Clos Haut-Peyraguey

The history of this estate and Lafaurie-Peyraguey is one and the same in the early years, when the two were part of the original Peyraguey estate. The records of the estate dated to early 17^th century, when the land was owned by Sieur Raymond Peyraguey, a member of the rural bourgeoisie who settled in Bommes.

It was acquired in 1742 by Baron Nicolas-Pierre de Pichard, a local parliamentarian who also owned Lafite-Rothschild and Coutet. Under his direction the estate moved towards ordered viticulture, but he met his end at the guillotine in 1794 during the Revolution.

The estate was of 30 hectares then, known as Chateau Pichard-Peyraguey, and was sold in 1796 to Lafaurie and Mauros, with the former buying out the latter soon. Lafaurie, who also owned a stake in nearby Chateau d’Arche, established the reputation of the wines, and renamed it Lafaurie-Peyraguey.

It was ranked third in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac, behind d’Yquem and La Tour Blanche. Upon his death the property was left to his widow, who married later to Saint-Rieul-Dupouy, then selling the estate to Comte Duchatel, proprietor of Chateau Lagrange, in 1865.

Comte Duchatel funded an extensive refurbishment, restoring the entranceway and remodeling the chateau and buildings. Upon his death the estate was passed to his granddaughter, Charlotte de Tremoille, who put the estate for sale. The major part was acquired by the negociants Farinel and Gredy in 1879, becoming the today Lafaurie-Peyraguey.

A smaller section was cleaved off and purchased by a pharmacist named Grillon, becoming the independent Clos Haut-Peyraguey. This was a small plot of vines on a promontory overlooking Lafaurie-Peyraguey, which was later acquired by Eugene Garbay and Fernand Ginestet.

With time Garbay and his descendants took full control of the estate, with ownership passing to Eugene’s grandsons Pierre and Bernard Pauly, before in 1969 Bernard’s son Jacques Pauly and his wife Jacqueline. Since 2002 it was their daughter Martine Langlais-Pauly who held the reins, but in 2012 she decided to sell to Bernard Magrez.

The Pauly family today owns 17 hectares of vines, of which 12 of from Clos Haut-Peyraguey, and the remaining 5 hectares Haut-Bommes. Clos Haut-Peyraguey is divided into two principal parts, 8 hectares in a clos around the cellar, and the 4 hectares plot acquired by Garbay which lies close to d’Yquem. There are also two small plots within sight of La Tour Blanche.

The soils are a mix of gravel and sandy clay, with vines of 95% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Blanc. The move away from Sauvignon Blanc reflected a realization that the wines were sufficiently fresh and bright that did not need the Sauvignon lift. The harvest is manual, usually in 3-5 tries, and yields are low, as in 2008 as low as 5.5 hl/ha.

Both Clos Haut-Peyraguey and Haut-Bommes are managed in the same fashion but kept completely separate, with Haut-Bommes not a second wine. The fruit is pressed using pneumatic equipment before clarification overnight in concrete vats. Fermentation is carried out within oak barriques, between 50% to 80% new each vintage, with the rest one-year old, using only indigenous yeast.

Once the alcohol reached 12% they are run off and blended in larger vats, where fermentation continues to attain another 1-2% alcohol then brought under control by reducing temperature instead of sulphuring. The wines will then go back to barriques and rest in wood for at least 18 months, with racking up to five times to clarify the wines to prevent late fermentations.

Finally it is assembled in vats once more, fined as required and rarely filtered, before going into bottle. The grand vin is Clos Haut-Peyraguey, with the chateau prefix dropped from 2007 onwards, without any second wine.

I have recently tasted the 2007 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium gold color, with watery rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity aromas of citrus fruit such as lemon peel and orange marmalade, stone fruit of apricot, dried fruit of raisin, maturity notes of honey, oak notes of butterscotch, oxidation notes of caramel, floral notes of honeysuckle. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with high acidity, the wine has medium (+) in alcohol, full body and pronounced intensity flavors of citrus fruit such as lemon, orange peel, stone fruit of apricot, maturity notes of honey, dried fruit of sultana, tropical fruit of mango, oxidation notes of caramel. The wine has medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality high-priced Sauternes with typical characters, with a very intense nose demonstrating complex aromas, as well as a balanced sweetness and acidity to make it refreshing despite the high sugar level. The wine has a robust structure and in harmony, with the palate showing equally concentrated flavors, complexity and a fairly long finish. Impressive sweet wine that is ready to drink now though can further develop for another 10-15 years.