Château Léoville Barton 1988 (2 Fl)

Decanter: Jancis Robinson wrote of this wine in 2018: 'This is what claret is all about,' and I have to absolutely agree. It's so easy to drink, an utterly delicious St-Julien with savoury fruits and a mouthwatering finish. It's a wine that took it's time to come around but is now bursting with brambly black fruits, woodsmoke and tobacco, all perfectly balanced. It's a lighter style than the 1986 but still should easily go for another 10 to 20 years. Incidentally, 1988 was Melanie Barton's birth year (tasted 05/19). 95/100