“Proud ambassadors of the new generation, the three young women of Larrivet Haut-Brion, led by Emilie, are committed to consolidating the foundations of this harmonious and long-lasting family business, while cultivating a touch of madness without moderation.”
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
“A touch of madness without moderation” – how intriguing! What does that actually mean?
In the context of wine, perhaps it means a passion for innovation. Seems fitting for Emilie Gervoson, who, with her two sisters, represent the new generation at Château Larrivet Haut-Brion.
Motivated by her love for great wines, Gervoson left her event-planning job in Paris in 2009 to return to her family’s Bordeaux winemaking business. Now, as the public relations manager at Larrivet Haut-Brion, she leads the winery’s communications, promotion and marketing efforts.
If you think of Bordeaux as a traditional and male-dominated wine region, Gervoson would have you take a look at her family’s approach to winemaking. As she explains in this article published by Martha Stewart in 2020, the Larrivet Haut-Brion winemaking team tries new cultivation and vinification methods, for example, terracotta jars, large wooden vats and concrete eggs to age its wines. Read here how wine director Bruno Lemoine conducted an experiment by burying a barrel of wine in oyster beds in the ocean.
Gervoson follows in the path of earlier women who played important roles at Larrivet Haut-Brion. The first owner of the estate was a woman, and today, women work in all departments: the cellars, the vineyard, the shipping service and in wine tourism. “The notions of heritage and female transmission are part of the DNA of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion,” their website states.
In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, the French Winophiles are chatting about women in the French wine industry this Saturday, 3/19, on Twitter. You’re welcome to join us, starting at 8 am Pacific/11 am Eastern time, by following the #winophiles hashtag.
The region and the winery
Graves and Pessac-Léognan is the Bordeaux wine region closest to the city of Bordeaux and the only appellation widely recognized for both red and white wines. The region is known for its elegant, yet powerful red Bordeaux blends, dominated by Cabernet-Sauvignon, as well as the dry white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
Many different wines from Pessac-Léognan have “Haut-Brion” as part of their name. Some of these are connected to Château Haut-Brion, the historic Pessac-Léognan winery qualified as a premier grand cru classé in 1855, and produced by the same owner; some are neighbors and some are neither. To complicate matters, there have been a number of name changes.
Located in Léognan, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is under different ownership and not a neighbor of Château Haut-Brion.
Larrivet Haut-Brion has had several names over the years, including Château de Canolle, La Rivette, Brion-Larrivet and Haut-Brion Larrivet. In 1929, the property finally found its current name. During the Depression of the 1930s, vines were uprooted, and production was almost nonexistent.
A new owner, Jacques Guillemaud, acquired the estate in 1941 and remained the owner until 1982. In 1987, when Philippe and Christine Gervoson bought the estate, it consisted of 42 acres under vine and a 32-acre wooded park. The Gervosons acquired additional land and substantially increased the vineyards. They now have 151 acres dedicated to red varieties. Unusual for a “left bank estate,” Merlot is the dominant grape. The estate also has over 28 acres planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Soils are a mix of gravel, sand and clay.
Among the unclassified wines of this appellation, Larrivet Haut-Brion is popular and widely known. The estate also draws attention for its gardens, ponds and parkland.
Sources: Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, The Wine Cellar Insider, Tomas’s wine blog, Wine Folly, wine-searcher
The wine: 2011 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion ‘Les Hauts De Larrivet Haut-Brion,’ Pessac-Léognan AOC
70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
The “Les Hauts De Larrivet Haut-Brion” is the winery’s second wine. After fermentation in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel vats, the wine is aged for 14 months in oak before bottling.
My tasting notes: At 11 years old, this red blend is still holding up, but I recommend drinking this wine in three to five years after bottling. Waiting much longer probably doesn’t improve it. Ruby and brick red in color. Nose is a blend of cherry, cranberry, anise and a touch of what the spouse called, “clay.” On the palate, this medium-bodied red blend has silky tannins, medium acidity and an herby, medium finish with a hint of mint. Elegant, balanced and easy to pair with a variety of foods. Alcohol: 13.5%. Price: $29.99
Pairings: Somehow, I got to this point in life without ever having made crepes – and they’re so easy! For lunch one day, I chose Martha Stewart’s simple crepes recipe, except I used 2% milk and cut the sugar and melted butter by half each. I filled these crepes with three savory combos:
- Sautéed spinach and chopped scallions with feta cheese and thyme
- Diced ham and smoked Gouda
- Diced Cheddar and chopped, sautéed Oyster mushrooms
All were delicious with this food-friendly Bordeaux. As expected, the wine was an equally good match for the classic beef stew we had for dinner.
The French Winophiles have so much for you to check out this Women’s History Month! Here’s the list:
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is sipping Domaine de Marcoux Lirac La Lorentine to Celebrate Women’s History Month.
- Jeff of Food Wine Click! invites us to Celebrate French Women in Wine: Anne-Sophie Dubois.
- Jane of Always Ravenous talks about Women Behind the Wine: Domaine Weinbach, Catherine Faller.
- Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is sharing Champagne Louise Brison: A Tradition of Women in Charge.
- Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles opened Delphine Vesselle and Domaine Jean Vesselle Rosé de Saignée, Brut from Bouzy.
- Deanna of Wineivore discovered A Mathilde Chapoutier Rose for $4?
- Linda of My Full Wine Glass found Château Larrivet Haut-Brion: A place for women in traditional Bordeaux.
- Nicole of Somm’s Table shares Cotillon Rouge and Rilletes.
- Susannah of Avvinare introduces Arnelle Cruse, A Look at the Cru Bourgeois.
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing A Medieval French Peasant Dish and French Winemaker Sisters.
- Terri of Our Good Life writes Here’s to France’s Women in Wine and to Rebecca Rosenberg’sBook Champagne Widow.
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator pairs Champalou Fille’s 2020 Vouvray with French Favorites.
I love their quote “A touch of madness without moderation”. Such interesting innovation. I have read a bit about aging wine under the sea…have yet to taste any of that, but I find it fascinating.
Oh, and you have definitely inspired me to make crepes!
It’s been too long since I’ve made crepes; thanks for the reminder! What is great about crepes is that you can adjust your filling ingredients to pair with your wine.
I think you’ve inspired me to try my hand at crepes! The wine sounds lovely, as does the pairing. And I love the history of the estate. Thanks for the introduction!
This sounds like a beautiful wine and it’s great to read about a winery doing things differently in BDX, where things tend to seem so old-school, and run by women to boot. I can vouch for that crepe recipe — it’s also then one I tend to use as well!