Originally, back in the 17th century, Clos Haut-Peyraguey and Château Lafaurie Peyraguey were once part of the same, large Sauternes property. As you can probably imagine, just by noticing the similarity in both of the estates names. The name Peyraguey can be translated into the word hill, which is due to the superior elevations and slopes enjoyed by the vineyard.
In 1879, the Duchatel family, who also owned Château Lagrange in St. Julien made the decision to split the large Sauternes estate into two separate vineyards, with the vineyards located at the peak of their elevations passing to Clos Haut-Peyraguey. The remaining portion became known as Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey.
The modern era of the estate begins with the Garbay family when they purchased the property in 1914. The estate was most recently managed by Martine Langlais Pauly, a direct descendant of Eugene Garbay until 2012. In 2007, the property changed their name slightly, dropping the word “Château” from their labels and promotional material. In October 2012, Bernard Magrez purchased Clos Haut-Peyraguey from the Garbay family. With the obviously proven, golden touch of Bernard Magrez, it will be interesting to see what he does with this well-known Sauternes property.
The 17 hectare Sauternes vineyard of Clos Haut-Peyraguey is planted to 95% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Blanc. This shows a continuing increase in the amount of Semillon planted in their vineyards.
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Tasting Notes
2005 Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey
88 Points – Neal Martin, “The Wine Advocate” (June 2015)
“Tasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey has a slight chlorine-like aroma in the glass, marred with vanilla pod, dried honey and apricot scents that gather pace with time. The palate is harmonious and refined with good acidity, a little waxy in texture with hints of marzipan infusing the honeyed fruit. Yet it just seems to dip prematurely toward the finish and does not deliver the requisite complexity the aromatics deserve.”