Chateau Langoa Barton Grand Cru Classe, 2011, St Julien
Tasting Note
Well placed black fruits, there is some austerity to the tannins and it is softer through the mid palate than you are going to find in this estate in more recent vintages, but it has a tomato leaf freshness and an appealing grilled cherry and woodsmoke aromatic that builds as it opens in the glass. Good stuff. A yield of 36hl/ha. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038
Jane Anson 91/100 (February 2021)
Château Langoa Barton is a winery and vineyard in the Saint-Julien appelation of the Médoc. In the official 1855 Bordeaux classification it was ranked as a third growth.
Akin to many wines produced in the area, Langoa Barton is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant. It does however have more Merlot than its adjacent sibling estate, Léoville Barton.
Oddly, the Langoa Barton house appears on the label of the Léoville Barton wine, since the latter has no house of its own. Château Mauvesin Barton is also included within the company holdings.
Vineyards and winemaking
There are 20 hectares (49 acres) of vines altogether, composed of 54 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with 35 percent Merlot and 11 percent Cabernet Franc. These proportions are quite different to that of Léoville Barton, although the gravel over clay soils are similar, and viticultural methods are identical, employing traditional plowing.
Grapes are all hand-harvested and in the winery, are fermented on a plot-by-plot basis in thermo-regulated wooden vats. The grand vin is aged in French oak barrels, with up to 70 percent new oak depending on the vintage.
