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  • Weather

    12° C Overcast clouds
  • Time

    03:01 AM
  • Wine average?

    92 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    539
  • Region Ranking?

    311
  • Popularity ranking?

    243

History

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'Yquem. In fact, at one time the label used to state the words "contigu d'Yquem". The other part of the secret is the total dedication and passion Hervé Lamothe devotes to his vines and his wines. Year in, year out, he produces Sauternes of Grand Cru Classé richness and concentration, with exotic fruit flavours of mangoes and peaches, perfectly balanced by vibrant acidity. For us, Haut Bergeron regularly outperforms many of the famous classified growths of Sauternes.

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Vineyards

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.

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Winemaking

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 naturally once alcohol levels become to high for these yeasts, leaving considerable residual sugar. The young wine is racked into barrel for 18 months ageing before fining and bottling. 50% of the Haut-Bergeron barrels are new oak. Fontebride is a second wine, made with the same care and dedication, but blended from lots which are judged not quite up to Haut-Bergeron's high standards.

Since 1996, the estate has vinified a small parcel of 100 year old vines separately. Fermentation is in 100% new oak barrels and can last up to 60 days. Ageing continues in new oak for 30 months before bottling.

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Inside information

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 loyal following of private customers, and as a result have never sought international recognition or widespread publicity. With typically modest understatement - "récompenses obtenues" - they admit that Haut-Bergeron has won over 50 medals, including no less than 30 golds, but that is as far as they will go in 'blowing their own trumpet'.

The estate now produces three quality levels. Fontebride is a second-label: beautifully-made, light and invigorating, but with deceptive complexity. Haut-Bergeron is rich and hedonistic, a luscious cocktail of ripe Mediterranean fruit, honey and fresh flowers. Just released is a new super-cuvée, from a parcel of 100 year old vines that yield 12 hl/ha of pure nectar. For the moment, the prices are criminally low given the quality of these wines, but the secret is out now and the inevitable supply-and-demand problems are sure to follow soon. Expect to hear a lot more about this first-rate property over the next few years.

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