2022 Ch Langoa-Barton 3ème Cru, St Julien

96-97 points jamessuckling.com April 2023

The Grand Vin 2022 Château Langoa Barton checks in as 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that was raised in 60% new barrels. Medium-bodied and vibrant, with a fresher, elegant, yet still textured profile, it has pure black and blue fruits, some lead pencil, tobacco, and earthy nuances, fine tannins, and a great finish. This 2022 is all about finesse and elegance. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

93-95 points jebdunnuck.com

Another successful vintage for Langoa, with dense cherry pit, graphite, smoked earth and bilberry fruits. Glass-staining ruby colour, a little atypical for the estate with its gourmet edge that gives supple tannins and a rich mid-palate, with concentrated fruit and spices all balanced by great tannic architecture. This is an impressive St Julien from the Barton family, with a ton of ageing potential. 60% new oak.

94 points janeanson.com

A blend of 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and 2.5% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Langoa Barton is ageing in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it prances out with exuberant notes of warm cassis, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of chocolate mint, clove oil, and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock full of juicy black fruits, framed by plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with a spicy kick.

“Our new cuverie was finished for the 2021 vintage,” commented Damien Barton during our tasting. “It’s a real revolution! With our new winery, we are now able to separate the plots. Langoa was mainly affected by this because it has lots of smaller plots. Before, we had 18 vats of 200 hectoliters. These were very big vessels to use and not always that convenient. Now we have just 10 vats of 200 hectoliters, four of 150 hl, and a collection of smaller vats of 120 hl and 80 hl. The smaller vats are useful for putting the difficult plots aside. We also have so much more precision with the press, which is important since we tend to use a lot of press juice.”

This extra level of precision was clear when tasting the 2022 Langoa Barton and Léoville Barton. These come highly recommended. But the real surprise was the Mauvesin Barton, coming from their property in Moulis.

“Mauvesin has a lot of limestone with clay on top, so it did not struggle as much in 2022. We think the 2018 Mauvesin is stunning, but I believe this 2022 is a step above.”

I agree. The 2022 is bright, intense, and ripe without being in the least bit over-ripe. Promising a good 15-year+ drinking window, this is a hot tip for bargain hunters.

After tasting, I had some spare time to check out the new winery and then hop in the jeep with Damien to inspect the Saint-Julien vineyards. One of the most telling stops was in a plot of young vines that had only been planted in the spring of 2022.

Standing there, gazing over all the green shoots bursting miraculously from the tiny vines, Damien said, “We expected we would have to replant this plot entirely, given the heat and drought conditions of 2022. But amazingly, we will only need to replace a few vines here and there. Just goes to show, huh?”

92-94 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown thewineindependent.com