Artisans in the vineyards
The vine: queen of Saint Julien and the Médoc
From pruning right through to harvesting, it is the combined forces of Man and the environment that make the wines what they are.
The work carried out in the vineyards consists of several stages of manual labour throughout the year and in all weather conditions. Pruning in winter is a very complex process that requires precision, experience, knowledge and agility. After tying the vines using a local wicker, the next stage is raising the wires in spring to ensure that the vigorous young vines are well supported and guided in their growth.
The vines have an average age of 37 years and the oldest plot dates back to 1953. Complantation (the process of replacing missing or defective vine stocks) is carried out every year to maintain a high planting density of 9100 vines per hectare.
The protection of the vines and the surrounding environment is of key concern at Chateau Langoa Barton, just as at Chateau Léoville Barton. Since 2012 over 12% of the surface under vine at the domaine has been cultivated using organic methods, without the use of synthetic products. This percentage is increasing every year.
A variety of environmentally respectful practices are used at the domaine. Château Langoa Barton has opted for a sustainable approach to vine growing involving limiting input of external influences, using organic fertilisers (natural and plant-based products), ploughing all the vineyards, no phytosanitary emissions, sorting waste and the use of biodegradable staples etc...
The harvest is always carried out exclusively by hand to preserve the quality of the clusters and allow us to carry out an initial sorting. We work with a team of almost 120 people every year at this crucial moment for the vintage.