1996 Chateau Leoville Barton 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien

The 1996 Leoville Barton is deep brick-colored. It gallops out of the glass with powerful, classic scents of blackberry preserves, dried mulberries, and tobacco leaf, with hints of cedar chest and crushed rocks, plus a waft of wild sage. The light-bodied palate has a sturdy backbone of chewy tannins and a lively line to frame the impactful, mature, Cabernet flavors, finishing long and lifted. Lisa Perrotti-Brown Dec 2023 - The Wine Independent

The 1996 Leoville Barton appears more youthful than the 1996 Langoa Barton in the glass with a healthy deep garnet core. The aromatics unfurl gracefully in the glass revealing briary, wild hedgerow, black truffle and sandalwood scents -- firmly in secondary aroma stage but with appreciable presence and intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin that form its firm and classic structure, spice, white pepper and cloves infusing the slightly animally red berry fruit. This is an adorable Léoville Barton that is occupying a very "happy" place at the moment -- superb precision, old school claret at its best. Decant for an hour no more, then enjoy. Tasted July 2016.

This impressive wine is a classic. Although backward, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to abundant black currant fruit intertwined with spicy oak and truffle-like scents. The wine is brilliantly made, full-bodied, and tightly-structured with plenty of muscle and outstanding concentration and purity. It should turn out to be a long-lived Leoville Barton, and somewhat of a sleeper. However, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030.

Full ruby color. Blueberry, roasted nuts, mint and a hint of game on the nose. Fat, sweet and multilayered; rich, ripe and deep. Offers a generous mouthfeel for a young '96 from the Medoc. Substantial ripe tannins spread out over the palate. Very long, ripe aftertaste.

Tannic, young and slightly on the austere, masculine side of the style range. The nose offers secondary notes of tobacco, earth and cedar, but on the palate the wine is still young, crisp and tannic. Give it another 5 years and it could soften. But it will always be a beefy, traditional style of Bordeaux wine. Feb 2014

Saturated ruby-red. Superripe aromas of blackcurrant, graphite and cedary oak. Very concentrated and sweetly oaky in the mouth; a deep kernel of sweetness suggests that this wine possesses the sheer material to reward extended cellaring. Substantial ripe tannins coat the entire mouth. Very long on the aftertaste.

Wild berries on the nose, with an exotic flower undertone. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. Gorgeous red. Give it time.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. James Suckling

Open, expressive, esoteric nose where fruit is joined in equal intensity by vegetal and herbal notes, and oak spices. Retains that formal tannic feel during the very long finish. There's a farmyard note that is typically old-fashioned, but it all works in context. (RH)