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Château Lamothe Bergeron 2016
ABOUT THE WINE
Appellation | Haut Médoc
Grape |38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 58% Merlot, 2% Cabernet franc
Ageing | Aged for 12 to 16 months in 100% French oak barrels
Tasting Notes | A powerful wine! The wine presents with floral aromas and has soft well round tannins. The taste provides some dark berries and spices
Pairing |
Drinking | Drinking now - 2030
Critic Notes / Awards | Wine Enthusiast 91/100, Decanter 92/100
ABOUT THE CHÂTEAU
Since the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, Captal de Buch owned a seigneury over Cussac and had a castle built on a “mound” or “mound”: Château Lamothe. The story goes that “Under English domination, in 1364, the famous Captal de Buch, defeated and prisoner of Du Guesclin, paid his ransom of ten harvests from Château Lamothe…”
The footprint of Jacques de Bergeron
During the 18th century, Château Lamothe became and remained the property of the Bergeron family even during the French Revolution. Heir to his father; Jacques de Bergeron was an adviser to the Parliament of Bordeaux until 1790, when it was dissolved. Following this political career, he experimented and wrote essays on the cultivation of vines, fertilizers, the fight against dunes, insects, the use of acacia for the manufacture of carassons or even the planting of exotic trees. In 1796, he published a grafting technique for the vine. This will bear his name and will become the “Bergeron method”.chateau lamothe bergeron engraving
After his death, the property passed into the hands of his in-laws, the Quien de la Neufvilles. One of the descendants then married Martin Placide Abdon d'Armana (1824-1906). It is under the impetus of the Armana family that the current castle was built in a neo-classical style. The construction led by the architect Henri Duphot (Latour, Pichon-Longueville Comtesse, Beaumont, Lanessan, La Ferme Suzanne de Giscours…) ended in 1868. At the time, the vineyard was around 25 hectares.
At the end of the 19th century, the castle was jointly owned by the descendants of the Quien de la Neufville and D'Armana families. It was settled in 1898 by Clément Paul Amédée Xavier Le Saulnier de la Villehélio who was then the sole owner of Château Lamothe, which in a few years became Château Lamothe de Bergeron, thus recalling the name of its former and famous owner.
Cru Bourgeois since always
During the 20th century, the castle will change owners several times, mainly families of Bordeaux notables and will be classified Cru Bourgeois in 1932.
In 1957, the 19th century castle was badly damaged during a fire. The Camus family, owner at the time, renovated it and replaced the burnt wooden frame with a metal frame visible today in the seminar room.
A few years later, the estate was sold and managed by the company Mestrezat-Preller; which will become Cordier-Mestrezat in the 2000s. The property then extends over 56 hectares with a vineyard of 36 hectares. It will be the subject of various expansion operations to reach an area of 77 hectares, including 64 hectares of vines in the 1990s.
The production and marketing parts are provided by the trader and a large technical building is inaugurated in the 80s and 90s. However, the original 19th century building is gradually being abandoned...
On June 17, 2003, the estate was selected in the Cru Bourgeois Supérieur category. This classification was nevertheless canceled in 2007 and the approval of the Cru Bourgeois was completely revised from the 2008 vintage. Since then, Château Lamothe-Bergeron has obtained Cru Bourgeois recognition each year during the official selection.
chateau lamothe bergeron visit winetour bordeaux magic cellar new
A new lease of life in Lamothe-Bergeron
At the beginning of 2009, the estate was sold to the Cognacs company H. Mounier & Hardy with fine and grand ambitions for Château Lamothe-Bergeron. Mr Laurent Mery was then appointed Managing Director and called on the consultant oenologist Hubert de Boüard de Laforest to manage the vineyard and winemaking. The property now extends over 77 hectares including 67ha of vines.
The graphic identity has been redesigned: new packaging (logo, label, packaging, etc.), new website, new communication media.
As for the 19th century building, after about twenty years uninhabited, it is particularly dilapidated and many original parts are missing (stone fireplaces, steps, balustrades, etc.). Work and renovations were undertaken in January 2014, led by the Bordeaux architectural firm Gravière et Martin (Darwin Project, Refuge and Patiras Lighthouse, the redevelopment of the Chalet de Mauriac, etc.)
With the 2014 vintage, a newborn is born, it is NOVE, a wine from three selected plots, produced in limited quantities (around 4000 bottles) from Petit Verdot, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot.
In July 2015, the castle was reborn and opened its doors to visitors. It now has a reception area, a seminar room, four bedrooms, offices, a pantry, a tasting room and a shop. In addition, a visit route based on scenography was created and rewarded a few months later at the Best Of Wine Tourism in the Discovery & Innovation category.
Current Owner: Cognac company H. Mounier & Hardy
Soils: The vineyard extends over 67 hectares, of which 52% are planted with Merlot, 44% with Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% with Cabernet Franc and 2% with Petit Verdot.
Farming: Manual in all parts of the vineyard. A precursor in green harvesting
Vines: On average 30 years