The nose on this was incredible. Palate was great too, with classic Bordeaux characteristics, some early maturity showing through, some ripe fruit and smokiness. Drinking better than expected.
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Saint Valentine day today and me and my wife should drink something special ( I hope so, you know - wine is risky business) My first wine from 2nd Growth Cru Classé. Let's see what it can do for us. 3 hours in the decanter 🕐⏰🕙 No doubt about it. The wine is high class. Everything is in the right place. Flavors, acidity, tannins. Balance and harmony - top notch. But this wine did not enchant me, it did not surprise me, it did not delight me to the fullest. Am I spoiled brat or what? More money = more joy? Not exactly. I had less expensive wines and I enjoyed them more. 2008 vintage? Probably But something for something. My main complaint - muted aromas. Shy and simple. Black fruits, forest, cedar,red cherry, tobacco. Taste is much, much better. Black fruits and milk chocolate, vanilla and coffee (!), red cherry, a lot of spice and minerals. Medium finish. But balance and harmony, harmony and balance... 👍 2008 vintage in Medoc got 91 points according to the WA Vintage Guide. Outstanding. Early maturing and accessible. Wine? WE - 96 JS - 94 ST - 93 Vinous - 93 Decanter - 92 JD - 92 RP - 92 Jeff Leve - 92 WS - 91
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Clear medium garnet with medium intensity of blackberry, black cherry, black plum, bramble, white pepper, black olive, toast, marizpan (almonds), dark chocolate, lead pencil, charred wood, smoke, earth and savoury.
The wine is dry with medium acidity, medium- fully integrated tannins, medium alcohol, medium+ body, with a medium flavour intensity of same. Wine is full developed and the finish is long.
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Still a bit backward and closed following an hour decant but continued to open up over the course of a few hours. Wish I had more time. Textbook leather, dark cherry, pencil shavings, cedar, and black pepper. Lots of tension on the palate but very juicy and complex. The acidity and fruit are well balanced. Finish is nice but nothing crazy. Drinking well at the moment but I don't think it has reached peak.
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Strapping and bold while classy and restrained. Excellent tension, precision, and range. Cabernet Sauvignon in the lead, accentuated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Seamless alcohol. Well integrated oak. Satisfying.
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Bu au resto AVV La Suite avec les FOUDUVIN chapitre de l'Estrie! Textbook Bordeaux, un beau claret. Bien souple et à point, sur la terre et le cuir avec un peu d'herbes et des épices. Finale de belle longueur. Très beau mais a complètement été soufflé par le Pontet-Canet 2010 bu en parallele!
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Austere est le mot qui definit le mieux ce vin de 15 ans ouvert a loccasion du reveillon de Noel. A louverture, le verre deguste avant de laisser le vin souvrir montre beaucoup de matiere et des tanins encore bien presents. Servi 3 heures plus tard et bu sans prise de notes ce vin reste severe avec une pointe de verdeur et une legere amertume en fin de bouche. Les aromes restent sur le fruit et le vin exprime encore une certaine jeunesse. Pour ma part je laisse mes 2 dernieres bouteilles tranquilles pour les 5 prochaines annees. Revoir en 2028-2030.
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Inviting nose followed by a thin unimpressive expression of Bordeaux. Finish astringent and flat unfortunately. Not a Barton problem but more the reality of the vintage and its development or lack thereof
2008 - bad spring, bad summer, bad wine regrettably
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Too young at the moment and never really opened up despite a 5 hour decant. Maybe it is in bit of a "dumb phase" but there is plenty of potential here and it could evolve and open up to be quite special in time. I have one more bottle and will give that 10 years +
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Solid steak night wine. Aromas of chocolate and cigar box - pretty classical. Round entry marked by flavors of cassis, graphite, bramble and spice. Even at 15 years I expected more bristle from this Barton, but the tannins were fairly well absorbed and it was showing it's stuff. Chewy enough. Moderate finish and this is where I think the lesser vintages show a bit. Really a treat. 91
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The nose shows lovely cigar box, chocolate, fresh black fruits and violets. On the palate, the fruit is delicious and fresh, it is balanced (13% abv) with a long finish that is somewhat tannin dominated and a hair drying at this point. Give it some more time or enjoy it now with hearty food.
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Coravin access, tasted alongside the same vintage Gombaude-Guillot.
Very interesting to sample the red-fruit and clay driven Pomerol next to this blackcurrant and gravel that this offers. Also showing cut tobacco, worn leather, and delicate touches of brett. Long, inflection-changing finish. No less than five years from its optimal drinking window. Satisfying.
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I just assumed that a 90 min decant would be necessary. In realty, this wine doesn’t need a formal decant. 15 min in the glass is enough. This was a perfectly stored bottle so I figured this would be too young compared to the Bordeaux I typically drink but I was wrong. Nothing wrong with this wine other than it’s shockingly advanced and on its gradual descent already. I admit I don’t have much experience with this producer. This is a thin and decently balanced wine that is mostly boring with a decent finish. These are best consumed now without a decant.
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6 years after my previous bottle. Not that enthousiatic then... now I am! I love the more classic vintages in Bordeaux. Great nose and a very good palate. Good balance and just the righ acidity for my palate. mmmm
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Très belle bouteille cette fois-ci, je l’avais bu il y a quelques semaines et je n‘avais pas aimé, celle-ci est plus ouverte, plus de fraîcheur, pas le plus puissant mais très bien. 91-92
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Part of a Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style wines with my wine group at a NYC restaurant. All the reds were opened, but not decanted, for over 45 minutes before pouring. While a perfectly good wine, it was underwhelming compared to the other wines we had. Out of the 4 reds, it came in 4th, with 7 (out of 8) of us voting it the least favorite of the night. Compared to the other wines, it was lighter, with the shortest finish, and the lightest body and most subdued nose. The wines we had in order, 2008 Leoville-Barton, 2009 Talbot, 2007 Anderson's Conn Valley Right Bank and 2011 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval Vineyard.
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A fine and sturdy claret. Ready to drink but only at the beginning of its drinking window. Nicely structured, full, plenty of fruit given the vintage but certainly not overripe.
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App: Med ruby Nose: med+ intensity, oak, violet, black cherry, dried orange peel, nutmeg, dark plum, black olive, tree bark, sandle wood, developing. Palate: Dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med alcohol, med body, med+intensity, dark plum, Overall, this is a very good wine. Still very closed after 1 hour bottle decant. Will try again later. Throughout the day, the wine shows more aromas and flavors, such as coffee, inky, blueberry, pencil shave. Still quite young and needs more time to develop.
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Dark crimson color. Decanted for 3 hours, but tasted best 6 hours into the evening. Pours clean, unadulterated from decanter to glass. Black and red fruits on the nose - blackberry, plum - along with dusty leather, camphor or eucalyptus on the backend. Muted initially, but much more precise with oxidation. Blackberry, red plum, cedar on the palate. Medium bodied. Short and drying on the finish. This was very good, but needs more time(?) to integrate. Hold.
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Least interesting of 08’s tried (estournel, haut bailly, calon segur) Decanted 3 hours, nose is muted, neutral wood, red fruits, green summer berry brambles and Lift. Medium weight, Tart, strong underlying beam of acidity, Salivating, Red fruits, Morello cherry, hints of raspberry. Tannins there for support, Served with prime rib it paired well but, acidity is quite Brisk. Not sure what this will gain by further aging and for today’s price point $125-150 you’d expect there to be more in the bottle. Vacuumed and chilled reopen day 2, little improvement, More Grip. Purchased as futures and stored accordingly… Na zdrowie
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Ouvert 2 bouteilles vers 13h épaulées en vue du repas du soir, totalement fermées et en sourdine, vert et austère en bouche, palais assez dur. Les heures passant et le vin était toujours dans le même état. Le vin à commencé à être buvable vers 20h, mais seulement des amateurs de Bordeaux (et assoiffés).
Aujourd'hui, 30h après ouverture initiale, ce Barton 2008 était ouvert, avait révélé le fruit et rendu la bouche plus ronde et accueillante. Je note 90, car il rempli les critères d'un grand cru de son acabit, ni plus ni moins, dans un style un peu austère que je sais cependant apprécier. Devrait être plus facile d'accès dans 3 ou 4 ans minimum.
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A little tight on the nose and palette. Dark black color and savory black berries and earth but didn’t show well. I also opened a bottle of ‘08 pavie macquin which blew this away.
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Out of Magnum. At peak 3+ hours from opening. Dark red, nearly black in color with slight meniscus. On nose, charred wood, gravel, black currant, blackberry and tobacco. Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and very long finish. Palate more fruit dominant than nose - blackberry, black currants and plum. 91+/- on open, 92-93+ with air.
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Provenance plays such an important role to ensure we really enjoy the wines at their peak. My last 08 was rather muted due to poor provenance. This vintage is BIG but with great finesse & poise. BIG on flavors, nose and mouthfeel, but plenty of elegance and so well-balanced. Continues to evolve as we drank for 5 hours revealing its complexity and structure
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Part of our 6 vintage, 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2007 / 2009 / 2010 Leoville Barton vertical. It was great that EC was offered this ex-chateau box-set to purchase, and 6 of us shared the experience!
This 2008 vintage exceled 1 hour after being poured into my Lucaris "tulip" glass, great power and balance at the same time.
Nose opened up to blackcurrant and chocolate notes, and whilst there was sufficient power, density and intensity on the palate, it seemed remarkably well balanced. Tannins were some of the most rounded of the 6 vintages.
Cassis and sweet plums on the finish, which seemed to go on for at least 30-40 seconds. All this from a simple 1 hour bottle-breathe, and left to evolve in my glass for another hour.
LB 2005-2010 vertical, rank (of 6): 1st. Yes, the 2008 beat the 2010 as well as 2009 in terms of approchability and readiness to drink. Wonderful!
Interestingly, thewinecellarinside.com describes the best vintages in this vertical as 2005, 2009 and 2010. Not a single mention of 2008, but most of us in the tasting this week all picked.. this 2008 as our favourite.
Weather: In 2008, the later-ripening Cab was at its most advantageous, and due to the high Cab Sauv percentage blends of Saint-Julien (as well as Pauillac), there were multiple bottlings from this appelation which was excellent. Described as densely ripe, powerful and fragrant, the tannins of this vintage are typically firm and strong, but not harsh.
July 2008 presented itself with dry sunny weather; However, in August, it was first cool then came the sunshine after. Sept and October saw warm average daytime temperatures of over 20C, and along with the warm Atlantic breeze, it accelerated ripening whilst keeping the grapes healthy.
This felt much tighter and even more youthful than my last bottle. Quite a dark and bright meniscus, the nose was gorgeous - incredibly fragrant blackcurrant (both leaf and fruit), sandalwood, and violets. Concentrated and focussed, the palate was pure and dense, though a little lean and austere in the mid-palate before expanding and fattening up on the finish. Tannins were quite firm and youthful, the finish was pleasant. All the ingredients are there, this just hasn't come close to fully developing.
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Inky crimson and swirling reveals good legs. Nose shows cassis, rhubarb and forest floor. Medium bodied with quite graceful tannins, fresh and bright acidity, and succulent red fruit although the mid-palate is ever so slightly thin. There is certainly underlying structure, however whilst the wine is not necessarily tertiary, I would begin drinking if I had a case as it is certainly not in its first flush of youth (i originally guessed from the early 2000s). Served blind BTG from Zalto Bordeaux.
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Un vin avec beaucoup de profondeur et de matière. Il commençais a peine a s'ouvrir après 3h00 dans le décanteur. J'aurais tendance a laisser dormir encore un certain temps dans le cellier. Des odeurs et des saveurs de fruits noirs. Même si à mon goût, le vin n'est pas encore arrivé a maturité, les tannins sont quand même bien intégrés et la texture est agréable.
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From Coravin. Just a quick 'shall I decant' taste for lunch on Sunday. Short answer is 'yes'...it's a bit closed showing meaty, savoury, brambly notes. with time (and a fair amount of agitation) a touch of plum & spice on the nose. In the mouth it's dense and savoury, quite mineral notes to the dusty drying talc textured tannins and a little fruit in the background. Nice but it will have a double decant before departure.
First tasted en primeur at Bibendum in April 2009 where I noted it had the darkest colour, sweet blueberry nose, blackcurrant on the palate, good tannins, persistent, best so far. 97. Since then it has developed plenty of complexity. The wine is now drinking well and still dark with a big blackcurrant and graphite nose, later violets and cigar box. The tannins still have some years to fully resolve and the finish is very long and persistent. My only concern is that the fruit mid palate is a touch on the light side, otherwise the score would have been a lot higher. Two years ago I gave 5 to 10 years to peak and still think the tannins need to resolve more. As long as the fruit holds out the score should improve again. There's no hurry to open the next one and I'll wait another couple of years.
Coravin fun - Leoville Barton; 3/8/2022-3/15/2022 (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas, slightly meaty dark fruits initially. With time a little toast, brambles and plums start to show, sweet spice. Juicy with brambles, plums and a little blackcurrant, cedar, tannins are floury textured. Long, a creamy butter quality joins on the finish. Okay.
Medium ruby core with dull rims & moderate legs. Cork condition - 8.0/10.0. Slight mold, perhaps the bottle been inconsistently stored. Beautiful nose filled with blackberries, blueberries, whiff of vanilla pods, cassis, mint & smoke. Long finish with undertones of earth & elegant floral notes. Although the tannins is still firm, fleshy and young, I think it is a good drinking period of window now till end of 2022
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Finally getting a hint of some secondary characteristics. Had such a menthol/eucalyptus note in 2019 that I could not drink it. Can still smell a touch of menthol, but cannot taste it. Nice, balanced, dark red fruits and a first hint of cedar. Will likely wait until 2025 to try again.
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Deep ruby, almost black at the core. Nice blackcurrant fruit with a tone reminiscent of kirsch, black cherries, some vanilla, newly baked bread. Medium to full bodied attack, a bit watery and bland on the mid palate, cherries and blackberries in the finish, but the aftertaste is somewhat tart. A bit short, but fine length. Still on the very primary side, this is probably going to be very good. Fresh and fine. 90-91
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Still too young and no pleasure at the moment. Even a 3 hour decant couldn’t unlock this beast. All weapons there, but unsure when they will show up. Will try the next bottle in 2 years. No score for the moment. Will stay with my other 08 Bordeaux as for example the beausejour duffau lagarosse has been in a much better drinking window (opened parallel) Update: No improvement on day 2, but provided some pleasure day three after 3 more hours in the glass. The wine settled down, with more power and now more integrated acidity and softened tannins. I preserved the wine in the bottle with argon spray and kept it in a cool room at 15 degrees Celsius or 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Classics and Curiosities: Clearly more CS than Merlot when served next to the 05 Vignot. Still on the young side with only a few tertiary notes emerging and a solid base of not-too-ripe well balanced fruit. Possibly the best red wine of the day but not my favorite. Opened a few hours before being decanted just before service, and would have benefitted from a longer decant I think.
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I really enjoyed this bottle. A little on the young side but already drinking really well. Medium body, nice fruit and already showing some secondary flavors. Don't know if it'll get to the heights of the 2000, but I'll definitely follow it along as it continues to age.
