The Barton family has owned Léoville and Langoa for just about 200 years. In 1821, Hugh Barton, bought the Langoa vineyards. He bought part of the Léoville estate in 1826. In 1855, Langoa-Barton was classified as a troisième cru. Hugh was succeeded by Bertram, then Ronald who was not one for modernization, but did embrace chateau-bottling in 1969. Ronald's nephew, Anthony gained control of the estates in 1983 and has focused on quality improvement. The Langoa estate is roughly 37 acres of gravelly soil over clay located between the villages of Beychevelle and St Julien. The vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (74%), Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (6%). The estate produces roughly 8,000 cases. Grapes are fermented in very large traditional wooden vats modernized with temperature control. Modern de-stemmers and presses are also used. The wines are barrel aged for 20 months. Half of the barrels are replaced annually. ""A behemoth possessing huge tannin, density, and extract as well as mouth-searing levels of firepower, this inky/purple-tinged St.-Julien is a classic vin de garde offering notes of high class tobacco smoke, cedar, black currants, incense, and subtle wood (2006). While nearly medieval in its backwardness, this pure, tannic, medium-bodied, rich St.-Julien exhibits plenty of crème de cassis, espresso roast, smoked herbs, and spice notes. It requires 8-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 25 years. (1/07)"" ""Gorgeous blackberry, currants and light toasted oak. Exotic. Full-bodied, juicy and velvety, with loads of fruit. Long and delicious. Almost 95-100. Great value. (6/06)."" |
