Chateau
Leoville-Barton
The château which became the property of Château Léoville-Barton was built in 1758 by Monsieur de Pontet with the particularity of having under the private apartments, ageing cellars in the form of a vaulted crypt where everything is silence and serenity.
After the French Revolution, benefiting from the abolition of the right of bargain in France, Hugh Barton, an Irish wine merchant, fulfilled his dream of becoming a landowner by buying vines in the Médoc.
In 1821, Pierre-Bernard de Pontet sold the “Langoa” property to Hugh Barton, who renamed it “Château Langoa Barton”. Long before the famous 1855 classification of classified growths, it was the architecture, the elegant facade and the harmony of the proportions of the building that seduced Hugh.
Then 4 years later, in 1826, Hugh bought a quarter of the old Léoville estate. The breakup of this property was due as much to the French Revolution as to a complex succession. In purchasing what would become Léoville Barton, Hugh acquired only vineyards.
Many generations of Bartons succeeded one another at the head of the property. However, it is Anthony Barton who is credited with raising the reputation of Chateau Léoville Barton to its current international level. The Barton story continues to be written with his daughter, Lilian, and her two children, representing the 10th generation.
The 50 hectare vineyard of Léoville Barton is on one of the most beautiful deep banks of Pyrenean gravels in the Médoc, part of the bank that is closest to the Gironde, continuing southward from Las Cases and Poyferré, with Ducru Beaucaillou beyond, which gives it a free-draining upper layer over a clay base which is good for retaining moisture in the driest conditions.
It is planted with 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, and managed to retain a high proportion of old vines.
It was classified as a 2nd Grand Cru Classé on 1855, when it was already owned by the Bartons, making the family one of the oldest continuous owners in the Médoc (with the Rothchilds at Mouton).
After the French Revolution, benefiting from the abolition of the right of bargain in France, Hugh Barton, an Irish wine merchant, fulfilled his dream of becoming a landowner by buying vines in the Médoc.
In 1821, Pierre-Bernard de Pontet sold the “Langoa” property to Hugh Barton, who renamed it “Château Langoa Barton”. Long before the famous 1855 classification of classified growths, it was the architecture, the elegant facade and the harmony of the proportions of the building that seduced Hugh.
Then 4 years later, in 1826, Hugh bought a quarter of the old Léoville estate. The breakup of this property was due as much to the French Revolution as to a complex succession. In purchasing what would become Léoville Barton, Hugh acquired only vineyards.
Many generations of Bartons succeeded one another at the head of the property. However, it is Anthony Barton who is credited with raising the reputation of Chateau Léoville Barton to its current international level. The Barton story continues to be written with his daughter, Lilian, and her two children, representing the 10th generation.
The 50 hectare vineyard of Léoville Barton is on one of the most beautiful deep banks of Pyrenean gravels in the Médoc, part of the bank that is closest to the Gironde, continuing southward from Las Cases and Poyferré, with Ducru Beaucaillou beyond, which gives it a free-draining upper layer over a clay base which is good for retaining moisture in the driest conditions.
It is planted with 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, and managed to retain a high proportion of old vines.
It was classified as a 2nd Grand Cru Classé on 1855, when it was already owned by the Bartons, making the family one of the oldest continuous owners in the Médoc (with the Rothchilds at Mouton).
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