Chateau Langoa Barton

Chateau Langoa-Barton is very well known within the Saint-Julien appellation. Its history goes way back and has been owned by the same Irish family for over 200 years. It was classified as a Third Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. 

History

The story begins in 1722, when Thomas Barton left Ireland and settled in Bordeaux, where he took up the wine trade. His grandson Hugh went a step further in 1821, purchasing an elegant château built in 1758. At that time, it was known as Pontet-Langlois; Hugh renamed it Château Langoa Barton. A few years later, in 1826, he acquired a second estate in Saint-Julien, Léoville Barton, by purchasing it from the much larger Léoville estate. As Léoville had no winemaking facilities of its own, both wines have been produced at Langoa-Barton ever since, a tradition that continues to this day.

When the 1855 classification was drawn up at the request of Napoleon III for the World’s Fair in Paris, Langoa-Barton was awarded ‘Third Growth’ status . Since then, it has never left the Barton family, making it one of the few classified châteaux still in the hands of the same family that owned it at the time of classification.

Today, the estate is managed by Lilian Barton Sartorius, daughter of the late Anthony Barton, who passed away in 2022. Her two children, Melanie and Damien, represent the tenth generation.

Vineyards

The estate comprises 20 hectares of vineyards located in the southern part of the Saint-Julien appellation, overlooking the Gironde River. The vineyard is divided into five main blocks, which are further subdivided into more than 15 separate plots. The vines are on average 37 years old, with a planting density of 9,100 vines per hectare. Pruning is carried out using traditional methods, without the use of herbicides.

Terroir

The plots are situated on classic Médoc Quaternary gravel resting on a clay subsoil. The proximity to the river ensures a mild climate, which promotes uniform and early ripening. As the Langoa vineyards are situated south of Léoville-Barton and have a more northerly aspect, they receive slightly less sunlight, giving Langoa-Barton a cooler character than its neighbouring estate.

Grape varieties

The vineyards plantings are around 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the standard Médoc trio, though the actual blend shifts each year to reflect the vintage. The proportion of Merlot has gradually increased over the years.

Winemaking

Harvesting is carried out exclusively by hand. After destemming, the grapes are sorted on both a vibrating table and an optical sorting table, after which they are transferred by gravity to temperature-controlled wooden vats located in the new vat house, built in 2021. Fermentation lasts between 7 and 10 days, with the cap being pumped over twice a day. Maceration continues for around three weeks.

The wine is then aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% of which are new. Every three months, the wine is racked using the traditional ‘candle’ method, separating it from the lees by gravity.The final blend is assembled by the end of January, with the Barton family, the technical director and consultant oenologist Éric Boisseno participating in the tasting. Bottling takes place at the château in June.

Wines

Château Langoa Barton produces one Grand Cru Classé red wine under its own name, alongside Château Léoville Barton, a second-growth wine which is also vinified here.

The style of Langoa Barton is generally lighter and more suitable for early drinking than that of Léoville Barton, although both wines are produced with the same meticulous care in the cellar.

On average, around 7,000 cases of Langoa Barton are produced per vintage.