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Mérite une bonne décantation, ou en tout cas excellent le lendemain. La bouteille à peine débouchée est trop franche. Le lendemain, excellent pairing avec filet de bœuf saignant.
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Fuchsia. Cranberry. Not showing much age. Very restrained dark berry, has a euchalyptus note. Mouth feel is very polished and gentle and mouth filling. Has a tart zip and cranberry fruit. Some depth and character but definitely not monolithic. Good drinking now. From magnum.
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If you like elegance, refinement, silk, and with good length, this is for you! Classy, not a powerhouse but really enjoyable and can be kept for some more years.
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Coravin fun - Leoville Barton and new arrivals (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Closed, a little reductive with notes of burnt rubber. With time, and plentiful agitation, starts to show peppery spiced blackcurrant and plums backed by cream, caramel and vanilla, a little alcohol prickle as well. Medium plus intensity acidity, similar fruit profile, tannins are lighter here, still chalky textured but integrated with the fruit, a little creamy note on the finish. Pleasing.
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Nez assez fermé à l'ouverture et qui s'est ouvert un peu en carafe. Bdx tres droit et tres classique. Bel équilibre, roen n'accroche mais manque un peu de Oomph pour que je prenne mon pied donc un peu déçu. Plutôt plat le lendemain.
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Leoville Barton is my largest vertical of classified Bordeaux wine. I have most vintages between 2005 and the recently purchased 2019 at Futures in my cellar. This wine IMHO is ready to drink with a 2 hour decant. Absolutely beautiful - decadent pleasure. Enjoy!
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A classical St Julien wine. Powerful, pure and elegant. Introspective and feminine. Nothing is out of place. It is the structure that impresses with its perfect balance and firm tannins. Though dominated by blackcurrant and cigarbox there are hints of manure and a typical aged character emerging. Well cellared bottle with mid neck ullage and wine stain only on the circular base of the plump cork.Best after 45 mins in the decanter with hints of mauve. Riedel Bordeaux glasses at 15 deg C. Estimated drinking window 2028 to 2050.
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First tasted en primeur at Bibendum in April 2009 where I noted it had the darkest colour, sweet blueberry nose, blackcurrant on the palate, good tannins, persistent, best so far. 97. My initial note largely holds true. The wine is now drinking well and still dark with a big blueberry and graphite nose. The tannins still have some years to fully resolve and the finish is very long and persistent. My only concern is that the fruit is a touch on the light side, otherwise the score would have been a lot higher. I'm glad I waited before opening my first bottle from a case shared with a friend en primeur because it will improve for a decade as the tannins resolve.
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First of a case I have been waiting patiently for. Starting to drink really well, with tannins softened and classic LB flavours coming through. A real pleasure. But I should caveat, mine was stored in slightly warmer conditions than ideal for last few years. I decanted the bottle for four hours. My gut instinct is mine is ‘ahead’ of well stored. It’s coming good though...
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Yikes the first glass was painful. Let sit for hours. Definitely improved but I think this is still way too young. I kind of knew that going in but I had already grabbed it from the basement so decision done. Tastes like LB always tastes. There is so little vintage variation here. Which is a credit to them. Old school Bordeaux through and through. Dark fruit, BlackBerry, tannins, earth, graphite. I honestly dont think I've ever had a bad bottle from this producer.
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Tannins softening up, but I think needs a little more aging. Notes of dark choclate, coca, and stawberries. Wonderful length. At this price point, unbeatable. Fell in love with 1986 of this vineyard last month...
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Coravin sample. Very deep colour and bright as well though no longer crimson at the rim. Most convincing nose; dense, complex with some oak. Also weighty and convincing on the palate. A great showing.
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The 2008 Leoville Barton is a terrific wine, packed full of ripe, pure cassis, cedar, and mineral. This has great tension - lots of material but very fresh and focused. A beautiful future ahead. 93-94 points.
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First bottle out of the case and in a very nice place. Quite reductive on opening, with 3 hrs in the decanter things got serious. Dark and pure, there's the spirit of youth here, but any unruliness has been disciplined with time in bottle. Quite creamy with serious depth to the black fruits and nice touches of carbon and spice. Occasionally stern and austere, the structure is unrelenting, but we don't drink Leoville for a fruit bomb do we? Looking forward to these over the next 10 years.
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From magnum. Tasted side by side with Montrose 08 in same format and I didn’t like this as much this time. More closed and showing more obvious tannins. Just a little rough around the edges. Fruit locked back into the muscular structure of the wine. Maybe sleeping stage for the wine. Not the same brightness, fruit or depth compared with the Montrose. Felt a lot shorter too. I feel Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton could be so much better than they currently are with just a little bit more effort, discipline in the vineyard and to harvest with slightly better ripeness and manage the tannic extraction better. Sounds easy then...
Still nice to drink but almost the same price as Montrose in this vintage and currently I would have the Montrose over the Barton any day.
Au nez, une fois le boisé passé avec l'aération, il fut très joli, avec un fruit plutôt éclatant (cassis), une certaine classe, un Bordeaux typé finesse. En bouche, l'attaque ronde, fine, est assez sensuelle, aérée, fraiche et noble, mais sans artifice, sans ostentation; je me dis que le millésime compliqué (les pluies fin aout, la dilution) ont dû marquer le vin, et en même temps il s'en sort bien (et bien mieux que les 2007). Voilà, c'est pas le gros millésime de garde, plein, riche et à encaver, mais bien le st Julien élégant, à la matière fine sur une année pas facile.
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Au départ le vin m'a énormément déçu, j'étais dans un Bordeaux à une fraction du prix, mais avec le temps dans le verre, le vin s'ouvrait et c'était très bien. Pas grand, mais une belle richesse et une arômatique intéressante, probablement dans un entre 2 de maturité.
3/5
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Couleur très jeune tout comme le nez qui est moyennement aromatique et assez classique sur le cèdre et le cassis. La bouche est tout aussi en jeunesse, assez en souplesse et avec des tannins soyeux et sans dureté, le vin a une élégance et une classe indéniable, une assez bonne longueur mais sans posséder ce petit quelque chose de grand. Très bon 92-93 pts
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PNP - lovely nose of raspberries and chocolate. Medium bodied with a soft, elegant finish of significant length. All perfectly fine, but there is a lightness to this which results in it being somewhat unmemorable and simple. Day 2 and not a lot of change, though it did become considerably more tannic. Will look to decant next time.
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From Coravin. A very slight volatile sharpness on the nose initially, red and blackcurrant, cedar, sweet spice, a jubey underpin with time sweet spice; nutmeg, slight leather. Medium plus intensity acidity, leather, drying tannins, fruit is a little austere on the palate. Very drying tannins in fact. Hmm.
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This is a sleek, silky, and classic LB that is really quite nice. Very drinkable at this young age but will improve. Not a great LB but absolutely a good one.
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Bu au resto AVV La suite de Sherbrooke avec les FOUDUVIN. Bien aimé, mon préféré de la soirée avec le Donnhoff. Textbook Bordeaux, du beau claret. Du style et une belle pureté de fruit avec du graphite et de la terre, cassis et cèdre avec de beaux tanins anguleux et une finale suave et longue. Excellent.
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Deep purple color. Fragrant nose of dark fruit and allspice. Flavors of cassis, black olive, liquorice, and clove. This is still a very tannic wine with subdued fruitiness. Has another 10+ year at least. decant for mild sediment and give it at least an hour to breath.
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Wine seven of nine, all 2008 Bordeaux varieties (also tasted the following evening):
Slightly overshadowed by the Pontet-Canet and Oreno, it showed spectacularly nonetheless. Its stablemate in this tasting was the Clinet. Like that wine, this lovely expression of place and varieties, featured compelling charm and deeply satisfying rusticity. Along with effusive variety and terroir hallmarks, notable for its loam, tobacco, sous-bois, and mineral tones, all of which interplay and change inflection beautifully. Subtly, yet stalwartly framed, offering medium to medium plus acid and medium tannins. In two words: refined poise!
Squarely in an early drinking window, and likely to continue evolving for another five years or so. It should last through 2032-2035. 94-95.
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Quick note from a 2008 bdx varietal tasting -My favorite wine of the tasting. Love how Barton throws so much graphite. Great fruit and structure just a beautiful wine.
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Opened the bottle and couldn’t help pouring a glass without decanting it. The colour is clean and ruby. You immediately get black fruits, Licorice and vanilla. 2 hours after decanting, the flavours really hit you, cherries, plums, black currant, licorice and vanilla. The palate is nice, although a little acidic. The finish is long and rounded. This is not as good as the 2010, but still an outstanding bottle of wine. Leo B remains one of my absolute favourite wines.
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Early Spring Highlights (Dogwood Grove): Closed and ungiving. The nose is savory and dusty with hints of pencil shavings and leafy tones. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite lean on the palate with more notes of pencil shavings, dark fruits, and a touch of cedar.
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Just stupid good. I paid 43 on futures and there's _nothing_ from California that could begin to compete with this for that price. Even at current ask, it's a gorgeous textbook left bank bordeaux - black fruit, cedar wood, earth and leather. Tannins still present but mellowed, fruit elegant. Really just a beaut
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Never really been a big fan of L-B but this bottle was showing very well. Big bombastic black fruits with some judicious use of oak. Dense and really packed and stacked. This was a very good bottle. I feel like this wine is really coming into its togetherness this time. Excellent.
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Wine lunch at Imperial Treasure. Poured into decanter and drank over next 2 hours. Tasted blind. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fragrant floral spices, toasty vanilla oak, black cherries, blackberries, plums, licorice, cassis. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), grippy structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of black cherries, blackberries, blackcurrant, plums, sweet spices, licorice, cassis. Some fragrant bell peppers with more air. Long finish. Very good quality. Ripe yet elegant Left Bank Bordeaux. I was guessing either Margaux or St Julien. Still young now, but good stuff. Better than 4 years ago already.
Served with grilled prime rib on Christmas Day. As expected, this is a young wine that requires at least a couple of years before trying again. Nose of cassis, plums, and spices. Slightly flat in the mid-range and a good finish. Look forward to more of these as it ages.
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Dark fruit (blackberries) leather, tobacco, licorice and some bitter notes, fairly closed, did not decant, which was a mistake. Wait at least another 5 years.
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Tobacco leaf, cigar wrapper, cedar and green pepper corns are the first thing you notice. Full bodied, quite crisp and sharp, this is concentrated, peppery and crisp. This will be much better with 5-8 more years in the cellar.
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A bit disappointing. Tannins have integrated for the most part and this was smooth, but it seemed a bit flabby and one-dimensional with a short finish.
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Drank at Rosleague Manor in County Galway, Ireland. Lovely accompaniment to their fabulous Connemara lamb. Decanted for 30 minutes. Medium ruby with little sign of bricking. Nose was intensely powerful blend of dark fruits with a hint of cedar. On the palate it was slightly lighter than I would have expected and the finish faded all too soon. Overall a very good wine but not a great one.
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Dark ruby but already open. Dark fruits at the moment - blackberry and blueberry. Touch of earth and spice but all wrapped up in the deep, healthy fresh fruit. Very elegant and balanced and less austere and tough than most Bartons. Really like this more elegant expression of a classic Bordeaux property. Delicious drinking and good QPR.
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Modest nose. Austere fruit with no trace of terroir à la Bordeaux. Tannins befitting a fine Médoc, and ample acidity. Check back in 3-5 years, with fingers crossed.
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The other wine at BB&R 2017 en primeur tasting. More than a hint of undergrowth blows off soon. Then well balanced long and flavoursome. Drinking now and will develop for a decade.
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Still dark but inviting. Dark blackberry and blueberry on the nose with an elegant spicy note of cedar and oak on the nose and palate. Long elegant finish. Starting to just enter a drinking window if you like them on the young side. A lighter version given the vintage but still relatively full bodied. 92+
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Takes at least 1hr to open up. Better to decant. Spicy herbs and tar. Long finish. First of my 10 bottles. Will wait out another few months to try the next one.
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Definitely high quality. If I had this blind I'm not sure I would guess Bordeaux, as it really resembles a high end Napa Cab or Blend. The nose and body aren't over powering, but are balanced and quite lovely. A little more umph would make this insane. Finish is medium to short. Very enjoyable wine!
My wife and I opened this 10 year old for our 10th anniversary. Could use more holding time, but is coming into its own now. Plum, graphite, blueberry combined with low acidity. Tannins are still strong so give it a few more years.
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Weekly tasting group RWP #290: Bordeaux Vertical and Horizontal (@ VD): Intense and luxurious bouquet with dark berries, mint, coffee, cedar and a firm dose of oak. On the palate dark berries like blackberries, chocolate, vanilla, mild acidity and tannin which has plenty of power for many more years of ageing. Beautiful and still youthful wine with a lot of elegance. 93+ for tonight.
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Nice (A few days since tasted) no great. Silky, blackberries and obvious graphite. Still a reasonable amount of tannin however a nice balance. another 2-3 years would be preferable.
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Had this at a Bordeaux night with my wine group. 2 bottles, that were opened, but not decanted, at least an hour before drinking. Had these alongside 2 bottles of 2008 Domaine de Chevalier. It was close, but I preferred the Chevalier. The Leoville Barton is a big wine, and I think it still needs a few more years to pull it all together.
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Naso molto classico bordeaux, molto preciso e nitido, ma con ottima intensità: more, ribes nero, mirtillo, sottobosco, scorza d'arancio nota vegetale e di tabacco, liquirizia. al palato struttura media, tannini ben torniti, bella eleganza. finale piacevole. Può restare in cantina senza soffrirne ancora per parecchio tempo.
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I think this wine is open for business even though it is young. Excellent balance while having a depth of elegant black fruits with a bit of leather and earth. Absurdly long finish. Will age well.
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Graham/Barton tasting-cum-lunch (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): Very floral and lifted style on the nose, different from most other vintages (Lendl said it reminded him of Malbec and I can see why), tobacco and liquorice, lacks a bit of stuffing and power on the palate, moderate tannins (in the context of Léoville-Barton), fresh but falls away on the finish. Better on the second day. Retaste.
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Dun millésime plus frais , il semble être en début de plateau . Encore le fruit noir mais qui commence tranquillement à s’ouvrir dur des notes boisées . La robe est opaque et ce vin semble être bon encore 5-10 ans sans tracas . 80$ à l’époque. 91 pts
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Dark ruby colour, very classic nose with cedar, blackcurrant, some tobacco / leather. Ripe with fine, but firm tannin. Ripe and polished, but still keeping its classic St. Julien profile. Very nice.
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Opened the first of my six pack that I purchased on release 8 years ago. Even in an otherwise early drinking vintage like 2008, this bottle is still playing it close to the vest. The other taster here who noted 'thin and acidic' on opening is spot on; it took over a day for the bottle to open up and blossom. It was enjoyable at that point, and perhaps a tad better on the third day. What I could glimpse of it's future was exactly what Leoville Barton does so well - textbook left bank Bordeaux, cedar and blackcurrant, hints of leather and earth, never overripe, and a distinct sense of masculinity that all vintages of LB seem to echo.
