It wasn’t a straightforward time to be a négociant, in eighteenth-century France. Years of overproduction had introduced the wine market to its knees – it’s mentioned the French Authorities ordered producers to tear up their vines, in a determined effort to guard plummeting costs. But Irish-born Barton noticed the disaster as a chance – and the way proper he was.
Earlier than lengthy, Barton was exporting wine from the area’s prime estates – Margaux, Lafite, Haut-Brion and Léoville – and sending it throughout the ocean in oak barrels. A grand legacy had begun: and in 1785, the story took an amazing leap ahead.
By now, Barton’s grandson Hugh was on the helm. He joined forces with the daring sea captain Daniel Guestier – who’d made his title crusing wine previous the English blockade in the course of the American Revolution – and collectively they accelerated the enterprise.
Now, the very best Bordeaux had been crusing underneath the flag of Barton & Guestier – to Holland, to Britain, to newly-formed America. And underneath the supervision of Germain Rambaud, Barton & Guestier’s first cellar grasp, they arrived in reliably good high quality. You may think about the sensation of seeing these ships on the horizon, figuring out they proudly carried the best examples of French winemaking.
Thomas Barton (left) based Barton & Guestier in 1725, and captain Daniel Guestier (proper) joined the household enterprise in 1785, serving to to speed up progress.
Quintessential French wines
Some issues haven’t modified. Now with some 150 accomplice vinegrowers, the Barton & Guestier household stretches the size and breadth of France’s wine areas – from Bordeaux to Burgundy, the Loire to Provence.
Each bottle that bears the Barton & Guestier title celebrates all that makes French wine so famend – you want solely open a bottle to see why they’ve been round so lengthy.
Château Magnol is an 18th century citadel that hosts the headquarters of the corporate and the B&G Meals & Wine Academy; additionally it is a visitor home and 30ha winery within the Haut-Médoc Appellation.
A voyage in direction of sustainability
In 2025, Barton & Guestier will have fun its three hundredth birthday – however its eyes are on the long run. The challenges the world faces right this moment are very completely different from these Thomas Barton navigated again in 1725, however the firm is tackling them with the identical spirit of innovation.
Whether or not it’s cultivating biodiversity in vineyards and even returning to sail to scale back carbon emissions, Barton & Guestier is pioneering sustainability – pursuing a future the place probably the most distinctive French wines stay on supply to all, wherever they’re on the earth.
If the final 300 years are something to go by, that’s a vibrant future certainly.
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