Château Léoville-Barton 2ème Cru Classé, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2015

Viticulture

Set in the heart of the St-Julien terroir, the vineyard rests on some of the appellation’s finest Garonne gravel slopes, overlooking the majestic Gironde. Its clay-gravel subsoil offers ideal conditions for the vines, delivering consistency and quality regardless of the vintage. Cultivation remains proudly traditional, with meticulous ploughing and absolutely no weeding or herbicides.

Winemaking

Harvesting is carried out entirely by hand. Once destemmed, the berries are meticulously sorted, gently crushed and transferred into temperature-controlled wooden vats, parcel by parcel. Alcoholic fermentation typically runs for 7 to 10 days, with extraction tailored to each cuvée and vintage to ensure a respectful, precise expression of the fruit. After around three weeks of maceration, the wine is drawn off into barrels, lot by lot. Ageing takes place over 16 to 18 months in French oak, 60% of which is new, within a cellar kept at a constant 15°C. The barrels are topped up three times a week to protect the wine from oxygen, and traditional racking ‘à l’esquive’ preserves clarity and finesse throughout the élevage.

Tasting Note

Vibrant in colour, this wine opens with a captivating nose of ripe black fruits, warm spice and a touch of cedar. On the palate it is fresh and beautifully balanced, delivering an intense yet refined expression that lingers with effortless elegance.

Food matching

This beautiful and elegant wine works well with so many complex flavours.