If you've only got one or two of these, there's really zero point in opening this until around 2020 or so.
While it's obviously not at the level of the incredible 2009 and 2010, it's at a similar level of quality to the 1999,2002 and 2004 vintages. At $43.75 on first tranche futures it was an absolute steal, and even at the current $80 market price it's a relative bargain. Worth buying if you're patient.
Color of deep red. Scents of red and black berry fruit and some leathery notes. Tastes were smooth and of red and black berry fruits, some leather in the background and medium tannins.
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I bought a case and so was curious. I should have resolved to remain patient; it was thin and acidic even after a double decant followed by 8h slow-ox. Consequently had only half a glass. Then drank over the next three days, it was best on the last day, very smooth with some semblance of balance at that stage. This wine actually has all the indigence to become a superb wine, but I will wait until 2019 before I risk trying another one.
Haven't had this since release, maybe 6yrs ago, very primary then...now starting to strut its stuff! Great nose! Mix of creme de cassis, blueberry pie, freshly opened bag of Kingsford, dusty cedar, licorice. MAN I love how smooth and silky Bordeaux can be, yet so youthful with structure, power and grace! The fruit is perfect in this...not too sweet, nice dryness and length. The wonderful nose transfers to the palate...also shows purple florals and rocky minerality. Tasty now, but should gain even further within the next 10+yrs. Wish I had more in the cellar.
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Take my note from 5 years ago, add 5 years, violá! Cashew nose, currant base. This wine is on a steady evolution and should go to a new tier when more tertiary notes emerge. Showed very well after 1 hour decant. Try again 3-6 years.
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Dark ruby. Yourful Bordeaux aromas of dark fruit, some pine notes with a touch of oak, chocolate on the finish after a few minutes in the glass too. The clean and cool vintage of 2008 shines through here. Solid Medoc, very early drinking window. Wait till 2020.
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Pnp. Dark garnet. Young with juicy dark fruit and pretty wood spices. With more air the tannins become more pronounced. Good length. Another very nice 08 Bdx
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Coravin fun - Leoville Barton trial run (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. Bramble, blackcurrant, vanilla, sweet spice, biscuit, slightly meaty elements and touches of pyrazine. Juicy, fleshy, with savoury fruit and that pyrazine note again. Tannins are abundant but integrated. Balanced. Moreish but quite young.
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Very deep, dark red. Dense, primary nose, showing a lot of concentrated cassis, ripe blackcurrant, graphite. Very good length and balance. Quite a ripe, opulent style. Very youthful still, I imagine this will be even more impressive in another 3-5yrs.
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Bold and seductive bouquet upon pulling the cork, effusing purple berries (blackcurrant and blackberry), crème de cassis, graphite, peppers, live herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage), muddled flowers, light roast coffee, root vegetables, unsweetened dark coco nibs, sanguinity, funk, tea leaves, gravel, black farm soil, and focused minerality. The wine tastes like it smells, delivering pleasure in layers. Balanced, refined, precise, and powerful. Harmonious acid and tannins, alluring mouthfeel, exceptional finish. A superb Bordeaux and an excellent example of the classic yet underrated 2008 vintage. Likely a 20 year wine from now. Worth seeking out! 94-95.
Pop from a 375ml and drank over the next four hours. Big and opulent with black currants, cedar, oak and tobacco. Mid palate did not have a lot of stuffing to give it a higher point. But its a balanced wine with long finish. Give it 10 years.
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Terrific balance, wonderful bordeaux nuance but with enough fruit to balance. No rush to drink these, though I'd be surprised if this stayed in balance for 20 more years.
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Clarence's Birthday 2015 (Extra Space): Aired in decanter for 30 minutes. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blackcurrant, black plums, earth, tobacco, leather. Developing. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), chewy mouth-coating high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of blackcurrant, black plums, black cherries, earth, tobacco, leather, and cassis. No greenness here. Long finish. Very good quality. Dense and brooding. This is built for the long haul. Hold for another 8 years at least to get more development out of this.
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Color: Opaque bright purple. Aroma: Fresh grape juice, oak and spices. Palate entry: Oaky and gripping tannin. Mid-Palate: Licorice, plum, black cherry, cinnamon and allspice. Finish: Hint of spices, gentle cream, oak, perfume, white pepper. Developing well, nice spices and softening tannin, finish still a bit short.
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First of the case opened way too young. It is very un Leoville Barton like. I have a hard time saying it of Leoville Barton, but there is a sense of over extraction here, ripe ripe cassis earthy tones cedar, a fine but firm tannic wall stops enjoyment of this wine. I shall forget fr another 5 to 7 years
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Opened from a 375ml and slow oxed for an hour plus. The nose was lovely with cassis, coffee beans, black fruit and some earth. The palate was delicate and smoothe. The wine was quite balanced. The mid palate was a bit dry and acidic. Its not a blockbuster but it is pretty lovely to enjoy now in half bottles. 91+
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Absolutely love LB. A little tight when 1st popped but decanted for a couple of hours and was showing nicely. Lots of cassis, dusty tannins, graphite, cherries, coffee grounds, fresh leather with a nice mineral streak through the middle. Drank over 2 days and didn't budge on day two.
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Souper de fête Sylvain à Québec: Souper de fête Sylvain Un nez de fruit noir, de prunes, avec un peu de chêne discret. La bouche est vigoureuse, d'une belle puissance, avec de bons tanins gommeux, seule la longueur un peu courte trahit le millésime. Très belle qualité et un bel avenir. Excellent. 91+ pts
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Too young to assess. Slightly unbalanced and bitter at the moment, searching for a direction. The fruit is good, structure too. It's just not the right moment.
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Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Léoville Barton (Rodwell House): 75 CS; 23 Merlot; 2 CFDeep ruby to crimson in colour, the nose shows blackcurrant, cedar, red and black cherry and black raspberry with some spice in the background. An intense wine with a lifted entry the palate is plush with a sweet fine powdery texture and warm, juicy fruit. Despite the blackberry and blackcurrant notes complex by chocolate and cocoa powder there is a slight grassy, herbal and dried leaf quality that suggests a more challenging year, perhaps 07 or 08? Full-bodied, the tannins are dense and firm and the acid fresh, cooling the warm fruit on the mid-palate and giving some elegance that made the wine highly enjoyable. Excellent concentration, this is a nicely structured wine with a persistent finish.
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Decanted 3 hrs. Dark color with some reddening on the rim. Nose is a bit subtle, with graffite, alcohol, earth and dark berries. Pencil shavings, minerals and dry dark chocolate on the mid palate. Not getting anything else on the finish other than the flavors already mentioned. I wonder where this wine is going to be a few years from now. Hold!
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A shy nose with mineral notes. Subdued on the palate. Fresh, lifted, balanced and harmonious, with hints of iodine and iron ore. Beautifully made, svelte and seamless with no rough edges. Will start to drink well in 4-5 years.
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Decanted 1.5 hours before drinking. Inky blackness - deep black through and through, with no reddening on the edges. Boysenberry and blackberry flavor. Similar to the 1999 insignia that proceeded it. Bitter and heavy, heavy tannins. This could last forty years. Also lots of alcohol, but tolerable - 15%? Super full bodied. Licorice on the back end. Still too bitter, but will be great in 10-20 years.
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90-91+pts. Almost pitch black in color. Big and chewy, tons of earthy, minerality, barnyard notes with ripe black fruit black licorice and ultra tight tannins. Dry and alcoholic on the finish, but easy to detect that there is a lot on its way. As with most Barton I have tried, leave alone...forever!
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Like the 2010 Langoa Barton, this is also pretty tight and closed at present. Slightly floral on the nose, dark fruit, cedar - very subtle and fine. Elegant and fine on the palate as well, tight, with round but drying tannins, well balanced with good acidity. Very long. Patience will be rewarded, a great wine in the making. 92-93+
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Zeer donkerrood. Uitbundige, verleidelijke geur van cassis, chocolade, luxe hout. In de mond nog een stuk minder verleidelijk: erg jonge, stroeve tannines. Goede concentratie. Lang aanhoudend. Een wijn met veel potentie. 92+
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This year it is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc with 60% new oak. Very open, deep rich dark berry fruit aromas with layers of chocolate, tobacco and cassis. It shows intense, ripe fruit with balanced acidity and minerals/graphite. Classic Bordeaux!
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The pièce de résistance at a tasting I hosted for friends over two days. It did not disappoint. The wine features a highly appealing, even seductive, bouquet of fruit, funk, graphite, gravel, peat, molasses, licorice, violets, and crème de cassis. Intensely juicy attack, plush mid palate of excellent focus and depth, layer upon layer. Great acid, medium tannin. It finishes with a flurry of flavors, nuance, and grip. The wine's charm and verve make it imminently approachable at present, but patience will certainly be rewarded. It should evolve for a few years and drink well through 2025+. Excellent quality!
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Wow did this wine deliver. The nose was an intoxicating mix of graphite, peppers, green olives, pencil shavings, beautiful fresh dark fruits, mineral and grainy goodness. The palate was much the same with a nice mineral entry followed by fresh fruit and finishing with gripping tannins. The wine was seamless from nose to finish with layers of complexities in a amazing old world rustic style that I loved. There where pops of fennel, pepper, earth and on and on. Still a young wine but very approach able and for me a real treat! Thanks for sharing Motz!
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To my palate this wine is very good but needs another 5-10 years. Concentrated, not particularly charming, lead pencil, red/black fruits, somewhat grippy tannins. Still enjoyable as a reward for a 21 mile run, but again, put this one away until at least 2020 in my opinion. On the fence about buying more since it can still be found at a good price.
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The wine is clear and bright with a deep ruby colour and presence of dense legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium+ intensity aromas of dark plums, dark cherries, black currants, lavender, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon and cedar. The wine is dry in the mouth with a medium+ acidity. It has high coarse tannins and a medium alcohol. It has a medium+ body and pronounced intensity flavours of dark plums, dark cherries, lavender cinnamon and almonds. The finish is medium+.
It is an outstanding quality wine with a great fruit concentration and a nice finish. It shows a very good complexity provided by oak ageing and it has a great tannic structure. Can drink now, but it has enough tannins, acidity and fruit concentration to develop more complex tertiary aromas in the next 10+ years. The wine is young yet approachable at this stage.
I would say this vintage has been underrated, at least in the case of Léoville Barton, is not as good as the 2005, but the QPR is way better.
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Nice garnet color Graphite, cherry, leather nose. Tannins a bit strong. Ripe cherry, creme cassis, black berry a little acidic on the nose. A little dust. Cab franc is great on this wine. Cherry, creme, blue berry, blackberry. Still very young. Very nice cherry and chocolate flavors. I need to hold off opening this one for another 5-7 years.
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CT Tasting Group (Steve's House): Tasted Blind - Seemed largely shut down to me, still quite tannic and structured. Very full nose of black raspberry and graphite. Full bodied showing black currant and earth with some spice.
Very good to Excellent - Hold
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92-94 Dunkles Rot-Lila Klar schwarzfruchtig.Toastaromen,Cassis,viel Lakritze,Hauch Tabak,würzig. Sehr dicht,fleischig,verströmt eine Frische, doch sehr rund,Tannine schon recht glatt,leicht samtig. Voller Körper,gutes Säurerückgrat. Besitzt mit mehr Zeit auch eine florale Komponente. Langer dunkelfruchtiger ,leicht prägender Abgang. Klar zu jung,kann aber problemlos angetestet werden. 2.Tag nicht wirklich verändert,leicht pflaumig,erdiger,sehr ausdrucksstark. Viel Potential.
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Juicy perfume nose. Round chewy. Nice blue berry, cassis a little oakie. Tasty, tannins. Nice hints of barnyard on the nose. Light weight. Medium acid. Structure is a little loose, but still tasty.
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Dark color with no bricking in sight. Still looks young and is. Nose was enormous with slight funk, mushroom and "forest floor" - beautiful notes of wood (not too over bearing) along with cassis and stewed dark berry. Palate was refreshing, rich and wonderful all the way down the hatch. What a wonderful effort and am looking forward to approaching this in 2 years to see how it's evolved. It has the workings to certainly improve as it settles down into its teens.
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Luxurious bouquet with dark forest fruits like cassis etc. and beautiful oak. Same on the palate with beautiful dark fruits and acidity, round and still very powerful tannin with a firm bite. Luxurious wine still in its infant stage. Wait at least until 2020 or probably better until 2024. 92++ for now.
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righ out of the bottle after srewing what defense the Juice I wonna enjoy from ...
deep grape of Cabernet Sauvignon - Cassis - nwe oak (french I guess) some farmyard - earthy - heavy duty..
TASTE: open and slightly evolved - sweet and juicy right into all of your gorge .. overwhelming big taste .. getting better and better Fruits of Cassis Blackbeeries all togehter like a amvellous ROte Grütze a pottpourri of all dark boisn fruits .. with some Vanilla Creame
I Cant´s stand it to wait how this Wine will developpe in any fruther years - I guess incredibly better and better - and open knitted
94 of 100 possible points !
YES a great WINE and (Year)
and affordable still !
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Klar, dyp, mørk rød med blåskjær. Ung, mørk nese med røde og blå knuste bær, mokka, pepper og vanilje. Fast og slank kropp med høy fruktkonsentrasjon. Noe rå fremdeles. Saftig og frisk syre. Tørr utgang med faste, unge og tanniner med lett sødme. Fin lengde med mild skogsbærsødme. La ligge. 91-92 P
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Color of deep red. Scents of red and black berry fruit and some leathery notes. Tastes were smooth and of red and black berry fruits, some leather in the background and medium tannins (smoother and more integrated than I expected).
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Pop and Pour. Just a bit shut down on the front end. Decent concentration and lingering finish which is surprisingly smooth - but the fruit is in the background. This is drinking nicely albeit a bit disjointed. I think this will be an LB to drink unusually early.
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From a half bottle. Decanted 3 hours. Cedar and cassis aroma. Acidic, tannic taste with some fruit. Overall impression was of a heavy duty wine that was somewhat closed overall, and more acidic than I would prefer. Better with chocolate. My friend loved the "cedar box" quality though. Saving the second half bottle to age quite a few years.
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Blackberry, fig, leather . . . reminds me of the laces on my childhood baseball glove. A very long finish. This bottle blew me away. I expected it to be young, closed, and low on fruit at this stage. But this reminds me of a new world wine with the refinement and complexity of a Bordeaux. Lots going on here, and very approachable. Clearly also expresses the prospect of an even brighter future.
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See previous notes. Decanted for four hours. Blackberry, blueberry, cassis, flower shop, tobacco and cherry. Silky and long. Quite enjoyable now and of course this is a pedigree that can age.
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Decanted for about an hour before beginning to drink, then drank the rest over the next four hours. This really started to show its best after about 3.5 hours in the decanter. Initially, it was pretty closed, showing some very light fruits of plum and dark cherry, as well as some herbs and tobacco. After it hit its stride, there was darker fruit, with lots of graphite, tobacco and ash.
