2010 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien

Softened plum in colour, still very closed on the aromatics but there's no hiding the quality underneath, chocolate drops, blueberry, damson, confident architecture packed with chalky tannins. A big vintage that needs more time. 60% new oak barrels for ageing, harvest 28 September to 8 October.

A wine that Robert Parker once called “one of the all-time great classics from Léoville Barton,” there was never any doubt that 2010 would be a benchmark vintage for the property. Yet the combination of the house style and the concentrated nature of the year meant it would take time to fully reveal itself. As a result, it has somehow flown under the radar in discussions of the estate’s greatest wines and the vintage’s top performers—but all the better for us, as we’ve been able to revisit it time and again with sharp pricing and Bordeaux-direct provenance. Now, fifteen years on, its quality is undeniable: a classically proportioned St-Julien that has aged beautifully, delivering the complexity, detail, and nuance that have made Léoville-Barton so unforgettable over the years. Just beginning to enter a generous drinking window, it will cruise effortlessly for decades to come. For those looking to experience one of the quintessential expressions of one of Bordeaux’s indelible estates, the 2010 Léoville-Barton hits all the marks.