Chateau de Fargues

Château de Fargues is a French wine estate in the Sauternes district of Bordeaux. It makes a single archetypal Sauternes sweet white wine – a classic blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc – from its vineyards around the village of Fargues at the very center of the appellation.

The Lur Saluces family have been proprietors of the estate since 1472, and enjoyed particular winegrowing acclaim in the 18th and 19th centuries when their portfolio of châteaux included Château d'Yquem – the only estate to hold Premier Cru Supérieur status in the Sauternes. The Lur Saluces family sold Yquem in 1999, and to this day Château de Fargues is often referred to as Yquem junior.

The estate was originally planted to a combination of red and white grape varieties. In 1928, a 25-hectare (62-acre) portion of the vineyards were replanted to Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The first vintage of Château de Fargues was produced in 1943 from vines averaging twelve years old, and was released to the market in 1964.

Today, Château de Fargues comprises 17ha (42 acres) of vineyards planted atop clay-gravel soils overlying a layer of clay and hardpan soil. On average, these vines are 35 years old, with only those aged seven years and over acting as the source of the estate's grand vin.

In the winery, the grapes are pressed and fermented in oak barrels (25-30 percent in new oak). Individual batches divided by the day of picking are aged separately for approximately three years. Racking takes place four times over a 12 month period and the wine is concurrently tasted to ensure only the highest-quality lots are used in the final grand vin. Consequently, Château de Fargues is only made in excellent vintage years.