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not ready to drink on the first day but i try anyway-wine was not ready; didnt drink on second day; thrird day was gorgeous, explosive and deep wine although some fruit was still hiding somewhere under that cloak of tannin/acid/structure; willl drink then ext one in 5 years (glad i bought more after this tasting)
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april fools wine tasting; 4/1/2012-4/2/2012 (Scott & Todd's): Open for business from the pop and pour, past an hour+ decant, and then the next day. Luxurious without getting sloppy or sweet, like a tightly woven silk rug, or corduroys made of cashmere. Nose of strawberry ganache, prickly pear and sawdust. Classic currant, lead, plum flavors with good length. A lot more like the Cali Cabs than I expected but has a bit of restraint at the end, not as showy but classier for it.
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$mell$ fabulous: Extracted berries and cassis with espresso/coffee notes as well. Berry fruit flavors, licorice, graphite. Tannins are prominent but not overpowering. Obviously on the young side but drinking surprisingly well right now.
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Young. Has a wiff of acetone and new oak. Dark dense fruit with big tannins. Slightly creamy. Big structure. Great stuff but a little hard to enjoy in this stage
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I was expecting the wine to be among the heavyweights of Bordeaux 2008. Perhaps, but more broadly this was middle class from structure. But utterly seamless, understated with such a nice balance. I am no expert, but the balance could mean long life ahead for this Barton.
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See previous notes. A very enjoyable, young Bordeaux from a prodigious chateau. The price is closer to what fine Second-Growth should be selling for. Drink 2013 -.
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This reminds me of the '86 and maybe a little better. Decanted for two hours. A classic Barton nose of blueberry, currant, black cherry, mineral, toasty oak and white flowers. A welcoming concentration - especially for the vintage - and Medoc finesse. Succinctly made and eventhough it reminds me of the '86, it is a lot more approachable at a younger age, (the '86 took twenty years till it was ready). Polished tannins and a medium-long finish. I honestly don't know the shelf-life of this - Barton can really age. Drink 2013 -.
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WFA - 2008 Bordeaux Horizontal (Suntec Convention Hall): This too is complex and intense with blackcurrant, creme de Cassis aromas that surrounded by an array of capsicum, earth and hint of spiciness. High acidic backbone with good dark fruits concentration, spices, mineral, tea leaves leads to very juicy, sweet tannin that is almost mouth coating, and long finish, though not as long as the Poyferre. This too is very tasty. 87-89
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I rarely open a young Barton but from reading some TN's i decided to check in...The color is an amazing bright purple which really looked inviting..Nose: For such a young Barton this opened up quite nicely with incense, black and blue fruit, leather, and minerals...The nose should develop very nicely over time ...Palate: A nice concentration of black and blue fruit which is impressive for an 08. Hints of tobacco, leather and minerals but its the bright fruit that is shining at this stage. The tannins are firm and powerful but in no way blocking the fruit ..This is the best drinking young Barton I have ever tasted. Everything is in balanced at this stage but time will bring out all those secondary notes..I totally recommend people buying this and enjoying them early and a decade from now.Plus the 08's present a great value..Cheers
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Tired at GLengarrys Bordeaux tasting. Beautiful nose and less tannic compared to the others, balanced, elegant, long, long finish. “Balanced” would be the perfect word to describe this wine. Rated No 1 by me for the night. Loved many of the wines tried that night, but this one stood out above all of them. Delicious!
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From half bottle. Very primary, packed with brooding dark fruited flavours but there's a strong overlay of oak that dominates and never really integrates even with a lot of air.
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At the beginning: very stimulating, but at first very vanilla flavoured, new oak, BUT: after hours, 12-15 hours, it become much more developped, in other words: loevely, komplex, sweet, this is so one said: tasting on the fruit, hopefully this wine will stay like this, and gets in the future much more enjoy-points ! 93/ 100 Points ! But this is really worth its money ;-)
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Raises the bar on all of these UGC wines tasted today– with sweet fruit, pretty floral notes, and a bit of spice giving this palate some life that the other wines in the tasting seem to lack. This wine has sweet fruit with proper ripeness, balance, structure to age. Very pretty in a purple-fruited way that is very distinct from the top Right Bank wines, first real success on the Left Bank so far – except for maybe Malescot – but this is better right now. Unfortunately, when I went back later for a re-taste to check my assessment again, there was none left. 93+
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Big, powerful, tight and tannic, this masculine, chewy wine fills your mouth with cassis and tannin. This was one of the more backward wines from the tasting.
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UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: tight, but robust nose filled with tones of black currants, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco, and loads of dark red fruits. well layered right now with very good depth, though the nose is very tight
taste: full bodied and in typical Leoville Barton style, very backwards on the palate as well. Gripping tannins that shred the palate with robust tones of black currants, dark red cherries, tobacco and dark red fruits poking through
overall: This will need a long time to come around. Not really a shocker as that is the style that Leoville Barton works with. This is a big bad boy that certainly shows a lot of promise right now, but a very patient hand will be needed
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): Quite restrained and closed at first but with time in the glass there are elegant aromas of currant, herbs, and forest floor. Surprisingly open on the palate, which is in a primordial state, with stunning rich currant fruit and firm sweet tannins. The structure is obvious and there is not a lot of complexity at this point but I think there is potential due to the fact that it is so embryonic. 91+
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Opaque purple with violet rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, with cassis, plum, violet and coffee aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big sweet tannins. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle palate is full. Long, fairly smooth finish. This wine shows the extraction and structure of a great St. Julien, and should age well. A triumph for the vintage. Drink 1/18-12/30.
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Union des Grands Grus 2008 Bordeaux Tasting (Barker Hanger, Santa Monica): Huge, wonderful nose, showing sweet dark fruit, dark berries, and cassis. Concentrated on the palette, with notes of blueberry, dark plum, cassis, and dark fruits. Long finish, with some cassis at the end. Gripping tannins. Very good.
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Bordeaux 2008 UGC tasting San Francisco; 1/21/2011-1/22/2011 (Palace Hotel, San Francisco): Deep and dark, more density than many 08s, decent but quite reserved fruit, medium tannins, moderate finish. A very reserved and tight, almost tough wine. Maybe it blossoms into something good in a decade, but I fear there isn't enough fruit to fight through the structure of this wine.
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Union Des Grand Cru of Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco, nose of blue and black fruit, cassis, and plum, same on the palate, large amount of medium tannins, slightly harsh, big body, massive tasting and mouth filling but not fruity enough today, needs 7 years to peak, typical Chateau Leoville Barton style, and a medium/long finish.
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Impressions on some 2008 Bordeaux (and some '98s and '88s): My favorite of the '08s, with a big, new oaky bouquet but with the extract to back it up. Good ripeness and depth and of course plenty of tannins, but not hard nor closed right now. Very good, but not worth the $50 stores are charging for it.
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Dark purple coloured. Initially quite restrained on the nose, with time reveals lovely sweet cassis. Full and dense with ripe but grippy tannins. Lingers on the palate with black fruits and creamy oak.
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08 Château Leoville Barton is deeply colored. With black fruits and hints of cherry, the fragrance was a pleasure. In the mouth, while the flavors were concentrated, the tannins were slightly rustic, leaving a dry sensation in the finish. 90-92 Pts
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Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Much better performance than en primeur, with typical depth, substance and breed. Layers of flavor, showing cassis and cedar but just a baby, with prodigious tannin and structure making this a brooding Barton. But it displays more elegance than most of the Margaux I tasted... 91-94
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Bordeaux 2008: First Glimpse (Averys, Bristol): No score. Not giving much away at all. Very tight, very tannic, pretty high acid. I can't get past all. This isn't a negative comment, it's just so tightly wound I can't get into it.
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3/27/2024 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
The nose on this was incredible. Palate was great too, with classic Bordeaux characteristics, some early maturity showing through, some ripe fruit and smokiness. Drinking better than expected.
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2/14/2024 - WojteG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Saint Valentine day today and me and my wife should drink something special ( I hope so, you know - wine is risky business)
My first wine from 2nd Growth Cru Classé. Let's see what it can do for us.
3 hours in the decanter
🕐⏰🕙
No doubt about it. The wine is high class. Everything is in the right place. Flavors, acidity, tannins. Balance and harmony - top notch. But this wine did not enchant me, it did not surprise me, it did not delight me to the fullest. Am I spoiled brat or what? More money = more joy?
Not exactly.
I had less expensive wines and I enjoyed them more.
2008 vintage?
Probably
But something for something.
My main complaint - muted aromas. Shy and simple.
Black fruits, forest, cedar,red cherry, tobacco.
Taste is much, much better.
Black fruits and milk chocolate, vanilla and coffee (!), red cherry, a lot of spice and minerals.
Medium finish.
But balance and harmony, harmony and balance... 👍
2008 vintage in Medoc got 91 points according to the WA Vintage Guide.
Outstanding. Early maturing and accessible.
Wine?
WE - 96
JS - 94
ST - 93
Vinous - 93
Decanter - 92
JD - 92
RP - 92
Jeff Leve - 92
WS - 91
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2/14/2024 - ctwomey Likes this wine:
2008 Château Leoville Barton (13% alc)
Clear medium garnet with medium intensity of blackberry, black cherry, black plum, bramble, white pepper, black olive, toast, marizpan (almonds), dark chocolate, lead pencil, charred wood, smoke, earth and savoury.
The wine is dry with medium acidity, medium- fully integrated tannins, medium alcohol, medium+ body, with a medium flavour intensity of same. Wine is full developed and the finish is long.
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2/12/2024 - azogas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a bit backward and closed following an hour decant but continued to open up over the course of a few hours. Wish I had more time. Textbook leather, dark cherry, pencil shavings, cedar, and black pepper. Lots of tension on the palate but very juicy and complex. The acidity and fruit are well balanced. Finish is nice but nothing crazy. Drinking well at the moment but I don't think it has reached peak.
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1/31/2024 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Opened the bottle previously accessed by Coravin.
Strapping and bold while classy and restrained. Excellent tension, precision, and range. Cabernet Sauvignon in the lead, accentuated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Seamless alcohol. Well integrated oak. Satisfying.
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1/31/2024 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Bu au resto AVV La Suite avec les FOUDUVIN chapitre de l'Estrie!
Textbook Bordeaux, un beau claret.
Bien souple et à point, sur la terre et le cuir avec un
peu d'herbes et des épices. Finale de belle longueur.
Très beau mais a complètement été soufflé
par le Pontet-Canet 2010 bu en parallele!
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12/26/2023 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exactly what you'd expect out of 15 year old LB. In a good spot now and just entering primary drinking window in my opinion.
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12/25/2023 - Breedlove wrote: 89 Points
Austere est le mot qui definit le mieux ce vin de 15 ans ouvert a loccasion du reveillon de Noel.
A louverture, le verre deguste avant de laisser le vin souvrir montre beaucoup de matiere et des tanins encore bien presents. Servi 3 heures plus tard et bu sans prise de notes ce vin reste severe avec une pointe de verdeur et une legere amertume en fin de bouche. Les aromes restent sur le fruit et le vin exprime encore une certaine jeunesse. Pour ma part je laisse mes 2 dernieres bouteilles tranquilles pour les 5 prochaines annees. Revoir en 2028-2030.
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11/29/2023 - Pcrage wrote: 85 Points
Inviting nose followed by a thin unimpressive expression of Bordeaux. Finish astringent and flat unfortunately. Not a Barton problem but more the reality of the vintage and its development or lack thereof
2008 - bad spring, bad summer, bad wine regrettably
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11/23/2023 - Ianjaig wrote: 91 Points
Too young at the moment and never really opened up despite a 5 hour decant. Maybe it is in bit of a "dumb phase" but there is plenty of potential here and it could evolve and open up to be quite special in time. I have one more bottle and will give that 10 years +
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11/20/2023 - swade wrote: 92 Points
Solid steak night wine. Aromas of chocolate and cigar box - pretty classical. Round entry marked by flavors of cassis, graphite, bramble and spice. Even at 15 years I expected more bristle from this Barton, but the tannins were fairly well absorbed and it was showing it's stuff. Chewy enough. Moderate finish and this is where I think the lesser vintages show a bit. Really a treat. 91
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11/20/2023 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose shows lovely cigar box, chocolate, fresh black fruits and violets. On the palate, the fruit is delicious and fresh, it is balanced (13% abv) with a long finish that is somewhat tannin dominated and a hair drying at this point. Give it some more time or enjoy it now with hearty food.
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11/10/2023 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Coravin access, tasted alongside the same vintage Gombaude-Guillot.
Very interesting to sample the red-fruit and clay driven Pomerol next to this blackcurrant and gravel that this offers. Also showing cut tobacco, worn leather, and delicate touches of brett. Long, inflection-changing finish. No less than five years from its optimal drinking window. Satisfying.
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10/21/2023 - MWiking wrote: 92 Points
Snyggt moget men fortfarande bra kraft i taninerna.
Tobaksfruktigt och väldigt gott
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9/15/2023 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 91 Points
I just assumed that a 90 min decant would be necessary. In realty, this wine doesn’t need a formal decant. 15 min in the glass is enough. This was a perfectly stored bottle so I figured this would be too young compared to the Bordeaux I typically drink but I was wrong. Nothing wrong with this wine other than it’s shockingly advanced and on its gradual descent already. I admit I don’t have much experience with this producer.
This is a thin and decently balanced wine that is mostly boring with a decent finish. These are best consumed now without a decant.
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9/1/2023 - Kriz wrote: 92 Points
6 years after my previous bottle. Not that enthousiatic then... now I am! I love the more classic vintages in Bordeaux. Great nose and a very good palate. Good balance and just the righ acidity for my palate. mmmm
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7/29/2023 - Mario17 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Très belle bouteille cette fois-ci, je l’avais bu il y a quelques semaines et je n‘avais pas aimé, celle-ci est plus ouverte, plus de fraîcheur, pas le plus puissant mais très bien. 91-92
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7/22/2023 - Tavastgatan wrote: 92 Points
Very good. Light, refreshing and stylish.
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7/9/2023 - Raizes wrote: 89 Points
开瓶香气较淡，偏向脂粉类的表达，一点豆蔻和尘土的气息。醒酒后，黑醋栗、李子、甘草、皮革和泥土，典型性的波尔多香气次第出现，入口柔顺而不算浓郁。总体来说，拥有较高的酸度和清晰平衡的结构，但欠缺足够的深度和陈年变化。
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6/16/2023 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 90 Points
Part of a Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style wines with my wine group at a NYC restaurant. All the reds were opened, but not decanted, for over 45 minutes before pouring. While a perfectly good wine, it was underwhelming compared to the other wines we had. Out of the 4 reds, it came in 4th, with 7 (out of 8) of us voting it the least favorite of the night. Compared to the other wines, it was lighter, with the shortest finish, and the lightest body and most subdued nose. The wines we had in order, 2008 Leoville-Barton, 2009 Talbot, 2007 Anderson's Conn Valley Right Bank and 2011 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval Vineyard.
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5/20/2023 - houstonjeff@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Plenty of life left in this wine.
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4/16/2023 - gtilley wrote:
A fine and sturdy claret. Ready to drink but only at the beginning of its drinking window. Nicely structured, full, plenty of fruit given the vintage but certainly not overripe.
