Not Classed,
but Classy: Haut-Bergeron 1961-2019

BY&nbsp;NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;MARCH 14, 2023One of
my New Year resolutions for 2023 was to glue more words into sentences about
the most auric appellation of Bordeaux: Sauternes. True to my word, this entire
piece was started and finished on 1 January, once the effects of the previous
night’s libation had ebbed. Instead of a familiar classified growth, the spotlight
shines upon an estate omitted from the 21 selected Classed Growths in 1855:
Château Haut-Bergeron. There is a logical reason that I shall explain in the
history insofar that the wine as we know it today had not really formed at that
time. Nevertheless, vintages have impressed in recent years, and when flitting
about Sauternes last April, I spent a useful couple of hours with the owners,
who organized an insightful vertical tasting.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1678801583076-haut-bergeron+line+up_copy.jpg">History The
story of Haut-Bergeron centers around several generations of the Lamothe family.
The oldest documents mentioning their name date from 1756, when Pierre and
Jeanne Lamothe purchased a scattering of small plots. However, these should not
be considered the genesis of contemporary Haut-Bergeron, not to mention the
fact that it predates Sauternes as an intentionally botrytis-affected wine. François
and Catherine Lamothe succeeded them, then Jean and Thoinette, who started out
as millers before becoming winemakers, and François and Françoise Lamothe, who
also worked as clog-makers and wheelwrights. In 1820, the fifth generation of
Célérin-Pierre and Jeanne Lamothe took over the holdings. They oversaw the
construction of a bell tower, plus an expansion of vines, thanks to Jeanne’s
dowry. These were located in the lieu-dit of Haut-Bergeron, hence their cru
adopted that name. However, at this time, nearly everything was sold off in bulk.
In 1881, their son François took over, and they established their own cooperage
business to supplement income. In 1918, the holdings passed to their son Gaston
after he returned from the Great War, aged just 18. Gaston married Fernande in
1929, whose dowry not only included further parcels but also the present château
in Preignac. Around this time, they commenced bottling themselves, though Fernande
had to tend the vines when her husband was conscripted in 1939 and made the
vintages between 1942 and 1945.

In
1950, Gaston was joined by his son Robert, and they made further purchases in
the communes of Bommes and Sauternes. Six years later, Robert’s wife Mady
inherited five hectares of vines in Barsac (Domaine de la Fôret) that was
incorporated into Haut-Bergeron. Finally, their parcels resemble those that
constitute Haut-Bergeron today. Robert was deeply involved in the
administration of Sauternes, creating the Maison de Sauternes in 1973
and serving as the president of the Sauternes union for over three decades. He
was joined by his sons Hervé in 1979 and Patrick in 1989, the former more
involved in the winemaking and the latter out in the vineyard. The next
generation is already working alongside them, as Hervé’s son Léo takes the
château into the future.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1678801605388-haut-bergeron+family_copy.jpg">From
the left: Léo, Patrick and Hervé Lamothe, pictured when I visited in April 2022.The Vineyard Today,
the family farms 35 hectares in Sauternes plus another 12 hectares in the
Graves.

The
parcels for Haut-Bergeron cover 20.82 hectares in the communes of Sauternes,
Bommes and Preignac, with some neighboring those of Yquem and Climens. Vines
occupy gravel, limestone and sandy soils in Sauternes and clay-limestone and
ferrous soils in Barsac. The grape varieties comprise 85% Sémillon and 15%
Sauvignon Blanc with an impressive average vine age of 60 years planted at 7,500
vines per hectare. There are plantings of Muscadelle, though technical sheets
indicate that these have not been used in the Grand Vin for the last decade.
Vines are replaced via massal selection with early-season removal of buds to
control yields. Since 2006, they have been farmed sustainably, and since 2017,
they have farmed one 2.10-hectare plot in Barsac organically that is bottled as
Château Farluret. Usually, they employ four to six tris through the
vines at harvest, with yields between 10 and 20hL/ha.

Bunches
are pressed first pneumatically and then in an old hydraulic press; the juice is
transferred by gravity into tank where it will rest overnight before
clarification. It is then fermented in barrel and thermos-regulated
stainless-steel vats before maturation in around 50% new oak for between 12 and
22 months, racking according to the lunar cycle and/or atmospheric pressure.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1678801631629-haut-bergeron+cuvee+114_copy.jpg">There
is also a little-known special bottling that derives from a specific plot of
Sémillon planted way back in 1896 on gravel and sand soils at the bottom of
Yquem. This was inaugurated in 1996 and named “Cuvée 100”, each release named
after the age of vines, ergo the 2010 included in this report is “Cuvée 114”.
It is not dissimilar to Doisy-Daëne’s L’Extravagant cuvée since it is much
more concentrated and laden with far higher residual sugar levels than regular
Sauternes, the aforementioned 2010 loaded with 300g/L. It spends three years in
100% new oak, with just one or two barrels produced depending upon the growing
season.The Wines This
vertical covered recent vintages from the late eighties with the addition of
two special bottles at the end. The wine reconfirmed how Haut-Bergeron punches
above its weight with impressive showings in vintages such as 2019, 2011,
2010 and 2009. There is a noticeable uptick in quality post-2009 as
the wines achieve more purity and complexity, in no small part due to
improvements in the vineyard husbandry. That’s not to dismiss those from the
Nineties and Noughties out of hand, but they occasionally err a little close to
Riesling in style, quite petrol-like, which is not what I always want in my
Sauternes.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1678801656017-haut-bergeron+1961+bottle_copy.jpg">The
bottle of 1961 Haut-Bergeron was spectacular. 

The
penultimate bottle was the 2010 Haut-Bergeron Cuvée 114:
super-concentrated and unctuous, no surprise given that it is loaded with 300g/L
residual sugar. Success lies in the razor-sharp line of acidity that maintains
freshness and neutralizes any heaviness in the mouth. It’s definitely worth
seeking out if you have a sweet tooth. But the highlight that afternoon was
unquestionably the brilliant 1961 Haut-Bergeron. Hervé Lamothe explained
that such was the warmth and acceleration that the harvesters could not keep up,
and it reached 30% potential alcohol. As a consequence, there is a whopping
300g/lLresidual sugar, and it only eked out four barrels. It is a fabulous,
mature Sauternes with marmalade and raisin notes, supremely well-balanced with
a compelling, tensile finish. You taste this, and you will find yourself
wondering why Sauternes is so hard to sell.Final Thoughts There
is no escaping the fact that Sauternes is a beleaguered appellation at the
moment. The wines have never been better, but the salient fact is that wine
lovers are just not drawn to sweet dessert wines; they have lost the habit of
buying and cellaring them alongside dry white and reds. However, the winemakers
strive on, and not just the famous names. Visiting Haut-Bergeron, the Lamothes
are proactive in terms of marketing and communication. Most importantly, they deliver
quality that surpasses some Cru Classés at a fraction of the price found
elsewhere. While those that do buy Sauternes naturally gravitate towards names
and classed growths, your palate might be pleasantly surprised by what you can
find outside that select group.&nbsp;© 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<div><hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/bordeaux-2019-the-southwold-tasting-feb-2023">Bordeaux 2019: The Southwold Tasting</a>, Neal Martin, February 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/thrice-is-nice-bordeaux-2020-in-bottle-feb-2023">Thrice Is Nice: Bordeaux 2020 in Bottle</a>, Neal Martin, February 2023<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/cleaning-out-the-cupboard-bordeaux-1943-2020-jan-2023">Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020</a>, Neal Martin, January 2023 </div>

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