Saint Julien

The 2018 La Réserve de Léoville-Barton is effusive and boisterous right out of the gate. The estate's second wine offers tons of immediacy, with scents of blueberry, pencil shavings, lavender and menthol op...(read more)

Good wholesome aromatic fruit. Delicacy and precision, red fruit with high-toned red currant, then a bit more depth. There's really a very attractive richness here. A little spice. Goes on well.

The sunburn effect meant a loss of 20-25% of the Cabernet, so a lower proportion than they have been aiming for in recent years. 62% Cabernet 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Rich, serious, full-bodied. Very dark expression,...(read more)

Jean-Michel Laporte (formerly of Conseillante) has now taken the reins here but he did not have input into this vintage. He has no plans to revolutionise things, just to make small, gradual changes like slowly increasing...(read more)

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc. 13.6%. Quiet nose. Quite tight and herbal. Palate is ample, cool Cabernet, round and with finesse and purity. Very classically structured. Very dense and bruising...(read more)

Classic, signature Langoa, evident sandalwood and cedar smoke on the nose, coupled with violet, peony and rose petals flowers, fresh acidites from juicy blackberry and raspberry fruits, still has plenty of grip that sugg...(read more)

Darker fruit profile that the Gloria (I'm guessing a much higher proportion of Cabernet here). Such deep fruit on the nose - a glorious layered richness from floral precision to juicy ripe blackberry. Supple and cool fre...(read more)

One of the more discreet St Juliens, undergoing a great resurgence right now, and this stands out for its quality and value. Tobacco leaf, baked earth, crushed rocks, crayon and mint leaf set against blueberry and cassis...(read more)

Deep ruby, quite a pointed, directed fruit. Cassis. Immediately charming, intense fruit, very attractive velvet feel, full of flavour. Ripe raspberry top-notes, very fat, ripe and round and gourmand despite the vivid def...(read more)

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot. (The highest percentage of Petit Verdot for 10 years, it was preferred to the Merlot) Only 35% of the total from the property, after new manager/winemaker Matthieu Bor...(read more)

Very impressive on the attack, quite bright fruit with lovely concentration. Lots of lifted red plum and a creamy spicy weight. Oak presence does build towards the finish, but everything is in place for a longish future....(read more)

This is amazing - how do they do this?! Almost salty freshness, the same purity as the best wines of Saint Julien, with a real extra dimension of spice and purple exoticism. Juicy, suave, serious, tangy and long. That el...(read more)