Clos des Lunes, Lune Blanche

An Atherton Wine Imports Exclusive on the West Coast

In 2011, Olivier Bernard, the managing owner of Domaine de Chevalier, purchased old Sauternes estate, Haut Caplane, which had sputtered along, having made unremarkable wines for decades - despite its location adjacent to Chateau d’Yquem. Bernard would change all of that, with the firm intent to produce a great dry white wine in the heart of Sauternes. With this first purchase, Clos des Lunes was born.

Subsequent purchases brought on board two more excellent vineyards, one in Barsac and the other in Bommes (both are Sauternes villages), bringing the estate’s holdings to 45 hectares.

The vineyards, in Sauternes tradition, are primarily planted to Semillon and the vines at all three properties are mature vines, averaging 35 years of age. The old Haut Caplane property, the most distant from the river, sits on a deep bed of gravel that accumulated during the Ice Age when heavy flooding carried the gravel in a muddy slurry. The gravel, interspersed with “lenses” (layers) of sand and clay, overlays a much older limestone bench. While the gravel allows the water to drain free of the delicate capillary root system, the hardier tap root is still able to supply water from the limestone aquifer below.

The Barsac property is closest to the Gironde and its clay, which is prominent in both the topsoil and the clayey-limestone bedding, is reflective of its nearness to the river. The Bommes property is essentially midway between the Barsac and Sauternes plots. As such, it shares characteristics of both river clay and the gravel mounds farther from the riverbank. The Bommes vineyard sits on the same gravel rise as Haut Caplane, but being closer to the river the gravel is not as deep. In Bommes, the substrate is the same clayey-limestone that underlies the vineyard in Barsac.

The Haut Caplane grapes affords the wine its depth; the Bommes property its freshness, while the Barsac grapes contribute elegance and finesse. The vines in these vineyards are high density plantings, averaging 6500 vines per hectare. The hand harvested grapes are slowly pressed with the must settling by gravity in a cold cellar. Tank aging gives the wine’s its freshness while allowing it to age effortlessly in the bottle for several years.

Praise for Clos des Lunes:

• Jeb Dunnuck: “This relatively new project by Olivier Bernard (of Domaine de Chevalier) continues to produce thrilling dry whites that are undervalued in the market.”
• The Wine Cellar Insider: “In fact, it is delicious and quite a treat young, even on release! However, Clos des Lunes is much better with age, so depending on the wine, and the vintage, you can age it for a few years. That is when the magic happens!”