Château Langoa Barton 2025

Château Langoa Barton lies in Saint-Julien, on the left bank of Bordeaux, a Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification and long held by the Barton family. The Saint-Julien vineyards sit on deep gravel terraces over clay and limestone, close to the Gironde, the free-draining gravel reflecting heat onto the fruit and pushing the roots down to the cooler subsoil while the river tempers the climate. The 2025 blends Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the classic Médoc style, balancing the structure of Cabernet with the rounder flesh of Merlot. It is aged sixteen months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannins, fixes the deep colour and adds cedar and cocoa over the fruit. The wine is deep and dark in the glass. The nose shows ripe blackberry and plum with blackcurrant, tobacco and a graphite minerality. The palate is structured and elegant, the dark fruit framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity, closing long and savoury. Decant for an hour and serve at 17 degrees in a large glass. It suits roast beef, lamb and game.