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Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey

Some of my earliest and most enjoyable experiences with Sauternes have concerned Lafaurie-Peyraguey. Bottles bearing this name popped up at the tastings that formed my Bordeaux education, and the wine merchants I first frequented always seemed to have a bottle or two on the shelves. And, over the years since those youthful discoveries, Lafaurie-Peyraguey has remained a firm favourite, the 1986 and 1990 being two of the most delicious examples of Sauternes I have ever had the good sense to purchase and consume.

But what of its similarly named friend, Clos Haut-Peyraguey? The two are in fact siblings, having been born from the division of the original Peyraguey estate. Of this estate I have heard hardly a whisper. Yes, I have encountered the occasional bottle at tastings, both when tasting in Bordeaux or alternatively when the UGC army have descended upon the UK with their wines. But I have never before spotted one for sale, never purchased one, never savoured the wine in the comfort of my own home, as we are meant to do. So when the opportunity arose recently in London to meet proprietor Martine Langlais-Pauly, and to taste a couple of recent vintages, naturally I jumped at the chance.

The Peyraguey Estate

The history of Clos Haut-Peyraguey and Lafaurie-Peyraguey is one and the same in the early years, when the two were part of the same estate. The earliest records that make reference to this estate date from the early-17th century, when the land was owned by Sieur Raymond Peyraguey, a member of the rural bourgeois set who settled in Bommes. There is no news on how Peyraguey fared with his vinous venture, however, for the next mention is more than a century later.

Although no doubt once a vital military outpost by the 18th century the strategic value of the chateau was perhaps lessening, and it was acquired in 1742 by Baron Nicolas-Pierre de Pichard, a local parliamentarian of considerable repute who also owned Lafite and Coutet, as well as a number of grand titles. Under his direction the estate moved towards ordered viticulture, and he oversaw the construction of dedicated winemaking facilities. None of his titles, land or achievements did him any favours when the Revolution took hold, however, as he met his end at the guillotine in 1794 during the Terreur. The estate, including a 30-hectare expanse of vines by then known as Chateau Pichard-Peyraguey, was first leased to a local named Vignon, before being sold as a national asset in 1796 to two gentlemen named Lafaurie and Mauros, although the former soon bought out the latter. It was Lafaurie, who also owned a stake in nearby Chateau d'Arche, that established a reputation for the wine of his estate, first known as Pichard-Lafaurie, then as Lafaurie-Peyraguey. Previously a lowly ranked estate, within half a century or thereabouts Lafaurie-Peyraguey was one of the top names for Sauternes, a favoured tipple of King Alphonso XII of Spain, and was ranked third place in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac directly behind Yquem and La Tour Blanche.

Having guided Lafaurie from fledgling estate to classed growth status, however, Lafaurie died, leaving his property to his widow. She married a gentleman named Saint-Rieul-Dupouy, and they then sold the estate to Comte Duchâtel, proprietor of Chateau Lagrange, in 1865. Duchâtel found himself in charge of a slightly contracted estate, the area under vine having shrunk to 27 hectares. He wasted no time, funding an extensive refurbishment, restoring the entranceway which was part of the original 13th-century keep, and remodelling the chateau and buildings. Upon his death the property passed to his granddaughter, Charlotte de Trémoille, who before long sold off the estate. The major part, including the chateau and cellars, was acquired at auction by the négociants Farinel and Grédy in 1879, and this portion continued on and gave us what is known today as Lafaurie-Peyraguey (although there have been some changes in its exact make-up over the ensuing years). A smaller section of vineyard was cleaved off and purchased by a pharmacist named Grillon; it is this section that concerns us here, as this was the beginning of Clos Haut-Peyraguey's independence.

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey

The section that gave us Clos Haut-Peyraguey was a small plot of vines on a promontory overlooking the modern-day Lafaurie-Peyraguey estate with its 13th-century buildings. It was acquired in 1914 by a two gentlemen, Eugène Garbay, who already owned a neighbouring estate Haut-Bommes, and Fernand Ginestet. With the passage of time Garbay and his descendents took full control of the estate, tenure passing to Garbay's grandsons, Pierre and Bernard Pauly. In 1969 Bernard's son Jacques Pauly together with his wife Jacqueline inherited control of the estate, and since 2002 their daughter Martine Langlais-Pauly has taken the reins. By virtue of its origins, once having been part of Lafaurie-Peyraguey, the estate today maintains a position as a premier cru classé estate as per the 1855 classification.

