2022 Château Léoville-Barton | MG - 1er OHK

The 2022 Léoville Barton, the second vintage made in the new winery, was the first to be completely gravity-fed instead of using pumps. It has a magnificent bouquet that fulfills my admittedly lofty expectations given its showing from barrel, blessed with an almost pixelated quality that previous vintages perhaps lacked. The nose is very precise with pure black fruit and fine mineralité. Elegant and poised, the medium-bodied palate features finely chiseled tannins and just the right amount of bitterness on the finish. Very persistent—a Saint-Julien you just don't want to finish. This ranks among the finest in the appellation.

- Neal Martin (01/2025)

Very polished and poised with blackberry and blueberry character. Medium body with tight and focused tannin tension. Lively finish. Harmonious for the vintage. (04/2023)

Cassis, graphite, smoky tobacco, violets, and a wonderful sense of minerality all emerge from the 2022 Château Léoville Barton, a riveting Saint-Julien that shows the style of this estate while bringing the richness and depth of the vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it has enough tannins to warrant a decade of cellaring and will have 30+ years of prime drinking. I’d put this up with the finest Léoville Barton I’ve tasted, as well as with the truly greats of the vintage. (02/2025)

The 2022 Leoville Barton is deep garnet-purple in color. It jumps from the glass with notes of crème de cassis, plum preserves, and blueberry compote, followed by hints of Indian spices, mossy tree bark, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and decadent, with firm, yet velvety, tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy. (12/2023)

The 2022 Léoville Barton is performing brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, pen ink, cigar box and spices. Medium to full-bodied, suave and velvety, it's dense and concentrated, with terrific energy and persistence. As readers will remember, it's the first vintage produced in the estate's new winery, which more than doubled the number of vats, permitting sub-plot by sub-plot harvesting and vinification, along with a number of other technical improvements that translate into enhanced purity and precision.

- William Kelley (03/2025)