A visit to Château Lamothe-Bergeron
Travelling from Château Dauzac to Château Lamothe-Bergeron in the Medoc region of Bordeaux, we stopped to pay homage to the Chateau Margaux — just the building (see photo), no tasting unfortunately. Château Margaux was one of four wines to achieve Premier cru (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855.
Upon visiting Bordeaux in 1787, Thomas Jefferson made note of Château Margaux as one of the “four vineyards of first quality”. And Margaux Hemingway received her given name from this wine.
For historical reasons, Château Lamothe-Bergeron did not secure the 1855 ”Grand Cru Classé” classification. But it is still one of the historic Medoc wine estates and was already considered a leading Cru Bourgeois Superieur back in the 19th century, a status that was confirmed once again in 2020.
Like most French buildings, Château Lamothe-Bergeron has been built and rebuilt over the centuries, with the current chateau (see photo) dating from 1868. The Château Lamothe-Bergeron Cru Bourgeois 2016 that I tasted was made of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was a beautiful wine, but not quite of the same league as Château Dauzac.