Château Mauvesin Barton 2016

The Wine Independent

Wine Enthusiast

VertdeVin

The nose is aromatic and offers freshness as well as a good finesse of the grain. It reveals notes of ripe / fresh cassis and small notes of fresh blackberry combined with hints of ripe / fresh wild strawberries, violet, fine hints of Sichuan pepper as well as very discreet hints of sweet spices and a very discreet hint of nutmeg. The mouth is fresh, fruity, well-balanced, fine, beautifully racy and offers a good definition, suavity, a small straightness, a fine tension, juiciness, a good precision, a mineral frame (racy minerality) as well as gourmandise . On the palate this wine expresses notes of wild blackberry, fleshy/fresh wild cassis and small notes crushed wild red berries, fleshy wild strawberry associated with touches of licorice, chocolate, violet as well as discreet toasted hints. Tannins are fine and structuring.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Lilian Barton told me that the Cabernet Sauvignon froze overnight in May, which means that there is just 28% in the 2016 Mauvesin Barton, alongside 47% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. Picked between 3 and 26 October, it has an attractive if comparatively simplistic cranberry, blackcurrant and cedar-scented bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannin, just a splash of soy on the entry, nicely balanced, although that absence of Cabernet means that it just lacks a little backbone and some complexity on the finish. As such, I feel it will be one of the earlier-drinking Moulis wines from the 2016 vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck

From the team of Léoville Barton, the 2016 Mauvesin Barton is mostly Merlot yet includes 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. It’s a flowery, tobacco, leafy herbs, and spicy effort that has plenty of black cherry fruits, medium body, moderate tannins, and terrific balance. It’s a charming, elegant Moulis to drink over the coming decade or so.

James Suckling

This has a coal-smoke and dark-stone edge to the nose, which is classic, Moulis style with attractive cassis and brambleberries. The palate delivers a juicy and bold feel with redder fruit, as well as smoothly rendered tannins that hold in almost creamy mode. Try from 2022.