Château Langoa Barton, 3rd Classified Growth, was the first of the two Bordeaux wine estates bought by Hugh Barton in the 1820s, the other being Léoville-Barton, 2nd Classified Growth.
Both Langoa and Léoville wines are models of typical St Julien restraint and elegance, and for years, Langoa Barton was considered slightly lighter and more forward than Léoville. However, in the last decade it has become noticeably deeper in colour and richer and more concentrated on the palate. Langoa Barton is now often the equal of Léoville.
The plots that compose the Château Langoa Barton terroir overlook the river. The splendid slopes of quaternary gravel bring the grapes to full maturity and then they undergo a rigorous selection process before being chosen for the Langoa Barton. The plowing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide.
For more info, visit Château Langoa Bartonwebsite.
VARIETALS
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Called at various times Château de Canolle, La Rivette, and Château Brion-Larrivet, the estate was given its current name, château Larrivet Haut-Brion, in 1949 by Jacques Guillemaud (owner since 1941). Devoted and hard-working, he conscientiously managed the estate until 1982. Château Larrivet Haut-Brion was acquired by the Gervoson family in 1987. They restored the estate’s unity, once again combining the château, outbuildings, 13 hectares of grounds, and 42 hectares of vines under one owner, as well as replanting 18 hectares of land that had laid fallow.
Today a team of enthusiastic professionals has done a wonderful job of giving Château Larrivet Haut-Brion back its superb reputation, and the estate is once again universally recognized as one of the finest wines in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. This 2018 is a very nice expression of the new style they want to produce: well-balanced, representative of the terroir, with identity.
For more info, visit Château Larrivet Haut-Brionwebsite.
VARIETALS
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc
From the 17th century to the present day, ten generations of owners have followed one another and have left their mark on the history of Château Lascombes. A destiny marked by colorful characters who all worked for the excellence of Château Lascombes wines.
An alliance of power and elegance, smoothness and tannic richness, Château Lascombes is a complex wine. Young, its deep robe is still impressive. The palate combines finesse and softness with a grain of very noble tannins. Over the years, you have to rediscover Château Lascombes to fully appreciate its aromatic complexity and see its structure evolve, becoming more and more suave.
Depth, complexity and graceful power characterise this vintage, which reveals all its qualities after long ageing in the bottle. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, it represents the Médoc’s winemaking tradition and embodies the great classicism of Margaux.
The Barton family’s passion for wine is reflected in the elegance and consistency of Château Léoville Barton. This estate was classified as a 2nd Grand Cru Classé in 1855 and lies within the iconic terroir of Saint Julien in the Médoc.
The Château was built in 1758 by Monsieur de Pontet. Beneath the private apartments lie the crypted vaulted cellars in which silence reigns eternal.The most renowned vintages of Léoville Barton are left to age in the peace and quiet of these cellars to reach their ultimate potential.
For more info, visit Château Leoville Barton website.
Bernard Cazade composed this harmonious, modern Bordeaux variant from Malbec and Cabernet.
Soft and approachable, like all Cazade organic wines, the grape varieties are easily recognizable and very finely rounded off with a little wood.
Bernard Magrez’s journey is that of passion, a constant desire for improvement, know-how and exceptional success which has its roots first in Bordeaux, in the Grands Crus Classés, then in other prestigious terroirs in France and around the world. Bernard Magrez’s journey is that of passion, a constant desire for improvement, know-how and exceptional success which has its roots first in Bordeaux, in the Grands Crus Classés, then in other prestigious terroirs in France and around the world.
Located in the town of Pompignac, “Château Les Songes boasts a beautiful clay and limestone terroir where Merlot, the ‘king’ of grape varieties on
the Right Bank flourishes. This supple, fruity and full-bodied wine reflects the style of the area, lively and energetic.
Château Loumelat was established in 1778. The Cuvée J.J. Lesgourgues is a limited production made from low yields with nice concentration and high complexity between red, black fruits, vanilla and spicy notes.
At the gates of Pauillac, Château Lynch-Bages now represents a symbolic history of the Medoc. Born in 1691 by the hand of John Lynch, an Irish nobleman in exile, the winery was implemented by John’s son, Thomas Lynch, who managed the company with wisdom and foresight from 1749 to 1824, producing excellent wines initially known as ” Cru de Lynch ”, later classified as Grand Cru at the Paris Exposition of 1855.