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3/29/2023 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 93 Points
App: Med ruby
Nose: med+ intensity, oak, violet, black cherry, dried orange peel, nutmeg, dark plum, black olive, tree bark, sandle wood, developing.
Palate: Dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med alcohol, med body, med+intensity, dark plum,
Overall, this is a very good wine. Still very closed after 1 hour bottle decant. Will try again later. Throughout the day, the wine shows more aromas and flavors, such as coffee, inky, blueberry, pencil shave. Still quite young and needs more time to develop.
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1/28/2023 - vino_per_tutti Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark crimson color. Decanted for 3 hours, but tasted best 6 hours into the evening. Pours clean, unadulterated from decanter to glass. Black and red fruits on the nose - blackberry, plum - along with dusty leather, camphor or eucalyptus on the backend. Muted initially, but much more precise with oxidation. Blackberry, red plum, cedar on the palate. Medium bodied. Short and drying on the finish. This was very good, but needs more time(?) to integrate. Hold.
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1/2/2023 - Oechsle wrote: 91 Points
Least interesting of 08’s tried (estournel, haut bailly, calon segur) Decanted 3 hours, nose is muted, neutral wood, red fruits, green summer berry brambles and Lift. Medium weight, Tart, strong underlying beam of acidity, Salivating, Red fruits, Morello cherry, hints of raspberry. Tannins there for support, Served with prime rib it paired well but, acidity is quite Brisk. Not sure what this will gain by further aging and for today’s price point $125-150 you’d expect there to be more in the bottle. Vacuumed and chilled reopen day 2, little improvement, More Grip. Purchased as futures and stored accordingly… Na zdrowie
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1/1/2023 - der Schmecker Likes this wine: 90 Points
No sharp edges, seamless, opaque and dense. A slow sipper. Enjoyable.
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12/25/2022 - Padawine wrote: 90 Points
Ouvert 2 bouteilles vers 13h épaulées en vue du repas du soir, totalement fermées et en sourdine, vert et austère en bouche, palais assez dur.
Les heures passant et le vin était toujours dans le même état.
Le vin à commencé à être buvable vers 20h, mais seulement des amateurs de Bordeaux (et assoiffés).
Aujourd'hui, 30h après ouverture initiale, ce Barton 2008 était ouvert, avait révélé le fruit et rendu la bouche plus ronde et accueillante.
Je note 90, car il rempli les critères d'un grand cru de son acabit, ni plus ni moins, dans un style un peu austère que je sais cependant apprécier.
Devrait être plus facile d'accès dans 3 ou 4 ans minimum.
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12/17/2022 - allenn1999 wrote: 90 Points
A little tight on the nose and palette. Dark black color and savory black berries and earth but didn’t show well. I also opened a bottle of ‘08 pavie macquin which blew this away.
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10/24/2022 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
Out of Magnum. At peak 3+ hours from opening. Dark red, nearly black in color with slight meniscus. On nose, charred wood, gravel, black currant, blackberry and tobacco. Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and very long finish. Palate more fruit dominant than nose - blackberry, black currants and plum. 91+/- on open, 92-93+ with air.
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10/3/2022 - Romz Likes this wine: 91 Points
03102022 - Tang’s Room LB vertical (2005 till 2010) & Lunch.
Provenance plays such an important role to ensure we really enjoy the wines at their peak. My last 08 was rather muted due to poor provenance. This vintage is BIG but with great finesse & poise. BIG on flavors, nose and mouthfeel, but plenty of elegance and so well-balanced. Continues to evolve as we drank for 5 hours revealing its complexity and structure
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10/3/2022 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Part of our 6 vintage, 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2007 / 2009 / 2010 Leoville Barton vertical. It was great that EC was offered this ex-chateau box-set to purchase, and 6 of us shared the experience!
This 2008 vintage exceled 1 hour after being poured into my Lucaris "tulip" glass, great power and balance at the same time.
Nose opened up to blackcurrant and chocolate notes, and whilst there was sufficient power, density and intensity on the palate, it seemed remarkably well balanced. Tannins were some of the most rounded of the 6 vintages.
Cassis and sweet plums on the finish, which seemed to go on for at least 30-40 seconds. All this from a simple 1 hour bottle-breathe, and left to evolve in my glass for another hour.
LB 2005-2010 vertical, rank (of 6): 1st.
Yes, the 2008 beat the 2010 as well as 2009 in terms of approchability and readiness to drink. Wonderful!
Interestingly, thewinecellarinside.com describes the best vintages in this vertical as 2005, 2009 and 2010. Not a single mention of 2008, but most of us in the tasting this week all picked.. this 2008 as our favourite.
Weather:
In 2008, the later-ripening Cab was at its most advantageous, and due to the high Cab Sauv percentage blends of Saint-Julien (as well as Pauillac), there were multiple bottlings from this appelation which was excellent. Described as densely ripe, powerful and fragrant, the tannins of this vintage are typically firm and strong, but not harsh.
July 2008 presented itself with dry sunny weather;
However, in August, it was first cool then came the sunshine after.
Sept and October saw warm average daytime temperatures of over 20C, and along with the warm Atlantic breeze, it accelerated ripening whilst keeping the grapes healthy.
Tang Room, Damansara, Malaysia - 3 Oct 2022
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9/24/2022 - Cf_robert Likes this wine: 92 Points
Already in a great drinking window, but i will wait at least 2-3 years before having another one
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9/23/2022 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 92 Points
This felt much tighter and even more youthful than my last bottle. Quite a dark and bright meniscus, the nose was gorgeous - incredibly fragrant blackcurrant (both leaf and fruit), sandalwood, and violets. Concentrated and focussed, the palate was pure and dense, though a little lean and austere in the mid-palate before expanding and fattening up on the finish. Tannins were quite firm and youthful, the finish was pleasant. All the ingredients are there, this just hasn't come close to fully developing.
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8/2/2022 - fussyeater Likes this wine: 92 Points
Inky crimson and swirling reveals good legs. Nose shows cassis, rhubarb and forest floor. Medium bodied with quite graceful tannins, fresh and bright acidity, and succulent red fruit although the mid-palate is ever so slightly thin. There is certainly underlying structure, however whilst the wine is not necessarily tertiary, I would begin drinking if I had a case as it is certainly not in its first flush of youth (i originally guessed from the early 2000s). Served blind BTG from Zalto Bordeaux.
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7/14/2022 - awever Likes this wine: 92 Points
Klassisch
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6/28/2022 - Morrisson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Un vin avec beaucoup de profondeur et de matière. Il commençais a peine a s'ouvrir après 3h00 dans le décanteur. J'aurais tendance a laisser dormir encore un certain temps dans le cellier. Des odeurs et des saveurs de fruits noirs. Même si à mon goût, le vin n'est pas encore arrivé a maturité, les tannins sont quand même bien intégrés et la texture est agréable.
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6/12/2022 - chatters wrote:
Cabernet (and blends) celebration (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): Served blind.
blackcurrant, brambles, plums, sweet spice. Medium plus intensity acidity, slightly sour blackcurrant, a little brambles, long, tannins are talc textured, persistent, finishes slightly bitter. Okay.
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6/11/2022 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. Just a quick 'shall I decant' taste for lunch on Sunday. Short answer is 'yes'...it's a bit closed showing meaty, savoury, brambly notes. with time (and a fair amount of agitation) a touch of plum & spice on the nose. In the mouth it's dense and savoury, quite mineral notes to the dusty drying talc textured tannins and a little fruit in the background. Nice but it will have a double decant before departure.
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6/5/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
First tasted en primeur at Bibendum in April 2009 where I noted it had the darkest colour, sweet blueberry nose, blackcurrant on the palate, good tannins, persistent, best so far. 97.
Since then it has developed plenty of complexity. The wine is now drinking well and still dark with a big blackcurrant and graphite nose, later violets and cigar box. The tannins still have some years to fully resolve and the finish is very long and persistent. My only concern is that the fruit mid palate is a touch on the light side, otherwise the score would have been a lot higher.
Two years ago I gave 5 to 10 years to peak and still think the tannins need to resolve more. As long as the fruit holds out the score should improve again. There's no hurry to open the next one and I'll wait another couple of years.
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3/11/2022 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Leoville Barton; 3/8/2022-3/15/2022 (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas, slightly meaty dark fruits initially. With time a little toast, brambles and plums start to show, sweet spice. Juicy with brambles, plums and a little blackcurrant, cedar, tannins are floury textured. Long, a creamy butter quality joins on the finish. Okay.
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3/9/2022 - Romz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium ruby core with dull rims & moderate legs. Cork condition - 8.0/10.0. Slight mold, perhaps the bottle been inconsistently stored. Beautiful nose filled with blackberries, blueberries, whiff of vanilla pods, cassis, mint & smoke. Long finish with undertones of earth & elegant floral notes. Although the tannins is still firm, fleshy and young, I think it is a good drinking period of window now till end of 2022
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1/9/2022 - 素人俠 wrote: 91 Points
Need another 5-10 years aging
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11/22/2021 - Shogan wrote: 91 Points
Finally getting a hint of some secondary characteristics. Had such a menthol/eucalyptus note in 2019 that I could not drink it. Can still smell a touch of menthol, but cannot taste it. Nice, balanced, dark red fruits and a first hint of cedar. Will likely wait until 2025 to try again.
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11/12/2021 - Andice wrote: 90 Points
Decent claret. Just beginning to drink well compared to last bottle from 3 years ago. Palate is a tad too lean owing to vintage.
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11/5/2021 - dagij Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby, almost black at the core. Nice blackcurrant fruit with a tone reminiscent of kirsch, black cherries, some vanilla, newly baked bread. Medium to full bodied attack, a bit watery and bland on the mid palate, cherries and blackberries in the finish, but the aftertaste is somewhat tart. A bit short, but fine length. Still on the very primary side, this is probably going to be very good. Fresh and fine. 90-91
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11/5/2021 - Tom Henriksveen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Classic and robust claret!
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10/18/2021 - Dancing with bottles wrote: flawed
spoiled by a bad cork.
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10/9/2021 - schneesurfer wrote:
Still too young and no pleasure at the moment. Even a 3 hour decant couldn’t unlock this beast. All weapons there, but unsure when they will show up. Will try the next bottle in 2 years. No score for the moment. Will stay with my other 08 Bordeaux as for example the beausejour duffau lagarosse has been in a much better drinking window (opened parallel)
Update:
No improvement on day 2, but provided some pleasure day three after 3 more hours in the glass. The wine settled down, with more power and now more integrated acidity and softened tannins. I preserved the wine in the bottle with argon spray and kept it in a cool room at 15 degrees Celsius or 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
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9/11/2021 - silton Likes this wine:
Classics and Curiosities: Clearly more CS than Merlot when served next to the 05 Vignot. Still on the young side with only a few tertiary notes emerging and a solid base of not-too-ripe well balanced fruit. Possibly the best red wine of the day but not my favorite. Opened a few hours before being decanted just before service, and would have benefitted from a longer decant I think.
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6/20/2021 - rraaffaa Likes this wine: 93 Points
I really enjoyed this bottle. A little on the young side but already drinking really well. Medium body, nice fruit and already showing some secondary flavors. Don't know if it'll get to the heights of the 2000, but I'll definitely follow it along as it continues to age.
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5/9/2021 - Jbaptiste wrote:
Mérite une bonne décantation, ou en tout cas excellent le lendemain. La bouteille à peine débouchée est trop franche. Le lendemain, excellent pairing avec filet de bœuf saignant.
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5/7/2021 - lelandinmichigan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fuchsia. Cranberry. Not showing much age.
Very restrained dark berry, has a euchalyptus note.
Mouth feel is very polished and gentle and mouth filling. Has a tart zip and cranberry fruit. Some depth and character but definitely not monolithic. Good drinking now. From magnum.
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4/24/2021 - MGosset Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark color, very dark fruit almost medicinal nose , think this wine is stil in his inplessant stage of maturation. This is a wine for the future
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4/9/2021 - FTM Likes this wine: 94 Points
If you like elegance, refinement, silk, and with good length, this is for you! Classy, not a powerhouse but really enjoyable and can be kept for some more years.
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3/27/2021 - Vine Likes this wine: 96 Points
Just keeps getting better and better. A fabulous bottle of Bordeaux!
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12/31/2020 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely blend of red and dark fruits, classy bdx-feeling in this lovely structured red. Great length with good tannins to support.
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12/21/2020 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Leoville Barton and new arrivals (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Closed, a little reductive with notes of burnt rubber. With time, and plentiful agitation, starts to show peppery spiced blackcurrant and plums backed by cream, caramel and vanilla, a little alcohol prickle as well. Medium plus intensity acidity, similar fruit profile, tannins are lighter here, still chalky textured but integrated with the fruit, a little creamy note on the finish. Pleasing.
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11/23/2020 - Esteban wrote: 90 Points
Nez assez fermé à l'ouverture et qui s'est ouvert un peu en carafe. Bdx tres droit et tres classique. Bel équilibre,
roen n'accroche mais manque un peu de Oomph pour que je prenne mon pied donc un peu déçu. Plutôt plat le lendemain.
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11/21/2020 - tobyc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Colour: Deep, dark red.
Bouquet: Med intense, fleshy bouquet w. vanilla, black pepper, blackcurrant leaves and sweet spices.
Palate: Dry, med acid, med(+) tannins, med(+) body. Blackcurrant (ripe but greenish), warm spices, plums, lightly roasted coffee, some smoke.
Overall: Very elegant and good aftertaste.
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11/1/2020 - awever Likes this wine: 92 Points
Noch in der Fruchtphase
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10/24/2020 - Vine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Leoville Barton is my largest vertical of classified Bordeaux wine. I have most vintages between 2005 and the recently purchased 2019 at Futures in my cellar. This wine IMHO is ready to drink with a 2 hour decant. Absolutely beautiful - decadent pleasure. Enjoy!
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10/2/2020 - spillwine wrote: 92 Points
Prêt à boire, classique
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8/9/2020 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 99 Points
A classical St Julien wine. Powerful, pure and elegant. Introspective and feminine. Nothing is out of place. It is the structure that impresses with its perfect balance and firm tannins. Though dominated by blackcurrant and cigarbox there are hints of manure and a typical aged character emerging. Well cellared bottle with mid neck ullage and wine stain only on the circular base of the plump cork.Best after 45 mins in the decanter with hints of mauve. Riedel Bordeaux glasses at 15 deg C. Estimated drinking window 2028 to 2050.
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8/2/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
First tasted en primeur at Bibendum in April 2009 where I noted it had the darkest colour, sweet blueberry nose, blackcurrant on the palate, good tannins, persistent, best so far. 97.
My initial note largely holds true. The wine is now drinking well and still dark with a big blueberry and graphite nose. The tannins still have some years to fully resolve and the finish is very long and persistent. My only concern is that the fruit is a touch on the light side, otherwise the score would have been a lot higher.
I'm glad I waited before opening my first bottle from a case shared with a friend en primeur because it will improve for a decade as the tannins resolve.
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7/21/2020 - SamSaki Likes this wine: 92 Points
First of a case I have been waiting patiently for. Starting to drink really well, with tannins softened and classic LB flavours coming through. A real pleasure. But I should caveat, mine was stored in slightly warmer conditions than ideal for last few years. I decanted the bottle for four hours. My gut instinct is mine is ‘ahead’ of well stored. It’s coming good though...
