POLISHED MINIMALISM
IN MARGAUX AND THE HAUT-MÉDOC
The Sorge family bought the Deyrem-Valentin estate at an auction in 1928, rescuing some of the oldest vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Margaux. Now all three of their wines, including Château Soussans and Château Valentin, are made in the cellars of Deyrem. In 2002 Jean Sorge passed his duties onto his daughter, Christelle. For those of you who haven’t had these wines in a few years, you should redirect your attention. And for those of you who are constantly searching afar for a peculiar grape or an impossible place, you should, once in awhile, look closer to home.
For three generations the Sorge family has farmed vineyards on the left bank of Bordeaux. Their cellar is in Marsac, the best part of the commune of Soussans, just north of Lascombes, Labégorce, and Margaux. Even though Soussans does not have the platinum zip code of Margaux, many of the classified estates in Margaux (including Château Margaux) have blankets of vines here, where the soil is pebble and gravels over sand and clay. Christelle’s choices are thoughtful: organic farming, sorting in the vineyard as well as the cellar, fermentation in only cement, and a conservative amount of new oak, which never exceeds 33%. She is a fierce moderate, making wines that are clean and shimmery but retain their appetizing core of soft and raw.
Christelle Sorge was born at Deyrem-Valentin. It is not only her work, it is her home. Christelle did a winemaking stint in Australia and staged at three classified first growths in Bordeaux (but she wouldn’t tell you because she is incredibly humble and shy). Just like Jean Dirler and the Menthon sisters, Christelle is a loyalist of the soil. When we first visited the family in the 1990s, we toured the property with Jean Sorge; as we approached the vineyards of Cabernet, there was Christelle, riding a tractor. Our first impression of her has unfolded into truth. In today’s glossy wine age, when so many Bordeaux wines are made by spreadsheets and finite numbers, the Sorge wines have become the outlier, and they like it that way. Christelle does not like Sledgehammer Bordeaux, and her passion is to make wines that are more quiet than loud. It’s so overplayed, but it’s so true… “balance and restraint,” those are her immediate words when she speaks about her wines. Even her personal style mirrors her wines. She’s a polished minimalist: petite, lean and cheekbone pretty without the added blush or bronze. More certain and perhaps a little less shy, 20 years later she’s still the same girl on the tractor.
Since 1928, the Sorge family has farmed vineyards on the left bank of Bordeaux. Their cellar is in Marsac, the best part of the commune of Soussans, adjacent to Lascombes, Labégorce, and Margaux. The estate is under the guidance of Christelle Sorge, one of the very few women among the male-dominated estates of Bordeaux to head a family-held domaine of first quality. Christelle’s choices are thoughtful throughout: organic farming, sorting in the vineyard as well as the cellar, fermentation in cement tank, the wise use of Merlot and Petit Verdot, and with a restrained use of new oak, which never exceeds 33%. Christelle is a fierce advocate for making wines that are très classique.
The 3-hectare vineyard of Château Valentin is just west of Margaux in the commune of Avensan where her grandfather was born. Marked by ancient glacial soils deposited from the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, these gravelly soils are Cabernet friendly. Valentin is handpicked Cabernet Sauvignon from 57 year-old vines, balanced by Merlot and Petit Verdot (vines approaching 100 years of age). In classic Sorge winemaking, fermentation begins in cement vats, and the wine is finished in 2 and 3 year-old barrels, reused from the Château Soussans wine; bottled unfiltered. Blackberry and plum preserved with a soft leathery texture and a refined tannin/acid balance. Classic Claret that is about as “Back to the Future” as you can get.
Since 1928, the Sorge family has farmed vineyards on the left bank of Bordeaux. Their cellar is in Marsac, the best part of the commune of Soussans, adjacent to Lascombes, Labégorce, and Margaux. The estate is under the guidance of Christelle Sorge, one of the very few women among the male-dominated estates of Bordeaux to head a family-held domaine of first quality. Christelle’s choices are thoughtful throughout: organic farming, sorting in the vineyard as well as the cellar, fermentation in cement tank, the wise use of Merlot and Petit Verdot, and with a restrained use of new oak, which never exceeds 33%. Christelle is a fierce advocate for making wines that are très classique.
Soussans is the middle sibling of the Sorge Family trio. The two-hectare vineyard, located within the Deyrem-Valentin property, is planted equally to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Like the vines of Deyrem Valentin, the vines of Soussans are organically farmed and set for Ecocert approval in 2025. Yes, they are younger vines, but they are not young. The 30 year-old+ plantings follow the same routine as Deyrem: Leaf stripping and removal of secondary shoots is carried out at the start of the growing season. Cluster thinning for increased exposure of the grapes to promote ripening is also carried out. Fruit is hand picked and sorted first in vineyard and then later again in the winery. The winemaking is traditional, starting with cold maceration and overpumping with aeration. Fermentation is in thermally stable cement cubes, aging in 1/3 new oak for 12-15 months, fining with egg-whites and bottled unfiltered. Out of the bottle, Soussans scores a high plush-factor with its lip-gloss of black currant and raspberry, pink peppercorn, and savory charcoal. Very fine wine.
Since 1928, the Sorge family has farmed vineyards on the left bank of Bordeaux. Their cellar is in Marsac, the best part of the commune of Soussans, adjacent to Lascombes, Labégorce, and Margaux. The estate is under the guidance of Christelle Sorge, one of the very few women among the male-dominated estates of Bordeaux to head a family-held domaine of first quality. Christelle’s choices are thoughtful throughout: organic farming, sorting in the vineyard as well as the cellar, fermentation in cement tank, the wise use of Merlot and Petit Verdot, and with a restrained use of new oak, which never exceeds 33%. Christelle is a fierce advocate for making wines that are très classique.
What greater authority on the wine estates of Bordeaux is there than Cocks – Éd. Féret?
Well, here is their view of Château Deyrem-Valentin, and we could not agree more:
“This Bourgeois growth commands a vineyard situated in Marsac, in the heart of the Margaux appellation. Its immediate neighborhood speaks volumes for its quality because it is surrounded by Châteaux Lascombes, Malescot-Saint-Exupéry, the two Labégorces, La Tour de Mons…Mr. Maurice Blanc, the grandfather of Jean Sorge, bought this venerable estate in 1928. ‘Deyrem-Valentin’ is the patronym of the first proprietor who represented the commune of Soussans at the council of the Margaux Canton during the First Republic [in 1792].”
A small estate (29.6 acres), carefully tended and vinified with constant regularity, Deyrem Valentin is one of the most typical Margaux crus. Distinguished by the Revue du Vin de France among the hidden nuggets of the Médoc, “its Margaux wines draw a delicious balance” Promoted to “Cru Bourgeois Supérieur” in 2020.