CHÂTEAU LANGOA BARTON
2023 3ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
The 2023 Langoa Barton is a very accomplished wine, the family's new winery having permitted more precise, parcel-by-parcel winemaking as well as gentler handling of the fruit to deliver a wine with all this estate's customary intensity of flavor but more polish and refinement. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis and plums mingled with hints of pencil shavings and dried rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, with an inky core of fruit, vibrant acids and plenty of suave structuring tannin. This classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc is sure to number among the intelligent purchases of the en primeur campaign. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)
75cl bottles (case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Solid tannins, gorgeous iris and violet reflections, blueberry and cassis fruits, shot through with cigar box, this is a fairly old school Langoa in the best possibly way, juicy, sappy, nuanced, with chalky tannins that lift through the palate. Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
The 2023 Langoa Barton was picked from September 12 until October 2 at around 50hL/ha, with some "late" saignée for half the vat–when it has some “serious color,” according to Damien Barton. Two vats were chaptalized out of a total of 42, the highest at 15%, yielding an average alcohol of 13%. Matured in 60% new oak, it has a very perfumed bouquet with black plum, boysenberry and a touch of mint. This is notably forward and unabashed. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a sorbet-fresh Langoa with a bright, almost pastille-like finish that lingers in the mouth. Very seductive and vivacious, I appreciate the nascent energy here. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)
60 Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc: 60% new oak: 13% alc Langoa has nearly caught up with Léoville Barton in the last couple of vintages. While it doesn’t have as robust a core of Cabernet as its stablemate, which is critical for superstardom on the Left Bank in 2023, it is only a nudge behind. It will drink significantly earlier, so there is no reason to favour one wine over the other. The answer to your unasked question is to buy both and let Langoa lead where Léoville will follow. This is a generous wine with ripe, smooth and open fruit (aided by 37% Merlot), and it is the first time I have written the word ‘exotic’ about this oft-quietly formal wine. These quietly lavish moments suit this vintage because these floral curlicues and discreet fruit indulgences significantly add to Langoa’s appeal, making it a cunning purchase for those seeking wines with a little more immediacy without sacrificing elegance and balance. 18+/20 Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Langoa Barton charges out of the glass with ready-to-go notes of crushed blackberries, raspberry leaves, and blackcurrant pastilles leading to nuances of pencil shavings and clove oil. The medium-bodied palate delivers compelling energy and freshness, with soft, approachable tannins and a zippy finish. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 90-92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (May 2024)
The 2023 Langoa Barton is packed with dark red cherry, plum, spice, cedar and tobacco. Over the last few years, an updated style of vinification in a new cellar has yielded a bit more mid-palate sweetness, pliancy and resonance than in the past. It will be interesting to see where this goes, but clearly, we have entered into an era of Langoa. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2027 - 2043 Rating: 91-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)
The 2023 Langoa is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, picked from September 12th onwards, finishing October 2nd. A nose of concentrated and darkly perfumed fruit, with tense black cherry and blackberry, rose petal and violet, touched with white peach and black pepper. This starts off with a modestly convincing texture on the palate, with a core of sinewy dark plum, currant and black cherry, nuanced with violets and olive, lending it a fragrant and perfumed edge. A very attractive composition, with a tannic structure which feels lightly worked, just wrapping up the palate in a gentle and powdery substance, as well as a little oak. Overall though, this is charming and bright, and it concludes with a little flourish of soft grip. A rather low-key Langoa this year, but perhaps a success in this challenging vintage. Tasted three times. The alcohol level is about 13%. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
There’s depth of fruit here with blackberries, blackcurrants and hints of cedar and tobacco. The tannins are very solid and polished with juiciness and depth. Pristine. Bright acidity. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château Langoa Barton
Hugh Barton acquired the estate of Château Pontet-Langlois (and re-named it Langoa-Barton) in 1821, a few years before he then bought a portion of the estate of the Marquis de Léoville Beauvais, which he renamed Léoville Barton. The Barton's ownership of Langoa is the longest ownership by one family of any estate in the Médoc. There was no château to the Loville portion, 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. Langoa Barton's vineyard classed as a 'Troisieme Cru Classé' in 1855, is quite small for this part of the Médoc with only 17 hectares in production. Planted with mostly Cabernet and Merlot, at 9100 vines per hectare, like Léoville itself. Also like Léoville, it is a terroir of deep gravel over clay. The average vine age is around 35 years.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.