Leoville Barton 2000

St Julien, Second Growth

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
12	75cl Bottle	Case 6	£615 per Case	Cases	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. Ripe blackberry, raspberry, fruitcake and mulberry on the nose, more primal than others 2000s, developing touches of leather and Provencal herbs (white fennel) with time. The palate has a chewy entry, spicy and peppery, very attacking but perhaps a little ostentatious? Spiky, spicy black fruits, touches of marjoram and cardamom. Dry and tobacco dominated towards the finish, moderate length. It lacks some focus for the first ten minutes but coalesces and tidies itself up. Score: 92 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2030 01 September 2010
I found this to be one of the more backward wines of the 2000 vintage and gave it a window of maturity of 2015-2040 when I reviewed it in 2003. In my two recent tastings of it, I changed that window to 2018-2050, which probably says more than the following tasting note could say. This is a behemoth - dense, highly extracted, very tannic, broodingly backward, with a dense purple color and very little evolution since it was bottled 8 years ago. Wonderfully sweet cedar and fruitcake notes are intermixed with hints of creme de cassis, licorice, and earthy forest floor. It is full-bodied and tannic, with everything in place, but like so many wines that come from Leoville Barton, it makes a mockery of many modern-day consumers wanting a wine for immediate gratification. Those who bought it should continue to exercise patience and be proud to own a wonderful classic with five decades of longevity ahead of it. (95+ Points) Score: 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2050 01 June 2010
Undoubtedly one of the most majestic wines ever made at Leoville-Barton, this behemoth displays even more power and structure than it did last year. A prodigious, saturated purple-colored effort, it boasts layers of concentrated fruit along with notes of graphite, camphor, damp earth, and jammy cassis. Immense, even monstrous in the mouth, it possesses awesome extraction and richness, but the boatload of tannin will keep it from being fully appreciated for at least a decade, possibly longer. It is an authentic vin de garde for patient wine connoisseurs. Amazing vino! Score: 95 - 97 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2040 01 April 2003
Absolutely spectacular from bottle, but frightfully closed and backward, with massive power and structure, the saturated purple-colored 2000 Leoville Barton is one of the greatest wines ever made at this estate. The wine has smoky, earthy notes intermixed with graphite, camphor, damp earth, jammy cassis, cedar, and a hint of mushroom. Enormous, even monstrous in the mouth, with tremendous extraction, broodingly backward, dense flavors, and copious tannins, this should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage and one of the most compelling Leoville Bartons ever made. However, anyone unable to defer gratification for at least a decade should steer clear of this behemoth. Score: 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2040 01 April 2003
Dark crimson. Very solid and savoury on the nose. Essence of St James's Street?! Lots of mass here and something really very promising even if it is far from its full realisation. Bravo! Score: 18 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2015-2035 23 March 2010
Full medium ruby. Knockout superripe nose combines black cherry, licorice and exotic spices. Compellingly sweet, lush and complete, with harmonious acids giving the wine lovely vinosity and extending the flavors. Finishes with lush, dusty tannins and superb persistence. A great vintage for Leoville-Barton. Score: 94 Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2003
Amazingly rich and silky. Lots of chocolate and blackberry aromas with hints of raspberries. Full-bodied, with silky, round tannins. Great concentration. Long, long finish. This is the biggest, most powerful ever from Léoville Barton. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made. Score: 97 James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2012+ 31 March 2003

Tasting Notes

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. Ripe blackberry, raspberry, fruitcake and mulberry on the nose, more primal than others 2000s, developing touches of leather and Provencal herbs (white fennel) with time. The palate has a chewy entry, spicy and peppery, very attacking but perhaps a little ostentatious? Spiky, spicy black fruits, touches of marjoram and cardamom. Dry and tobacco dominated towards the finish, moderate length. It lacks some focus for the first ten minutes but coalesces and tidies itself up.

Score: 92

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2030 01 September 2010

I found this to be one of the more backward wines of the 2000 vintage and gave it a window of maturity of 2015-2040 when I reviewed it in 2003. In my two recent tastings of it, I changed that window to 2018-2050, which probably says more than the following tasting note could say. This is a behemoth - dense, highly extracted, very tannic, broodingly backward, with a dense purple color and very little evolution since it was bottled 8 years ago. Wonderfully sweet cedar and fruitcake notes are intermixed with hints of creme de cassis, licorice, and earthy forest floor. It is full-bodied and tannic, with everything in place, but like so many wines that come from Leoville Barton, it makes a mockery of many modern-day consumers wanting a wine for immediate gratification. Those who bought it should continue to exercise patience and be proud to own a wonderful classic with five decades of longevity ahead of it. (95+ Points)

Score: 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2050 01 June 2010

Undoubtedly one of the most majestic wines ever made at Leoville-Barton, this behemoth displays even more power and structure than it did last year. A prodigious, saturated purple-colored effort, it boasts layers of concentrated fruit along with notes of graphite, camphor, damp earth, and jammy cassis. Immense, even monstrous in the mouth, it possesses awesome extraction and richness, but the boatload of tannin will keep it from being fully appreciated for at least a decade, possibly longer. It is an authentic vin de garde for patient wine connoisseurs. Amazing vino!

Score: 95 - 97

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2040 01 April 2003

Absolutely spectacular from bottle, but frightfully closed and backward, with massive power and structure, the saturated purple-colored 2000 Leoville Barton is one of the greatest wines ever made at this estate. The wine has smoky, earthy notes intermixed with graphite, camphor, damp earth, jammy cassis, cedar, and a hint of mushroom. Enormous, even monstrous in the mouth, with tremendous extraction, broodingly backward, dense flavors, and copious tannins, this should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage and one of the most compelling Leoville Bartons ever made. However, anyone unable to defer gratification for at least a decade should steer clear of this behemoth.

Score: 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2040 01 April 2003

Dark crimson. Very solid and savoury on the nose. Essence of St James's Street?! Lots of mass here and something really very promising even if it is far from its full realisation. Bravo!

Score: 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2015-2035 23 March 2010

Full medium ruby. Knockout superripe nose combines black cherry, licorice and exotic spices. Compellingly sweet, lush and complete, with harmonious acids giving the wine lovely vinosity and extending the flavors. Finishes with lush, dusty tannins and superb persistence. A great vintage for Leoville-Barton.

Score: 94

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2003

Amazingly rich and silky. Lots of chocolate and blackberry aromas with hints of raspberries. Full-bodied, with silky, round tannins. Great concentration. Long, long finish. This is the biggest, most powerful ever from Léoville Barton. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.

Score: 97

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2012+ 31 March 2003

Your Lists & Checkout

New Arrivals

Advanced Search

wine regions

quick links

Leoville Barton 2000

St Julien, Second Growth

search wines

Full wine List

RSS feeds

wine regions

join our mailing list