Saint-Julien · second growth (2e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Léoville Barton: vintages available, prices and pairings
The grand vin of Léoville Barton, vintage by vintage, with the format, the guide price and what to expect of it today: ready to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you and the quote request goes off with your selection.
The vintages on the price list
Filter by budget or by “ready to drink”. Nothing is sent until you click on the quote.
The château
Hugh Barton, a wine merchant of Irish origin, bought part of the Léoville estate in 1826; his family still owns it, one of the longest family presences among the Médoc classified growths. There is no Château Léoville Barton building: the wine is made in the cellars of Langoa Barton, the neighbouring third growth, which belongs to the same family.
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and a little Cabernet Franc. A classic Saint-Julien, tight when young, which opens up at around ten years. For a long time the family held release prices lower than its neighbours: it is often the most affordable second growth in the table. Its second wine is called La Réserve de Léoville Barton. The appellation's other châteaux are on the Saint-Julien wines page.
The vineyard covers 50 hectares in the heart of Saint-Julien, on a rise of Garonne gravel facing the Gironde estuary, over a subsoil of clay and gravel. It has a high proportion of old vines: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Hand-harvested, aged for 16 to 18 months in barrels, 60% of them new. The 1989 has 25% Merlot and melted tannins. The 2017 rises to 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, with fine, taut tannins. The 2018 is at 82%, the 2020 at 85.5%, harvested from 14 September.
What to serve it with
- A vintage over fifteen years old: lamb in a herb crust, seven-hour leg of lamb (what wine with lamb), pigeon.
- A younger vintage: entrecôte bordelaise (what wine with beef), duck breast (what wine with duck), whose fat rounds out the tannins.
- With cheese: a Saint-Nectaire, a Tomme de Savoie, a Comté (what wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
For a table of ten, two or three bottles of a ready-to-drink vintage are enough; filter the table on “ready to drink”. For a birth, a recent vintage from a great year, to open in eighteen years: see a birth wine to keep for eighteen years.
Léoville Barton or Langoa Barton?
Two classified growths from the same family, made in the same cellars. Léoville Barton, a second growth, is the more structured and keeps longer; Langoa Barton, a third growth, drinks a little earlier and costs less.
Is it the same wine as Léoville Las Cases?
No. The three Léovilles come from a single estate divided in the 19th century, but they are three properties, three vineyards and three teams. Léoville Las Cases is more expensive and slower to open up.
When should you drink a Léoville Barton?
Allow ten years before opening it and thirty years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half bottles. The table applies this rule to each line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the ones on the quote?
They are the guide prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the postage; the delivery grid gives the lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.