Behind the everyday label Château le Bergey stands an unusual Bordeaux story: a family estate worked since the 1750s, now farmed biodynamically by a winemaker who once played professional ice hockey.
Backstory
Le Bergey is the entry-level wine of Château L'Escart, a single-vineyard estate in Saint-Loubes that the family has owned since 1752. Damien Laurent returned to his parents' property in 2005 after a pro ice-hockey career that ran until 2002, then studied oenology and viticulture alongside his wife, Lorena, who works as the estate's oenologist. They live on the property with their family.
The Region & Farming
The estate sits in Saint-Loubes, between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers in the Entre-Deux-Mers part of greater Bordeaux. Across roughly 37 hectares, the Laurents farm fully organically and biodynamically, without synthetic chemicals, making L'Escart one of the rare biodynamic domaines in Bordeaux.
The Wines
Château le Bergey Bordeaux Rouge is a blend of about 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 40 percent Merlot, drawn from vines at least 15 years old for added concentration. It is made by traditional methods, fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised in stainless steel to keep the fruit clean and direct. It is the approachable face of a serious biodynamic estate that also produces more ambitious cuvees.
