Château Clos de Sarpe 2021

Château Clos de Sarpe is a Grand Cru Classé producer that is having a bit of a Cinderella moment. This small Saint-Émilion estate, with a production of under 700 cases, yields a grand vin that is a mineral-laced, intense, age-worthy wine. Their grand vin is considered a throwback to the ancient days of Bordeaux winemaking. The striking style is unique to Château Clos de Sarpe alone,  and critics are undoubtedly beginning to notice.  The 2020 vintage was ranked in the mid-90s by some of the harshest critics in the wine world, and bottles of Château Clos de Sarpe are getting snatched up left and right. For curious oenophiles who want to experience a producer that creates a ravishing and impressive expression of what Saint-Émilion terroir used to produce during a bygone era, look no further than Château Clos de Sarpe.

Château Clos de Sarpe is a small, family run operation that is run by husband and wife team, Jean-Guy Beyney and Christine Beyney.  Château Clos de Sarpe is nestled in the hilly appellation of Saint-Émilion, which is also known as the “land of 1,000 crus.” The property was initially owned by the Baron du Foussat de Bogeron. Eventually, the property was purchased by the Beyneys in 1923 and has been overseen by three generations of the Beyney family ever since. Since Jean-Guy and Christine became in charge of the estate, quality and demand have skyrocketed. Part of that is due to their vineyard management techniques and part of that is due to their smart hiring decisions, like bringing on top notch talent, such as the incomparable Michel Rolland to consult. 

There is a truly intimate, humble approach to running the vineyard at Château Clos de Sarpe. Though Château Clos de Sarpe implements biodynamic farming techniques, such as using a combination of teas to protect the vines, harvesting according to the lunar calendar, and a simple tilling process for the vines, they chose not to receive their biodynamic certification. For the humble vignerons at the estate, the importance is creating the best wine possible. The vines are significantly older at Château Clos de Sarpe, coming in at approximately 55 to 80 years old on average. Both Merlot and Cabernet Franc are planted here, and they thrive in the iron rich, clay and limestone soil. Château Clos de Sarpe harvests late, and at extremely low yields, as they believe in waiting until the vines reach maximum ripeness to achieve a fruity, concentrated wine. The wine is then vinified in New Oak to give it multidimensionality and structure.

The most compelling producers have a very distinct style, and Château Clos de Sarpe is without a doubt a producer of that caliber. With such a distinctive, tannic and mineral-driven style, the concentrated wines from this estate are meant to be taken seriously. They demand time in the cellar for their tannins to soften and other unique aromas to reveal themselves. Given the complexity of this beguiling wine, it is clearly worth the wait. 

"I continue to absolutely love what this château does, and the wines have never been better. The 2021 Château Clos De Sarpe comes from a single 3.7-hectare vineyard on the eastern portion of the appellation and is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc from tiny yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare, with a long 42-day maceration followed by aging in 70% new barrels. Sensational notes of pure crème de cassis and black raspberry fruit, crushed stone, spring flowers, and graphite, as well as a chalky, crushed stone-like minerality, all emerge from the glass, and this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, fine tannins, and nicely integrated background oak. It hit 14.5% alcohol and brings more depth, richness, and texture than most in the vintage. I would be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar, and it will ideally be given 4-6 years of bottle age and will evolve gracefully over the following two decades. Hats off to Jean-Guy Beyney and his niece Maylis Marcenat for another brilliant wine. This château deserves more attention in the market today, as they're producing some of the greatest wines from the Right Bank." - Jeb Dunnuck, (04/03/2024), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2028-2050

"The 2021 Clos de Sarpe has turned out very nicely in bottle, offering up aromas of dark berries, spices, sweet soil tones and bay leaf, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless palate with good depth of fruit, racy acids and impressively suave, polished tannins. By the standards of this site, the 2021 will be unusually approachable out of the gates." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, (02/08/2024), Ratings: 93, Drink: 2027-2045