2000 Leoville Barton
By Chateau Leoville Barton
2000 Leoville Barton from Chateau Leoville Barton, St-Julien, Bordeaux
The first glimpse of the 2000 Leoville Barton from Chateau Leoville Barton offers a vivid reminder that certain vintages echo through Bordeaux’s vast halls of fame with greater resonance. In such years, the elements align and gifted vintners like those at Chateau Leoville Barton wield their craft to create wines that linger generously in the collective memory of oenophiles and investors alike.
A Millennium Marvel
Turn the clock back two decades and you find Bordeaux initiated into the new millennium with a bouquet of optimism, encapsulated by the 2000 Leoville Barton. Known for its rigorous standards and conservative approach to winemaking, Chateau Leoville Barton endowed this vintage with exceptional care during a growing season that favoured the bold and structured nature of St-Julien wines. Graced by temperate days and cool nights, the grapes achieved an impeccable balance, propelling this vintage into a domain where time seems almost irrelevant.
Complexity Meets Elegance
In a harmonious interplay of climate and terroir, the 2000 vintage crafted a narrative of complexity married with sophistication. Within its dark ruby embrace, one discerns layers of ripe cassis melded with hints of cedar and tobacco—hallmarks of St-Julien's prestige. As an assertive yet refined testament to Bordeaux blending mastery, Cabernet Sauvignon led with its firm tannic structure while Merlot emboldened the wine’s plushness, supported by wisps of Petit Verdot adding depth and colour to this illustrious canvas.
For investors keen on capturing a piece of Bordeaux's history through tangible liquid assets, the 2000 Leoville Barton emerges as a compelling prospect. Ageing with the grace expected from its lineage and storied appellation, it vigorously resists obscurity amidst a rapidly changing investment landscape.
In conclusion, one finds in the 2000 Leoville Barton a portrait of winemaking excellence at the turn of the century. An embodiment of St-Julien’s lauded elegance, it is not merely distinctive for its millennial label but also for its enduring capacity to enthral palates while promising an attractive investment trajectory worthy of serious consideration.
Market price (CAD)
$2,130.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
85.33
Scores and tasting notes
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.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2010