Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend

Leoville Barton Saint Julien Grand Cru Classe is a lovely Bordeaux that shines again again over vintages. It seems to me that it never surrendered to the Parker impact and stayed true to its old school nature of restrained power and complexity at a good value.
This wine needs time to mature, it’s not made for early drinking and it requires patience and this patience pays of!
The 1998 is simply singing these days and I am so happy I secured a case! The wine is earthy with notes of dry leaves, dump forest floor, coffee, licorice, black currents and cigar box, the body is full and complex with lovely dry tannins that add a nice touch of sophistication and complexity, the finish is long and elegant. Old school and delicious!
My score 91, drink to 2024

Awwww yea! Black fruit and brett working in beautiful proportions!

Hibernating at the moment, but the potential is there

Tight tobacco and graphite layered over red fruits and abut of smoke.

Black ripe fruit, some Brett, leather and purple flower, great minerality

Rich complex cedar aromas w hint of oak,
Mouth filling flavored, great balance w long finish

So pretty, elegant tannins.

Great nose had my hopes high but this was likely in a dead phase: no liveliness to speak of. The flavors were detectable but buried.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Monday!