Château Haut-Brion: Vineyards

Vines have been cultivated at Château Haut-Brion for at least six centuries, in a vineyard once surrounded by pasture and parkland, now by suburban houses. Despite the encroaching reality of the 21st century, within the walls of Château Haut-Brion there lies an excellent terroir, typical of Bordeaux in that it revolves around gravel. The same can, of course, be said for many of the leading estates of the Médoc. There are two gravel croupes which rise to the heady altitude of 15 metres, a lofty summit compared to much of the surrounding land, providing two south-east facing slopes perfect for the vine. The soils include ancient stones washed down from the Pyrenees over many millennia, and they are of Günzian origin. This is significant as gravel from this era, a glacial phase that occurred 600,000 years ago, is prized above all others, so much so that many vineyards along the Médoc claim to have Günzian gravel, when the origin is often much more recent.

Along with the gravel the vineyard soils are also peppered with quartz and other related minerals, including hardened conglomerates of stone and flint. There are just over 51 hectares of vines all told, which are cared for by vineyard manager Pascal Baratié, who also looks after this vineyard as well as that of neighbouring Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

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