Myrat

History of Château de Myrat

The name of the estate comes from the Demirat family, lawyers under Louis XIV, who rebuilt the current château around 1730 on older vaulted foundations. As for the de Pontac family, owners since 1937, they occupy a unique place in the history of wine: their ancestor Arnaud de Pontac, appointed in 1660 as Premier Président of the Bordeaux Parliament, invented the notion of a cru associated with a clearly defined terroir and was the first to promote his high-quality wines by exporting them to England, where the famous Ho Bryan, ancestor of Haut-Brion, was enjoyed at the Pontac's Head tavern in London.

In 1937, Comte Max de Pontac purchased Château de Myrat and managed it for around forty years, carrying out numerous improvements. However, a series of difficult vintages in the 1960s and the general slump in sales of sweet wines led him to a painful decision: in 1976, he had the entire vineyard uprooted. This was unprecedented in the wine world for a classified growth, and the affair caused a great stir. The estate then remained without a single vine for more than a decade. Upon the death of the comte in April 1988, his children, who were living in Paris at the time, wished to work Myrat again, but discovered that the planting rights attached to the land were due to expire within a few months. The decision could not wait: Jacques and Xavier de Pontac rose to the challenge and, within just a few weeks, the original 22 hectares were reworked, 150,000 vine stocks were selected and replanted, the team of winegrowers was assembled, and the cellars were entirely restored the following year. The local press ran headlines about the resurrection of Château de Myrat. The first harvest of the new era took place in 1991. Since 2010, Slanie and Elisabeth de Pontac, daughters of Jacques, have taken over and are perpetuating this family expertise, from vine to cellar.

Terroirs and Vines of Château de Myrat

The estate extends over 30 hectares, of which 22 hectares are planted with vines and 8 hectares are parkland, on the limestone plateau known as Haut-Barsac. The soil is composed of clays resting on a base of fissured starfish limestone, a configuration that lends the wines of this commune, including Myrat, a particularly distinctive freshness and minerality. It is precisely this signature that sets the barsacs apart from the neighbouring sauternes, with wines that are often more tense, more saline and less heavy in residual sugars. The estate's wines may moreover claim either the Barsac or the Sauternes appellation.

The château also benefits from an exceptional aspect and a unique microclimate. In autumn, the cold waters of the Ciron river flowing through Barsac empty into the warmer Garonne, creating moisture and morning mists that favour the development of Botrytis cinerea. The fungus settles on ripe grapes and renders the skin porous, allowing the sugars to concentrate under the effect of the heat and sunshine of the last fine autumn days. The encépagement rests on 88% sémillon, the flagship grape variety of the Sauternais whose thin skin encourages botrytis and which gives the wine its structure while bringing unctuousness, roundness and aromatic complexity. Sauvignon blanc, at 8%, adds vivacity and aromatic brilliance, while muscadelle, at 4%, contributes its floral and musky notes. Since all the vines were replanted simultaneously in 1988, the vineyard displays a rare uniformity of age, now having entered full maturity.

Winemaking at Château de Myrat

It all begins with the harvest, which takes place through successive passes and often extends into November. At each pass, the harvesters hand-pick only the perfectly botrytised berries, which requires walking the same rows many times over. Each day of harvesting constitutes a distinct lot, vinified and monitored separately.

The extremely rich musts are slowly pressed and then fermented at low temperature, before ageing for around twenty months in French oak barrels, with a measured proportion of new wood designed to support the material without ever dominating it. The final blend is only decided after a thorough tasting of all the lots, with the least concentrated juices being excluded from the fine wine. The average annual production remains deliberately limited to around 40,000 bottles, which reflects the severity of the selection across a 22-hectare vineyard. The estate also produces a dry white wine from grapes harvested before the development of botrytis, vinified in an entirely different register, with careful protection against oxidation, fermentation at controlled temperature and ageing on fine lees to preserve freshness and varietal expression.

The cuvées of Château de Myrat

Château de Myrat, Barsac Deuxième Cru Classé: the fine wine of the estate, a blend overwhelmingly dominated by sémillon, complemented by sauvignon blanc and muscadelle, made entirely from botrytised grapes picked berry by berry. The colour evolves from luminous pale gold in youth to deep gold with age. The nose displays a remarkably precise aromatic range: apricot, yellow peach, candied orange peel, acacia honey, white flowers, and a hint of ginger and vanilla contributed by the ageing. The palate stands out for its remarkable balance between richness and a chalky acidity inherited from the limestone of Barsac, giving the wine a saline length and a finish of rare clarity, without the slightest heaviness. Elegance and freshness take precedence here over opulence, making it the ideal choice for lovers of classic, digestible sweet wines. A wine for ageing, capable of improving over twenty to thirty years, yet already seductive in its youth. It is best served chilled, around 9 to 11 degrees, and pairs magnificently with foie gras, roquefort and blue-veined cheeses, lobster or shellfish, spiced Asian cuisine, sushi, or simply a dessert featuring yellow fruits. Among the most successful vintages of the new era are 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Le Sec de Myrat: the estate's dry cuvée, crafted from the same grape varieties harvested before the development of noble rot. Vinified for tension and purity, it offers a nose of citrus, white fruits, boxwood and flowers, with a lively, saline and remarkably digestible palate, underpinned by the minerality of the Haut-Barsac limestone plateau. Produced in small quantities, it represents an ideal discovery of the other face of this great terroir, and pairs wonderfully with oysters, grilled fish, shellfish and fresh goat's cheeses.