Haut Bergeron

History of Château Haut-Bergeron

The earliest written records of the estate's existence date from 1756. Over four generations, the Lamothe family — by turns farmers, millers, clog-makers, hoop-benders and wheelwrights — gradually began to involve themselves in the art of the vine. It was around 1820 that the family truly settled on this small domaine de Preignac. The fifth generation was embodied by Célérin Pierre Lamothe who, after his tour de France as a journeyman craftsman, was chosen to take part in the construction of the bell tower and the enlargement of the basilica of Verdelais. In 1881, his son François took over the vineyard and simultaneously developed a cooperage business.

The decisive step came in 1924, when Gaston Lamothe, aged twenty-five, carried out the first château bottlings together with his father. During the Second World War, while Gaston and his employee Adrien were called up, his wife Fernande single-handedly took on all the tasks of the estate, producing along the way the fine 1942 and 1945 vintages. More recently, Robert Lamothe left his mark on the estate for half a century, while also holding the highest positions at the Syndicat, the Maison du Sauternes, the CIVB, the INAO and the FDGVB, which earned him the title of Chevalier and then Commandeur du Mérite Agricole in December 2005. The journalist and writer Jean-Paul Kauffmann recounts, in Voyage à Bordeaux, that he often dreamed of a certain Haut-Bergeron during his three years of captivity in Lebanon, and speaks warmly of the excellent Robert Lamothe. The vineyard has expanded steadily: 1987 marked the beginning of the Graves adventure with the acquisition of the first parcels of white grape varieties in Pujols-sur-Ciron, and 1990 saw the addition of a unique parcel situated between the two branches of the Ciron. Today, Patrick and Hervé Lamothe run the property, which celebrated its two hundredth anniversary in 2020 with a collector's label paying tribute to successive generations.

Terroirs and Vines of Château Haut-Bergeron

The estate comprises 37 hectares under the Sauternes appellation and approximately 12 hectares under the Graves appellation. The parcels, all of the finest quality, are spread across the communes of Sauternes, Bommes, Preignac and Barsac, with some situated just a few rows from Château d'Yquem. An exchange of parcels of equivalent quality was in fact carried out with the illustrious neighbor in the interest of land consolidation, bringing Haut-Bergeron a particularly prized 60-are gem.

The diversity of the soils enriches the blend: deep gravels, gravelly-clay terroirs at Bommes, clay-limestone soils in the Graves — each sector making its own contribution. The parcel acquired in 1990, a veritable small island enclosed between the two arms of the Ciron, a unique case in Sauternes, benefits from prodigious development of noble rot thanks to the permanent humidity and morning mists generated by the river. Sémillon dominates the grape variety mix, complemented by Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The estate above all preserves a rare treasure: a few rows of vines that survived phylloxera, which the family affectionately calls their old ladies and which have now passed the century mark. In the Graves, in the commune of Pujols-sur-Ciron, the old vines of Graves Supérieures, formerly attached to the Sauternes appellation, yield structured wines endowed with a refreshing minerality linked to the terroir. Château Farluret, in Barsac, is undergoing conversion to organic farming.

Winemaking at Château Haut-Bergeron

The expertise, passed down from generation to generation, is rooted first and foremost in the harvest. The grapes are picked by hand in successive passes, sometimes many, each pass selecting only the berries that have reached the optimal stage of concentration by Botrytis cinerea. The pre-phylloxera old vines are harvested separately, with the utmost care.

The musts, very rich, are slowly pressed and then fermented at low temperature, before aging in French oak barrels whose duration and proportion of new wood vary according to the cuvée and the vintage. The stated objective is precision and balance rather than over-extraction: the wines must remain approachable, rich and fresh. The house applies a strict principle of qualitative rigor that has led it, on numerous occasions, to decide against releasing certain vintages deemed insufficient, such as 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1974 or 1993. Conversely, a persistent curiosity holds that almost every year ending in nine has been exceptional for the estate: 1929, 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009 all bear witness to this. This rigor explains the wealth of distinctions accumulated since 1964.

The Wines of Château Haut-Bergeron

Château Haut-Bergeron (Sauternes AOC): the estate's fine wine and its signature. Behind a shimmering color, an expressive bouquet of peach, white flowers, broom, wisteria and acacia reveals itself, evolving with time towards quince and candied apricot. The palate is ample, rich and concentrated, offering a profusion of candied flavors typical of a traditional Sauternes, supported by a beautiful freshness that adds to the relief and balance of the whole. An assured classicism, remarkable length and a quality-to-price ratio among the best in the appellation. The 2020 vintage, celebrating the bicentenary, is dressed in a collector's label.

La Cuvée spéciale (Sauternes AOC): the château's absolute pride, crafted since 1996 from the old ladies — those few rows of century-old vines that survived phylloxera. Made from 100% Sémillon and produced in tiny quantities, it surprises with its freshness, precision and balance, offering a very broad aromatic palette and seemingly endless length. This exceptional, honey-tinged nectar is one of the appellation's lesser-known summits.