1985 | Château Léoville Barton | Saint-Julien

Red-ruby. Ripe aromas of plum, currant, lead pencil and milk chocolate. Sweet but penetrating and gripping, with lovely clarity of flavor and terrific thrust. Classic claret, with lovely fruit and a very long, ripely tannic finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: This is a glorious ’85 and certainly more approachable than the ’86. The bouquet is ravishing with roasted herbs, fennel, sous-bois and a touch of black olive…a nod to the Graves here. Wonderfl definition. The palate is very smooth and sensuous, bright red-berried fruits, more savoury than I recall with white pepper and a touch of tar towards the rounded, chestnut-tinged finish. Superb length here.

• Jancis Robinson: I think this is a particular favourite of Anthony Barton's as it was the first wine he made without any intervention from Uncle Ronald. It was certainly looking gorgeous. Silky tannins and cedary fruit. Special, mellow and unusually smooth for this wine. Bone-dry finish. A treat to drink Léoville Barton with so much age on it even if the fruit may be slightly fading.

Producer Information

Château Léoville Barton is a well-regarded estate in the Saint-Julien region of Bordeaux, ranked a second growth in the 1855 Classification. Quality has soared since the 1980s, and it is considered one of the most dependable wines in Bordeaux, gaining regular praise for its reasonable pricing. Léoville Barton is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, tannic and austere when young but develops intense blackcurrant and cassis notes, as well as classic Saint-Julien cedar characteristics. The vineyard, which has gravel soils over clay, is planted 74 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 percent to Merlot and 3 percent to Cabernet Franc. After a manual harvest, fermentation takes place in large temperature-controlled wooden vats, and then the wine is aged in 50 percent new oak barrels. There is no château building; that which features on the label belongs to Langoa-Barton, Léoville Barton's sister estate. In 1821, Anglo-Irish wine merchant Hugh Barton bought Château Langoa Barton and a portion of the Léoville estate which became Léoville Barton (the other sections are now Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Las Cases). A second wine, La Réserve de Léoville Barton is produced from younger vines and lots which lack the quality and depth of the grand vin. Anthony Barton inherited the two properties from his uncle Ronald in 1983 and guided them through much of the region's growth in prosperity throughout the late 1980s, 1990s and into the 21st Century. The estate is now run by his daughter Lilian Barton Sartorius and her children Mélanie and Damien.

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