Château de Fargues

The history of Château de Fargues began in 1306, when Cardinal Raymond Guilhem de Fargues, nephew of Pope Clement V, built the castle. The Lur Saluces family has owned the estate since 1472, though a fire in 1687 destroyed the roof and gutted the castle. In the 1930s, Bertrand de Lur Saluces planted white grape varieties in AOC Sauternes, starting with 5 hectares; the first vintage of Château de Fargues was produced in 1943. Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces later expanded the vineyard to 15 hectares, and François Amirault is the estate manager.

Located in the Sauternes appellation, the vineyards are planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon, with an average vine age of 35 years and a planting density of 7,000 vines per hectare. Natural fertilizers are sourced from the estate's Bazadais cattle herd, and harvesting involves multiple passes to collect only fully botrytized grapes. The estate produces no second wine; its wines include Château de Fargues and Guilhem de Fargues, an occasionally produced dry wine under AOC Bordeaux.