Best Sellers New Arrivals Local Events Locations Gift Cards My Account Advanced Search
  • Home
  • : 1996 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien
1996 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien Product Zoom

1996 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien

SKU #110393 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This impressive wine is a classic. Although backward, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to abundant black currant fruit intertwined with spicy oak and truffle-like scents. The wine is brilliantly made, full-bodied, and tightly-structured with plenty of muscle and outstanding concentration and purity. It should turn out to be a long-lived Leoville Barton, and somewhat of a sleeper. However, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. (4/ 1999)

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Full ruby color. Blueberry, roasted nuts, mint and a hint of game on the nose. Fat, sweet and multilayered; rich, ripe and deep. Offers a generous mouthfeel for a young '96 from the Medoc. Substantial ripe tannins spread out over the palate. Very long, ripe aftertaste. (6/ 1999)

91 points Wine Spectator

Wild berries on the nose, with an exotic flower undertone. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. Gorgeous red. (Web Only- 2007)

Share |
Price: $139.99
RP 92 ST 92 WS 91

Real Time Inventory by location:

The item you have chosen is not in stock in our retail stores or within our main warehouse.

Product turnaround time varies by location of inventory and your chosen method of shipping/pickup. For a detailed explanation click here.

Product Reviews:

Add your own review of this item
By: Steve Greer |  K&L Staff Member  |  Review Date: 5/4/2011  | Send Email
This was one of the hits of the tasting. Expressive now, this showed dried cranberry, cassis and plum. The beautiful palate displayed dried red fruit, a background of cassis, earth, spice and graphite. The tannins are mostly resolved, with some coming through on the long finish of spice and dried fruit.

You also might be interested in...

1997 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

1997 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$17.99

1996 Clement Pichon, Haut Médoc

1996 Clement Pichon, Haut Médoc
$24.99

2001 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

2001 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$19.99

1997 Potensac, Médoc

1997 Potensac, Médoc
$26.99

1996 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

1996 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$19.99

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.
Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them. Click for a list of bestselling items from all of France.
Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

- View our bestselling Bordeaux.
Specific Appellation:

Saint Julien

- St. Julien, the smallest of the four famous appellations of the Haut Medoc, is known for highly extracted, finely structured, Cabernet-based reds. It is nestled between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south. Like St. Estephe, there are no first growths in this area. Leoville-las-Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou, and Gruard Larose are the second-growths of St. Julien followed by Lagrange which is the only third-growth. Beychevelle, Branaire Ducru, St. Pierre, and Talbot, which are all fourth-growth wines, round out the grand cru classe chateaux. In the last several vintages, wineries from this appellation have been out-performing their traditional rankings making many of the wines from this region some of the best values in red wine today.