Today

Located on top of a hill in the heart of  Monbazillac Appellation Contrôlée area,  château Haut Bernasse covers 12 hectares of white and 3 hectares of red, all gathered around the cellars.

Vinestock:

1. - Whites:
2. semillon ( 64%) , sauvignon ( 15%) and muscadelle(4%) for Monbazillac sweet wine
3. - Reds  :
4. merlot ( 10%), cabernet franc ( 2%) and cabernet sauvignon (5%) for Bergerac and Côtes de Bergerac wines

 

Vines are tended in respect of tradition and environment (low and narrow vines, high density vineyard with   5000 vine-stocks per hectare, no weedkillers) to let the terroir express itself as fully as possible. Pruning is short to lower the yield and increase concentration ; soil is laboured. Harvest is late and hand sortings very selective. 
Grapes are hand-picked in tubs and brought to two century-old vertical COQ presses  sitting next to four chais –fermentation, vatting, ageing, stocks-
Monbazillac wines benefit from a long fermentation in oak casks looking for vanilla toasted aromas .
No sugar added.
No additive except for exogene yeast for better controlled fermentations. Temperature is kept under  20°C to avoid loosing fragrance. Monbazillac wines are then aged in barrels during 20 months before bottling and laid in bottles another two years in air-conditionned cellars before marketing.

 

We produce three different cuvées in white and red :

1. - Les Coteaux de Bernasse,  Monbazillac and Bergerac Rouge, fruity wines without or with little oak ageing
2. - Château Haut Bernasse,  Monbazillac and Côtes de Bergerac, complex and rich wines aged in oak casks but keeping the freshness of the fruit.
3. - Cuvée Mélina, Côtes de Bergerac red and Cuvée Jules et Marie Villette,  Monbazillac, produced in small quantities and only for exceptional vintages like 2003, 2005 or 2009

 

 

Our wines are regularly awarded medals in wine challenges such as Paris, Bordeaux, Vinalies, and mentioned in many  guides (Hachette, Gilbert & Gaillard, Bettane et Dessauve,…).