Chateau Leoville Barton, Saint-Julien 2021

94+ Pts - The Wine Advocate

The Barton family, the current owners of Chateau Langoa Barton are able to trace their Bordeaux roots all the way back to 1722, when Thomas Barton left Ireland and made his way over to Bordeaux.

The first foray into ownership for the Barton family was in Saint Estephe with Chateau Le Boscq in 1745.
The next major purchase took place in 1821, when they bought the Saint Julien estate, Pontet-Langlois. Shortly after the sale, they renamed it, Chateau Langoa Barton.

Following the purchase of Langoa Barton, they bought a second, Saint Julien estate. Culled from the vineyards of Leoville Las Cases, that estate became Chateau Leoville Barton. Interestingly, because no cellar or wine-making facilities came with the purchase, they were forced to make both wines at Langoa Barton. In fact, when you look at the label of Leoville Barton, the chateau on the label is actually Langoa Barton.

Out of all the 1855 Classified Growths, it is one of the few chateaux that is still in the hands of the same family that was already owner at the time of the classification. Chateau Leoville Barton is managed today by Lilian Barton Satrorius.

The 51 hectares vineyard is planted to 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. The terroir is mostly gravel with a subsoil of clay. The vines have an average of 30 years of age, bu there are some Merlot vines that are close to 60 years of age. 50% of the vineyard are farmed organically.

The wines are traditionally made with vinification taking place in large, 200 hectoliter wooden vats. The alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place at the same time. The wine is aged in an average of 50% new, French oak barrels for about 20 months before bottling.

On average, Chateau Leoville Barton releases 20,000 cases of Bordeaux wine per year.