Chateau Leoville Barton (6-Pack OWC Futures Pre-Sale) 2020

Professional Ratings

• 97 James Suckling
  A full-bodied red that builds on the palate with lots of blackberry and blueberry character, as well as chocolate. Mineral and graphite undertones. Chewy, yet very integrated. Excellent, as expected.
  Barrel Sample: 96-97
• 97 Jeb Dunnuck
  Deep purple – almost blue – in color, the 2020 Château Léoville Barton offers up an exotic, vibrant, perfumed nose that carries loads of pure cassis fruit interwoven with violets, sappy green herbs, and floral aromatics. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, this thick, chewy, powerful Saint-Julien has good acidity, building, firm, yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. My money is on this requiring 15 years to come anywhere close to maturity. It doesn’t get any more classic Barton than this.
  Barrel Sample: 95-97
• 96 Wine Enthusiast
  Dense and with velvety tannins, this wine has great structure and concentration without being too weighty. This solid wine is sure to age. Drink from 2027.
  Cellar Selection
• 96 Wine Spectator
  A bold, strapping young wine, with vivid plum, cassis, kirsch and black licorice notes that meld steadily as they cruise through, carried by a bolt of graphite and finishing with a flourish of violet, anise and apple wood. Mouthwatering in the end. Built for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045.
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2020 Léoville Barton reveals a deep purple-black color, springing from the glass with vivacious scents of crushed black cherries, cassis and black raspberries, plus hints of cinnamon toast, wild sage, red roses and sassafras. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with muscular black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
  Barrel Sample: 93-95
• 95 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  COMMENTARY: The 2020 Chateau Leoville Barton shows up with style, richness, and staying power. This wine—one of the chateaux's best to date—offers an excellent combination of ripe fruit, spice, and oaky notes. Pair it with pan-fried flank steak topped with minced shallots. (Tasted: January 27, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
• 94 Decanter
  Packed full of black chocolate shavings, liquorice, cocoa bean, concentrated cassis and bilberry fruits. Good quality, will bed down and age extremely well, with depth and character but also classicism. As with many in this corner of the Médoc peninsula in this vintage, the austerity to the tannins is very much to the fore right now. May be upscored when in bottle.
  Barrel Sample: 94