Château Le Sartre: The invincible technologies

By Anna van Densky

All farmers are subject to the caprices of nature, and the viticulturist is no exception. "In April, we don’t sleep well here. If the wine plants freeze, there will be no grapes in the autumn," explains the owner of Chateau le Sartre, René Leriche (pictured), to EU Reporter. Leriche is married to the late famed viticulturalist Antony Perrin’s sister Marie-José, and both live and work on his terroir in Pessac-Leognan (Bordeaux). And, as they are equipped and greatly assisted by modern technologies, they may well sleep better than their competitors .

Among Bordeaux viticulturists, extravagant personalities are not exceptional, but Leriche is atypical, as his background was previously the hydro-carburants industry.

"I had my career as an oil-industry engineer and travelled from country to country around the globe, but every holiday we would come here, to visit my wife’s family, who were the wine-producers. I formed a strong bond with them and, when I retired, I began a new career in wine." Madame Leriche's brother Antony was of the famous Perrin family, the owners of the glorious Chateau Carbonnieux. They replanted the vines in 1981 and, in 2005, Leriche took over the terrior that was well known from the beginning of the previous century for the production of the exquisite wines.

A technocrat, Leriche brought his personal touch to Le Sartre, unwilling to succumb to the vagaries of  the weather. He installed two constructions that are reminiscent of giant windmills.

"When it freezes, there are special thermometers with alarms to warn us against the cold. This is the moment to switch on the ‘ventilators’, as they propel the warmer air from above to the ground and, in this way, the hectares of vines can be saved from the cold breath of nature," Leriche adds. In days of your, the peasants blamed the moon for sending the cold, but "this has nothing to do with it", explains the engineer with a smile, "it is the absence of clouds that allow the warm air to go high."

The inventive spirit of Leriche  is everywhere – his wine-production system is equipped with  state-of-the-art technology.

Leriche is convinced that, in the modern age, wine production should be better than before, using all the advantages of the technical revolution. Clearly, nothing is left to chance, from flower to the sealing of the bottle.

And what kind of wine results from this high tech approach? Undoubtfully, Chateau Le Sartre reds and whites are the conjunction of the magic powers of the terroir and high-tech sophistication.  A true delight for those who appreciate perfection.

The whites comprise Sauvignon (80 %) and Sémillon (20 %), while the reds are Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon  (45%) and Cabernet Franc (5 %).

Anna van Densky

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