La Reserve de Leoville Barton, St Julien 2014

When the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir fled France during the Revolution, his Léoville estate was seized with an eye to selling it off. In the end, only a quarter was sold (although a further division occured a few years later), and this was purchased by Hugh Barton who had acquired the neighbouring estate of Château Pontet-Langlois (and re-named it Langoa-Barton) a few years earlier in 1821. The Barton's ownership of Langoa is the longest ownership by one family of any estate in the Médoc.

Hugh's original intention, so it is said, in purchasing a portion of the Léoville estate was to sell it back to the emigré Marquis, but he was an emigré Marquis without sufficient means and the estate stayed with the Barton family, becoming Château Léoville Barton. There was no château attached and the wines were, and still are, made at Langoa.

The Bartons had already been a fixture of the Bordeaux wine trade for a hundred years at this stage - Thomas Barton left his native Ireland in 1722 and settled in Bordeaux, eventually buying Château le Boscq in St Estèphe in 1745. His grandson Hugh, who bought the two Barton estates, developed a wine merchant's business with Daniel Guestier (Barton & Guestier), and the Guestier family proved crucial in protecting the Barton's châteaux during both the French Revolution and World War II when the Bartons had to flee France.

With the same ownership and winemaking team as Langoa-Barton (qv), this second growth is generally considered to have the better terroir and produces denser, more complex wines. With 71% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot 4% Cabernet Franc, the wines here are for St.-Julien purists, combining finesse and elegance with fine structure. Although the last 30 years has seen a string of stellar wines, prices, whilst high, are more reasonable. 

Hand harvested and de-stemmed. Fermented with selected yeasts in 200Hl wooden vats with temperatures held between 25-28C. 16 day maceration with regular pumping over and punching down of the cap. Racked to oak (70% new, 30% one year old barrels) for 14 months maturation with quarterly racking's. Fined with egg whites prior to bottling.

Quite deep coloured, this shows great purity of fruit and is wonderfully approachable, the ripeness wrapping a dense steely core. And full tannins.

Roasted Lamb or Beef. Venison casserole. Mallard. Pheasant.