Léoville Barton St-Julien 2018

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim. Multilayered bouquet with attractive noble wood notes, dark berries, a hint of liquorice and notes of fresh orange zest. Juicy, ripe cherry, discreet sweetness, silky, ripe tannins, elegant structure, salty finish and very good length. Shows great harmony, a classic. 2025-2060. (2/14/21)"

97 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot). A brilliant Léoville, continuing to impress as it has every time I have tasted it. The width and depth of the ripe tannins is matched pace for pace by an elegance to the cassis, bilberry, blackcurrant fruit. As it opens, cocoa bean, smoked earth, charcoal, graphite and woodsmoke come spiralling out of the glass, and this is just gorgeous. Easily one of the wines of the vintage not just in St Julien but across Bordeaux. 70% new oak. Technical director François Brehant, consultant Eric Boissenot. Drink: 2026-2046. (3/10/22)"

97 points/'Highly Recommended,' Wine Spectator: "Cassis, crushed plum and steeped blackberry fruit is all packed into this wine, along with tar, violet and roasted apple wood notes, plus a terrific tug of warm earth. Shows lots of energy in reserve, with a tightly knit finish pulling everything together. Cellaring required. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2040. (3/31/21)"

97 points/'Top 100 Wines of 2021 (#12),' Jeb Dunnuck: "This estate has been on fire in recent vintages, and the 2018 Château Léoville Barton is up there with the best of them. Based on 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot that was brought up in 60% new French oak, this classic, flawlessly balanced, straight-up awesome Saint-Julien has loads of cassis and mulberry fruits as well as notes of freshly sharpened pencils, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and earth. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has building tannins and healthy acidity, yet the fruit is pure, perfectly ripe, and wonderfully integrated with all the wine's components. As is normal with this cuvée, it closes down with extended air and is going to take a solid 8-10 years of bottle age to reach the early stages of maturity. It's going to evolve for 30-40 years in cold cellars. Drink: 2021-2061. (3/11/21)"

97 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This is much more focused on Cabernet Sauvignon than its stablemate, Langoa-Barton, at 82% of the blend, the remainder all Merlot, and yet it has a sliver more alcohol at a smidge over 14%, which gives you an indication of the ripeness of the Cabernet in this vintage. An impressive wine at the primeurs, a surefire candidate for wine of the appellation, this was all black fruits and pepper. Now two years old it still has that towering concentration of black fruits, wrapped in the smoky, graphite-tinged, tobacco and toast of the barrels. This very primary and youthful aromatic profile is matched by the palate, which is all brooding black fruits and oak, set across a bench of broad tannins which betray the very traditional cloth from which this has been cut. A splendid Léoville-Barton, one which marries the style and structure of the domaine with the generosity of the vintage. Very well done indeed. (Feb 2021)"

97 points James Suckling: "Sweet berries, blackberries, raspberries and violets follow through to a full body with extremely creamy, polished tannins that caress the palate. It’s really long and polished. Gorgeous finish. Drink after 2025. (1/15/21)"

97 points La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2018 is a pure delight and one of the appellation's most elegant. It plays to Leoville Barton's strengths: an ever-silky texture and, above all, fruit that remains crisp and savory, with a softly saline finish. (2022)"

97 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "In this wine, fine and rich tannins partner with powerful black-plum and black-currant fruits. Densely textured while also having swathes of rich fruits, the wine shows both a firm side and one that offers total deliciousness. As it matures, both these aspects will come together. Drink from 2027. Alcohol 14%. (May 2021)"

96 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "Well-polished blackcurrant, cassis and bilberry, everything pretty silky and firm. Not fully showing its generosity at this point but no question that it is going to get there soon. Clear charcoal, graphite and woodsmoke as it opens up. A ton of life ahead, and an appealing sense of mint freshness. Lives up to its en primeur promise - this is Léoville Barton at its most confident. Drinking Window: 2026-2040. (Nov 2020)"

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Well-polished blackcurrant, cassis and bilberry, everything pretty silky and firm. Not fully showing its generosity at this point but no question that it is going to get there soon. Clear charcoal, graphite and woodsmoke as it opens up. A ton of life ahead, and an appealing sense of mint freshness. Lives up to its en primeur promise - this is Léoville Barton at its most confident. Drink: 2026-2040. (Mar 2021)"

95 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2018 Leoville Barton is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with notes of Morello cherries, black raspberries, and juicy blackcurrants, plus hints of lilacs, cedar, and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a soft texture and generous black and red fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant. Deceptively delicious now, it needs time to show its pedigree. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2026-2050. (2/9/23)"