Château Clos de Sarpe: Vineyards
Château Clos de Sarpe is situated on the Sarpe plateau, which is to the east of the town of St Emilion, out past Château Trotte Vieille. In this corner of the appellation we find both Château Haut-Sarpe and Château Clos de Sarpe, the latter nestled in the shadow of the former, which is graced by Léo Drouyn’s magnificant château. There are many less familiar names in this sector, although Château Barde-Haut, which is located a short distance to the southeast, is well known. More familiar names sit just to the west, including Château Balestard La Tonnelle, Château Sansonnet and the aforementioned Château Trotte Vieille.
The terroir is typical of the plateau; limestone and clay form the base upon which the vineyard rests, while the superficial soils are rich in feruginous material and pebbles. The vineyard accounts for a potential 3.7 hectares of the appellation, although at the last count the area planted to vines and in active production was slightly smaller, at 3.35 hectares. Many of the vines are of a good age, with two-thirds of the vineyard aged between 55 and 80 years, the rest generally between 10 and 25 years of age. The vines sit in a single parcel, planted at a density of 5,500 vines per hectares, and they are 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.
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