Chateau Haut Bergey Pessac Leognan Bordeaux, Complete Guide

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

Chateau Haut Bergey History, Overview

Chateau Haut Bergey has a long history in the Bordeaux wine region dating all the way back to the 15th century. It started out life under the name of La Maison Noble de Pontey. Sir Jean-François de Cresse, a member the Bordeaux parliament, bought the estate in 1700.

Within 24 months, he grew the vineyards to 100 hectares. Over the years, parcels of the vineyards have been reduced, leaving the estate with its current 28-hectare size. Believe it or not, a century later, the vineyards of Haut Bergey were allowed to drift into a state of non-production. In 1850, a new chateau was built.

Jumping ahead almost 150 years, in March 1991, Sylviane Garcin-Cathiard purchased Chateau Haut Bergey, perhaps inspired by her brother, Daniel Cathiard, the owner of Smith Haut Lafitte, who had also recently bought a vineyard in the appellation.

Sylviane Garcin-Cathiard, the Granddaughter of a well-known Bordeaux negociant turned the Pessac Leognan estate around. In 2001, the estate and all its wine-making facilities were renovated and modernized. Until 2014, the Pessac Leognan estate was managed by Helene Garcin Levesque.

Starting with the 2015 vintage, her brother, Paul Garcin, took over managing the property and making both the wines of Branon and Haut Bergey. Once Paul Garcin took control, it was easy to see some changes were taking place in the winemaking and in the marketing.

Starting with the 2015 vintage, Branon was no longer offered for sale as a future. The wines are being held back until the aging process is complete and the wines are in the bottle.

Chateau Haut Bergey Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 42-hectare vineyard of Chateau Haut Bergey has 40 hectares planted to red grape varieties and 2 hectares of vines cultivated for white wine grapes. This shows a marked increase in the size of their vineyards as they have almost doubled in size over the past several years.

For the red wine grapes, the vineyards are planted to 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. This is a marked change in the vineyard with much less Cabernet Sauvignon.

For the white Bordeaux wine, 2 hectares of vines are planted to 82% Sauvignon Blanc and 18% Semillon for Haut Bergey Blanc.

The terroir is mostly gravel-based soil. The vineyards are not contiguous. In fact, they are spread out over the appellation, with various levels and qualities of terroir. Much of their vineyards are situated in the middle of the small village of Leognan not far from Domaine de Chevalier.

The vines are on average, 30 years of age, as many vines were planted in 1989. The vines are planted to a density of 7,150 vines per hectare. The vineyard is farmed using only 100% organic and biodynamic techniques. Haut Bergey earned their certification for being organic in 2017.

Chateau Haut Bergey Winemaking

For the production of the red wine of Haut Bergey, vinification takes place in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats that range in size from 80 hectoliters to 120 hectoliters. In years when more concentration is needed, they might bleed the tanks. The red wine of Haut Bergey is aged in about 50% new, French oak barrels for between 16 and 18 months.

To produce the white Bordeaux wine of Haut Bergey, vinification takes place in French oak barrels. There is no contact with the skins. There is no malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged on its fine lees with stirring. The wine is aged in close to 30% new, French oak for between 10 and 12 months, depending on the character of the vintage.

In most vintages, Haut Bergey produces close to 4,500 cases of red Bordeaux wine per year. Haut Bergey makes close to 400 cases per year of their white, Pessac Leognan wine. Alain Raynaud is the consultant. They also produce a second wine, L’Etoile de Bergey. Between the red wine, second wine, and white wine, the total production is close to 16,000 cases of wine per vintage.

In 2013, Haut Bergey introduced Cuvee Paul. Chateau Haut Bergey Cuvee Paul is aged in concrete egg-shaped vats for 14 months before bottling. The production is limited to an average of 150 cases per vintage.

The best vintages of Chateau Haut Bergey are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2005 and 2000. Although it is important to note that vintages can vary as to their quality between the white Bordeaux wine of Haut Bergey and the red wine.

Haut Bergey is popular with consumers. It delivers a lot of quality for the price of white and red wine. In fact, the estate offers some of the best Bordeaux wine for the money in the entire Pessac Leognan appellation. However, some vintages of the red Bordeaux wine have expressed too much oak.

A touch less oak might show a bit more freshness in the wine. The white Haut Bergey is very good, but so little is made, it’s almost impossible to find. Like their red wine, it sells for a very consumer-friendly price.

When to Drink Chateau Haut Bergey, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Haut Bergey needs time before the tannins fade and for the oak to integrate before showing its true complexities and character. Haut Bergey about 6-8 years at least, until it is ready to be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for 2 hours, give or take.

This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Haut Bergey offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 9-22 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Haut Bergey, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Haut Bergey is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The red wine of Chateau Haut Bergey is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Chateau Haut Bergey is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.

The white wine of Chateau Haut Bergey is a perfect wine to serve with shellfish, sashimi, sushi, all types of seafood, chicken, veal, and cheese.

In addition to Chateau Haut Bergey, the Garcin-Cathiard also own Chateau Branon in Pessac Leognan, and two estates in the Right Bank, Chateau Barde Haut and Chateau Poesia in St. Emilion and Clos LEglise in Pomerol. They also produce Poesia in Mendoza, Argentina.

www.haut-bergey.fr