Château Léoville Barton - Saint-Julien 2006

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 31/05/2016

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Léoville-Barton has a surprisingly rich and opulent bouquet at first, although it calms down with aeration, offering crushed violet and black cherry scents, reminiscent of a fine Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth. Here the class begins to appear with fine balance and poise, but like the Langoa, it lacquers the mouth with tannins and feels very backward, surprising given the vintage. Cellar this for another decade, folks. Tasted January 2016.

Jancis Robinson

16 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 27/01/2010

Dark purple. Aromatic and sweet but not quite as fresh and lively as some. Great sweetness but rather dry wood tannins on the finish. It is trying very hard to be loved... Tastes a teensy bit New World to me in its ripeness + toughness. Drink 2012-2018

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

le 31/12/2009

Owner Anthony Barton and his daughter Lilian make a top red bordeaux every year at their second-growth property in St-Julien, regardless of the overall quality of the harvest, and 2006 was no exception. Barton has been making wines in the region for decades, and he knows how to get the best from both the vineyards and the winery, achieving finesse and balance, the hallmarks of the Léoville Barton style.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

par James Suckling le 31/03/2009

There's a great dark colour to this, with intense aromas of cedar wood, new leather and crushed blackberry. Full bodied, with loads of fruit and a firm, powerful palate. Long and mouthpuckering. A muscular baby. Best after 2015.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

par Robert Parker le 01/02/2009

Not surprisingly, this wine is closed, masculine, but super-rich, with a denser, more complete and full-bodied style than its sibling, Langoa Barton. Some toasty vanillin is apparent in the black currant aromas intermixed with tobacco leaf, cedar, and spice box. The wine is full-bodied and has a boatload of tannin, not unusual for this estate, as well as an impressively pure, long finish. Everything is here, but this wine, made with uncompromising vision, is meant to be cellared for an exceptionally long period of time. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035. 91+

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-93 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/2008

Bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of blackcurrant, mocha, licorice, minerals and cedary oak, with a whiff of truffle. Smooth, sexy and sweet, with harmonious acidity giving a light touch to the dark fruit, mineral and chocolate flavors. Perhaps best today on the very long aftertaste, which features serious but ripe tannins and a chocolatey ripeness. As at a number of other top properties in the northern Medoc, I find much more minerality in the 2006 than I do in the young 2007.

La Revue du Vin de France

17,5-18,5 / 20

le 06/07/2007

Une fois encore, il s'agit d'une réussite majeure du millésime. Très classique, il possède une race évidente, avec une structure encore serrée, mais d'une grande intensité aromatique. Ce vin puissant, aux tanins très bien intégrés, ira loin. Un achat prioritaire.

Decanter Magazine

18,5 / 20

le 30/06/2007

Deep colour, fine concentratin of blackcurrant and berry fruits, fragrant, immense purity o expression, a superbly expressive wine with natural concentration. 2015-40

Le Point

17.50 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 24/05/2007

Epices douces et fruits rouges frais, tendu, belle matière d'une grande pureté, cerise, fruits rouges, bonne longueur, tanins de qualité sans dureté mais bien présents.

Falstaff

91-93 / 100

le 24/05/2007

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, jugendliche Reflexe, violetter Rand. In der Nase einladende Herzkirschennote, feine Edelholzwürze, zart nach Vanille und Kokos, feiner Tabakhauch, vielschichtige Aromatik. Am Gaumen frisch und delikat, lebendige rotbeerige Frucht, präsente, süße Tannine, die diesem sehr leichtfüßigen Wein eine gute Länge verleihen, feines Schokoladefinish, mineralische Länge, sehr gutes Reifepotenzial.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

par René Gabriel le 07/05/2007

2015-2034. Sehr tiefes, dunkles Violett-Purpur mit schwarzen Reflexen in der Mitte. Wunderschönes, feines Bouquet, viel Facetten, parfümiertes Cassis, feine Brombeernoten, süsses Edelhozl, Mokka, fas zärtlich über die Nase streichelnd. Feinster Gaumen, cremige Tannine, im blau- und schwarzbeerigen Bereich bleibende Frucht, ein Hauch Kokos, das Finale des erotischen vielleicht schon früh gefallenden Weins abrundend.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 03/05/2007

This classically made, dense purple-hued wine exhibits enormous potential, but currently it is forebodingly backward, dense, and broad. Once again, proprietor Anthony Barton delivers a wine with superb concentration, a classic style, and the possibility of three decades or more of ageability. Like most of the finest Leoville Bartons, considerable patience will be required. The 2006 will need 8-10 years of cellaring, and may even rival the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035.
***
Ce vin classique, de teinte pourpre, montre un potentiel énomrme, encore une fois dense et ample, le propriétaire Anthony Barton délivre un vin d'une superbe concentration, un style classique, et un vieillissement possible sur 3 décennies ou plus. Comme la plupart des Léoville - Barton, tout en finesse, une patience considérable sera demandée. Le 2006 aura besoin de 8-10 ans en cave et pourra peut-être rivalisé avec le 2005. Maturité: 2016-2035.

Vinum

17.50 / 20

le 30/04/2007

Rauchig und fruchtig, zurückhaltend; dichter Bau, rassige, wuchtige Art, viel knackiges, dichtes Tannin, delikate Bitternote, langes Beerenfinale. Klassisch, für die lange Reife. 2015 bis 2025

TAST

17,5 / 20

le 30/04/2007

Nez de cèdre très puissant, caractère très masculin, corps ample, tanins fermes, notes d’épices très présentes dès ce stade précoce, mais tout cela équilibré dans une texture veloutée étonnante ! Grande sève, grand vin naturel et grand potentiel de vieillissement.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/04/2007

Tasted at the UGC and at a negotiant. An attractive, floral nose with sweet ripe blackberry, blueberry and cedar. Great definition and lift. The palate displays lovely balanced, a succulent core of black fruits with huge grip. Notes of black coffee, liquorish and a tang of salt, slightly bitter on the very unresolved finish. This will need time, a complex, quite intellectual Barton that will come into its own in bottle.

Wine Enthusiast

93-95 / 100

le 15/04/2007

A powerfully tannic wine, solidly dense with dry firm flavors. The blackberry fruit is a great counterbalance to this power, leaving a very complete, but solidly constructed wine. —R.V.

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 11/04/2007

Very dark crimson. Sturdy, tobacco leaf, savoury, some leather and then some ripeness and richness. Lots there, lots to draw you in and no excess of dryness even though it is pretty dry – Léoville Barton? Very energetic and even quite electric in terms of its impact on the palate. Seems to fade on the finish and then revives and completes the tasting experience.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16.50-17 / 20

le 11/04/2007

Je préfère le 2006 au 2005. Il possède plus de gras et de longueur. Très belle couleur sombre. Très beau nez sentant les fruits mûrs, frais, floral ; il évolue complexe. L'entrée en bouche est superbe, moelleuse, savoureuse. Le vin se développe ascendant et puissant. Très belle longueur au goût de violette et réglisse, aux tanins présents et pleins de goûts. Ne pas le manquer. Ce vin ne titre que 12°8 d'alcool, ce qui lui donne un côté aérien et très facile à avaler. Un succès.

Wine Spectator

92-94 / 100

par James Suckling le 29/03/2007

Very balanced and pretty, with violet and currant. Full and silky. Gorgeous. Harmonious.