Chateau Leoville-Barton

The history of the chateau begins when the Barton family, descendents of the commensurate wine merchant Thomas Barton, acquired one third of the lands that were once part of the extensive Leoville estate.

The estate had been divided up when the Marquis de la Cases fled abroad. After extensive campaigning and protests by the Marquis’ two children they received two thirds of the property – however the canny Hugh Barton managed to secure a third for his family. Rather than selling it back to the exiled Marquis at an inflated price he found that payment was not going to be forthcoming and so instead took charge of the vineyards himself.

The lands now in Hugh’s possession, being only a portion of the larger estate, had no facilities or cellars for winemaking and so he had to use those in Langoa-Barton – another of the family holdings. The Barton clan remain in possession to this day – a full 180 years of family heritage, the longest amount of time for a family to hold onto a property in the Bordeaux.

From the beginning of the 1900s Bertram Hugh Barton ran the family business, both at Langoa and Leoville-Barton – which had recently been graced with a second growth classification. Sadly he died in a hunting accident back in his native Ireland which forced his son Ronald to take on management of the estate in Bordeaux.

Despite having to flee during the German invasion and occupation of France during the Second World War he nevertheless returned to find his properties intact – thanks due to Ireland’s neutrality and the painstaking efforts of the friendly Guestier family in protecting the estate on the Barton’s behalf. Through intense hard work the vineyards were back in action, yet he refused to take the opportunity to modernise the facilities – he was a firm believer in traditional methods.

He passed away in 1986 without a direct heir but his nephew Anthony was ready to take the reigns in Bordeaux. To this day he tries to juggle absolute dedication to quality with reasonable prices – his philosophy is that wine is for pleasure and drinking, not a basis for investment.

The estate spans 47 hectares along the Gironde river. The soil composition is gravelly with a plush subsoil of clay. The plantings are 72 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent Merlot and 8 percent Cabernet Franc with vines having an impressive average of 30 years.