Having become the property of the Cazes family in 1939 and led by the outstanding Jean-Michel Cazes since 2007, Château Lynch-Bages’ style has established itself, and this reflects Pauillac’s identity with an extraordinary depth and richness, thanks above all to Jean-Michel Cazes.
Wines have been made at Château Macquin since 1885, when the first cellar was developed by François-Albert Macquin. François was the first to re-plant vines in the Saint-Émilion region following the phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century.
Château Macquin is located just three kilometres north of Saint- Émilion, in the small village of Saint-Georges, the smallest of all Bordeaux appellations. However, at its peak of 89 metres above sea level, Saint-Georges enjoys one of the best elevations on the right bank, giving the wines freshness and concentration.
The south facing vines are planted on clay and limestone soils and range from 15 to 60 years old. The vines are sustainably farmed, without the use of herbicides, fertilizers, or other harmful chemicals.
VARIETALS
80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
Castel Estates and Vineyards offer a range of unique estate wines, finding some true gems by following the advice of the people who know and love the place best. In Bordeaux, at the gateway to Entre-Deux-Mers, they selected Château Malbec which also houses an education center dedicated to wine and the art of wine tasting. Contrary to appearances, Château Malbec is not named after the famous grape variety, but for one of its former owners, Louis Malbec.
A well regarded 28ha property on the borders of St Georges-St Emilion owned by the Amart family since 1949, which it is looking out over her neighbours like Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau Petrus who are just over the Barbanne stream. Tasted against far greater names this is a exceptional value, very elegant, with a lovely weight of fruit. It will not disappoint.
Château Ormes de Pez belongs to the Médoc landscape since the 18th century. Located West of Saint-Estèphe and bordering the hamlet of Pez, the estate owes its name to a magnificent grove of elm trees, which no longer exists today. Château Ormes de Pez is the second property – after Château Lynch-Bages – acquired by the Cazes family in 1939.
With distinctive harmonious spicy character, Château Ormes de Pez is true to its terroir. Wine lovers appreciate its opulence, elegance and well-rounded structure. Its powerful, rich and excellent tannic backbone allows graceful ageing.
Near Bordeaux, discover the 7 centuries of history of a mythical Grand Cru Classé of the Graves surrounded by vines and a sumptuous garden. The unique castle, whose first grape harvest took place in 1252, gives life to a wine that was reserved for ecclesiastical ceremonies for almost 400 years, and wasn’t available publicly until after the French Revolution. Bernard Magrez acquires the prestigious estatein the 1980s. It was then his very first vineyard.
The winemaking here epitomises the phrase ‘attention to detail’. Every bunch of grapes is de-stemmed by hand and chemical fertilizing and aeration rejected in favour of horse-drawn ploughing. All this has resulted in an extremely strong brand identity. Pape Clement is known as one of the jewels of Bordeaux and though its appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was overlooked in the 1855 Classification, exchange platform Liv-ex has marked it as a probable Second-Growth estate in its reimagining of that classification.
Running along the edge of the Saint-Emilion appellation, this vineyard is owned by the Fauchey family, who have been making wine in the Bordeaux area since the 17th century. The estate, until the second world war, made mostly white wine for the army. Today though, the vineyard is mostly planted with merlot, the grape best suited to the climate and soil of the domain.
VARIETALS
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Like all the greatest wines of the appellation, Château Pédesclaux has the complexity that reflects the terroir it springs from. On this mosaic of soils, the clays convey power while the gravels express pure elegance. Pédesclaux embodies the depth that is the quintessence of Pauillac, balanced by a unique sensuality With each vintage, the painstaking work on these excellent plots pays off, while the revolutionary equipment in the winery enables the wine to develop its own unique personality. Across the years, a narrative arc has become visible: a scent special to this terroir that is a blend of blackcurrant, violet and cigar box. Sometimes denser and more tropical, at other times more ethereal, always maintaining the balance between powerful aromas and the silky delicacy of the tannins, Château Pédesclaux also boasts a formidable cellaring potential – another key feature of the great Pauillac terroirs.
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