2021 Ch. Léoville Barton - Saint Julien GCC | € 66,00 (€ 79,86) |
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IN DE PERS 94 Neal Martin - vinous.com (Februari 2024) The 2021 Léoville Barton marks the first vintage with Cabernet Franc in the blend, which Damien Barton explained was thanks to the smaller vats recently installed in the cuverie. There is a sense of airiness on the nose, very focused and well-defined with blackberry, bilberry and crushed stone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and sappy with ripe black fruit and a fine bead of acidity, showing a touch of spice box and cinnamon on the finish. Superb. Drink 2026-2050. 93-95 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Mei 2022) The 2021 Léoville-Barton was picked from 27 September until 7 October, matured in 60% new oak. The alcohol is 13.12%. It has a clean and pure bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and hints of shucked oyster shell: focused and very well delineated, classic in style. The palate has a smooth and cohesive entry, very well-knit with beautifully integrated oak. Crisp acidity with the perfect amount of tension on the classically-styled finish, this Léoville Barton demonstrates the advantages of their brand new cellar (even though the reception was not finished in time!) I cannot see any reason not to own a few bottles of this in your cellar. Drink 2026-2050. “It was not a good vintage for tourists, but it was enough to ripen the grapes,” Lilian Barton-Sartorius told me when I called in at Mauvesin-Baron, out in Moulis-en-Médoc. “I think it is a vintage where buyers should shop carefully. Gelée blanche is when there is no wind, and the cold air sits at the bottom and gelée noir is when there are cold winds, and you bring even more cold air to the vineyards. The first night was gélee noirand hit the top of the hills and the second night gelée blanche. We have candles here which is fine when temperatures are -2°C but not efficient if it is -5°C. We had no frost in Saint-Julien, and the wines exhibited high acidity levels, mostly malic so the total acidity decreased to a fairly normal number. Our challenge was that the Merlot could be diluted because of the showers, but the grape size was not too large. and their skin maturity was fine. The 20mm of rain forecast just before harvest never materialised, though we took the decision to pick before as we did not feel it would disadvantage us much as it takes three days for any water to be sucked up by the vines. The 2021s are the first vintages made in the new winery equipped with smaller vats (80-200hL whereas they were uniformly 200hL) and in small batches using our three, 5-hectoliter vertical presses that allow us to separate the skins and press the heart of the batch and gain precision. There is around 12.5% vin de presse in the final blend.” 94+ Antonio Galloni - vinous.com (December 2023) The 2021 Léoville-Barton is a gorgeous, classically built Saint-Julien. Graphite, leather, blue-toned fruit, spice, tobacco, licorice and lavender are immediately alluring. Medium in body and vibrant, the 2021 exudes finesse from start to finish. It is very much on the restrained side, with all the elements impeccably balanced. I would give this a few years in the cellar. It really blossoms with air, but the best is clearly yet to come. Drink 2028-2051. 92-94 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Mei 2022) The 2021 Léoville-Barton is a wine of notable intensity, but all of that power is directed inward. Tightly coiled and vibrant, the Léoville-Barton is going to need time to be ready, but that is to be expected. There is terrific energy here, if not the volume of the preceding three vintages. That’s not a problem. Drink 2031-2061. 94+ William Kelley – robertparker.com (Februari 2024) The 2021 Léoville Barton has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of cassis and plums mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings, menthol and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and refined, built around lively acids and a chassis of sweet, powdery tannin that will reward some bottle age with greater plenitude. It's a real success. Drink 2027-2045. 93-96 William Kelley – robertparker.com (April 2022) A terrific success, the 2021 Léoville Barton unwinds in the glass with aromas of blackcurrant, wild berries and plums mingled with hints of pencil shavings, loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, it's concentrated and tensile, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and all the class that an elevated percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon growing in deep gravel can provide. It's the first vintage vinified in the Barton family's new winery, and I suspect that contributes to the ultra-refined quality of tannin this year. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times. 93-94 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Mei 2022) A medium-bodied red with redcurrant, crushed-stone and earth character, following through to fine tannins and a polished finish. Balanced. 94 Jane Anson – janeanson.com (April 2022) St Julien’s location next to the river Garonne saved it from the worst of the frost, and this is one of the best wines in the appellation. It has energy and plenty of depths of fruit to work through, with powerful spice notes of clove, white pepper and turmeric, with the fresh acidities in the cassis and bilberry fruit turned into a prop for propelling things forward through the palate. And even if all this wasn’t the case, this is a wine to buy in 2021 in memory of Anthony Barton, long-term owner and Bordeaux legend, who died in January 2022. 60% new oak. Tasted twice. 90-92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown – thewineindependent.com (Mei 2022) The 2021 Leoville Barton is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 27 September to 7 October. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a fair bit of swirling to shake loose notes of fresh blackberries, mulberries, and cassis, plus touches of garrigue, wild blueberries, violets, and licorice with a touch of wood smoke. Medium-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and a lively backbone with loads of crunchy black fruit layers and an impressive array of savory sparks on the long finish. Drink 2026-2038. 17+/20 James Lawther – jancisrobinson.com (Mei 2022) 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Minerally and racy with a density that is often missing in 2021. Layers of fruit and plentiful but refined tannins. Structured and persistent, the quality of the vineyard appreciable. Fresh and well defined. Good balance. Definite potential. Drink 2029 – 2045. 94-96+Yohan Castaing - anthocyanes.fr (Mei 2022) 95-96 Terre des Vins (Mei 2022) 93-95 Alexandre Ma (Mei 2022) 94-95 La Revue des Vins de France (Mei 2022) Léoville BartonLeoville Barton is een vaste waarde voor elke Bordeauxdrinker en is een jaarlijkse aankoop waard. Als traditionele bewaarwijn en 2ème Grand Cru Classé Saint Julien behoort hij steevast tot de beste wijnen in elk millésime. Die mooie kwaliteit haalt hij met een schijnbaar gemak, terwijl zijn prijs altijd de vergelijking met gelijken doorstaat. Dit is het Château in de Médoc die al het langst in handen is van één en dezelfde familie: de Bartons. De 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, heraangeplant in de jaren 1980, domineert van het assemblage en wordt aangevuld met 23% Merlot en 3% Cabernet Franc. De wijngaard van 51 hectare is aangeplant met een densiteit van 9.100 wijnstokken per hectare; ze zijn gemiddeld 38 jaar oud in 2018. Een ruime jaarlijkse productie van 20.000 kisten komt zijn populariteit ten goede. La Réserve de Léoville Barton is zijn voortreffelijke tweede wijn. BartonAnthony Barton was één van de meest gerespecteerde persoonlijkheden in de Médoc. Hij overleed in 2022 en was de achtste generatie van de familie achter Léoville Barton en Langoa Barton in Saint Julien en inmiddels ook Mauvesin Barton in Moulis en Médoc.De familie Barton is een Engelse familie die in Ierland aankwam in de XVIIde Eeuw. In 1722 kwam zeevaarder Thomas Barton zich vestigen in Bordeaux om er wijn te exporteren naar Ierland, toen een even grote afzetmarkt als Engeland. Zijn kleinzoon Hugh kocht in 1821 Langoa en in 1826 zelfs een kwart van het Château de Léoville van de Marquis de las Cases (oorspronkelijk vormden las Cases, Poyferré en Barton één geheel). De negende en tiende generaties tekenen nog altijd present met dochter Lilian en kleinzoon Damien. Hun lijfspreuk klinkt toepasselijk: “Fide et Fortitudine”. De familie is op vandaag de oudste familie van Château-eigenaars in de Médoc. |