2010 Ch. Léoville-Barton, St. Julien

The style of this vintage is perfectly suited to Léoville-Barton. Always the epitome of elegance and breed, the wine in 2010 embodies the classical proportions of the vintage with a lovely harmony between fruit, acidity, tannin and alcohol. It is certainly destined for a long life, so put it away for 15 years at least, by which time it will be extremely rewarding.
(77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22.5% Merlot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc)
(Alun Griffiths MW, BBR Wine Director)

Château Léoville Barton

Fine concentration, quite understated at the start, then the purity and depth of fruit, classical Leoville Barton firm texture and length becomes plain, a wine that repays keeping.
(Steven Spurrier – Decanter – Apr 2011)

Black with a purple edge. Less obviously aromatic than the Langoa 2010. Drier but still very ripe and voluptuous. Tea leaves and a savoury note. Real energy. This should be a very long-term player.

Tasted blind 8 Apr: Still lots of blue in the colour here. Scented and mineral. Relatively lightweight. Bone dry. A bit austere at the moment. Makes me think that these 2010s need a fair amount of weight to work? Quite long though. This wine may overtake Langoa in the long term but is certainly less expressive at this stage.
(Jancis Robinson MW- jancis robinson.com, Apr 2011)

A splendid showing, much stronger from bottle than it was from barrel, the Leoville Barton is one of the spectacular wines of the vintage. Inky purple to the rim, its huge tannin gives this wine real potential for 30-50 years of longevity. It is a classic, powerful Bordeaux made with no compromise. A superstar of the vintage, the wine has notes of pen ink and creme de cassis, good acidity, sweet, subtle oak, and massive extraction and concentration. I thought it was one of the most backward wines of the vintage two years ago, and nothing has changed in the ensuing upbringing of the wine in cask except that the wine now seems even richer, denser and fuller than I previously thought. The beautiful purity, symmetry, and huge finish of nearly a minute make this one of the all-time great classics from Leoville Barton.
(96+ Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- Feb 2013)

The 2010 Leoville Barton was almost impossible to evaluate because of its highly extracted, masculine, muscular style. However, it exhibits a dense purple color along with surprising amounts of oak, excruciatingly painful tannin levels, good acidity and a massive mouthfeel. One of the biggest, most backward wines of the vintage, forget it for a decade and drink it over the following 30+ years. Unfortunately, I have passed the age where it makes sense to buy a wine such as this.
(91-93 Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011)

Dark and winey, with a terrific core of plum and macerated black currant fruit woven with a note of black cherry reduction. Tarry but polished. Grippy but velvety. And plenty long.
(James Molesworth – The Wine Spectator – Mar 2011)