chateau climens 2011

the name climens first appeared in a document dating back to 1547. since then, only five families have succeeded each other on the property: the roborel de climens until 1802, followed by the binaud, lacoste, gounouilhou, and lurton families. more recently, bérénice lurton led the property from 1992 to 2022, before passing the torch to the moitry family. jean-hubert moitry, a classics graduate from the école normale supérieure who later practiced as a business lawyer and eventually became a real estate entrepreneur, had long desired to acquire a vineyard in the bordeaux region with his wife catherine, who came from a family of wine merchants in meymac, corrèze, also hoping that their four daughters would become involved in this beautiful project in the future. under the direction of jérôme moitry, jean-hubert's brother, the team continues to be dedicated to producing exceptional wines. frédéric nivelle, technical director since 1998, oversees with experience and expertise the vineyards and winemaking facilities, supported by an experienced team. alexandra lemahieu, another key member of climens, is as efficient as she is versatile within this small team. finally, since the beginning of 2023, paul marchais has been responsible for commercial development. while terroir is crucial, great wines would not be possible without great winemakers. their role is crucial, whether through strategic decisions made at critical moments in the life of the estate or through their attention to every stage of the wine production process. the choice of the single grape variety sémillon was a fundamental and particularly wise decision, perfectly adapted to climens' exceptional terroir. whereas other estates must rely on grape varieties like sauvignon to bring the necessary acidity to sémillon, climens' terroir compensates and offers its own mineral freshness. the vineyard, located on a plateau about 20 meters above sea level, extends over 32 hectares in a single block around the castle. it forms an enclosed area surrounded by dry stone walls and is distinguished by the red color of its soil, the famous red sands of barsac. this thin layer of clayey and ferruginous sands, less than 50 cm thick, rests on a subsoil of limestone with fissured astéries, a layer that testifies to the presence of the sea during the lower oligocene, nearly 30 million years ago. château climens is one of the few premier grand cru classés, classified in 1855, to have chosen to be a single varietal vineyard. sémillon expresses all its elegance on climens' limestone terroir, offering unexpected freshness even for ripe and low-acid grapes. in bordeaux, there are a multitude of activities to discover for every taste. here are some suggestions: 1. explore the architectural heritage: stroll through bordeaux's historic center, classified as a unesco world heritage site, to admire its magnificent buildings, churches, and picturesque squares. 2. visit the museums: explore bordeaux's museums, such as the aquitaine museum, the capc (museum of contemporary art), and the museum of fine arts, to discover the history, art, and culture of the region.