[A GLIMPSE INTO LEOVILLE BARTON]
Article dated: 01/20/2005

At a time of revolutionary technical advances in the wine industry there is at least one production that is proving that traditional techniques can still produce some of the most fabulous vintages. Within the past twenty years this property, on which Châteaux Langoa & rests, has bucked the trend, maintaining the highest quality in wine while remaining true to its pedigree. A visit to the estate and a talk with its owner and curator Anthony Barton reveals the true reasons for its success. Barton’s leadership has earned his wines the status of being considered one of the best second and third growths in Bordeaux. Just a taste of a classic Barton vintage leaves one with the clear knowledge that it has been treated with the utmost care and diligence in the creation process. Exquisite and mouthwatering, each one seems to make its own unique imprint on the palate. Similarly, at the Château, a long succession of Bartons have made their own lasting imprint. The latest, Anthony, is a soft spoken Irish gentleman, with a modesty about himself that puts a visitor immediately at ease, and a steady patience that blends in perfectly with the serene surroundings of the estate. The development of the estate is a story of entrepreneurial spirit, perseverance, resilience, risk taking, and a commitment to an enduring family tradition. These elements helped to steer the Château through times when its very existence was in doubt.

Châteaux Langoa & Léoville Barton have been in the Barton family for almost two centuries. The magnificent estate, outlined by stone walkways, and dotted with uniform gardens that give a gentle feel to a landscape shaded by large, burly trees of oak, was purchased by Hugh Barton, an enterprising Irishman, in 1821. Shortly thereafter in 1826 a nearby land, now known as Léoville Barton, was also acquired. After Hugh’s death in 1854 subsequent generations of Bartons divided their energies between the estate and other family business interests in Ireland. A concerted effort in Bordeaux would have to wait for nearly another century before Ronald Barton, Anthony’s uncle, took over the production of the two wines during the 1920’s. The fate of the business during the early years of Ronald’s charge could not have been more dubious. First, in the 1930’s, all but one vintage (1934) was a disappointment. This unfortunate development, along with a decade of world economic crisis and a gathering danger to the east that threatened the very sovereignty of France, drove the French wine business into turmoil. With German troops bearing down on southern France Ronald was driven out and went to work for the British military to help liberate his adopted land. It is no wonder that the challenge that awaited him upon his return to Bordeaux in 1945 was no challenge at all for Ronald, who had received multiple awards for his brave exploits during the liberation effort. It is likely that he used the same determination at the vineyard in the late 1940’s as he did during wartime to revive the very neglected properties. His success in doing this was astounding, in a few short years his leadership produced some outstanding vintages such as the 1948, 1953, and the1959, just to name a few. The properties had survived their most trying period and, though not profitable for some time, were now stabilized for future Barton generations. By 1983 Ronald was ready to pass on the reigns of leadership, having no children of his own he turned to his nephew Anthony who set aside his own business interests to accept the challenge of continuing the Barton tradition.

Anthony never dreamed that he would end up at the helm of the estate. In his childhood the vineyards were something that he would only hear about, travel from Ireland to France was so arduous that visits were rare. Even as a young adult his memories are of a business struggling to make money, a vineyard was something to sell, not purchase. Even if Anthony was interested, fate would have to intervene being that he was outside of the direct line of succession that the family tradition had always observed. As it was fate did intervene and as a former wine exporter Anthony was ready to bring a keen understanding of the international wine business with him to the Château. However, he is quick to downplay the impact that he had on the emergence of his wines as some of the very best second and third growths in the region. He carefully re-shaped the staff at the Château to be sure that his deputies shared his philosophy. Very simply put Barton believes it is important for Bordeaux wine makers to make Bordeaux wine and avoid the temptation to re-style the wine to give it a more international flavor. “Who makes the best Australian wine?” He asks rhetorically, “the Australians, we make better Bordeaux wine than anybody else, so let’s make Bordeaux wine.”

A fundamental understanding of wine geography was just the first good instinct that he brought to bear. Although Barton credits the latest technology in temperature control, which includes the advent of stainless steel vats, for forming a better understanding of the malolactic fermentation process, he points out that it is not the reason that better wines are being made. After all, he notes, “in the old days they didn’t do any of that, but they still made damn good wines.” Classic Barton vintages such as the 1945, 1947, and 1949 were made in the days when grapes were danced upon, well before the modern treatment of crushing and controlling temperatures were practiced. He says it is hard to ever improve upon such great wines. So why such a string of good to great vintages in recent years? Perhaps it is a combination of things that starts with simple patience. He indicates that a more diligent approach to the grape picking process is a key to their success in recent decades, instead of a random process the picking is scrupulously analyzed according to the maturity of the grape. Barton does credit the new ways for preventing truly bad vintages and supports the direction that some of the new techniques have taken the industry, but for the modern wine maker who is overly impressed with the success attributed to technology he offers up a warning, “I would never suggest that we should stop what we’re doing now but there are people who say that we are great guys who will never make bad wines again, and I think that’s dangerous.”

