Source: jamessuckling.com. Issue Date: February 13, 2017 (JS-92)

Aromas of currants and berries with flowers and spices. Some balsamic vinegar, too. Medium to full body, firm and compacted tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Solid young wine. Excellent second wine of Leoville Barton. Try in 2021.

Source: Winemaker,

300 YEARS OF FAMILY HERITAGE
1722 – Thomas Baron left his native Ireland to settle in Bordeaux, founding a wine merchant company.
1826 – His grandson, Hugh Barton, purchased 50 hectares of vines located in the Saint Julien appellation. In the historic 1855 classification the Chateau was to be awarded the rank of “Second Classified Growth”.
The property was managed by the various generations over the years until Anthony Barton raised Chateau Leoville Barton to the level of international recognition it enjoys today. The Barton story continues with his daughter, Lilian, and her two children, now writing the chapter of the 10th generation.

TERROIR & VINEYARD
The vineyard nestles in the heart of the St Julien terroir among the most beautiful slopes of Garonne gravel, facing the Gironde river. The clayey gravel subsoil allows excellent growing conditions whatever weather the vintage brings. The plowing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide. The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon (74%), Merlot (23%) and Cabernet Franc (3%).

VINIFICATION
The harvesting is done entirely by hand. After the de-stemming, the berries are carefully sorted, crushed and poured in wooden vats thermo-regulated, according to their plots. The alcoholic fermentation lasts from 7 to 10 days and the extraction is always respectful of the juice by adjusting the number of pumping depending on the cuvees and the vintages. The maceration is about 3 weeks then the juice is drawn in barrels, lot by lot. This second wine of Chateau Leoville Barton comes from young vines and plots that have not reached the high level of requirement to enter in the Grand Vin. The wine is then aged between 16 and 18 months in French oak barrels of 1 wine, in a cellar maintained at 15.

THE VINTAGE
BLENDING
71% Cabernet Sauvignon
25% Merlot
4% Cabernet Franc

ALCOHOL13
DATES OF MANUAL HARVEST
from 25th September to 8th October

TASTING
Intense garnet color, depth and dense with a beautiful brightness. Opulent nose with spicy, peppery, roasted notes and a touch of strawberry jam. The attack is frank, ample with a beautiful tannic structure. Delicate notes of vanilla and cherry stand out in mouth.