Château Haut-Sarpe: Vineyards
As I have already indicated in my introduction, Château Haut-Sarpe is located on the eastern plateau, almost directly east of the town of St Emilion. It is contiguous with Château Clos de Sarpe, while to the west are situated Château Balestard La Tonnelle, Château Sansonnet and Château Soutard. A more noteworthy neighbour is perhaps Château Trotte Vieille, a long-standing premier grand cru classé estate situated just to the south-west, slightly closer to the town.
The château which hides behind imposing gates of cast iron is the heart of the estate, and it is blessed with 3 hectares of park, and in the grounds there sits a windmill, restored to a pristine condition, a bar and accommodation for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. Around these buildings there are planted 21.5 hectares of vines, the varieties being 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The vines are planted at densities between 8,000 and 12,000 per hectare, with a replanting programme having shifted the figures upwards ever since 2003.
The soils underfoot are clay and limestone, very typical of the plateau, while the philosophy in the vineyard has evolved so that while it remains conventional, or perhaps raisonnée, there have also been experimental forays into organic and biodynamic practices over the years.
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