Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion

Paul Claudel said that when it comes to wine, pleasure should take precedence over prestige. This is a well-known adage at Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, where boldness and creativity are used to produce great wines. 

Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion, acquired in 1987 by the Gervoson family, has regained the wine-growing unity it enjoyed at the beginning of the century; the château, its 13-hectare park, its farm buildings and 42 hectares of vineyards in production, as well as 18 hectares formerly planted with vines that have been gradually replanted.

With its enthusiastic specialists, the expert team at Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion has restored this property, the jewel in the crown of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, to its former glory. The vineyard of Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion is characteristic of the middle terrace of the Graves de Bordeaux: heavily gravelly with an extremely sandy matrix. Driven by their passion for wine, the team at Larrivet-Haut-Brion works tirelessly every day to produce their wine, from the rigorous and meticulous care given to the vines to the harvest of healthy grapes that have reached perfect maturity. Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion is an associate member of the Bordeaux Wine Academy, a member of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, and a member of the Commanderie du Bontemps de Médoc et des Graves de Sauternes et Barsac.

A renewed reputation that today confers upon the Larrivet Haut-Brion estate and its 75 hectares of vines the glory of being a flagship of the Pessac-Léognan AOC appellation.

Located northeast of Léognan, the estate boasts optimal conditions for producing fine wines. With clay-gravel soil and a sandy matrix, perfectly exposed and drained, the production potential is very high, resulting in elegant wines with strong character. With Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc for red wines, and Sauvignon and Sémillon for white wines, there are no fewer than 7,700 vines per hectare. After harvesting at perfect maturity, the wines are vinified as follows:

• ing in small temperature-controlled vats for red wines, followed by aging for 14 to 18 months depending on the desired vintage

• Vinification in new barrels, decorated concrete eggs, or small wooden vats for white wines. Aging lasts 10 to 11 months with regular stirring.

Since the Gervoson family bought the estate, no fewer than twenty vintages have been produced from its vines. The rich and opulent production generally yields red or white wines with lots of personality. Since the 2010 vintage, the wines have improved, gaining in elegance and tenacity for the reds and exuberance for the whites. The estate has also devoted itself to the production of second wines, with the flagship bottle "Les Demoiselles de Larrivet Haut-Brion" and "Les Hauts de Larrivet Haut-Brion." These fresh and very fruity wines from young vines can be produced on a larger scale and are therefore accessible to a wider audience.