Lilian Barton-Sartorius is one of Bordeaux's top winemakers
"You have to make wine with your heart. If you don't it might be technically perfect but it will lack character." Lilian Barton-Sartorius has no problem echoing the convictions of her father, Anthony Barton, the legendary Irish-born owner of the leading Bordeaux properties of Langoa-Barton and Léoville-Barton.
Ms Barton-Sartorius was in Dublin to attend a number of events including a lunch in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud hosted by Paddy Moore of Paddy Moore Wines, a major distributor of Barton wines. She is poised to take over the reins from her colourful father - they are the sixth and seventh generation of the family in Bordeaux since Hugh Barton bought third growth Château Langoa in St Julien in 1821. The nearby second growth Léoville (a portion of a vineyard that also included Léoville-Las-Cases and Léoville-Poyferre) was added in 1826 - both properties now represent the oldest single family ownership in Bordeaux.
These Cabernet-dominated wines are also among the favourites of many wine lovers - and not just because of the undoubted quality of the wine. As Stephen Brook writes in Bordeaux (Mitchell Beazley, 2006): "It's difficult for even the most hard-bitten wine writer not to be well disposed towards this property: its château, its hospitable owners, its consistency, its sensible pricing. But many of my encounters with its wine have been in blind tastings, where its quality comes shining through."
Lilian Barton-Sartorius is a soft-spoken but strong advocate of Bordeaux, and of her own wines. Her father has long advocated less rapacious pricing than is the Bordeaux norm and she is no different. "Some people say 'oh yes but it's a luxury'. And it is a luxury, but it needn't be Rolls Royce standard. It could be Rover or Mercedes Benz luxury," she adds with a chuckle.
She constantly stresses the need to be "careful, to keep working hard and to show respect for the land". She says that although the 47-hectare property is too large to be completely organic or biodynamic, "we're careful to use sprays only when it's necessary. And we use selective sprays, for example one that gets the red spider but not the ladybird or the butterfly. We try to be intelligent about it."
In 1951 her father went to work with, and later succeeded, her great uncle Ronald, who had been left the Bordeaux vineyards (her grandfather had inherited the family home, Straffan House, later to become the K Club).
She was born in France and has lived most of her life in Bordeaux city, raising two children there, with a short spell at the impressive château at Langoa where her father lives - there is no actual château in Léoville. "I picked my first grapes when I was seven. I had my own little basket and my own row of vines."
Lilian Barton-Sartorius holds an Irish passport and, like her father, is proud of her Irish links. She went to oenology school, and was one of the first women to do so. She says that the increase in women winemakers is one of the most important developments in Bordeaux. And apart from helping to market the family wines she also runs the negotiant business, Anthony Barton, which her father set up after he left the Barton & Guestier operation.
She has some reservations about the en primeur campaign, whereby each year top wines are bought at ever increasing prices, two years before they are actually bottled. "Last year (2005), I could see that it was a great vintage, everybody wanted it . . . but this year I think we [the price] should come down. The wine is very good, but people, I think, are only prepared to pay so much for wine and we want a large public to drink our wine. So it has to stay reasonable, but - and I could be wrong on this - the people who pay €200 for your bottle are not necessarily the greatest wine connoisseurs."
Léoville and Langoa are wines very much beloved by enthusiasts, as was clear from the warm response to the vintages tasted over lunch in Dublin. Langoa 1999, Léoville 1994 and Léoville 1988 were impressive, but the 1988 was very special, with beautifully seasoned fruit, a subtle silky texture and a finish that went on forever.
These wines are part of a long and grand family tradition, one that looks likely to be continued by the next generation. While in Dublin, Ms Barton-Sartorius met up with her 20-year-old daughter who was working in Berry Brothers to gain experience before she goes to oenology college in Bordeaux, and her 16-year-old son has spent his summer working at Château Mouton Rothschild - "that should give him a few good ideas" - before he goes to the same college. They both have big shoes to fill.