Chateau Haut Sarpe St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Haut Sarpe, St. Emilion with wine tasting notes, wine and food pairings, 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 Sarpe History, Overview

Chateau Haut Sarpe has a long history in the region as it dates all the way back to 1750 when it was founded by Pierre Beylot. The design of the beautiful chateaux was inspired by the Trianon, which is located in Versailles.

Chateau Haut Sarpe first came into prominence when the estate earned a gold medal for their wine in 1867, at the World Fair in Paris. As the name implies, it shares a common heritage with Clos de Sarpe. In fact, both properties were at once time owned by the same family.

At the time the estate was owned by the du Foussat family. Today, Chateau Haut Sarpe is owned by the well-known Janoueix family who took over Chateau Haut Sarpe in 1930. The Janoueix family owns a myriad of popular estates in St. Emilion as well as in Pomerol and Bordeaux Superieur.

Chateau Haut Sarpe is a fun estate to visit. The views from the plateau are quite nice and there is a small, charming village inside with its own little wine bar for the workers called the Glou Glou. Chateau Haut Sarpe is also known for hosting sculpture exhibits in their landscaped gardens and a flour mill museum, located on the grounds.

Chateau Haut Sarpe Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 21-hectare, Right Bank vineyard of Chateau Haut Sarpe is planted to 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is located in the eastern part of Saint Emilion, next to Clos de Sarpe and not far from Chateau Sansonnet.

Many of the vines are old and average close to 45 years of age. The terroir is a blend of clay, limestone, and sandy soils. As the vineyard is replanted, new plantings are being done at much higher vine densities, of which some vines are planted to 10,000 plants per hectare.

Beginning with the 2015 vintage, the estate shifted to using only organic farming techniques. The property is located just a short walk from the picturesque village of Saint Emilion.

To produce the wine of Chateau Haut Sarpe, fermentation takes place in large, traditional, temperature-controlled, cement, vats. The wine is aged in 30% new, French oak barrels for an average of 12 months before bottling. There is a second wine, Chateau Vieux Sarpe.

The best vintages of Chateau Haut Sarpe are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2010, 2009 and 2005. Though it should be noted that starting with 2018, the quality of the wine here took a big leap up.

The production here is large at close to 10,000 cases of wine per vintage. The new work in the vineyards coupled with bringing in Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus could really shake things up here and bring more attention to one of the most obscure Grand Cru Classe vineyards in the appellation.

When to Drink Chateau Haut Sarpe Faure, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Haut Sarpe is better with at least 3-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage.

Chateau Haut Sarpe is best enjoyed in the first 3-12 years of life. Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 hour to 90 minutes. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau Haut Sarpe with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Haut Sarpe is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Haut Sarpe is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Haut Sarpe is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

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