France - Bordeaux (St. Julien)

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Online Shop > France - Bordeaux (St. Julien)

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Château Langoa Barton - 1998 - Château Léoville-Barton
Ref: A037698
3eme Cru Classé St. Julien

Dark and brooding purple with a big, black fruit nose. Hugely concentrated with impressive and firm tannins. This is a wine that needs more time and will pay handsome dividends if kept for another five or six years in the cellar before having the cork pulled in 2015.

The history of Langoa and Leoville Barton is the history of a family who have managed to preserve their inheritance for more than two centuries.

From one generetion to another the wines produced by the two properties have maintained the quality of their classification, offering wines at the very top of their appellation.

The soil of St Julien is ideal for vines, due to its geographic situation and its climate ; every element is present to produce wines of exceptional quality and elegance. Châteaux Langoa and Léoville Barton have the great privilege of being in the very heart of this appellation.

During the harvest the grapes are brought to the cellars where they are vinified in wooden vats of about 200 hectolitres. These rows of wooden vats are a pleasure to see and illustrate the traditional approach to wine-making that prevails at Langoa and Léoville Barton. Some years ago the fashion was to replace thes wooden vats with stainless steel. This choice was justified as it enabled a better control of temperatures than in wood.

The Bartons considered firstly that the investment was too important in view of the excellent quality produced in the past in wooden vats, and secondly because it was probable that in the near future a system would be developed for temperature control in the existing vats. This did indeed happen and today a system of thermo-regulation makes it possible to ferment the juice at any chosen temperature. So there is no regret for keeping the wooden vats which are undoubtedly more attractive to the eye.

The Bartons respect tradition but do not ignore progress. A modern de-stemmer and the latest wine press have been introduced for the vinification. Generally fermentation lasts about five days during which the juice is pumped over twice daily. The wine is left with the skins for two weeks approximately but this depends on the quality of the crop. The wine is then drawn off and the skins are pressed, thereby obtaining the " vin de presse " which is an important component in the final blend. The malo-lactic fermentation takes place in the vats, after which the wine is aged in oak barrels for 20 months before bottling.

Price: £33.75
Including VAT at 17.5%

Qty:

France - Bordeaux (St. Julien)	1998	Medium Full Bodied
Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc	Red	Beef/Venison/Cheddar
Château Léoville-Barton	Medium Dry	Drink or keep

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