En Primeur 2022 Releases: Château Beychevelle, Château Leoville Barton and Château Chasse Spleen
Bordeaux Index
15 May 2023
A terrific new release this morning in the form of the Barton family’s Leoville Barton available at £780 per 12.
2021 marked the first year of the new winery facility at the two estates, so all details were finely tuned ready for the exceptional fruit from the 2022 vintage. The cellar has more than double the number of vats allowing for detailed plot by plot selection.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown writes, “this extra level of precision was clear when tasting the 2022 Langoa Barton and Léoville Barton.”
Quality is at an all-time high for this high-flying family estate. These are intentionally never the most showy wines from St Julien, but instead speak of great terroir and great winemaking. These are must-haves from this vintage, and will give immense drinking pleasure in the years to come. Speaking about Leoville Barton, Kelley names it as “one of the stars of the Médoc and a wine likely to equal or surpass its 2019 and 2016 counterparts”. This numbers among one of the best wines we’ve tried from the estate in years. With volumes down on release this year, this wine is strictly on allocation.
“The 2022 Leoville Barton is composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.5% Merlot, and 5.5% Cabernet Franc, ageing in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, the glass needs quite a lot of swirling to bring out evocative notes of black currant jelly, boysenberry preserves, and juicy plums, plus suggestions of pencil shavings, lilacs, crushed rocks, and cinnamon toast. The elegantly styled, medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with layer upon layer of black fruits and earthy nuances, framed by super-ripe, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. It will likely require some patience, but it promises to be a knock-out. Yields this year were 30 hectoliters per hectare, which isn’t too bad considering how tiny the berries were this year.” - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent: 95-97+ Points
Allocation only
Other New Releases:
"Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cherries and cassis mingled with hints of violets and licorice, framed by creamy new oak, the 2022 Beychevelle is medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by rich, unusually suave and polished tannins in the context of recent vintages at this address. It's a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, with a pH of 3.85, quite typical for this address."
Wine Advocate, 92-94 Points
"The 2022 Chasse-Spleen was showing especially well, bursting with aromas of cassis and plums mingled with licorice and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with levels of texture and mid-palate amplitude unusual at this address in recent years, this supple, charming Moulis should offer a broad drinking window."
Wine Advocate, 90-92+ Points
"This is really clear and bright. Medium- to full-bodied with a solid tannin structure. Tight layers of phenolics to this. Racy and long finish. Firm and focused. 57% cabernet sauvignon, 23% cabernet franc, 15% merlot and 5% petit verdot."
James Suckling, 95-96 Points