A story of families and vignerons
The name Climens appears for the first time in a document dating from 1547. Following on from the Roborel de Climens family, owners of the property until 1802, the chateau has been in the hands of only five families: the Binaud family, the Lacostes, the Gounouilhou family, the Lurtons, the most recent member of the family being Bérénice Lurton, who has now transferred the property into the hands of the Moitry family.
HISTORY, GUARANTEE OF EXCELLENCE
Jean-Hubert Moitry, who comes from a prestigious background studying classics prior to exercising as a business lawyer and, more recently, working in real estate, has always desired to acquire a domain in the Bordeaux region together with his wife Catherine, who comes from a family of wine merchants from Meymac in the nearby department of Corrèze. They have already begun to nurture the hope that, at some time in the future, their four daughters will involve themselves in this magnificent project.
Under the guidance of Jérôme Moitry, Jean-Hubert’s brother, the team will continue its mission to produce wines of exception. Experience and savoir-faire allow Frédéric Nivelle, who has been technical director since 1998, to keep an expert eye on both the vines and the cellar, assisted by an experienced team. Alexandra Lemahieu, another of the pillars of Climens, is unrivalled in her efficiency and her indispensable polyvalence within the team. Last but not least, Paul Marchais has been in charge of commercial development since the beginning of 2023.
Before JC
Barsac has a very ancient history, dating back to Neolithic times, thanks to a geographical position that made it a strategic communication point. In Gallo-Roman times, the Gallienne road linking Bordeaux to Toulouse passed through Barsac.
c. 1230
Henry III, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, founds the provostry of Barsac, which by 1274 includes the surrounding communes of Bommes, Illats, Preignac, Sauternes, etc.
1547
The name Climens appears for the first time in a contract dated 1547, which states that the owner, Guirault Roborel, King’s advocate in Barsac, had inherited the land from his father. The two names soon became one: the Roborel de Climens family built up the estate and developed the vineyards over more than two and a half centuries. An elegant and discreet one-storey charterhouse was built in the 17th century.
1657
Production of sweet wines based on noble rot begins in the Sauternes region, with Jean Douence, a Barsac merchant, mentioning it for the first time on 10 October 1657 in Barsac: “almost three quarters of the Barsac vines have been harvested and the grapes are all rotten”.
1666
On 4 October 1666, François de Sauvage d’Yquem mentioned the custom of harvesting in mid-October as a guarantee of the good reputation of Sauternes and Bommes wines. This marked the beginning of the production of sweet wines, which gradually replaced dry white wines, an historic development that was completed in the 19th century. The port of Barsac was used to ship barrels for delivery to merchants in Bordeaux.
1802
After a few difficult years following the French Revolution, the Château was sold to Jean Binaud, a Bordeaux wine merchant, who recognised the potential of the Cru and developed it.
1855
It was under the aegis of Eloi Lacoste that Château Climens obtained the distinction of Premier Cru in the 1855 classification at the Paris Universal Exhibition under the support of Napoléon III.
1885
From 1885 and for almost a century, Climens belonged to the great Bordeaux family of the Gounouilhou, printers and journalists, politicians and aviation pioneers, who kept Climens at the top, with the help of the Janin family, their stewards.
1923
The price of a barrel of Climens rose to 32,000 francs in 1923, while that of Yquem reached 50,000 francs.
1936
The application decree for the Barsac appellation came out on 11 September 1936, while the application decree for the Sauternes appellation came out on 30 September 1936. Château Climens can claim both appellations, the Barsac one highlighting its exceptional geological formation, with its subsoil of fissured asteriated limestone topped with a thin layer of the famous red sands of Barsac.
1942/43
During the Occupation, the Château’s team carried on with its mission, despite difficulties with supplies, particularly of copper, and produced vintages that still demonstrate the ageing capacity of the Premier Cru Classé.
1971
Lucien Lurton, who already owned a number of famous Médoc crus classés, acquired Château Climens in 1971. While respecting the traditions and age-old knowledge of the estate, he brought a modern touch to it. His daughter Bérénice took over the running of the Château in 1992.
2010
Bérénice Lurton and Frédéric Nivelle, the estate’s technical director, embarked on a bold transition, adopting biodynamic methods. La tisanerie “tea room” was set up to dry the plants collected on the estate and in the surrounding area. The biodynamic cultivation of the vines is now certified by Demeter.
2018
After several years of consideration, 2018 saw the birth of the estate’s first dry white wine, created with the help of Pascal Jolivet, a winemaker known for his single-vineyard cuvées in Sancerre. This wine is named after Asphodèle, the wild lily that grows on limestone soils.
2022
The Moitry family takes over from the Lurton family and commits to the mission of producing exceptional wines at Château Climens.
DE GRANDS VIGNERONS
The terroir is an essential factor. However, our great wines could not exist without great professionals, whether it be via the strategic choices that they have made at certain critical moments in the life of the domain, or by dint of their care and attention at every stage of the production cycle.
The decision to use only the Semillion grape variety was a fundamental choice, which has proved to be particularly enlightened and well adapted to the exceptional terroir at Climens. Whereas other terroirs must count on varieties such as Sauvignon to provide a degree of acidity, the terroir at Climens suffices to provide a fine mineral freshness.
