Description

NOTE Leoville-Barton is sold En-Primeur. Stock due to arrive mid-late 2019. See the En-Primeur here.

Originally there was one great Leoville Estate. Eventually there was split into three smaller parcels which are now known as Leoville-Barton, Leoville Poyferre and Leoville Las Cases. The Barton family took ownership of their part of the Leoville Estate in 1836 and it has been a much revered wine since. The Barton family also own Langoa Barton and it is at this Chateau that the wines of both properties are made.

St-Julien

Described as ‘the Gentlemans Claret’ for its elegance and restraint. These wines often impress for the balance but never blow you away with overt characters or brass flavours. St-Julien wines age very well and in a good cellar the top wines will probably out live anyone of us.

Cabernet Sauvignon

The main grape of Bordeaux’s left bank. Cabernet is late ripening and full of acid and tannin. The great wines are structured but finessed with beautiful cassis, violets and it also transmits the flavours of the soil it is grown in really well. Cabernet isn’t a drink now variety, it really needs 10 or more years to show its best. But when you get there, WOW! Often blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc or in Australia Shiraz to fill out its mid-palate referred to as the ‘Cabernet doughnut’.

Merlot

It gets a tough time most of the places it is grown. But in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion Merlot not only dominates but makes some of the best wines in the world. Perfume, silky and plush. Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon season the wines with structure and acid but in some places, like Petrus they are almost not needed.

2016

A vintage of two extremes which counteracted each other and we ended up with one of the best vintages we’ve seen in a while.