Wine Words & Video Tape

Wine, Words and Videotape

Fine Wine Review site

Château Haut-Bergey

Address: 69 cours Gambetta, 33850 Léognan

Telephone: +33 (0)5 56 64 05 22

E-mail: info@vignoblesgarcin.com

Website: www.vignoblesgarcin.com

Vineyard/Terroir: 28.5 hectares on gravel soils with a clay subsoil, approx 3 hectares of which are white. Red varieties comprise 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and white varieties comprise 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon.

Winemaking/Elévage: Red wine gets 16-18 months in oak, 50% of which are new. The white wine spends 12 months in barrel, one third of which are new.

Tasting notes:

White:
  • 2015 Silver/light gold; Cox’s apples on the aromatics; little apricot; some oak; breadth on the palate; ripe and sweet fruit; easy and forward style. [80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sémillon]. Tasted UGCB 7/6/16. Drink 2019-2025. 88-90+
  • 2014 Pale straw/silver [bit cloudy currently]; candy and pear drop notes; fresh; waxy and full palate with some wet wool notes. Nicely done. [80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc]. Drink 2017-2024. Tasted UGCB 1 April, 2015. 90-91+
  • 2013 Very pale straw; grassy tones; quite full; some lees influence with melon and peach tones; similar notes on the palate and fresh, lively acidity. Good wine. Tasted UGCB April 2014. Drink 2015-2020. 87-89+
  • 2012 Palest colour; quite mineral; steely; little flint; quit broad palate; full flavoured with depth here maybe lacks a little zap on the finish but good effort. 87-89+ Tasted Monday April 8, 2013 at Chateau Olivier’s Pessac-Léognan tasting
  • 2011 Colourless with hint of grey; lees and candy, cut grass and really delicate; more weight to the palate; some concentration and bite; lees and lanolin notes; dips a fraction on the finish but potentially very good. [100% barrique ferment, 50% new oak, 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sémillon] 88-90+
  • 2010 Pale straw, ripe and toasty oak with grapefruit and citrus elements; some lees; poised; attractive; palate a bit oaky, some oil, maybe a bit heavy but should meld. Not that bad overall. 86-88+/100 Tasted 6 April 2011 UGC
  • 2009 Pale straw/some gold; fresh, some apple; quite fine in feel; some wax and oyster shell; little straightforward at present; full palate but with some bite on the finish. Should develop well. 88+/100 [Earlier] Pale straw; lots of barrique influence here; toasty and smoky; some apple beneath; oak influenced palate; broad with nuttiness and has some zip and zing. Should develop well. Good. 88+/100 [80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc] Tasted 31st March 2010 UGC primeurs tasting.
Red:
  • 2015 Deep and saturated colour; ripe and rich aromatics; some savour; briary fruit beneath; quite extracted palate; needs to settle; plenty of guts and matter; tannic finish. Chewy. Promising elements but jumbled at primeurs. [45% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted UGCB 7/4/16. Drink 2022-2030. 89-91
  • 2014 Deep and saturated look; purple edge; smoky; dark chocolate; bitter black cherry; quite taut palate; blackcurrants and black chocolate with bitter tones; very chewy and dry on the finish. Needs to settle. Drink 2018-2025. Tasted 1 April, 2015. 84-86?
  • 2013 Deep and saturated look; legs; lifted aromatics and glossy black fruit tones; sweetness; nice black fruits on the palate; creamy in the middle; little extracted on the finish but this should settle well. Good effort. [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot]. Tasted UGCB April 2014. Drink 2018-2025. 86-88+
  • 2012 Mid depth; lifted oak influenced nose; black fruits and spices; little Magrez like [don’t necessarily mean this as a criticism]; layers and polish to the nose; some pretty fruit but lots of oak currently disjointed the palate; makes it finish chewy and angular. Plenty of fruit if the palate settles but will always have a twist of tannin at the end. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot 85-87 Tasted Monday April 8, 2013 at Chateau Olivier’s Pessac-Léognan tasting
  • 2011  Mid red, depth; red fruits, some polish and ripeness; wet stone notes; feels very dry on the palate and extracted, this may come good but this is very chewy and tannic presently. 85-87?
  • 2010 Deep and dark; black red; some smoke and blackcurrant; deep and succulent; sweet attack on the palate; good density, bit monolithic and needs some work during elevage but pretty good. Chocolate and tannin at the end. Tannins ripe and doesn’t feel over extracted. 90-92+/100 Tasted 6 April 2011 UGC
  • 2009 Dark and deep; ripe, some strawberry tones; more fruit driven style; fresh; palate sweet entry; lots of extract but pushed too hard here. Feels over extracted. Tannic and drying finish. If this settles maybe 88?/100 but not sure currently UGC primeurs tasting. 

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Follow Us