▻ Château Climens new dry wine
In conversation with Bérénice Lurton
Episode Summary:-
Sarah Kemp talks to Bérénice Lurton of Château Climens, about the first dry wine in the history of Château Climens – Asphodele. The famous 1er Cru Barsac property has been run by Bérénice since 1992 and is entirely planted to Semillon, which has been famed bio-dynamically for ten years. While the idea of producing dry whites in the Sauternes and Barsac region is not new, (Y d’Yquem was created in 1959), Bérénice explained that “it was a question of meeting the right people at the right time.” The right person was Pascal Jolivet, the Loire producer and consultant whom Bérénice met at a wine fair in New York and who, despite being a Sauvignon Blanc specialist, impressed her with his approach to winemaking.
The first vintage was 2018 (12,000 bottles were made), and the 2019 is now being launched on the UK market through Berry Brothers & Rudd. Bérénice discusses how important the use of natural yeast is in preserving the expression of the terroir and how previous experiments with selected yeasts resulted in a wine with a totally different expression of the terroir of Climens: “One was a Sauternes and the other was Climens.” She also talks about how previous experiments in trying to make a dry wine from the older vines were not successful, and that Asphodele comes from the younger vines at the estate.
The wine is not oaked. “I love dry whites which are totally pure, and I wanted this impression of Spring,” Bérénice tells Sarah. They discuss the character of Asphodele, which Bérénice explains has salinity and minerality, a trait of Château Climens.
The name Asphodele is the French name for a wild lily with white flowers. It is the symbol of rebirth, and shares the same symbol as Château Climens’ second wine, Cyprès de Climens. Bérénice explains that the flower is known for growing on limestone, and is the first plant to grow after the land is burnt; appropriately, first vintage was made after the frost in 2017.
The interview was recorded a week before the terrible news arrived that yet again the estate had been hit by frost, with 99% of the buds destroyed. However, she emailed to say “We still have wines in our cellar dating from the great vintages (both generous and beautiful!) 2005 2009,2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016. So people can help us by enjoying our splendid wines!”.
““I didn’t know what to expect and it turned out to be the wine I would have loved to make, so it is dream come true for us.””
Running Order:-
-
0.00 – 10.53
“This is the first dry wine in the history of Château Climens.”
Bérénice discusses how a meeting with Pascal Jolivet, the Loire winemaker and consultant, propelled her into making the first dry wine in the history of Château Climens. The fact that Pascal was a believer in natural yeast was a deciding factor, as Bérénice had experimented with selected yeasts and concluded that they did not express the personality of Climens. She had previously tried to make a dry wine with the older vines, but was not happy with the results, so Asphodele was made from the estate’s younger vines (8 hectares out of 30 hectares are in young vines). -
10.54 – 19.10
“We had tried to make a dry white on older vines but it didn’t work very well.”
The use of natural yeasts is extremely important, Bérénice explains. “When I hear some oenologists say it is not possible to make a good wine each year with natural yeasts, I don’t know what they are talking about.” The style of Asphodele is very pure, no oak is used. “I love dry wines which are totally pure, and I wanted this expression of Spring,” she says. She explains how they pick very early: “In 2020 we were the first to pick, apart from the Crémant de Bordeaux.
The wines are being distributed in the UK, US, France, Holland, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong and Brazil, and there are plans for distribution in other countries. Bérénice tells Sarah, “The price in France is around 30 euros. I had intended to get a higher price, then COVID arrived and I thought maybe I should change my strategy and make it a very good bargain.” -
19.11 – 24.15
“Asphodele” is the French name for a wild white lily, which is known for growing on limestone. It has become the symbol of transcendence and is reputed to be the first plant to grow after the land is burnt. The first vintage of Asphodele was 2018, the year after the frost when Ch Climens lost its crop (sadly, repeated in 2021, a week after this interview was recorded). “What we really intend to do at Climens is make the link between the earth and sky, heaven you can say, there is an idea of transcendence,” she concludes, “and Asphodele is the symbol of transcendence.”
RELATED POSTS
Keep up with our adventures in wine
Lorenzo Pasquini talk to Elin McCoy about his life at Château d’Yquem. From childhood dreams of becoming a professional fencer to landing the ultimate wine job, discover his amazing story.