Château Léoville Barton Saint-Julien 2025 - 2nd Grand Cru Classé (Primeurs)

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Exceptional for this vintage, combining perfect body, impressive density, and remarkable progress in the integration of oak. A top priority for en primeur purchases.

About the estate:

Under the understated, honest, and passionate leadership of Anthony Barton, this wine has joined the very elite of the Médoc without causing its prices to skyrocket. The wine’s current quality stems from the age and location of the vines, which allow for a balance of quantity and quality, as well as from a commitment to preserving and refining the most classic Médoc style. The mystery of its character remains, for this wine—with exceptional aging potential—is born fully formed, with an almost creamy texture that makes it immediately stand out and be loved. The new generation of the family has little to change...

Decanter

About the wine:

Beautiful, expressive, and open aromas, very fragrant, with notes of vibrant violets and black cherries. Supple and full of energy, it exhibits a certain tension, due to fairly pronounced acidity that pairs perfectly with the rich, fleshy sweetness of the black fruits (blackcurrant and raspberry). I love its character: this wine has personality and precision. It is a very pleasant and captivating wine, with excellent balance, beautiful structure, and good backbone, which should soften and perhaps thicken slightly with time. I’m sure it will be a marvel. A mineral note of crushed stone on the finish. One of the lowest yields ever recorded, at 22 hl/ha. 2026–2050

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Although the Irishman Thomas Barton established his wine merchant business in Les Chartrons in 1725, it was not until 1821 that his grandson Hugh acquired Château Langoa, and then, in 1826, part of the former Léoville estate—a property founded in the early 17th century and divided into several parts during the Revolution. The estate has remained in the Barton family ever since (Lilian Barton-Sartorius since 2006), with its 51 hectares of vineyards extending south of the village of Saint-Julien. There is no residence or winery here; vinification and aging take place at Langoa.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Since 1985, the estate has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Anthony Barton and his daughter Lilian. These successes have turned into triumphs, as Léoville Barton has consistently ranked among the very best Bordeaux grands crus since 1998. Aside from an obvious passion for a job well done, the secret to this success lies in the advanced age of this historic vineyard, which yields ripe, concentrated grapes. More full-bodied and fruity as a primeur than Léoville Las Cases or Léoville Poyferré, Baron enchants with its richness, its supreme balance—which it owes to its terroir—as well as a profound natural expression. More open as a young wine, it often goes through a phase of austerity before gradually taking on its final form; as it ages, it then unfolds one of the most complex and elegant bouquets in the Médoc. Furthermore, given its quality and consistent performance, prices remain very affordable.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

A Cabernet-dominated blend (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc), the 2025 Château Léoville Barton has an alcohol content of 13.5% and a pH of 3.6. Blackcurrant, smoked tobacco, violet, iron, and an incredible note of graphite define the aromatic profile of this brilliant, deep, pure, and complex marvel. On the palate, it is full-bodied, introverted, and powerfully structured, and its deep, concentrated style reminds me slightly of the 2010. It possesses enormous potential.

Jean-Marc Quarin