As one might suppose the chateau buildings are modest and unprepossessing, being of more recent construction than the its Medieval, castellated neighbour. They are situated with the vines atop the Bommes plateau, the altitude of these vines ranging from 50 to 80 metres. The Pauly family today own 17 hectares in total, of which 12 hectares are Clos Haut-Peyraguey (with 7 hectares directly adjacent to the cellar), the remaining 5 hectares are Haut-Bommes. The soils underfoot are a mix of gravelly and sandy clay and the vines are 92% Semillon and 8% Sauvignon Blanc; there was Muscadelle but it has been uprooted in favour of these two. Favouring Semillon over Sauvignon Blanc, the area planted to the latter has also been on the wane recently. The harvest is naturally manual, usually in 3-5 tries, and yields are naturally low as they always are in Sauternes, typically less than 20 hl/ha, although 2008 saw 5.5 hl/ha for Clos Haut-Peyraguey and a remarkable 4 hl/ha for Haut-Bommes. These are exceptional examples though. The 2009 vintage, although of fine quality, was less exceptional in terms of yield, Clos Haut-Peyraguey giving 18 hl/ha and Haut-Bommes 17 hl/ha.

In the cellars, both Clos Haut-Peyraguey and Haut-Bommes are managed in the same fashion, but they are kept entirely separate, Haut-Bommes being a distinct wine from its own terroir, not a second wine of Clos Haut-Peyraguey. The fruit is pressed before clarification overnight in concrete vats. Fermentation is carried out within oak barriques, with 50% new each vintage, using only indigenous yeasts, although unusually they are kick-started with the addition of thiamine (also known as vitamin B1). Once the wines hit 12% they are run off and blended in larger vats, where the fermentation continues attaining another 1-2% alcohol at which point it is brought under control by chilling. Thereafter the wines will go back into barriques where they will rest in wood for at least 18 months, during which they will be racked up to five times in order to clarify the wines and to help prevent late fermentations fed by the wealth of residual sugar. Finally the wines will be assembled in vats once more, fined as required and rarely filtered, before ultimately going into the bottle. The grand vin is Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey, and there is no second wine.

My experience of Clos Haut-Peyraguey, as I confessed in my introduction, is limited. What I have tasted has been of good quality, although in answer to the obvious question the wines do not match Lafaurie-Peyraguey in terms of sheer class and finesse. They have a fresh and yet gentle style, perhaps showing less of the exuberant botrytis-rich explosion that Lafaurie can furnish us with. Having said that, it is perhaps not fair to compare the two siblings, when my experience of big brother Lafaurie is so wide-ranging, taking in many mature vintages, whereas with the offshoot of Clos Haut-Peyraguey the vintages I have been exposed to were all tasted when young or relatively so. (23/6/10)

Contact details:
Address: 33210 Bommes
Tel: +33 (0) 5 56 76 61 53
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 76 69 65
Internet: www.closhautpeyraguey.com

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey - Tasting Notes

I have included below notes not only on Clos Haut-Peyraguey but also the Langlais-Pauly family's neighbouring property, Haut-Bommes. Click to locate stockists.

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Sauternes) 2009: Residual sugar 136 g/l. A good depth of fruit here, with aromas of white flower petals and pears. A restrained sweetness on the palate, fresh but with good substance, and quite a firm backbone to it too. Good lifted acidity. Not so intense as some, but still a very good wine in this vintage. From my 2009 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 17-18+/20 (March 2010)

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Sauternes) 2008: Rather herby crystalline fruit on the nose. The palate has fleshy and mealy flavours, firm with a touch of grip. The herby character found on the nose comes through here with the sweetness, as well as a little weight. Firm grip. A decent effort. From my 2008 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Sauternes) 2007: A nice floral nose here, hints of acacia and white flower petals, polished with a lightly crystalline quality. Lovely style on the palate, balanced and fresh, with a tingling acid backbone. Not a rich or concentrated style, rather one that is clean, fresh and floral, with lots of grip in the finish. Spicy, vibrant, with a little length here. Good. 16+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Sauternes) 2005: Not so expressive as the 2007 tasted alongside, with polished stony fruit on the nose, opening out nicely to reveal a gently honeyed character. A lovely style here, sappy and fresh, floral, with lots of grip and spice. The fruit has a crystalline quality, the acidity behind tingling and vibrant, with a pepper edge. Long too. An attractive wine if you prefer a lighter, fresher style of Sauternes. 16.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Haut-Bommes (Sauternes) 2005: Another property also owned by the Langlais-Pauly family, proprietors of Clos Haut-Peyraguey. The vineyard is 5 hectares in size and distinct from Haut-Peyraguey, although the fruit is handled in exactly the same fashion. No new barrels though, it sees only second-hand Clos Haut-Peyraguey wood. A very crisp and bright nose, with a touch of matchstick reduction. A nice gentle texture on the palate, but in terms of flavour it seems quite closed and ungiving at present. Fresh, nicely composed, with good acidity for the vintage perhaps reflecting the terroir. A touch difficult to judge though, especially with those aromatics. 15-16+?/20 (February 2010)