An exceptional terroir
The exceptional distinctiveness of Chateau Climens led to the property being referred to very early on as the ‘Seigneur de Barsac’, despite the word ‘Climens’ referring to a poor-quality soil in ancient Celtic. It is a well-known paradox in the world of wine that vines have the ability to ennoble even the most ungrateful soils, exceptional terroirs if ever there was one, by thrusting their roots deep into the subsoil.
The vineyard
The vineyard at Climens, situated on a plateau approximately 20m above sea level, spreads over 32 hectares in a single piece all around the chateau.
It is an enclosure surrounded by dry-stone boundary walls that is noted for the reddish colour of its surface soil, the famous red sands of Barsac. This thin layer of clayey ferruginous sands, less than 50cm thick, sits on a fissured slab of starfish limestone that bears witness to the presence of the sea some 30 million years ago during the early oligocene period.
GEOLOGY SPECIFIC TO BARSAC
The other particularity of the Climens terroir is its criss-cross network of geological fault lines, which have developed over the ages into karstic cavities in the limestone. This subterranean network provides perfect drainage and also stores rainwater, thus regulating the availability of water ressources for the vines.
This singular geological formation provides the wines of Barsac in general with their credentials and allows Barsac to possess its own appellation amongst the five villages of the Sauternes appellation.
The microclimate of the Sauternes vineyards, i.e. the alternation of the well-known morning mists, due to the convergence, towards the end of summer, of the cold waters of the Ciron and the warmer waters of the Garonne, followed by the heat of the afternoon sun, provides the ideal conditions for the development of Botrytis Cinerea, the ‘noble rot’ which concentrates the berries and reveals their rich aromatic range.
SÉMILLON AND BIODYNAMICS, ALWAYS DARING
Chateau Climens is one of the rare Premier Crus Classés, pronounced in the 1855 classification, to have made the choice of being a mono-varietal vineyard. On the limestone terroir at Climens, the Semillon expresses its marvellous elegance and contributes a freshness that is unexpected from such ripe grapes with so little acidity. The success of the audacious transition to biodynamic production in 2010, has reinforced the vines and has enhanced the brightness, the vivacity and the verticality of our wines.
The limestone terroir of Climens, so particular in the region, can hold its own with the best of the great white-wine terroirs of France, and permits the production of not only a unique sweet wine but also exceptional dry white wines of remarkable elegance and purity.