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6/12/2020 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yikes the first glass was painful. Let sit for hours. Definitely improved but I think this is still way too young. I kind of knew that going in but I had already grabbed it from the basement so decision done. Tastes like LB always tastes. There is so little vintage variation here. Which is a credit to them. Old school Bordeaux through and through. Dark fruit, BlackBerry, tannins, earth, graphite. I honestly dont think I've ever had a bad bottle from this producer.
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6/6/2020 - gothamfreerider Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tannins softening up, but I think needs a little more aging. Notes of dark choclate, coca, and stawberries. Wonderful length. At this price point, unbeatable. Fell in love with 1986 of this vineyard last month...
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4/10/2020 - rwpalmer wrote: 93 Points
Coravin sample. Very deep colour and bright as well though no longer crimson at the rim. Most convincing nose; dense, complex with some oak. Also weighty and convincing on the palate. A great showing.
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3/30/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
The 2008 Leoville Barton is a terrific wine, packed full of ripe, pure cassis, cedar, and mineral. This has great tension - lots of material but very fresh and focused. A beautiful future ahead. 93-94 points.
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3/29/2020 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 92 Points
First bottle out of the case and in a very nice place. Quite reductive on opening, with 3 hrs in the decanter things got serious. Dark and pure, there's the spirit of youth here, but any unruliness has been disciplined with time in bottle. Quite creamy with serious depth to the black fruits and nice touches of carbon and spice. Occasionally stern and austere, the structure is unrelenting, but we don't drink Leoville for a fruit bomb do we? Looking forward to these over the next 10 years.
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3/20/2020 - dchain Likes this wine: 90 Points
From magnum. Tasted side by side with Montrose 08 in same format and I didn’t like this as much this time. More closed and showing more obvious tannins. Just a little rough around the edges. Fruit locked back into the muscular structure of the wine. Maybe sleeping stage for the wine. Not the same brightness, fruit or depth compared with the Montrose. Felt a lot shorter too. I feel Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton could be so much better than they currently are with just a little bit more effort, discipline in the vineyard and to harvest with slightly better ripeness and manage the tannic extraction better. Sounds easy then...
Still nice to drink but almost the same price as Montrose in this vintage and currently I would have the Montrose over the Barton any day.
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2/22/2020 - Raage wrote: 91 Points
Au nez, une fois le boisé passé avec l'aération, il fut très joli, avec un fruit plutôt éclatant (cassis), une certaine classe, un Bordeaux typé finesse. En bouche, l'attaque ronde, fine, est assez sensuelle, aérée, fraiche et noble, mais sans artifice, sans ostentation; je me dis que le millésime compliqué (les pluies fin aout, la dilution) ont dû marquer le vin, et en même temps il s'en sort bien (et bien mieux que les 2007). Voilà, c'est pas le gros millésime de garde, plein, riche et à encaver, mais bien le st Julien élégant, à la matière fine sur une année pas facile.
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2/21/2020 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Au départ le vin m'a énormément déçu, j'étais dans un Bordeaux à une fraction du prix, mais avec le temps dans le verre, le vin s'ouvrait et c'était très bien. Pas grand, mais une belle richesse et une arômatique intéressante, probablement dans un entre 2 de maturité.
3/5
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2/15/2020 - tjsmiller wrote:
Consumed on Valentine’s Day dinner with Klubeck and Brooks.
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2/14/2020 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Impressive showing with lots of bell pepper, dark fruit, and acid. Gained weight over a couple of hours. Drink now with a decant or hold.
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2/13/2020 - Mario17 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Couleur très jeune tout comme le nez qui est moyennement aromatique et assez classique sur le cèdre et le cassis. La bouche est tout aussi en jeunesse, assez en souplesse et avec des tannins soyeux et sans dureté, le vin a une élégance et une classe indéniable, une assez bonne longueur mais sans posséder ce petit quelque chose de grand. Très bon 92-93 pts
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1/28/2020 - Ianjaig Likes this wine: 88 Points
PNP - lovely nose of raspberries and chocolate. Medium bodied with a soft, elegant finish of significant length. All perfectly fine, but there is a lightness to this which results in it being somewhat unmemorable and simple.
Day 2 and not a lot of change, though it did become considerably more tannic. Will look to decant next time.
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12/11/2019 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. A very slight volatile sharpness on the nose initially, red and blackcurrant, cedar, sweet spice, a jubey underpin with time sweet spice; nutmeg, slight leather. Medium plus intensity acidity, leather, drying tannins, fruit is a little austere on the palate. Very drying tannins in fact. Hmm.
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11/21/2019 - rc@ughey wrote: 91 Points
This is a sleek, silky, and classic LB that is really quite nice. Very drinkable at this young age but will improve. Not a great LB but absolutely a good one.
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8/11/2019 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Bu au resto AVV La suite de Sherbrooke avec les FOUDUVIN.
Bien aimé, mon préféré de la soirée avec le Donnhoff.
Textbook Bordeaux, du beau claret.
Du style et une belle pureté de fruit avec du graphite et
de la terre, cassis et cèdre avec de beaux tanins anguleux
et une finale suave et longue.
Excellent.
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7/25/2019 - djarcara Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep purple color. Fragrant nose of dark fruit and allspice. Flavors of cassis, black olive, liquorice, and clove. This is still a very tannic wine with subdued fruitiness. Has another 10+ year at least. decant for mild sediment and give it at least an hour to breath.
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7/19/2019 - AndreRibeiroChaves Likes this wine: 91 Points
Super light at 13% alcohol, smooth tannins, lively acidity, long finish. Fading fruit, delicious vanilla, some pepper, leather and coffee.
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4/26/2019 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Wine seven of nine, all 2008 Bordeaux varieties (also tasted the following evening):
Slightly overshadowed by the Pontet-Canet and Oreno, it showed spectacularly nonetheless. Its stablemate in this tasting was the Clinet. Like that wine, this lovely expression of place and varieties, featured compelling charm and deeply satisfying rusticity. Along with effusive variety and terroir hallmarks, notable for its loam, tobacco, sous-bois, and mineral tones, all of which interplay and change inflection beautifully. Subtly, yet stalwartly framed, offering medium to medium plus acid and medium tannins. In two words: refined poise!
Squarely in an early drinking window, and likely to continue evolving for another five years or so. It should last through 2032-2035. 94-95.
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4/24/2019 - bajayngo wrote:
Quick note from a 2008 bdx varietal tasting -My favorite wine of the tasting. Love how Barton throws so much graphite. Great fruit and structure just a beautiful wine.
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4/15/2019 - Tauro Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened the bottle and couldn’t help pouring a glass without decanting it.
The colour is clean and ruby.
You immediately get black fruits, Licorice and vanilla.
2 hours after decanting, the flavours really hit you, cherries, plums, black currant, licorice and vanilla.
The palate is nice, although a little acidic.
The finish is long and rounded.
This is not as good as the 2010, but still an outstanding bottle of wine.
Leo B remains one of my absolute favourite wines.
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4/14/2019 - pgb67 wrote: 89 Points
Early Spring Highlights (Dogwood Grove): Closed and ungiving. The nose is savory and dusty with hints of pencil shavings and leafy tones. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite lean on the palate with more notes of pencil shavings, dark fruits, and a touch of cedar.
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4/5/2019 - TomH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just stupid good. I paid 43 on futures and there's _nothing_ from California that could begin to compete with this for that price. Even at current ask, it's a gorgeous textbook left bank bordeaux - black fruit, cedar wood, earth and leather. Tannins still present but mellowed, fruit elegant. Really just a beaut
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3/19/2019 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 95 Points
Never really been a big fan of L-B but this bottle was showing very well. Big bombastic black fruits with some judicious use of oak. Dense and really packed and stacked. This was a very good bottle. I feel like this wine is really coming into its togetherness this time. Excellent.
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3/1/2019 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Wine lunch at Imperial Treasure. Poured into decanter and drank over next 2 hours. Tasted blind.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fragrant floral spices, toasty vanilla oak, black cherries, blackberries, plums, licorice, cassis. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), grippy structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of black cherries, blackberries, blackcurrant, plums, sweet spices, licorice, cassis. Some fragrant bell peppers with more air. Long finish.
Very good quality. Ripe yet elegant Left Bank Bordeaux. I was guessing either Margaux or St Julien. Still young now, but good stuff. Better than 4 years ago already.
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12/26/2018 - Ken332 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served with grilled prime rib on Christmas Day. As expected, this is a young wine that requires at least a couple of years before trying again. Nose of cassis, plums, and spices. Slightly flat in the mid-range and a good finish. Look forward to more of these as it ages.
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12/22/2018 - Brsed Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent balance. Dark fruits with earth and cedar.
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11/11/2018 - MJReb wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit (blackberries) leather, tobacco, licorice and some bitter notes, fairly closed, did not decant, which was a mistake. Wait at least another 5 years.
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10/5/2018 - Kevin Cheng Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose of dark fruits and tobacco. Quite enjoyable.
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9/17/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Tobacco leaf, cigar wrapper, cedar and green pepper corns are the first thing you notice. Full bodied, quite crisp and sharp, this is concentrated, peppery and crisp. This will be much better with 5-8 more years in the cellar.
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9/9/2018 - Matt T wrote: 88 Points
A bit disappointing. Tannins have integrated for the most part and this was smooth, but it seemed a bit flabby and one-dimensional with a short finish.
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8/19/2018 - belfast taxman wrote: 91 Points
Drank at Rosleague Manor in County Galway, Ireland. Lovely accompaniment to their fabulous Connemara lamb. Decanted for 30 minutes. Medium ruby with little sign of bricking. Nose was intensely powerful blend of dark fruits with a hint of cedar. On the palate it was slightly lighter than I would have expected and the finish faded all too soon. Overall a very good wine but not a great one.
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8/12/2018 - dchain Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby but already open. Dark fruits at the moment - blackberry and blueberry. Touch of earth and spice but all wrapped up in the deep, healthy fresh fruit. Very elegant and balanced and less austere and tough than most Bartons. Really like this more elegant expression of a classic Bordeaux property. Delicious drinking and good QPR.
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7/29/2018 - Ron Van Holland wrote: 90 Points
Modest nose. Austere fruit with no trace of terroir à la Bordeaux. Tannins befitting a fine Médoc, and ample acidity. Check back in 3-5 years, with fingers crossed.
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7/14/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
The other wine at BB&R 2017 en primeur tasting. More than a hint of undergrowth blows off soon. Then well balanced long and flavoursome. Drinking now and will develop for a decade.
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7/12/2018 - mimik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still dark but inviting. Dark blackberry and blueberry on the nose with an elegant spicy note of cedar and oak on the nose and palate. Long elegant finish. Starting to just enter a drinking window if you like them on the young side. A lighter version given the vintage but still relatively full bodied. 92+
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7/4/2018 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Berry Brothers 2017 Bordeaux en primeur (plus back vintages) Lindley Hall, London (Lindley Hall, London): Hugely perfumed (from bottle that was JUST opened in front of me), kirsch liquor, very full throttle in fact and blind I could have mistaken this for a (good) Pomerol. Lovely.
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6/26/2018 - Solidgold Likes this wine: 91 Points
Takes at least 1hr to open up. Better to decant. Spicy herbs and tar. Long finish. First of my 10 bottles. Will wait out another few months to try the next one.
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6/23/2018 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Definitely high quality. If I had this blind I'm not sure I would guess Bordeaux, as it really resembles a high end Napa Cab or Blend. The nose and body aren't over powering, but are balanced and quite lovely. A little more umph would make this insane. Finish is medium to short. Very enjoyable wine!
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6/23/2018 - RonT Likes this wine: 91 Points
My wife and I opened this 10 year old for our 10th anniversary. Could use more holding time, but is coming into its own now. Plum, graphite, blueberry combined with low acidity. Tannins are still strong so give it a few more years.
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6/11/2018 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #290: Bordeaux Vertical and Horizontal (@ VD): Intense and luxurious bouquet with dark berries, mint, coffee, cedar and a firm dose of oak. On the palate dark berries like blackberries, chocolate, vanilla, mild acidity and tannin which has plenty of power for many more years of ageing. Beautiful and still youthful wine with a lot of elegance. 93+ for tonight.
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5/29/2018 - barryjkeller@gmail.com Likes this wine:
Nice (A few days since tasted) no great. Silky, blackberries and obvious graphite. Still a reasonable amount of tannin however a nice balance. another 2-3 years would be preferable.
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4/8/2018 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this at a Bordeaux night with my wine group. 2 bottles, that were opened, but not decanted, at least an hour before drinking. Had these alongside 2 bottles of 2008 Domaine de Chevalier. It was close, but I preferred the Chevalier. The Leoville Barton is a big wine, and I think it still needs a few more years to pull it all together.
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3/8/2018 - Bluespolo wrote: 92 Points
Naso molto classico bordeaux, molto preciso e nitido, ma con ottima intensità: more, ribes nero, mirtillo, sottobosco, scorza d'arancio nota vegetale e di tabacco, liquirizia.
al palato struttura media, tannini ben torniti, bella eleganza. finale piacevole. Può restare in cantina senza soffrirne ancora per parecchio tempo.
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3/4/2018 - Brsed Likes this wine: 93 Points
I think this wine is open for business even though it is young. Excellent balance while having a depth of elegant black fruits with a bit of leather and earth. Absurdly long finish. Will age well.
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1/13/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Graham/Barton tasting-cum-lunch (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): Very floral and lifted style on the nose, different from most other vintages (Lendl said it reminded him of Malbec and I can see why), tobacco and liquorice, lacks a bit of stuffing and power on the palate, moderate tannins (in the context of Léoville-Barton), fresh but falls away on the finish. Better on the second day. Retaste.
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12/29/2017 - phil the agony wrote: 91 Points
Dun millésime plus frais , il semble être en début de plateau . Encore le fruit noir mais qui commence tranquillement à s’ouvrir dur des notes boisées . La robe est opaque et ce vin semble être bon encore 5-10 ans sans tracas . 80$ à l’époque.
91 pts
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10/12/2017 - ronnieroots wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby colour, very classic nose with cedar, blackcurrant, some tobacco / leather. Ripe with fine, but firm tannin. Ripe and polished, but still keeping its classic St. Julien profile. Very nice.
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7/27/2017 - TomH wrote: 91 Points
Opened the first of my six pack that I purchased on release 8 years ago. Even in an otherwise early drinking vintage like 2008, this bottle is still playing it close to the vest. The other taster here who noted 'thin and acidic' on opening is spot on; it took over a day for the bottle to open up and blossom. It was enjoyable at that point, and perhaps a tad better on the third day. What I could glimpse of it's future was exactly what Leoville Barton does so well - textbook left bank Bordeaux, cedar and blackcurrant, hints of leather and earth, never overripe, and a distinct sense of masculinity that all vintages of LB seem to echo.
If you've only got one or two of these, there's really zero point in opening this until around 2020 or so.
