Château Langoa Barton, 3ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2025
In our opinion, St Julien was the most consistent appellation in the Medoc, with many excellent wines. Where chateaux have got it right, there's a gorgeous core of fragrant fruit allied to modest alcohols and a real sense of tension and balance. Langoa is a perennial overachiever, and whilst the 2025 probably doesn't hit the peaks of 2016, 2019 and 2022, it is still a fine effort and worthy of serious consideration. Made from miniscule yields of 20 hl/ha, this opens with a floral bouquet of roses and violets. Very charming and vibrant with suggestions of crushed raspberry and cherry stone as well as salty, mineral notes vanilla and pipe tobacco. There's good intensity and weight here supported by a lot of ripe tannin.
critic reviews
The 2025 Langoa-Barton was picked between September 4 and 18 and matured in 60% new oak barrels. It has a lively bouquet with the Merlot in full effect, blueberry and cassis scents, and just a background touch of peppermint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a lovely caressing texture, very well balanced with a touch of pepperiness towards the persistent finish. What a gorgeous Langoa!
Langoa is very much a wine of the moment, with a sense of energy and punch, and you get that here, juicy and characterful, raspberry and cherry pit, hard to beat in terms of pleasure delivery. Great stuff. Very drinkable wine. Tasted twice, love the energy here.
Cropped at a mere 20 hectoliters per hectare, one of the lowest yields ever recorded at this address, the 2025 Langoa Barton offers up aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, spices and new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, with bright acids and chalky tannins, it's a blend of 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.