Vintage 2000
A.O.C. Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France
Léoville-Barton, sandwiched between the Gironde and the huge expanse of Château Talbot, is widely considered to be a ’super second’ – an estate that is working at a quality level equal to, or approaching, that of a first growth. It is also without doubt the best value quality wine in Saint-Julien.
The history of the château can be traced back to 1722, when Irishman Thomas Barton established a wine trading company here. The fifth and current generation, under Anthony Barton who took over in 1983, has the drive to continue his forefathers great work, producing traditional Saint-Julien at a price to please mere mortals.
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“Ripe blackberry, raspberry, fruitcake and mulberry on the nose, more primal than others 2000s, developing touches of leather and Provencal herbs (white fennel) with time. The palate has a chewy entry, spicy and peppery, very attacking but perhaps a little ostentatious? Spiky, spicy black fruits, touches of marjoram and cardamom. Dry and tobacco dominated towards the finish, moderate length. It lacks some focus for the first ten minutes but coalesces and tidies itself up.” eRobertParker.com (Sep 2010)
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