Château Léoville Barton is a

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

in the Saint-Julien

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

of the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

region of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Château Léoville Barton is also the name of the red

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxièmes Crus'' (Second Growths) in the original

Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the Exposition Universelle (1855), 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III of France, Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordea ...

. Unlike many of its peers, Château Léoville Barton has no château building; the wines are made at Château Langoa-Barton with which it shares ownership. The château depicted on Léoville Barton's label is that of Château Langoa Barton.

History

Léoville Barton, along with

Château Léoville-Las Cases Château Léoville-Las Cases is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Léoville-Las Cases is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one o ...

and

Château Léoville-Poyferré Château Léoville-Poyferré is a winery in the Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, Saint-Julien Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Léoville-Poyferré is also the name of the red wine produced by ...

was once part of the vast Léoville estate. The estate was purchased by Hugh Barton in 1826, and continues to be owned by the Barton family, of Irish descent. The current owner Anthony Barton began running the estate in 1983, along with its sister property Château Langoa Barton. The previous owner was Anthony's uncle Ronald, who died in 1986. The two St. Julien properties have the longest continuous duration of ownership by the same family of any of the other current proprietors in Bordeaux.

Vineyard

Léoville Barton's vineyard is located in the central part of the appellation along the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

river. The soil composition is mostly gravel with a

subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus. The su ...

of clay. The plantings are 72%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

, 20%

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

, and 8%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

with the vines averaging 30 years of age.

Wine

Two red wines are produced from the vineyards of Château Léoville Barton, an eponymous grand-vin, and a

second wine Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

called La Reserve de Léoville Barton which is produced from lots consisting of younger vines or lots deemed lacking the quality of the grand-vin. After a hand-picked harvest, fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled wood vats for two to three weeks before being transferred into oak barrels (50% of which are new) for aging before bottling.

Green Spot Irish Whiskey

In June 2015, the Château partnered with

Irish Distillers Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard. It is the largest distiller of Irish whiskey, distilling popular brands such as Jameson and Powers, in addition to premium whiskeys such as Redbreast and Midleto ...

Midleton Distillery and Dublin-based Wine and Whiskey Merchants Mitchell and Son to create a Bordeaux wine finished expression of the iconic Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

References

External links

Château Langoa-Barton
official site
Château Léoville-Barton
official site
Château Mauvesin Barton
official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Leoville-Barton, Chateau Bordeaux wine producers