Château Haut-Beauséjour: Vineyards
Although the Château Haut-Beauséjour estate boasted 20 hectares when it was created, it has shrunk somewhat over the years. By the time Pierre Rousseau had made his acquisition there were just 10 hectares of vines being cultivated, the Rouzaud family having elected to focus on only the best parcels. These 10 hectares came to Rousseau, alongside the estate’s winemaking facilities.
The soils underfoot have a typical gravelly clay character, while there are deeper seams of limestone as characterises the Saint-Estèphe appellation. During the Rouzaud era the vineyards were planted with Merlot, which occupied 50% of the surface area, along with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% each Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Malbec was uprooted, leaving a vineyard today planted with 56% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The work in the vineyard is conventional, with no recourse to certified organic or biodynamic processes.
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