EP23 Release: "a lovely classic in the making" Leoville Barton and 'very seductive and vivacious' Langoa Barton

2023 marked the third vintage vinified in the new winery facility at the two estates. The cellar maintains the traditional character of the estate but has more than double the number of vats allowing for detailed plot by plot selection. William Kelley writes of the 2023 Leoville Barton, “Benefiting from the Barton family's new highly functional winery, as well as experimentation with more discreet cooperage choices, it's somewhat reminiscent of the estate's terrific 2016.” Tasting the wine at the estate, we strongly agree - this year’s Leoville Barton stands among the best of St Julien.

The Langoa Barton this year is a total classic – not an ounce of excess this shows real purity of fruit matched with a sinewy, and athletic build. William Kelley calls out the Langoa Barton 2023 as “sure to number among the intelligent purchases of the en primeur campaign”. For the quality, you will be hard pushed to find another classed growth property that hits the mark so consistently for price and quality.

“Wow, super drive from the Cabernet here, a sense of coolness and freshness running through the wine. It opens with well-defined aromas of crushed violets, cassis, and a little bitter cocoa too. Graphite, pencil shavings, wet rocks are humming beneath the surface - there is a mineral streak running next to the fruit and which triumphs at the moment. Firm, sinewy, and athletic, it is a benchmark St Julien.”

Quality is at an all-time high for this high-flying family estate with ever more precision and detail in the wines. 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.

Add Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton 2023 to my cellar

97pts Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux “Step into the heart of what St Julien does best here, firm and muscular but thoroughly juicy tannins, concentrated blackberry and cassis fruits that are mature but full of finesse, with just the right amount of precision and tension. This is a wine where a single glass will not be enough, and reminds you that in 2022 the wines were exceptional but atypical for many Bordeaux lovers. Here you get an understated gloriously drinkable St Julien from long-term owners the Barton family that will go the distance. 60% new oak for ageing.”

96-97pts James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com “The tannins here are cashmere-like. You can touch it, but at the same time it is weightless and beautiful. Medium- to full-bodied and textural. Soars at the end. This is really seamless and dialed in. Third year using the cellar. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 3% cabernet franc.”

94-96pts William Kelley, The Wine Advocate “The 2023 Léoville Barton is a lovely classic in the making, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings, licorice and violets. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's layered, concentrated and suave, with beautifully refined tannins, vibrant acids and a long, penetrating finish. Benefiting from the Barton family's new highly functional winery, as well as experimentation with more discreet cooperage choices, it's somewhat reminiscent of the estate's terrific 2016. The 2023 blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.”

93-95pts Antonio Galloni, Vinous “The 2023 Léoville-Barton marries the classicism the château is so well-known for with an extra kick of textural intensity from the heat of the year. It’s powerful, dark and serious, with compelling notes of black cherry, lavender, spice and blackberry. This is an especially dense, somber Léoville-Barton endowed with tremendous presence. The blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the first time Franc has appeared in the blend. This will need time to soften, as the tannins are imposing. Tasted two times.”