Château Langoa Barton - Saint-Julien 2009

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. This is a superb performance from Langoa Barton. Here, the 2009 has a lifted, perfumed, Burgundy-inspired bouquet that is nicely defined but showing a little more unresolved oak than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry: strawberry, cedar and blackcurrant. This is strict and very linear, conservative but compelling. The class is here from start to finish and presently stands shoulder to shoulder with its "big bro'". Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Full, deep ruby. Deep, explosive aromas of cassis, plum, blackberry, dark chocolate, violet and sexy oak. Dense, pliant and deep, with a distinctly chewy texture to its sweet flavors of cassis and dark chocolate. Very fine-grained wine with a long, rising, sweet finish featuring smooth, thoroughly ripe tannins.

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

Backward, tannic and beefy, this youthful but formidable 2009 Langoa Barton exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as lots of damp earth, underbrush and black currant aromas and flavors, medium to full body, lively acids and, not surprisingly, massive tannins (a characteristic of all the Barton wines). The overall impression is somewhat incongruous, having a certain precociousness in the aromatics, but then clamping down on the taster in the mouth. I recommend waiting 5-7 years before opening a bottle. It should drink well over the following 20-25 years.(90+ points)

Jamessuckling.com

92 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

Blueberry and currant aromas follow through to a full body, with dark chocolate and bright acidity. Long and delicious. Attractive already. Try after 2017.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2012

Very dense and still rather reserved, with dark blueberry, blackberry and fig notes rolled together, framed by freshly brewed espresso and Black Forest cake notes. Long and tarry through the finish, with a melted licorice snap note hanging on at the very end. Best from 2014 through 2030 -J.M.

Le Figaro

93-95 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

Robe sombre. Nez enjôleur de mûre et cassis avec les notes habituelles de cuir à ce stade. En bouche, le vin est très aromatique et surtout dense et velouté avec de belles notes de mûre et de fumée, le milieu de bouche est splendide, le tout est complet avec des tannins fins et une belle longueur. Harmonieux. Grand vin.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2010

13%. 54 CS, 34 M, 12CF Langoa is usually considered to be lighter than Léoville-Barton (also owned by the Bartons) and so it proved in 2009. But what the former lacks in weight and power it more than makes up for in brightness and freshness, showing red fruits, well-handled oak and a hint of kirsch. 10+ years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

87-89 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 10% cabernet franc) Inky purple. Moderately intense aromas of redcurrant, coffee and cocoa lifted by a floral quality. Chewy on entry, with good dense mid-palate fruit of excellent concentration, but pronounced acidity gives the red berry flavors an almost tart quality. The persistent finish features saline and floral nuances and slightly drying tannins. This strikes me as a slightly more austere and less charming version of Langoa than usual. Perhaps a couple years more will soften it up a bit.

La Revue du Vin de France

17,5-18,5 / 20

the5/31/2010

Ce vin est un pur régal, avec une texture de soie et un fruité ultra savoureux. La bouche possède rondeur, délicatesse et grande profondeur. Il est déjà irrésistible, avec sa finale plein d'éclat.

Le Point

16,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Très frais, cerise, fruits rouges, bouche vive assez boisée, tendre, frais, rond, tendre, élégant, très en fruit. O=2015 G=20 ans

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Zart rauchig unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, etwas Powidl, feine Holzwürze, Nougat. Präsente, gut strukturierte Tannine, zitronige Nuancen, rotbeeriger Nachhall, mineralische Nuancen im Rückgeschmack.

TAST

18,5 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

Boisé marqué, grand nez classique de prune, myrtille et cèdre, complet, avec une grande suite en bouche.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Tasted at the château and the UGC. Cropped between 23rd September and 3rd October, a blend of 34% Merlot, 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc, delivering 13.0% alcohol. A deep purple colour. The bouquet has a great purity and sense of nonchalance to it, light and airy, superb definition with black cherries, a touch of cassis and autumn leaves and then with aeration, hints of oyster shell and cockle shell. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a gentle but insistent grip, pure black cherries, touches of cassis and boysenberry towards the focused finish. Good length and breeding. Everything in its right place. Tasted March 2010.

Wine Enthusiast

94-96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/30/2010

Lots of new wood here, maybe too dominant. This is certainly a stage, because the fruit weight is also there to give a wine of considerable complexity, dry and solid.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2010

Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Sehr dichtes, fleischiges Bouquet, viel trüffeliger Cabernet, Lakritze und Teernuancen, darüber ein feiner Dörrbananenhauch. Irgendwie werden die neuen Langoas immer feiner. Dieser verfügt über einen Finessenreichtum, wie ihn ein Barton vor etwa 10 Jahren noch hatte, und ist, zumal im Vergleich zu teuren anderen Grands Crus, ein herausragender Wert. 2017–2038

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

I found the 2009 Langoa Barton to be so painfully extracted, excruciatingly tannic, powerful, and backward that I wrote it “should be forgotten for 15 years, and may have some charm in 30-40.” There is no doubting its level of concentration and massiveness, but, wow, proprietor Anthony Barton has sure pushed the extraction, producing a wine for our children’s children. (Tasted once.) (90-92+) points

Periodic Review of Wine

92-94 / 100

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

Anthony Barton's 2009 Langoa is a full-bodied, dense, crammend offering that should not be missed. Its deeply saturated purple color precedes complex fragrances of lead-pencil dust, blackberry extract, white flower, crème de cassis, and stone. It's big on blackberry flavor with a luxurious richness to the superbly ripe fruit. This leads to a gorgeously long finish boasting Barton's typically adundant tannin. An offering that has great potential and is likely to withstand 35-40 years of aging. Fabulous Langoa! Maturity period 2017-2044.

Wine Spectator

90-93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Opulent blackberry aromas. Lovely jam, but fresh. Full-bodied and rich. This wine sneaks up on you and follows on the end with lots of chewy tannins. Balanced and round.

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/9/2010

Black red, rich, intense black summer fruits, clear and precise with very good natural concentration and depth, expressively elegant, already showing great charm above the firmness. Drink 2015-28.

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

Mid crimson with quite a pale rim. Pretty light – early picked? There’s a nice freshness and neatness to this but it’s overall a bit dry and grainy. ‘Classic style’... Rather dry on the end. Drink 2018-2030