Chateau Leoville Barton

Chateau Leoville Barton The castle was built in 1758 by Monsieur de Pontet with the peculiarity that among the private apartments it has outdated cellars in the form of a vaulted crypt where everything is silence and serenity. Peacefully and slowly, the best vintages of Léoville Barton wine become perfect.

After the period of the French Revolution, taking advantage of the abolition of the windfall tax in France, Hugh Barton, an Irish merchant of Bordeaux wines, fulfilled his dream of becoming a landowner by purchasing vines in the Médoc. In 1821, Pierre-Bernard de Pontet transferred the “Langoa” estate to Hugh Barton, who renamed it “ Chateau Langoa Barton”. Long before the famous classification of listed buildings of 1855, it was the architecture, the elegant facade and the harmony of the building's proportions that seduced Hugh.

Four years later, in 1826, Hugh acquired a quarter of the old Léoville estate, a property whose dissolution was due as much to the French Revolution as to a complex succession. By purchasing the Chateau that would become Léoville Barton, Hugh acquired only vines, but had no need for vineyard facilities as he already had them at Langoa.

The meaning of the word terroir goes far beyond its primary definition, which is soil. The concepts of climate, topology and geology must be associated with it.

Terroir

The terroir of Chateau Leoville Barton is located on one of the most beautiful ridges of Garonnaise gravel, opposite the Gironde, in the heart of the Saint Julien appellation, in the Médoc, 40 km north of Bordeaux. The varying heights of gravel left by the river characterize the terroir of Léoville Barton, which, combined with its history and the men who shape it, gives rise to one of the greatest red wines in the world. The clay-gravelly subsoil perfectly regulates the climatic hazards of the year.

THE RANKINGS OF 1855

During the classification of 1855, Leoville Barton - distinguished as 2nd Grand Cru Classé Saint-Julien - was already owned by the Barton family. To this day, they share, with only Mouton-Rothschild, the privilege of such long family continuity.

Erected for a presentation of Bordeaux wines, as part of the Paris Universal Exhibition, at the request of Emperor Napoleon III. The drawing up of the classification was entrusted by the Chamber of Commerce of Bordeaux to the "Syndicat des Courtiers", because they were the ones who had the most complete picture of the wine trade. The mission was to formalize a classification based on the experience of many years and corresponding to the recognition of the quality of the Terroir and the fame of each vintage.

The Ranking, published on April 18, 1855, was thus the culmination of a market reality and an evolution that had existed for more than a century. Almost 160 years later, the 'Classification of 1855' is still leading in the world of wine lovers.

THE GRAPE VARIETIES

The 50 hectares of Château Léoville Barton, planted in gravel soil on a clay subsoil, contain a large proportion of old vines to obtain the best possible quality. The distribution of grape varieties is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. These are the traditional grape varieties of the Médoc.

Chateau Leoville Barton

Also read our Blog