Châteaux Langoa and Léoville Barton have recognized that the best of the new can only be realized when coupled with the best of the old. That is why they saw the investment in stainless steel vats as folly, Barton calculated that technology for temperature control in wood would soon follow the steel eye sores. He was right, a system of thermo-regulation has re-affirmed the relevancy of wooden vats allowing the juice to be sustained at precise temperatures. Indeed, a stroll through Barton’s vat room is a refreshing experience. Long columns of the tall, broad, muscular wooden vats dwarf the visitor as scents of rustic oak permeate the air allowing for the imagination to truly connect with the enchantment of the traditional wine making process.

Part of that enchantment is the sexiness of a classic vintage and the element of danger that wine makers experience along the way. One of the most fascinating aspects for Barton is “the actual growing of the fruit, because you are not totally in charge, you are at the mercy of the elements,” he says. He remembers vintages that were undercut by mother nature’s foul moods, for example the 1991 which was reduced to barely a quarter of a crop due to a catastrophic frost. What satisfies him the most is when all of the elements come together to make a wine that he finds good, “that’s what I’m aiming at,” he says definitively.

And so what is a good wine? The recent 2000 and 2003 vintages from Léoville are just two that embody the elements of a great Barton. They are wines of tremendous proportions revealing gorgeous bouquets, subtle textures, enduring finesse, and a myriad of fruit comprising its core. Barton lets the quality of the harvest dictate the style of wine he makes but he is careful to maintain the delicacy of it. “It’s a pity, so many people’s first instinct is to go for the Schwarzenegger wines, big and muscular. . . But that’s not what its supposed to be about.” In the extraction process a Barton wine generally plays it conservative, “extraction is all very well up to a certain stage, but then after that all you are doing is extracting bad flavors,” he said, and jokingly remarks “as someone said the other day we’ll soon see the end of red wine, and have only white wine and black wine.”


The result of this modest philosophy are wines that are built for the long haul. Léoville Barton is setting new standards for second growth wines. Although it is hard to pinpoint what first growth quality truly is, it can be said that recent Barton vintages have certainly risen to that level. What’s more is that they can be had at affordable prices unlike some first growth estates. Barton is keenly aware that there are two distinct markets in Bordeaux, the speculative market, and the consumer market. Barton explains “the speculative market, for its success, depends on ever increasing prices, and when prices increase consumption goes down.” Barton could continue to feed into this cycle but chooses instead to set the price of his wines relatively low to make it more consumer friendly, a marketing plan that he believes delivers more volume.

Speculation has another ironic effect as well, too often it creates a scenario where bottles sit untouched in the fabulous cellars of rich investors who seem to see them as pieces of art not to be “destroyed” instead of items of consumption. Barton is all for prolific wine cellars, but not full ones. He sums up the proper wine experience with his pinpoint Irish sarcasm, when interested visitors ask how long a vintage might last he responds, “it will last until you drink it.” This wine maker understands that the long term strength of the industry depends on new generations being introduced to and drinking wines. The danger that Bordeaux faces, and that some first growths and others properties are feeding into, is pricing the average collector right out of the market in favor of investors seeking the top tier vintages for investment purposes. This nauseating trend may or may not be avoided, but to do so Bordeaux will have to more closely reflect the philosophy of this elegant chateaux that continues to maintain that top tier status as a second growth through a sort of stubborn common sense, innovation, unrelenting high standards, and a humble dose of class.

Indeed it is class and genteel elegance that sums up this estate, from the terroir, through the vines, to the vat room, into the bottle, and ultimately on to the palate, one can truly experience Bordeaux wine making on a visit to this property. Nothing for myself has been met with quite as much anticipation in recent years than a tasting of a new Barton vintage. There seems to be few who have taken more advantage of the Bordeaux renaissance in recent decades than Anthony Barton, and with his daughter Lilian poised to carry on the tradition, the Barton will assuredly continue to be among the most powerful productions from this region.

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