During the French Revolution, Marquis de Las Cases Beauvoir was forced to flee France and as a consequence the Leoville estate was broken up. This gave birth to the 3 separate Chateaux Leoville Barton, Leoville Las Cases and Leoville Poyferre.
Château Léoville Barton is the smallest portion of the great Léoville estate and has been owned by the Barton family since 1826. There is no château and the wine is made at Langoa Barton.
Léoville Barton's 48 hectares of vineyards are located in the east of the St-Julien appellation and lie on gravelly-clay soils. They are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon 72%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 8%. The wine is matured in oak barriques (50% new) for 18 months.
Since Anthony Barton took over the reins from his Uncle Ronald in the mid 80s, quality has soared at Léoville Barton and the wine has gone from being a solid mid-league performing 2ème Cru Classé to one of the most exciting and scintillating wines in St. Julien.
The 2013 Léoville-Barton has a more backward bouquet compared to the Langoa-Barton 2013, but there is more perfume here with blackberry, a touch of sea spray and cold limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, a crisp line of acidity with finesse and elegance on the finish, which is one of the best you'll find in Saint Julien. This finishes with a flourish after a conservative opening and it should yield a decade of pleasure, maybe more. This is a solid showing in a tough vintage.
