Château Haut-Bergeron

This must be one of Sauternes' best kept secrets ... in spite of the wines being sold in bottle for more than half a century. The Château building is modest and the owners, Robert Lamothe, with his sons Patrick and Hervé, are charming and unpretentious. Part of the secret is location. The 28 hectares are split up with some vines in Barsac (next to Château Climens), some near the Château at Preignac and a large slice just next to Château d'Yque...

The Château is located halfway between the villages of Preignac and Sauternes, with Châteaux Bastor-Lamontagne and Suduiraut as immediate neighbours. The vineyards are spread around the communes of Sauternes, Preignac, Bommes and Barsac in a selection of choice sites, including a parcel adjacent to Château d'Yquem.

Harvesting is by hand, with skilled pickers passing through the vineyards on up to 6 separate occasions looking for individual berries that have succumbed to noble rot. On arrival at the cellars, they are further examined on a sorting table to eliminate all but the very best. Following a very gentle pressing, the super-rich must is slowly fermented in tank at cool temperatures under the action of indigenous yeasts. Fermentation comes to an end...

It is a complete mystery why this superb Sauternes property is not better known. The vineyards are very well-located, the vines truly venerable, and the selection policy is as rigorous as for the 1ers Crus Classés (average yield 15 hl/ha !). The winemaking is attentive and intelligent, and the fruit is nicely complimented but not drowned in new oak. It appears that the Lamothe family have never had a problem selling their wine to a large and l...