A legendary Bordeaux wine, Château Haut Bages Libéral was instrumental in setting up the (in)famous 1855 appellation. Owner August Liberal – a licensed wine broker as well as an estate owner – was part of the group of brokers that decided on which chateaux would be included in the classification. This is, of course, the classification that decreed that all Bordeaux wines should be considered as first, second, third, fourth or fifth growth. Based on price at the time, a first growth would have been in the region of 3,000 francs per ton and prices would have cascaded down to a fourth growth of 1,500 francs a ton. Château Haut Bages Libéral is a fourth growth.

Fourth growth does not mean fourth best, however, especially not today. Spurred on by superior winemaking skills than in 1855, greater investment and a much better understanding of terroir and climate, numerous critics, in fact, consider that many fourth growth wines could realistically be moved up the ladder; Château Haut Bages Libéral, of course, being one of the front runners for promotion. But alas, so far this is not the case and Bordeaux wines remain in the same classification as 150 years ago (with the exception of Mouton Rothschild).

Today Château Haut Bages Libéral is owned and managed by viticultural royalty, Claire Villars-Lurton. Claire is also the manager of Chateaux Ferriere and La Gurgue in Margaux and Château Domeye in St. Estephe. She is also married to of Gonzague Lurton, (of Château Dufort Vivens) and together they own the Trinite Estates vineyard in Sonoma. So we think she probably knows what she’s doing!

One of her first tasks was to increase the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon planted, to around 75%. The other 25% is Merlot. Around 50% of their gravel on chalk, clay and limestone terroir is farmed biodynamically, and Villars-Lurton is experimenting with turning the rest over. The estate produces 10,000 cases of Bordeaux wine annually (including 30,000 bottles of their second wines: La Chapelle de Bages, La Fleur de Haut-Bages Liberal and Le Pauillac de Haut-Bages Liberal). The commercial strategy is 90% sold in bond with 70% of production reserved for export. As such, it is impossible to acquire on the primary market. In Q3 2019, growth was relatively slow but steady on the secondary market.