Clever or absurd?: This is Bordeaux 35,000 francs

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

The misery began between 1860 and 1880: Phylloxera, a small but devastating pest, was brought to Europe from the United States. Here he attacked the roots of the vine, which led to their death. This phylloxera plague had far-reaching effects on viticulture, including in Bordeaux (France). To curb the spread of phylloxera, European viticulture regions had to switch to hardy American rootstocks.

The grape varieties in Bordeaux are not like in that period. Red Bordeaux wines at that time consisted of Castets, Tarnay or Camaralet, among others. Likewise, fermentation took place not with pure yeasts, but with natural yeasts and no added sulfur was used. Wouldn’t it be exciting to squeeze a Bordeaux wine made just like it was 150 years ago?

Birth of Liber Pater

Busy French Loïc Pasquet could not give up on the idea. With scientific help, he was able to find and plant a total of 14 historical Bordeaux grape varieties in his vineyards. However, you can also find Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot here.

For his project, Pasquet chose soil with a high sand content, which provided a certain degree of protection against phylloxera. Plowing takes place when horses pull a 150-year-old plow behind them.

Pasquet works in the cellar just as it did 150 years ago: natural local yeasts, avoidance of added sulfur as much as possible, and the use of amphora since the recent past. Only 500 bottles of the 2015 Liber Pater were filled. However, those who want to seize one of them face two obstacles: First, the wine is sold only if it is allocated to the winery. However, a few bottles have managed to enter the open market, and here the second problem awaits us: price.

A 0.75 liter bottle of Liber Pater 2015, including tax and VAT, currently costs at least 35,000 francs. Even a bottle sells for just under 45,000 francs in Austria. This makes Liber Pater one of the most expensive wines in the world. Whether the wine’s unique taste will justify the astronomically high price remains to be seen.

Source : Blick