Château Haut-Bages Libéral

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Liberal family officially started the history of the Bordeaux winery Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal, a renowned and illustrious winery in the Pauillac area. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Liberal family took over some of the most vocated plots of land in the area, which is why half of the estate's vineyards are today adjacent to historical names such as Chateau Latour and Chateau Pichon Baron, located on the summit of a large plateau south of Pauillac that goes by the name of 'Bages'. Precisely because of the great prestige of its vines, Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal was listed among the Cinquièmes Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 official classification of Bordeaux wines ordered by Napoleon III. In 1960, the estate was taken over by the Cruse family, former owners of Chateau Pontet-Canet, who initiated a major renovation programme that culminated 20 years later with the arrival of the Villars-Merlaut family. Since the 1990s, the winery has been led by Claire Villars Lurton, a far-sighted producer who has introduced significant innovations in both the vineyard and the cellar.
The 30 hectares of vineyards owned by Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal are rooted on two different types of soil: one consisting of deep gravel and the other made up of clay and chalky limestone. In addition, the presence of draining streams, known as 'jalles', allows excess rainwater to be eliminated, favouring the deep growth of the root system. In this pedological context, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most representative vine, flanked by a smaller percentage of Merlot. The vines are grown according to the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture, and only cement vats and stainless steel tanks of different capacities and always thermoregulated are used for fermentation. Aging of the wines, which lasts between 16 and 18 months, takes place in French oak barrels under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
There are two main labels produced by Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal: the Pauillac Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal, a red that with its power and refinement reflects the noble attributes of the wines of Pauillac, and the Pauillac 'La Chapelle', the so-called 'second wine', an effective and very pleasant calling card of the winery.