Réserve Léoville-Barton, St.Julien, fra 2.Cru Classé 2008

The rare and unique 2nd wine from Léoville-Barton, which like the neighbor Lascases is close to 1.Cru in quality. The 1st wine costs up to 1000 regardless of vintage. Newer ratings are few, i.a. 97p / Gilbert & Gaillard and 92p / Jeff Leve WineCellarInsider in 2018.
Here is the 2nd wine in a vintage that is beautiful already now (but certainly not urgent!). A very nice and delicious wine. The label is the original Léoville Barton as it looked until the 1970s (simply with the word Reserve, which is used because the wine has so far never been sold in advance, but only after 1-2 years in the bottle).
The house has belonged to the Barton family for 200 years and is thus the oldest family-owned Cru Classé in Médoc. Owner Anthony Barton is married to Danish Eva Sarauw, who still comes to Copenhagen regularly to see the doctor! IN
The house's nearly 200 years of history in Bordeaux and the Barton family's passion for wine are reflected in the elegance, finesse and consistency of the wines. About 2008: Blending: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Dates of manual harvest: From 1st to 13th October. Storage 16--18 months in small oak barrels used for one wine. No filtering.
In 1826, Hugh Barton bought a quarter of the former Léoville property that had been confiscated and subdivided after the French Revolution. He renamed it Léoville Barton to differentiate it from the original Léoville estate. Today, it is Lilian Barton-Sartorius who, as the 9th generation, maintains and improves Léoville Barton's international reputation.
The 47 hectares are planted with 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, which annually provides a total of approx. 200,000 bottles of the 1st wine Château Léoville Barton 2nd Cru and the 2nd wine La Réserve de Léoville Barton.
The wines have a classic Saint Julien expression of cedar and are floral, with perfect balance between fullness and elegance, youthful freshness and complexity from the barrel aging. Parker writes about the 1st wine (92p in 2011) that it should be enjoyed 2019-49. However, the reserve is nice already now, although it is certainly not urgent!