A Climens Revolution, 2024
The past few years have seen a number of Bordeaux châteaux change hands, more than you might have realised. Some have done so almost surreptitiously, the deal done and monies exchanged with barely a word in the wine media. In many cases the team, vineyard and portfolio of wines continues without modification, one period of tenure interdigitating so tightly with the next it can be hard to know, or even believe, that one owner departed and another arrived. No wonder such transitions can slip by, unnoticed.
The change in ownership at Château Climens was not, it has to be said, one of these barely noticeable and seamless transitions. Bérénice Lurton had run this property with a great degree of commitment and aptitude since taking the reins in the early 1990s. Despite being fresh from university, aged barely 22 years, she excelled in the role, evidence for which includes some of the vintages produced late in the decade, particularly 1997 and 1999. Her departure from this prestigious property, especially coming after a string of newsworthy and disastrous harvests, was bound to draw attention.
Perhaps the most significant development during Bérénice’s tenure was the conversion to certified biodynamic viticulture, achieved in 2010 with the support of biodynamic consultant Corinne Comme. This was at first a great triumph for the estate, and the sequence of successful vintages seemed to continue unabated. It was only in 2017 that La Dame Nature began to turn the meteorological screw on Bérénice and her project.
