Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Leoville-Barton 1996

Last night a good showing - plenty of heft and bovril, medium full-bodied, dense, powerful, savoury, signs of ageing/tertiary notes coming through, powerful tannic structure, but now really giving. Quite thrilling cherry-infused fruit, leather, dark spices. It doesn't quite, however, match the sheer class and poise of some wines from the 2000s, but you will never go wrong with this, and a perfect accompiment to lamb chops and roast potatoes. 92 points

This is such a consistent estate

My Leoville Barton ratings (plus signs means not ready yet)

1975 - 90
1978 - 91
1982 - 93
1985 - 92
1986 - 91
1988 - 92
1989 - 95
1990 - 96
1994 - 91
1995 - 91
1996 - 92
1999 - 92
2000 - 93 +
2001 - 94
2002 - 93
2003 - 88
2004 - 94
2005 - 93 ++
2006 - 92 +
2008 - 94
2010 - 97 ++
2012 - 92 ++

Nice, you've tempted me to open one of these to go with watching the football games today.

Fifteen years ago, the 1996 took best Leoville Barton in a NYC BWE Leovilles dinner, but I don't recall if the 1989 or 1990 were in the mix that night.

Looks like a nice WB as well. I gave up on them as the risk of premox would force me to drink them too young.

DavidG wrote:Nice, you've tempted me to open one of these to go with watching the football games today.

Fifteen years ago, the 1996 took best Leoville Barton in a NYC BWE Leovilles dinner, but I don't recall if the 1989 or 1990 were in the mix that night.

Looks like a nice WB as well. I gave up on them as the risk of premox would force me to drink them too young.

I am pretty sure I brought the 90 that night.

Thanks Glenn, can't find the rest of my notes from that night but the 1990 has been awesome every time I've had it. Wouldn't be surprised if Jim's electioneering put the 1996 over the top.

My bottle of the 1996 this afternoon is just as Ian describes it. Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Great nose of cassis, beef, bold, iron and savory/umami. Med-full bodied, tannins pretty prominent at first but they mellow out a bit after an hour, beginning complexity, medium long finish. Drinking really well now but it you like the aged tertiary stuff I suspect it will show even better in another 5 years.

I feel like you Comte, never been busy buying enough Léoville Barton. Surely a classic Saint-Julien. But i look at your ratings, and i'm happy with the vintages I have at home, the 2008 (not tasted yet) and the 2012 (one bottle opened, an excellent wine, but lot more qualities to come).

Nic

I still have that 1996 you gave me years ago Ian. Actually, that may be the only Leoville Barton bottle I have.

Somewhat ironically, I had pulled a 1996 Leoville Barton for a dinner this evening with lamb chops as the main course. I decanted the bottle three hours before dinner, and it was still fairly tight when served. Both of us poured glasses through the Vinturi aerator, which helped open up this wine. It has a lot of structure and tannins showing along with pretty nice fruit. This was the first of 6 bottles I have. I told Paula I thought we should wait 5 years before opening the next one. It was very nice, but I think its best is yet to come.

Every year or two I open a 96 Leoville-Barton (I bought 2 cases on release), and every time I have drunk it I have liked it but thought it will be better in 5-10 years. It is a beautifully structured and very classic St Julien.

I think we are all on the same page here. I also purchased two cases on release and this is bottle four or five out case one, and likewise come to the conclusion that this will continue to improve for 5-10 years.

It is a mark of the quality of this estate that the wines in the 2000s have moved the game on. Even the 1999 is a fabulously classic rendition of Leoville-Barton, without the power of the 1996 but perhaps with a bit more finesse, and still quite backward.

Recent purchases of the 2004 and 2008 were vital backfilling tasks, so now I have cases of 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2015, and bottles of 1994 and 2000.

I would love to own the 1989 and 1999 but have missed the boat with the 1990 price wise. But that is a spectacularly good wine, probably the best mature Leoville-Barton.

The local Total Wine has a number of vintages in stock. Notably, the '08 at $89.99 and the '11 at $79.99. They have.
The 2013 is available for delivery (not in store) at $71.98. WE score is 94, maybe one of the better '13s out there.