After spending 2 nights in Saint Emilion and focusing on the Right-Bank of Bordeaux, we left the hotel in the morning and drove through the Entre-Deux-Mer region of Bordeaux to arrive iat Château Climens in Barsac-Sauternes at around 11:00 am.
Château Climens is an Appellation Barsac-Sauternes Première Grand Cru Classé Estate, owned and run by the charming Bérénice Lurton.
Owner/ Winemaker Bérénice Lurton was our host.She took us to her vineyards. Bérénice works in the vineyard according to biodynamic principles and in 2011 Château Climens received the biodyvin certification. She showed us then the facilities that are being used to prepare the products she needs for the treatment of the vineyars as well as the winemaking facilities including the barrel cellars.
By then it was time for lunch. We sat down with Bérénice in the dining quarters of Château Climens for an apperetif before moving to the table for a very nice wine-pairing lunch with Bérénice Lurton.
Château Climens was first mentioned in 1547. Since then only five families called Climens their home, with the Lurton family being the last owner when Lucien Lurton bought the estate in 1971 (The Lurtons are one of Bordeaux's great wine dynasties. With more than 2,500 acres in the region, they are collectively Bordeaux's largest holder of wine-producing land. The family members own more than 20 châteaux and manage several well-known properties.). In 1992 Bérénice Lurton, Lucien Lurton’s youngest daughter took over the reins at Château Climens. The estate sits on the highest point in the Barsac appellation – a bit north of Sauternes - and is surrounded by 75 acres of vineyard. The vineyard is entirely planted with Sémillion -unusual for a Sauternes- that gives the Climens wines its racy complexity and freshness. Bérénice works in the vineyard according to biodynamic principles and in 2011 Château Climens received the biodyvin certification.
Château Climens
The estate was founded in 1547 by Guirault Roborel. In 1855, in the year Château Climens was classified a Premier Cru, Henri Gounouilhou, owner of an influential Bordeaux daily newspaper, bought the property. He used his influence in the media to boost the public’s recognition of Château Climens. Additionallly, Henri Gounouilhou improved the quality of the Climens wines to such a degree that Château Climens for some years challenged Château d'Yquem as the top estate in Sauternes. The vintages 1929, 1947 and 1949 were described by Alexis Lichine to surpass Château d'Yquem as "lighter, with less vinosity and body, yet miraculously subtle."
In 1971, Lucien Lurton bought the estate, along with Château Doisy-Dubroca. It has been run by his daughter, Bérénice Lurton, since 1992. The Lurton family has done a wonderful job, continuing to improve on the already excellent quality reached under Gouonouilhou’s ownership. One specific step taken by the Lurton family was to remove all Muscadelle vines. Thus, today the 30 hectare estate is composed of 100% Semillon, unlike most Sauternes estates that incorporate a small portion of Sauvignon Blanc. There is one only vineyard and it is unchanged since growing of grapes started in the 16th century.
Château Climens also produces a second wine named Cypres de Climens. Château Climens is located in the south of the Barsac appellation, just outside the small village of La Pinesse.
Winemaking
The poor limestone soil and damp morning weather is exactly how the estate got its name. When Climens is translated from the local dialect, it means unfertile, poor land.
The average age of the vines is 35 years. Yields are low, averaging 12 hectoliters per hectare. In some years the yield can drop as low as 8 hectoliters per hectare. This makes for an intensely aromatic and concentrated wine.
During the entire harvest period each day’s harvest is sent to the winery where it will be vinified separately. The fermentation is controlled at 27 degrees Celsius and will last between 15 and 21 days. Once the ideal level of alcohol is reached (13.5%), the wine receives a thermal shock, quickly dropping the temperature down to 3 degrees Celsius, which halts the fermentation. The wine is then sent to barrel where it will be aged in 30% new oak. After 22 months of aging, the tasting team will taste all the individual wines and decide on two separate blends. The first and superior blend will be destined for the first label, Château Climens. The second tier blend, although still high in quality, will be bottled as the second label, Cyprès de Climens. About 30,000 bottles of the first label are produced and between 10,000 and 15,000 bottles of the second label.
Noble Rot
At Château Climens the mornings are humid with fog and the afternoons are sunny. This provides the perfect conditions for the development of the botrytis cinerea. In order for all of the botrytised grapes to be harvested, the estate will conduct between 5 and 6 runs through the vineyard, each lasting 3 to 8 days, to ensure that only the botrytis infected grapes are picked.
Biodynamic
Château Climens is the first classified noble-sweet wine estate in Bordeaux to go biodynamic, with the assistance of Jean-Michel and Corinne Comme, who also consult for Château Pontet-Canet. Château Climens is aiming to be certified iodynamic in 2014.
Bérénice Lurton: “I believe passionately that biodynamics is the right way for us to go. We want to go back to our roots at Climens and help our wines find their own balance. Biodynamics brings life and vibrancy to the wines.”
Biodynamics can be difficult in the Bordeaux region. It is not the warmest area and there is a large amount of humidity from the Atlantic Ocean as well as the large rivers. So various vineyard problems have to be treated such as mildew and millederange.
Wine-pairing Dinner with Bérénice Lurton
Apperitif
We sat down with Bérénice in the dining quarters of Château Climens for an apperetif. All the wines served during lunch including the apperitif were noble-sweet Château Climens wines.
Apperitif wine: 2015 Cyprès de Climens
Wine-searcher average price in US$:32
Lunch
Following the apperitif we moved to the dining room for lunch.
The Menu
We had 4 courses and 5 wines (including 1 extra wines), all Château Climens.
Oeuf cocotte revisité, au foie gras et aux champignons bruns
Château Climens 2012
Wine-searcher average price in US$:32
Dos de Cabillaud, terre et mer, piment d'Espelette et croustillant de jambon
Château Climens 1996
Wine-searcher average price in US$:91
Fromage affiné
Château Climens 1977
Wine-searcher average price in US$:160
Château Climens 1978
Wine-searcher average price in US$:210
Soupe de fraises et framboises
Château Climens 2005
Wine-searcher average price in US$:111
Café
Chef à Domicile Florence Camaly
Thanks Chef Florence Camaly for a wonderful lunch.
Bye-bye
Bérénice Lurton, Château Climens, and Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, at the the National Conference of the American Wine Society 2016 in Los Angeles
Last time we saw each other was at the National Conference of the American Wine Society 2016 in Los Angeles.
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2011 Cyprès de Climens US$51
2008 Château Climens US$99
Elegant, floral scented Climens with a gentle texture and lightness on the palate. Fresh and lifted and much earlier drinking than the 2009 and 2010. Tasted in: Bordeaux, France. Maturity: Drink. 90/100 Jeannie Cho Lee Tasted: 04-Jan-2014
2005 Château Climens US$122
Tasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Château Climens just soars from the glass with layers of clear honey, marmalade, nectarine and minerals all beautifully carved. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh, vibrant honeyed fruit that builds and builds in the mouth in tandem with a killer line of acidity. Even though it is a convincing, great Climens, you also have the impression that it is only just beginning to show what it is capable of. Bérénice Lurton and her team excelled in this vintage and it comes strongly recommended! 97/100 Neil Martin eRobertParker.com #219 Jun 2015