Leoville Barton « Wilson on Wines

Dinner with the Bartons.

Posted by John Wilson on December 12, 2023

Château Léoville Barton & Château Langoa Barton

Lilian Barton Sartorius visited the K Club in Kildare recently to host a dinner featuring a selection of her wines. She was accompanied by her son, Damien and his wife Sara. Lilian’s late father Anthony Barton was born in what is now the K Club, so it was a homecoming of sorts for the family. The menu consisted almost entirely of game, not a bad thing in my book, very seasonal and very well cooked by the kitchen team.

I have always been a huge fan of both the Barton wines. The twin properties of Langoa Barton and Léoville Barton, situated opposite each other in Saint-Julien, produce classic Bordeaux at a reasonable price. In many years they are every bit as good as far more expensive second growths. In contrast to many other châteaux, they have always resisted the temptation to produce over-extracted, over-alcoholic and over-oaked wines. Damien is taking over Langoa Barton, while his sister Melanie, a qualified enologist, is working at Château Mauvesin Barton, their recent acquisition in Moulis.

All of the wines below, and other vintages, should be available through specialist wine shops.

La Réserve de Léoville-Barton 2017, Saint-Julien

Served from a magnum with guinea fowl sausage and winter truffle, this was a great start to the evening. Very much in the house style with elegant blackcurrant and dark cherry fruits, some cedarwood and spice, light tannins and a dry finish. 16/20

Château Langoa-Barton 2009 Troisième Cru Classé, Saint-Julien

Served with wild squab pigeon, smoked prune purée, parsnip crisp. Beautifully perfumed with ripe opulent rounded cassis, cedar and mahogany polish. Warming, mature and very seductive. ‘Sexy’ according to Damien Barton, and I can see what he means. 16.5/20

Château Léoville Barton 2015, Deuxième cru classé, Saint-Julien

Served with loin of venison with mushrooms, parsnip purée. Classic Léoville Barton; medium-bodied with very refined ripe blackcurrant and berry fruits, dark chocolate and very elegant but firm tannins. Linear and long. Delicious now but will certainly keep. 17/20

Château Léoville Barton 2012, Deuxième Cru Classé, Saint-Julien

A lighter more elegant style and slightly austere too, with concentrated blackcurrant fruits, good fresh acidity and a sappiness on the finish. Possibly needs a few years more? 16.5/20

Tags: Leoville Barton, The K Club

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Staff Party

Posted by admin on December 22, 2015

One of the disadvantages of being self-employed is you don’t get to go to work parties; or maybe that is a benefit? Feeling slightly sorry for myself, I invited Joe Breen, a friend and my predecessor in the Irish Times wine column, around for our own staff party – lunch in my house. As we were eating a small roast of lamb followed by some cheese, I decided to open two Cabernets. Both were magnificent, and we spent a very happy afternoon righting the wrongs of the world over two delicious and very different wines.

Ch. Léoville-Barton 1996, St. Julien

Ch. Léoville-Barton has always been one of my favourite wines of Bordeaux. The Barton family have remained true to the traditional more elegant style of claret, resisting the temptation to bump up the ripeness, alcohol and new oak to please some sectors of the market. They have also been restrained in their pricing; both Langoa and Léoville-Barton remain relative bargains when compared to their peers. The result is beautifully made restrained wines at affordable prices.

I have tasted the 1996 Léoville a number of times with mixed results. A few bottles have been distinctly barnyardy, but others were much better. This was one of the best bottles. Fully mature, with a wonderful fragrance and elegant blackcurrant, mint and cigar box. Classic St. Julien. Good length and still very much all there. It did not fade at all over three hours. A real treat.

Isole e Olena Collezione Privata Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 IGT Toscana

Isole e Olena is one of the greatest producers of Chianti Classico. Paulo di Marche also makes a few excellent varietal wines, including this Cabernet. It was an excellent wine, certainly superior to most of the rival Cabernet-based ‘super-Tuscans’ that I have tasted over the years.

A puppy when tasted alongside the Léoville-Barton, but this is a magnificent wine. Tight and tannic with masses of firm ripe dark berry fruits (and a healthy 14.5% alcohol) this needed the lamb to provide a foil for the tannins. It opened out beautifully over the course of a few hours.