While it's obviously not at the level of the incredible 2009 and 2010, it's at a similar level of quality to the 1999,2002 and 2004 vintages. At $43.75 on first tranche futures it was an absolute steal, and even at the current $80 market price it's a relative bargain. Worth buying if you're patient.
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6/20/2017 - dase13 wrote: 92 Points
Color of deep red. Scents of red and black berry fruit and some leathery notes. Tastes were smooth and of red and black berry fruits, some leather in the background and medium tannins.
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4/16/2017 - ThMeyer wrote: 88 Points
Too early? On first day disappointing... On second day better but still lacked intensity
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4/14/2017 - MrBrege wrote:
I bought a case and so was curious. I should have resolved to remain patient; it was thin and acidic even after a double decant followed by 8h slow-ox. Consequently had only half a glass. Then drank over the next three days, it was best on the last day, very smooth with some semblance of balance at that stage. This wine actually has all the indigence to become a superb wine, but I will wait until 2019 before I risk trying another one.
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3/30/2017 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Haven't had this since release, maybe 6yrs ago, very primary then...now starting to strut its stuff! Great nose! Mix of creme de cassis, blueberry pie, freshly opened bag of Kingsford, dusty cedar, licorice. MAN I love how smooth and silky Bordeaux can be, yet so youthful with structure, power and grace! The fruit is perfect in this...not too sweet, nice dryness and length. The wonderful nose transfers to the palate...also shows purple florals and rocky minerality. Tasty now, but should gain even further within the next 10+yrs. Wish I had more in the cellar.
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2/5/2017 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Take my note from 5 years ago, add 5 years, violá! Cashew nose, currant base. This wine is on a steady evolution and should go to a new tier when more tertiary notes emerge. Showed very well after 1 hour decant. Try again 3-6 years.
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1/29/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby. Yourful Bordeaux aromas of dark fruit, some pine notes with a touch of oak, chocolate on the finish after a few minutes in the glass too. The clean and cool vintage of 2008 shines through here. Solid Medoc, very early drinking window. Wait till 2020.
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1/28/2017 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pnp. Dark garnet. Young with juicy dark fruit and pretty wood spices. With more air the tannins become more pronounced. Good length. Another very nice 08 Bdx
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11/13/2016 - FransS wrote: 94 Points
A giant, fat, juicy, deep colored, creamy; impossible for '08, however they did it at the château!
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11/12/2016 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Leoville Barton trial run (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. Bramble, blackcurrant, vanilla, sweet spice, biscuit, slightly meaty elements and touches of pyrazine. Juicy, fleshy, with savoury fruit and that pyrazine note again. Tannins are abundant but integrated. Balanced. Moreish but quite young.
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11/10/2016 - sjw_11 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very deep, dark red. Dense, primary nose, showing a lot of concentrated cassis, ripe blackcurrant, graphite. Very good length and balance. Quite a ripe, opulent style. Very youthful still, I imagine this will be even more impressive in another 3-5yrs.
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8/10/2016 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
From a 375ml, consistent with previous note. It definitely needs at least 90 mins of air even for a 375ml.
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7/12/2016 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
Bold and seductive bouquet upon pulling the cork, effusing purple berries (blackcurrant and blackberry), crème de cassis, graphite, peppers, live herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage), muddled flowers, light roast coffee, root vegetables, unsweetened dark coco nibs, sanguinity, funk, tea leaves, gravel, black farm soil, and focused minerality. The wine tastes like it smells, delivering pleasure in layers. Balanced, refined, precise, and powerful. Harmonious acid and tannins, alluring mouthfeel, exceptional finish. A superb Bordeaux and an excellent example of the classic yet underrated 2008 vintage. Likely a 20 year wine from now. Worth seeking out! 94-95.
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5/28/2016 - wineappreciation wrote: 91 Points
Raspberry, plum, cassis, graphite, hints of smoke; Smooth, level, rounded, very long lived, moderate softer tannins
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5/23/2016 - Kriz wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry, blueberry and fresh bark on the nose. Slightly too much oak and a bit thin on the palate. Nice bitter finish with some green tones.
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5/13/2016 - Burgnick wrote: 91 Points
Pop from a 375ml and drank over the next four hours. Big and opulent with black currants, cedar, oak and tobacco. Mid palate did not have a lot of stuffing to give it a higher point. But its a balanced wine with long finish. Give it 10 years.
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5/1/2016 - JGinMO wrote: 92 Points
Terrific balance, wonderful bordeaux nuance but with enough fruit to balance. No rush to drink these, though I'd be surprised if this stayed in balance for 20 more years.
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4/24/2016 - ludwigbpm wrote: 92 Points
Sans notes
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2/22/2016 - Thumper88 wrote: 89 Points
Decant for several (6 hours+). 10 year cellar 2026
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11/16/2015 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Clarence's Birthday 2015 (Extra Space): Aired in decanter for 30 minutes.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blackcurrant, black plums, earth, tobacco, leather. Developing.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), chewy mouth-coating high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of blackcurrant, black plums, black cherries, earth, tobacco, leather, and cassis. No greenness here. Long finish.
Very good quality. Dense and brooding. This is built for the long haul. Hold for another 8 years at least to get more development out of this.
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10/31/2015 - wihong wrote: 89 Points
Color: Opaque bright purple. Aroma: Fresh grape juice, oak and spices. Palate entry: Oaky and gripping tannin. Mid-Palate: Licorice, plum, black cherry, cinnamon and allspice. Finish: Hint of spices, gentle cream, oak, perfume, white pepper. Developing well, nice spices and softening tannin, finish still a bit short.
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10/12/2015 - Dids wrote: 90 Points
First of the case opened way too young. It is very un Leoville Barton like. I have a hard time saying it of Leoville Barton, but there is a sense of over extraction here, ripe ripe cassis earthy tones cedar, a fine but firm tannic wall stops enjoyment of this wine. I shall forget fr another 5 to 7 years
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10/1/2015 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened from a 375ml and slow oxed for an hour plus. The nose was lovely with cassis, coffee beans, black fruit and some earth. The palate was delicate and smoothe. The wine was quite balanced. The mid palate was a bit dry and acidic. Its not a blockbuster but it is pretty lovely to enjoy now in half bottles. 91+
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9/13/2015 - dbenglis wrote:
Decanted for 30 min. Fruit, slightly too much acid for my favor. Earth. I will attempt to decant longer next time.
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8/29/2015 - Whinojb wrote: 93 Points
Not much on the evolution front - still a bit young - wonderful off vintage juice. Nose and palate in alignment. Love the earth!
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8/29/2015 - farinas wrote: 90 Points
Not the biggest fan of left bank '08 year. This one is metallic and the acidity is a bit off, yet it delivers lots of fruits
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8/5/2015 - bajayngo wrote: 93 Points
Absolutely love LB. A little tight when 1st popped but decanted for a couple of hours and was showing nicely. Lots of cassis, dusty tannins, graphite, cherries, coffee grounds, fresh leather with a nice mineral streak through the middle. Drank over 2 days and didn't budge on day two.
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4/5/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Souper de fête Sylvain à Québec: Souper de fête Sylvain
Un nez de fruit noir, de prunes, avec un peu de chêne discret.
La bouche est vigoureuse, d'une belle puissance, avec de bons tanins gommeux, seule la longueur un peu courte trahit le millésime. Très belle qualité et un bel avenir. Excellent. 91+ pts
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1/23/2015 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Too young to assess. Slightly unbalanced and bitter at the moment, searching for a direction. The fruit is good, structure too. It's just not the right moment.
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12/1/2014 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Léoville Barton (Rodwell House): 75 CS; 23 Merlot; 2 CFDeep ruby to crimson in colour, the nose shows blackcurrant, cedar, red and black cherry and black raspberry with some spice in the background.
An intense wine with a lifted entry the palate is plush with a sweet fine powdery texture and warm, juicy fruit. Despite the blackberry and blackcurrant notes complex by chocolate and cocoa powder there is a slight grassy, herbal and dried leaf quality that suggests a more challenging year, perhaps 07 or 08? Full-bodied, the tannins are dense and firm and the acid fresh, cooling the warm fruit on the mid-palate and giving some elegance that made the wine highly enjoyable. Excellent concentration, this is a nicely structured wine with a persistent finish.
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11/29/2014 - Bigblue Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 3 hrs. Dark color with some reddening on the rim. Nose is a bit subtle, with graffite, alcohol, earth and dark berries. Pencil shavings, minerals and dry dark chocolate on the mid palate. Not getting anything else on the finish other than the flavors already mentioned. I wonder where this wine is going to be a few years from now. Hold!
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11/25/2014 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
A shy nose with mineral notes. Subdued on the palate. Fresh, lifted, balanced and harmonious, with hints of iodine and iron ore. Beautifully made, svelte and seamless with no rough edges. Will start to drink well in 4-5 years.
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11/23/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours before drinking. Inky blackness - deep black through and through, with no reddening on the edges. Boysenberry and blackberry flavor. Similar to the 1999 insignia that proceeded it. Bitter and heavy, heavy tannins. This could last forty years. Also lots of alcohol, but tolerable - 15%? Super full bodied. Licorice on the back end. Still too bitter, but will be great in 10-20 years.
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11/23/2014 - SonnyChiba wrote: 91 Points
90-91+pts. Almost pitch black in color. Big and chewy, tons of earthy, minerality, barnyard notes with ripe black fruit black licorice and ultra tight tannins. Dry and alcoholic on the finish, but easy to detect that there is a lot on its way. As with most Barton I have tried, leave alone...forever!
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11/15/2014 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 91 Points
Balanced. 5 years away from really showing its full potentilal. Iron, minerals and graphite on nose and palate, good long finish.
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11/15/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Like the 2010 Langoa Barton, this is also pretty tight and closed at present. Slightly floral on the nose, dark fruit, cedar - very subtle and fine. Elegant and fine on the palate as well, tight, with round but drying tannins, well balanced with good acidity. Very long. Patience will be rewarded, a great wine in the making. 92-93+
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11/7/2014 - Strikermax wrote: 92 Points
Zeer donkerrood. Uitbundige, verleidelijke geur van cassis, chocolade, luxe hout. In de mond nog een stuk minder verleidelijk: erg jonge, stroeve tannines. Goede concentratie. Lang aanhoudend. Een wijn met veel potentie. 92+
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10/5/2014 - Drankard wrote: 93 Points
This year it is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc with 60% new oak. Very open, deep rich dark berry fruit aromas with layers of chocolate, tobacco and cassis. It shows intense, ripe fruit with balanced acidity and minerals/graphite. Classic Bordeaux!
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9/8/2014 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
The pièce de résistance at a tasting I hosted for friends over two days. It did not disappoint. The wine features a highly appealing, even seductive, bouquet of fruit, funk, graphite, gravel, peat, molasses, licorice, violets, and crème de cassis. Intensely juicy attack, plush mid palate of excellent focus and depth, layer upon layer. Great acid, medium tannin. It finishes with a flurry of flavors, nuance, and grip. The wine's charm and verve make it imminently approachable at present, but patience will certainly be rewarded. It should evolve for a few years and drink well through 2025+. Excellent quality!
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9/8/2014 - bajayngo wrote:
Wow did this wine deliver. The nose was an intoxicating mix of graphite, peppers, green olives, pencil shavings, beautiful fresh dark fruits, mineral and grainy goodness. The palate was much the same with a nice mineral entry followed by fresh fruit and finishing with gripping tannins. The wine was seamless from nose to finish with layers of complexities in a amazing old world rustic style that I loved. There where pops of fennel, pepper, earth and on and on. Still a young wine but very approach able and for me a real treat! Thanks for sharing Motz!
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9/6/2014 - Johnfromspokane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big and bold, exactly what I would expect from a good st julien. Black cherry, graphite, charcuterie, spice and earth. Good wine, not a great qpr.
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8/30/2014 - Saint Stephen wrote: 91 Points
To my palate this wine is very good but needs another 5-10 years. Concentrated, not particularly charming, lead pencil, red/black fruits, somewhat grippy tannins. Still enjoyable as a reward for a 21 mile run, but again, put this one away until at least 2020 in my opinion. On the fence about buying more since it can still be found at a good price.
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7/12/2014 - Man in Black wrote:
The wine is clear and bright with a deep ruby colour and presence of dense legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium+ intensity aromas of dark plums, dark cherries, black currants, lavender, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon and cedar. The wine is dry in the mouth with a medium+ acidity. It has high coarse tannins and a medium alcohol. It has a medium+ body and pronounced intensity flavours of dark plums, dark cherries, lavender cinnamon and almonds. The finish is medium+.
It is an outstanding quality wine with a great fruit concentration and a nice finish. It shows a very good complexity provided by oak ageing and it has a great tannic structure. Can drink now, but it has enough tannins, acidity and fruit concentration to develop more complex tertiary aromas in the next 10+ years. The wine is young yet approachable at this stage.
I would say this vintage has been underrated, at least in the case of Léoville Barton, is not as good as the 2005, but the QPR is way better.
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7/7/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice garnet color
Graphite, cherry, leather nose. Tannins a bit strong. Ripe cherry, creme cassis, black berry a little acidic on the nose. A little dust. Cab franc is great on this wine. Cherry, creme, blue berry, blackberry. Still very young. Very nice cherry and chocolate flavors. I need to hold off opening this one for another 5-7 years.
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6/19/2014 - WMWG Likes this wine:
CT Tasting Group (Steve's House): Tasted Blind - Seemed largely shut down to me, still quite tannic and structured. Very full nose of black raspberry and graphite. Full bodied showing black currant and earth with some spice.
Very good to Excellent - Hold
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6/19/2014 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 92 Points
92-94
Dunkles Rot-Lila
Klar schwarzfruchtig.Toastaromen,Cassis,viel Lakritze,Hauch Tabak,würzig.
Sehr dicht,fleischig,verströmt eine Frische, doch sehr rund,Tannine schon recht glatt,leicht samtig.
Voller Körper,gutes Säurerückgrat.
Besitzt mit mehr Zeit auch eine florale Komponente.
Langer dunkelfruchtiger ,leicht prägender Abgang.
Klar zu jung,kann aber problemlos angetestet werden.
2.Tag nicht wirklich verändert,leicht pflaumig,erdiger,sehr ausdrucksstark.
Viel Potential.
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5/17/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Quite backward, firm, grippy, great fruit and structure, good length. Classic claret, needs more time. 91-93
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5/1/2014 - janka wrote: 91 Points
A fine Bordeaux ready to drink but will improve the next 3 - 5 years
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4/26/2014 - fatfishzsy wrote: 89 Points
香气：蓝莓、橡木、香料
口感，灼热、中等强度单宁，轻薄酒体。
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3/26/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Juicy perfume nose. Round chewy. Nice blue berry, cassis a little oakie. Tasty, tannins. Nice hints of barnyard on the nose. Light weight. Medium acid. Structure is a little loose, but still tasty.
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2/16/2014 - Whinojb wrote: 93 Points
Dark color with no bricking in sight. Still looks young and is. Nose was enormous with slight funk, mushroom and "forest floor" - beautiful notes of wood (not too over bearing) along with cassis and stewed dark berry. Palate was refreshing, rich and wonderful all the way down the hatch. What a wonderful effort and am looking forward to approaching this in 2 years to see how it's evolved. It has the workings to certainly improve as it settles down into its teens.
