Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17.5
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.Deep colour. Lovely nose with graphite, dark cherry and cassis notes. Plenty of freshness on attack, the acidity present again. Palate full and generous, the tannins rounded. Quite persistent but with a hint of oak on the finish. Still has substance.
Anticipated maturity: 2012-2035
Vinous 90
The 2000 Leoville-Barton has a juicy, ripe bouquet of macerated black cherries, incense, potpourri and veins of blue fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, good density, nice structure and a sappy conclusion. This has opened up in recent years and displays a touch of ash toward the finish. Drinking perfectly now, it s a decent Leoville-Barton that never quite achieves the heights of recent stellar vintages.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2032
Robert Parker 95
I found this to be one of the more backward wines of the 2000 vintage and gave it a window of maturity of 2015-2040 when I reviewed it in 2003. In my two recent tastings of it, I changed that window to 2018-2050, which probably says more than the following tasting note could say. This is a behemoth " dense, highly extracted, very tannic, broodingly backward, with a dense purple color and very little evolution since it was bottled 8 years ago. Wonderfully sweet cedar and fruitcake notes are intermixed with hints of creme de cassis, licorice, and earthy forest floor. It is full-bodied and tannic, with everything in place, but like so many wines that come from Leoville Barton, it makes a mockery of many modern-day consumers wanting a wine for immediate gratification. Those who bought it should continue to exercise patience and be proud to own a wonderful classic with five decades of longevity ahead of it.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050
