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Chateau Leoville Barton

2006
Blend
100% Red Bordeaux Blend
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Saint-Julien
UPC
0 15643 79905 1
New
Red Wine
Verified Stock
1679-06
Product Ratings
Wine Advocate 92pt

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Léoville-Barton has a surprisingly rich and opulent bouquet at first, although it calms down with aeration, offering crushed violet and black cherry scents, reminiscent of a fine Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth. Here the class begins to appear with fine balance and poise, but like the Langoa, it lacquers the mouth with tannins and feels very backward, surprising given the vintage. Cellar this for another decade, folks.

by Wine Advocate, 2016
Wine Enthusiast 94pt

Right at the top of its form, this 2006 is one of the finest wines to come out of the vintage. The wine is structured and dense, but with such heartwarming ripe fruit that the tannins are almost submerged. There is just a hint of wood, but juicy black currant continues right through to the end. In a year, the fruit will lessen, and long aging begin.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2009
Wine Spectator 94pt

There's a great dark color to this, with intense aromas of cedar, wood, new leather and crushed blackberry. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and a firm, powerful palate. Long and mouthpuckering. A muscular baby. Best after 2015. 18,750 cases made.

by Wine Spectator, 2009

History

Thomas Barton who had been trading since 1600s with Bordeaux, which was an important trading port on the Atlantic coast, left his native Ireland to settle in Bordeaux. In 1725, he created the negociant company and become in twenty years an influential figure of the wine trade, whose reputation far exceeded the French and even European borders.
His grand-son Hugh succeeded him in 1786, at the age of twenty years, and strengthened the family business trading. With his energy and efficiency, Hugh Barton consolidated his fortune and decided to acquire vineyards in the Medoc region. In 1826, he acquired a quarter of the former Leoville property, confiscated and divided after the French Revolution. He renamed the plot <> to differentiate it from others.
Afterwards, three generations succeeded at the head of the vineyard, but it is thanks to Ronald Barton’s accomplishment that the integrity of vineyards remained during the difficult years of the interwar period. Anthony Barton, the current owner, born in Ireland, joined his uncle in France in 1951 to integrate the trading house and assist him in the direction of the property.
Today, the complicity between Anthony and his daughter Lilian Barton-Sartorius, strengthens and enhances the international reputation of Leoville Barton. Melanie Barton-Sartorius, oenologist and Anthony’s granddaughter represents the tenth generation of Barton in Bordeaux.

Harvest

Work in the vineyards: traditional ploughing, no weed killing, reasoned additives. Pruning: double cane pruning adapted to the vigor of the vines. Manual harpening, topping and reasoned deleafing. Manual harvesting follow by successive sorting operations of the grapes. De-stemming, crushing and fermenting plot by plot.

Ageing

16 to18 months in French oak barrels in a cellar kept at constant temperature of 15°C.
Percentage of new barrels: 50/70% according vintages.
Topping 3 times a week.
Barrel to barrel racking.
Fining in the barrels with fresh egg whites.