On Friday afternoons we tend to open a bottle in the office. More often than not this is tasted blind – we have a bit of an obsession with blind tasting at Farr Vintners.
At one such tasting we opened a bottle that had everyone in the office wanting more: 2009 Château Langoa Barton. Claret lovers will know of the incredible consistency of this property; neither Langoa nor Léoville Barton ever make duds.
2009 Langoa Barton is everything that is good about 2009 and more. The ripeness of the vintage is clear: this is a deep, intense wine, yet there is a freshness to it, a mineral lift, that balances the ripeness impeccably. The quality here is hard to describe: to really get much better than this you have to be looking at wines many multiples of the price, as it simply has everything you could wish for in a bottle of claret. It is delicious now - the freshness is seductive – though will easily keep and develop for a couple of decades or more.
Neal Martin's 2019 note sums the wine up perfectly - "a gorgeous and utterly seductive Saint-Julien" - though now, with a further three years in bottle, it is even better. It really is an outstanding buy.
Our stock has been recently shipped from Bordeaux, is lying with us and is ready to go.
The 2009 Langoa-Barton has a gorgeous bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and light tobacco aromas that blossom from the glass. This feels so composed and pure. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine-grain tannin, beautifully judged acidity and a svelte, languorous finish that fans out with style. What a gorgeous and utterly seductive Saint-Julien. It turns out to be Langoa Barton, a wine that I have rated very highly in the past. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. Drink 2022-2045.
The 2009 Langoa Barton is now absolutely delicious, over-delivering on its early promise. Deep ruby in colour with an effortlessly enticing nose of blackcurrant, menthol, deep cherry and dried leaves, it exudes confidence. The palate follows in the same vein, 2009's solar summer carried effortlessly by the coolness of Cabernet Sauvignon farmed and picked at the right time. Deep, yet bright black fruit drives everything here. There are flecks of dried herbs, cedar and the subtlest sweet spices. Pairing succulence and freshness effortlessly, the balance here is outstanding. Building intensity through to the finish with superbly integrated tannins, you can drink this now, or enjoy it over the next 30 years. A brilliant wine that remains incredible value in a great vintage.
