Chateau Langoa Barton 3eme GCC Saint Julien 2017  £70.31

CHATEAU LANGOA BARTON 3EME GCC SAINT JULIEN 

200 YEARS IN THE HEART OF ST JULIEN

1722 - Thomas Barton left his native Ireland to settle in Bordeaux, founding a few years later a wine merchant company - that still bears the name Barton today.

1821 - His grandson, Hugh Barton, purchased Château Langoa, an elegant residence built-in 1758. Seduced by the architecture and its 20 hectares of vines planted in the Saint-Julien appellation, Hugh re-named the estate "Château Langoa Barton". His passion and pride in his wine were only to grow when he saw Langoa awarded the rank of "Third Classified Growth" in the historic 1855 classification. 6 generations later, the Barton story continues with Anthony's daughter, Lilian, and her two children, now writing the chapter of the 10th generation.

The plots that compose the Château Langoa Barton terroir overlook the river. The splendid slopes of quaternary gravel bring the grapes to full maturity and then they undergo a rigorous selection process before being chosen for the Langoa Barton. The ploughing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide. The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon 57%, Merlot 34% and Cabernet Franc 9%.

The harvesting is done entirely by hand. After the destemming, the berries are carefully sorted, crushed and poured in wooden vats thermo-regulated, according to their plots. The alcoholic fermentation lasts from 7 to 10 days and the extraction is always respectful of the juice by adjusting the number of pumping depending on the cuvées and the vintages. The maceration is about 3 weeks then the juice is drawn in barrels, lot by lot. The wine is then aged between 16 and 18 months in French oak barrels of which 60% are brand new, in a cellar maintained at 15 °. The wines are topped up 3 times a week to avoid any contact between the wine and the air, the racking is traditional using the so-called "à l'esquive" method.

Intense colour, red fruits bouquet with hints of sous-bois and tobacco. The texture is fleshy and tight, slightly spicy. Tannins are there but the palate is silky and the finish is long and tense.

93 Points RobertParker.com

The 2017 Langoa Barton is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and features wonderfully pure scents of crushed blackcurrants, wild blueberries and black raspberries plus wafts of underbrush, dark chocolate and violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with seductive black and blue fruits, framed by grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown