Wine Advocate 92 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2015 Dense ruby/purple, with cassis licorice and forest floors notes in the aromatics, Léoville-Barton’s 2012 is a relatively big, rich, masculine style of wine. This full-bodied wine needs 5-8 years of cellaring and should evolve easily for 25-30 years.
Jamessuckling.com 91 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015 Floral and fruity red with hints of vanilla. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a crisp finish. Loosely knit. This needs three or four years to come together. Better after 2018.
Wine Spectator 89 / 100 byJames Molesworththe2/10/2015 Features a chewy edge, with anise, blackberry and black currant fruit notes held together by an ample dose of roasted apple wood. A chewy feel holds the finish, with plum skin and singed wood details lingering. This feels like it may have dried out just a bit since the barrel tasting. Best from 2016 through 2022. 12,500 cases made. –JM
Jancis Robinson 17,5 / 20 the12/11/2014 More delicate and reserved on the nose than the Langoa. More fragrant and a touch leafier but still with sweet dark fruit. Delicious on the palate - has everything: freshness of fruit and acidity, tannins that are ripe and firm but in the background and a long juicy finish. (JH)13% Drink 2020-2035
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 88-90 / 100 byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2013 Dark ruby. Delicately smoky nuances complement dark plum and fresh blackcurrant on the subdued nose. Lively flavors of red cherry, violet, minerals and bitter chocolate show less fat but more cut than those of the Langoa Barton, with a slightly edgy quality to the wine's acidity. The moderately long finish comes across as a little tart today. I did not find the usual ripeness of Leoville Barton.
Le Point 16 / 100 byJacques Dupontthe5/16/2013 Fruits noirs, épices, très cabernet, bouche fraîche, tendue, vive, de l'éclat, du fruit, joli vin en devenir. O= 2017 G= 14 ans.
Wine Advocate 93-95 / 100 byNeal Martinthe5/2/2013 The Grand Vin is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 3 and 15 October at 32hl/ha. It is more introspective than the Langoa at this early stage, but perhaps more complex with subtle tertiary and pencil lead scents infusing the black fruit profile. The palate is superbly balanced with fine tannins, delineated black and red fruit infused with graphite borrowed north from Pauillac. It exudes focus and precision and should be one of the finest Saint Julien 2012s. Tasted April 2013.
Wine Spectator 90-93 / 100 byJames Molesworththe4/30/2013 Tight, with an iron spine driving through the red currant, steeped cherry and blackberry core. The toast emerges on the finish, showing well-integrated briary grip. Features solid stuffing for the vintage. —J.M.
matthewjukes.com 18 / 20 byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013 Small crop and quite extracted this is a rich, dark Barton but there is admirable freshness & crunch, too.
Wine Advocate 90-92 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013 This well-made, complete St.-Julien possesses a dense purple color as well as surprisingly soft tannins for this wine which tends to be jacked up with a lot of structure, masculinity and muscle in most vintages. The 2012 offers attractive cedary, black currant fruit and vanilla notes, and a medium-bodied, denser mid-palate than many of its peers’. The tannins are noticeable in the finish, so give this wine 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades as it will be one of the longer lived wines of the vintage.Drink: 2017 - 2037
The Wine Cellar Insider 91-93 / 100 byJeff Levethe4/26/2013 Reticent aromas of oak, forest and cassis opened to a soft, medium/full-bodied wine dominated by fresh black cherries and cassis. Produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the wine will be aged in 60% new French oak. Tannic, but refined, this will need time to come together. 91-93 Pts
My Bettane + Desseauve 17-17,5 / 20 the4/26/2013 Fruité sur la fraise, assez puissant et harmonieux, tannin velouté, moins réduit que la plupart, texture pulpeuse
Jancis Robinson 17,5 / 20 byJancis Robinsonthe4/23/2013 Drink 2022-2045Very neutral nose that opened out to something pretty savoury. Very attractive, fine, top-quality oak on the finish. Lovely balance. Should just get better and better. Everything seems ripe and in balance here.
Decanter.com 17,75 / 20 bySteven Spurrierthe4/22/2013 Dense black-red, firm, quite spicy Cabernet Sauvignon, both ripeness and firmness is there, elegance over power and a good future. 17.75/20pts ( 92/100pts)Drink: 2017 - 2035
Jean-Marc QUARIN 16,3 / 20 byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/22/2013 Couleur sombre de bonne intensité et belle. Nez fruité de type frais et un peu vif. Caressant en entrée de bouche, le vin se développe très fruité, aromatique, savoureux avec du goût, une corpulence normale et des tanins fins dans la persistance. Il s’achève parfumé. Très agréable.
Jamessuckling.com 91-92 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013 A wine with a very good depth of fruit with currants, hints of herbs and juicy fruit. Full body. A little loosely knit for LB but pretty all the same.