classified vineyards, this Leoville has been in the Barton family since 1826. This is also the smallest portion of the Leoville estate. Although the family takes a traditional approach to the wine, subtle changes have seen an increased intensity and power – while remaining the most elegant of the three Leovilles – in the last three decades, since Anthony Barton took over the running of the estate from his uncle Ronald and fully renovated cellars and winemaking facilities.                                                                                                        

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the 51 hectares of vineyards with around 20% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Unlike most Bordeaux estates, there is no chateau, and the wine is made at sister property Langoa Barton. The vineyards for Leoville Barton are located north of Langoa Barton. The wine matures in around 50% new French oak barrels for on average 20 months.

This is today one of the most exciting and charming 2^nd Growth chateaux in Saint-Julien. In recent years the estate has demonstrated a more sensible approach to pricing than its peers, with a market price occasionally sat at around 25% below where the generally perceived value is.  

The wine

The blend for Leoville-Barton varies with vintage conditions but usually has up to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats and is followed by ageing in 60% new French oak barrels for on average 20 months. With its youthful aromatic richness and silky structure, Leoville-Barton is today one of the most exciting and charming 2^nd Growth chateaux in Saint-Julien.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.