Chateau Climens Sauternes Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Climens Sauternes, Premiers Crus with wine tasting notes, and wine with food pairing tips. Learn all the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Climens History, Overview

Chateau Climens today, and over the past decade or two, has become one of the most popular producers of Sauternes wines. Located in the commune of Barsac, Climens is planted on perfect terroir to produce great sweet, Bordeaux wine.

The terroir with its soggy, damp, morning weather and a massive amount of limestone is exactly how the estate got its name. In fact, when Climens is translated from the local dialect, the definition means, infertile, poor land.

Chateau Climens has a long history in the Bordeaux wine region. It dates all the way back to back to 1547. In those days, it was spelled Chateau Clemenz.

Skipping ahead a few centuries to the 1855 Classification, not only was Chateau Climens given a status that was only bested by Chateau d’Yquem, that same year, the estate was purchased that same year by Henri Gounouilhou.

It remained the property of the Gounouilhou family until 1971 when Lucien Lurton of Chateau Brane Cantenac bought the property. Lucien Lurton purchased Château Doisy Dubroca in 1971 as well.

Starting in 1992, Chateau Climens has been managed by his daughter Berenice Lurton, who was only 22 years old at the time she took over the estate. A major replanting of the vineyard began taking place in 2000.

In July 2022, 30 years after she began to manage the vineyard, the estate, due in part to difficulties of Sauternes in the marketplace and to a relentless series of hail and frost storms over the past several vintages, which allowed Climens to produce only one vintage between 2017 and 2021 vintage, a majority interest in Chateau Climens was sold to Jean-Hubert Moitry, and Catherine Moitry through their family holding company, Patrimonia. This is their first investment in the wine industry. Bernice Lurton remains with the estate.

Chateau Climens Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 31-hectare Barsac vineyard of Chateau Climens is planted with 100% Semillon grapes. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. At one time, there was a minor amount of Sauvignon Blanc and a few Muscadelle vines planted in the vineyard. However, after the Lurton family purchased the estate in 1972, those vines were removed and replaced with Semillon.

The terroir is extremely chalky and filled with limestone, sand, clay, and small rock-strewn soils on the Barsac plateau. This is a perfect fit for the Semillon grape.

Even though the vineyard is one large block on the peak of the plateau of Barsac, it can be divided into 4 large blocks and then subdivided into 25 separate parcels.

The vineyard is adjacent to the chateau on gently sloping hillsides that rise up to 18 meters at its peak placing Chateau Climens on the top of the Barsac plateau. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare. Starting in 2010, Chateau Climens began to use biodynamic farming techniques. The following year, they were 100% biodynamic.

Chateau Climens 2014 is the first vintage they became officially certified for being biodynamic. The property has been certified by EcoCert.

One of the more interesting practices used by Chateau Climens is the use of organic herbal teas in the vineyard. The teas are used to help fight potential diseases in the vines. Some of the teas used could range from Chamomile, Horsetail, Willow Tree, Cypress, and Juniper Berry.

To produce the wine of Chateau Climens, vinification takes place in French oak barrels at 27 degrees Celsius for between 2 to 3 weeks. Once the wine reaches the desired degree of alcohol, the fermentation temperature is rapidly dropped to about 3 degrees Celsius. The decrease in temperature halts the fermentation and retains the high sugar levels.

The wine is aged on average in 35% to 45% new, French oak barrels for close to 20 to 24 months. The amount of new oak barrels depends on the character and quality of the vintage. Chateau Climens is one of the few Bordeaux wine producers to make a non-blended wine.

Chateau Climens produces close to 3,000 cases of wine per year. The estate also makes a second wine, Cypres de Climens.

Chateau Climens dry white Bordeaux. In addition to sweet wine, Climens also produces 3 dry white Bordeaux wines.

Asphodele is produced in conjunction with Pascal Jolivet of Sancerre. Asphodele is made from 100% Semillon and is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and aged on its lees for 8 months before bottling. Asphodele is sold as a Grand Vin Blanc Sec, generic AOC Bordeaux wine.

Lilium, which is produced from a parcel selection of 100% Semillon. The wine is on the fresh side as it is aged exclusively in neutral, glass wine globes. There is a second wine of Lilium, Petite Lily.

Fenouil and Camomille, produced from 100% Semillon uses almost no sulfur. The wine is vinified in stainless steel vats and is aged in neutral glass, wine globes.

The best vintages of Chateau Climens are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001, 1997, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1986, 1983, 1976, 1975, 1971, 1959, 1949 and 1929. It is important to note that the reason you do not see 2021, 2020, 2018, and 2017 listed as top vintages is that those years were declassified due to weather-related disasters, frost, hail, and mildew.

Chateau Climens is one of the few Barsac estates to have declassified entire harvests when the grapes were not up to their high standards. Most recently, no wine was made in 1993, 1992, 1987, and 1984. Chateau Climens has some of the lowest yields in Sauternes and Barsac. After sorting and blending, the effective yield can be as low as 7 hectoliters per hectare.

Chateau Climens is one of the top Sauternes, Barsac Bordeaux wine properties. The wine of Chateau Climens shows honeyed tropical notes, with floral, vanilla, and spice aromatics. While it’s sweet, there is ample acidity to give it lift. Acidity is a key component in a sweet white.

Without it, the wine feels tired or flabby in your mouth. Chateau Climens has the ability to age and develop for decades. A recently tasted bottle of 1949 Climens bears this out.

When to Drink Chateau Climens, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Climens can be enjoyed on the young side with no decanting. In fact, it is delicious and quite a treat young, even on release! However, like all great wines, Chateau Climens is much better with age and does not reach full maturity until it’s between 15-40 years of age, or in some years, perhaps even longer in the best vintages!

That is when the wine starts to show all its complexities and secondary nuances. But that is unrealistic for 99% of the world’s wine drinkers. So, enjoy it on any special occasion that calls for it.

Of course, the wine is sweet, but there is so much, incredible, racy acidity, the wine always feels fresh, and never cloying, which makes it quite fun to enjoy young. With Chateau Climens and frankly, all Sauternes, the temperature is more important than decanting.

Serving Chateau Climens, with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Climens is best served at 14 degrees Celsius, 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The wine will naturally warm in the glass, while it develops more aromatic complexities and fleshes out.

Chateau Climens can be served with seafood dishes, especially shellfish, lobster, crab, and oysters on the half shell. Foie gras is a perfect pairing with its natural sweet, salty and savory characteristics.

Chateau Climens can also be paired with roasted chicken, veal, and pork dishes that are either spicy or prepared with a touch of sweetness. Spicy Asian cuisine, raw fish, like sushi or sashimi, and cheese, both hard and soft also make great pairings with Chateau Climens.

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