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Information:

Thomas Barton
the founder of the dynasty

At the age of 27, Thomas Barton left his native Ireland and the town of Curraghmore, County Fermanagh, in which he had grown up.

He was educated by his uncles on his mother's side, Thomas and William Dickson, who were important figures in the merchant business and had already developed strong trade relationships with France. He was therefore sent to live in France in 1722, first in Montpellier and then in Marseille. A career as a wine merchant was not an obvious choice for him, yet when he arrived in Bordeaux in 1725, one of the major ports on the Atlantic coast, he developed an interest in wine and decided to create his first wine merchant company. He also began to build his own family, or rather dynasty, a dynasty which remains the longest-standing family legacy of all the 1855 Grands Crus Classés.

His company soon began to flourish thanks to his trade contacts and loyal customers in Ireland. He was a man of strong character and an irritable yet very honest businessman. By 1737 he had already made a small fortune and was highly regarded by the Bordeaux locals who nicknamed him ''French Tom''. In 1743 he asked his only son, William, to join him in his business although William was perhaps not of the same stature and the two failed to see eye to eye.

At this time, a law known as the ''Droit d'Aubaine'' (a type of Windfall Law) stated that all assets belonging to a foreigner who passed away in France would become the property of the French Crown. It is for this reason that he never purchased vineyards in France, instead choosing to invest his profits in Ireland. His grandson, Hugh, was the first member of the family to own vineyards in Bordeaux. Thomas passed away in 1780 at the age of 85.

Leoville Barton
Second Grand Cru Classé

The 1855 classification was initially established at the request of Emperor Napoleon III with the aim of presenting the wines of the Gironde at the Universal Exhibition of Paris. The responsibility of writing the classification was given by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to the Association of Trade Merchants of the Bordeaux Stock Exchange. Its mission was to devise an official classification based on many years of experience and according to the quality of the Terroir and the reputation of each Château. The Classification was published on the 18th April 1855 and represented the realities of the market and its evolution over more than a century.

Description:

Nose: In this sun-gorged vintage the luminous purpurin robe reflects the qualities of the gravelly soil so favourable to Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose offers characteristic aromas of spices, plum and crystallized fruits. 

Taste: This powerful and harmonious wine joins the ranks of those great still-waters-run deep vintages we have known when the flavours are offered gradually, in a crescendo, to finally give a lovely plump, dense palate with tannins that roll smoothly and gently over the tongue.