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11/26/2013 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice nose with butterscotch notes, smooth and pleasant. A favorite at my group's recent blind tasting.
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11/16/2013 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Luxurious bouquet with dark forest fruits like cassis etc. and beautiful oak. Same on the palate with beautiful dark fruits and acidity, round and still very powerful tannin with a firm bite. Luxurious wine still in its infant stage. Wait at least until 2020 or probably better until 2024. 92++ for now.
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11/14/2013 - GlöckliWein Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOW
once again one point higher than last time
SMELL:
righ out of the bottle after srewing what defense the
Juice I wonna enjoy from ...
deep grape of Cabernet Sauvignon - Cassis - nwe oak (french I guess)
some farmyard - earthy - heavy duty..
TASTE:
open and slightly evolved - sweet and juicy right into all of your gorge .. overwhelming big taste .. getting better and better
Fruits of Cassis Blackbeeries all togehter like a amvellous ROte Grütze a pottpourri of all dark boisn fruits .. with some Vanilla Creame
I Cant´s stand it to wait how this Wine will developpe in any fruther years - I guess incredibly better and better - and open knitted
94 of 100 possible points !
YES a great WINE and (Year)
and affordable still !
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10/20/2013 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
This is very nice. Good density and extraction. Still very youthful but drinkable. Should last many years. A nice effort.
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10/4/2013 - Jojala Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Underwhelming. Tight, mouth coating tannins and some heat. Not a faulty bottle though, I think. Perhaps day 2 will give more.
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9/6/2013 - bcd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lecker, aber muss nicht für 46
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7/16/2013 - -E- wrote: 91 Points
Klar, dyp, mørk rød med blåskjær. Ung, mørk nese med røde og blå knuste bær, mokka, pepper og vanilje. Fast og slank kropp med høy fruktkonsentrasjon. Noe rå fremdeles. Saftig og frisk syre. Tørr utgang med faste, unge og tanniner med lett sødme. Fin lengde med mild skogsbærsødme. La ligge.
91-92 P
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3/1/2013 - dase13 wrote: 92 Points
Color of deep red. Scents of red and black berry fruit and some leathery notes. Tastes were smooth and of red and black berry fruits, some leather in the background and medium tannins (smoother and more integrated than I expected).
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2/13/2013 - EyeDoc wrote:
Pop and Pour. Just a bit shut down on the front end. Decent concentration and lingering finish which is surprisingly smooth - but the fruit is in the background. This is drinking nicely albeit a bit disjointed. I think this will be an LB to drink unusually early.
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11/4/2012 - NewEngland wrote: 89 Points
From a half bottle. Decanted 3 hours. Cedar and cassis aroma. Acidic, tannic taste with some fruit. Overall impression was of a heavy duty wine that was somewhat closed overall, and more acidic than I would prefer. Better with chocolate. My friend loved the "cedar box" quality though. Saving the second half bottle to age quite a few years.
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9/29/2012 - lator wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes. 91-92 points.
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9/17/2012 - eBoB wrote: 92 Points
Kolor dojrzalej czeresni - piekny rubin. Zapach piekny - czarne owoce zmieszane ze swiezym porannym lasem. Smak fantastycznie zlozony ostro/elegancki - dojrzewajaca jezyna. Eleganckie piekne - moze czekac, ale po co skoro mozna pic.
---
WKolekcja Price: 367,77PLN - $114,92
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7/24/2012 - brianngibson wrote: 94 Points
Blackberry, fig, leather . . . reminds me of the laces on my childhood baseball glove. A very long finish. This bottle blew me away. I expected it to be young, closed, and low on fruit at this stage. But this reminds me of a new world wine with the refinement and complexity of a Bordeaux. Lots going on here, and very approachable. Clearly also expresses the prospect of an even brighter future.
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7/15/2012 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
See previous notes. Decanted for four hours. Blackberry, blueberry, cassis, flower shop, tobacco and cherry. Silky and long. Quite enjoyable now and of course this is a pedigree that can age.
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5/16/2012 - Wine Sparty wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour before beginning to drink, then drank the rest over the next four hours. This really started to show its best after about 3.5 hours in the decanter. Initially, it was pretty closed, showing some very light fruits of plum and dark cherry, as well as some herbs and tobacco. After it hit its stride, there was darker fruit, with lots of graphite, tobacco and ash.
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4/17/2012 - jeanluc07 wrote: 92 Points
not ready to drink on the first day but i try anyway-wine was not ready; didnt drink on second day; thrird day was gorgeous, explosive and deep wine although some fruit was still hiding somewhere under that cloak of tannin/acid/structure; willl drink then ext one in 5 years (glad i bought more after this tasting)
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4/10/2012 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Ripe nose; Nice medium body; Builds strength in the glass
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4/2/2012 - silton wrote: 93 Points
april fools wine tasting; 4/1/2012-4/2/2012 (Scott & Todd's): Open for business from the pop and pour, past an hour+ decant, and then the next day. Luxurious without getting sloppy or sweet, like a tightly woven silk rug, or corduroys made of cashmere. Nose of strawberry ganache, prickly pear and sawdust. Classic currant, lead, plum flavors with good length. A lot more like the Cali Cabs than I expected but has a bit of restraint at the end, not as showy but classier for it.
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2/10/2012 - Racer117 wrote: 92 Points
$mell$ fabulous: Extracted berries and cassis with espresso/coffee notes as well. Berry fruit flavors, licorice, graphite. Tannins are prominent but not overpowering. Obviously on the young side but drinking surprisingly well right now.
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2/8/2012 - boodra wrote: 91 Points
Young. Has a wiff of acetone and new oak. Dark dense fruit with big tannins. Slightly creamy. Big structure. Great stuff but a little hard to enjoy in this stage
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1/2/2012 - Jojala wrote: 92 Points
I was expecting the wine to be among the heavyweights of Bordeaux 2008. Perhaps, but more broadly this was middle class from structure. But utterly seamless, understated with such a nice balance. I am no expert, but the balance could mean long life ahead for this Barton.
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11/22/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
See previous notes. A very enjoyable, young Bordeaux from a prodigious chateau. The price is closer to what fine Second-Growth should be selling for. Drink 2013 -.
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11/11/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
This reminds me of the '86 and maybe a little better. Decanted for two hours. A classic Barton nose of blueberry, currant, black cherry, mineral, toasty oak and white flowers. A welcoming concentration - especially for the vintage - and Medoc finesse. Succinctly made and eventhough it reminds me of the '86, it is a lot more approachable at a younger age, (the '86 took twenty years till it was ready). Polished tannins and a medium-long finish. I honestly don't know the shelf-life of this - Barton can really age. Drink 2013 -.
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10/28/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 87 Points
WFA - 2008 Bordeaux Horizontal (Suntec Convention Hall): This too is complex and intense with blackcurrant, creme de Cassis aromas that surrounded by an array of capsicum, earth and hint of spiciness. High acidic backbone with good dark fruits concentration, spices, mineral, tea leaves leads to very juicy, sweet tannin that is almost mouth coating, and long finish, though not as long as the Poyferre. This too is very tasty. 87-89
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10/27/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
High toned floaty violets and inkish plums. Licourice , plums and fine tannins. Should age well.
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10/19/2011 - vinopa wrote: 93 Points
I rarely open a young Barton but from reading some TN's i decided to check in...The color is an amazing bright purple which really looked inviting..Nose: For such a young Barton this opened up quite nicely with incense, black and blue fruit, leather, and minerals...The nose should develop very nicely over time ...Palate: A nice concentration of black and blue fruit which is impressive for an 08. Hints of tobacco, leather and minerals but its the bright fruit that is shining at this stage. The tannins are firm and powerful but in no way blocking the fruit ..This is the best drinking young Barton I have ever tasted. Everything is in balanced at this stage but time will bring out all those secondary notes..I totally recommend people buying this and enjoying them early and a decade from now.Plus the 08's present a great value..Cheers
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10/7/2011 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly drinkable for a young L Barton. In harmony with decent power.
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10/2/2011 - alanr Likes this wine: 89 Points
2008 Bordeaux tasting (Beltramos tasting bar): Nice dark, brooding fruit, a hint of sweetness on the finish, but also a touch of tartness. Good, serviceable, not great.
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10/1/2011 - signotim wrote: 91 Points
floral notes and oak on the nose. bright cherry fruit on the palate. nice acid creates balance. med-long finish.
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9/13/2011 - Ianjaig wrote: 95 Points
Tired at GLengarrys Bordeaux tasting. Beautiful nose and less tannic compared to the others, balanced, elegant, long, long finish. “Balanced” would be the perfect word to describe this wine. Rated No 1 by me for the night. Loved many of the wines tried that night, but this one stood out above all of them. Delicious!
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5/31/2011 - Ericexco wrote: 92 Points
Bue avec hulk
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4/27/2011 - salil wrote: 84 Points
From half bottle. Very primary, packed with brooding dark fruited flavours but there's a strong overlay of oak that dominates and never really integrates even with a lot of air.
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4/6/2011 - vespasian wrote: 93 Points
Brooding, dark fruits on the nose. Spice. Whiff of oak; lovely texture - good concentration here. Very impressive. Will be excellent with time.
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1/30/2011 - GlöckliWein wrote: 93 Points
At the beginning: very stimulating, but at first very vanilla flavoured, new oak,
BUT: after hours, 12-15 hours, it become much more developped, in other words:
loevely, komplex, sweet, this is so one said: tasting on the fruit, hopefully this wine will stay like this,
and gets in the future much more enjoy-points ! 93/ 100 Points !
But this is really worth its money ;-)
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1/29/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 89 Points
nice bottle but needs a ton of time. very tannic and massive.
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1/28/2011 - amateurwino wrote:
Raises the bar on all of these UGC wines tasted today– with sweet fruit, pretty floral notes, and a bit of spice giving this palate some life that the other wines in the tasting seem to lack. This wine has sweet fruit with proper ripeness, balance, structure to age. Very pretty in a purple-fruited way that is very distinct from the top Right Bank wines, first real success on the Left Bank so far – except for maybe Malescot – but this is better right now. Unfortunately, when I went back later for a re-taste to check my assessment again, there was none left. 93+
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1/27/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Big, powerful, tight and tannic, this masculine, chewy wine fills your mouth with cassis and tannin. This was one of the more backward wines from the tasting.
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1/26/2011 - hutch wrote: 92 Points
UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Boston): This has a nice rich body to it. Good fruit. Really enjoyable, on the upper end of the Saint Julien field. 91-92
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1/25/2011 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 (Toronto - The Four Seasons): UGC Event
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1/24/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: tight, but robust nose filled with tones of black currants, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco, and loads of dark red fruits. well layered right now with very good depth, though the nose is very tight
taste: full bodied and in typical Leoville Barton style, very backwards on the palate as well. Gripping tannins that shred the palate with robust tones of black currants, dark red cherries, tobacco and dark red fruits poking through
overall: This will need a long time to come around. Not really a shocker as that is the style that Leoville Barton works with. This is a big bad boy that certainly shows a lot of promise right now, but a very patient hand will be needed
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1/24/2011 - razmaspaz wrote:
UGC Chicago Bordeaux 2008 Vintage: nose screams quality next to langoa. High acid, good tannin, quite delicious, for the long haul wine.
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1/22/2011 - Badfish wrote: 91 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): Quite restrained and closed at first but with time in the glass there are elegant aromas of currant, herbs, and forest floor. Surprisingly open on the palate, which is in a primordial state, with stunning rich currant fruit and firm sweet tannins. The structure is obvious and there is not a lot of complexity at this point but I think there is potential due to the fact that it is so embryonic. 91+
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1/22/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 94 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Opaque purple with violet rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, with cassis, plum, violet and coffee aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big sweet tannins. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle palate is full. Long, fairly smooth finish. This wine shows the extraction and structure of a great St. Julien, and should age well. A triumph for the vintage. Drink 1/18-12/30.
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1/22/2011 - MattTM wrote:
Union des Grands Grus 2008 Bordeaux Tasting (Barker Hanger, Santa Monica): Huge, wonderful nose, showing sweet dark fruit, dark berries, and cassis. Concentrated on the palette, with notes of blueberry, dark plum, cassis, and dark fruits. Long finish, with some cassis at the end. Gripping tannins. Very good.
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1/22/2011 - alanr wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux 2008 UGC tasting San Francisco; 1/21/2011-1/22/2011 (Palace Hotel, San Francisco): Deep and dark, more density than many 08s, decent but quite reserved fruit, medium tannins, moderate finish. A very reserved and tight, almost tough wine. Maybe it blossoms into something good in a decade, but I fear there isn't enough fruit to fight through the structure of this wine.
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1/21/2011 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Union Des Grand Cru of Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco, nose of blue and black fruit, cassis, and plum, same on the palate, large amount of medium tannins, slightly harsh, big body, massive tasting and mouth filling but not fruity enough today, needs 7 years to peak, typical Chateau Leoville Barton style, and a medium/long finish.
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1/21/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
UGC 2008 Bordeaux Tasting (Palate Hotel, SF): Tannic monster, hard to evaluate. Good nose, full body, but doesn't seem distinctive today. 90-91
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1/20/2011 - blanquito wrote:
Impressions on some 2008 Bordeaux (and some '98s and '88s): My favorite of the '08s, with a big, new oaky bouquet but with the extract to back it up. Good ripeness and depth and of course plenty of tannins, but not hard nor closed right now. Very good, but not worth the $50 stores are charging for it.
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1/16/2011 - alanr wrote: 86 Points
Dark in color, medium/full body, dark, reserved fruit, medium structure, finish is weak. Somehow there is bulk, but no depth or intensity of flavor.
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11/24/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 91 Points
Powerfull nose of black and red fruit... in the mouth, very massive and tannic, fresh red fruit, lacking a bit of fruit
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10/19/2010 - vespasian wrote: 93 Points
Quite subdued and closed on the nose but hints of class and breed do come eventually; good concentration - excellent potential. 92-94
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10/17/2010 - Biggsy wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple coloured. Initially quite restrained on the nose, with time reveals lovely sweet cassis. Full and dense with ripe but grippy tannins. Lingers on the palate with black fruits and creamy oak.
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8/31/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
08 Château Leoville Barton is deeply colored. With black fruits and hints of cherry, the fragrance was a pleasure. In the mouth, while the flavors were concentrated, the tannins were slightly rustic, leaving a dry sensation in the finish. 90-92 Pts
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6/1/2009 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Much better performance than en primeur, with typical depth, substance and breed. Layers of flavor, showing cassis and cedar but just a baby, with prodigious tannin and structure making this a brooding Barton. But it displays more elegance than most of the Margaux I tasted... 91-94
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4/23/2009 - vespasian wrote: 93 Points
Brooding, concentrated nose - lots of promise; Superb concentration and balance. Long life ahead.
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4/23/2009 - Benj wrote:
Bordeaux 2008: First Glimpse (Averys, Bristol): No score. Not giving much away at all. Very tight, very tannic, pretty high acid. I can't get past all. This isn't a negative comment, it's just so tightly wound I can't get into it.
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