Chateau Langoa Barton 2009
The style of Chateau Langoa Barton is quite different than that of their other estate, Chateau Leoville Barton. A large part of that of course has to do with their vineyards and their location in the St. Julien appellation. The vines for Langoa Barton are due south of Leoville Barton, with a north by north west exposure. The majority of their vines are close to the center of the Saint Julien appellation. Because of that geographic different, the Langoa Barton vineyard gets less sun. Langoa Barton is in a cooler terroir as it is closer to the center of Saint Julien.
Tasting
Backward, tannic and beefy, this youthful but formidable 2009 Langoa Barton exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as lots of damp earth, underbrush and black currant aromas and flavors, medium to full body, lively acids and, not surprisingly, massive tannins (a characteristic of all the Barton wines). The overall impression is somewhat incongruous, having a certain precociousness in the aromatics, but then clamping down on the taster in the mouth.
Vignification
The wines of Chateau Langoa Barton are traditional in style and as such, the vinification is traditional as well. The wines are traditionally made in large, 200 hectoliter wooden vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. To be more precise, at Langoa Barton, they try to induce co- innoculation, which is what takes place when the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation occur at the same time. The wine of Chateau Langoa Barton is then aged in an average of 50% new, French oak barrels for about 20 months. On average, close to 7,500 cases are produced of the traditionally styled Chateau Langoa Barton each year. (The Wine Cellar Inside, March 2017)
