Jérôme, you didn't originally come from the wine industry. How did the Moitry family come to buy one of the most prestigious wine estates in Bordeaux?

We certainly didn't come from the wine world, but wine has always been an obvious part of our lives. We come from Nîmes, a town in the south of France. Our house was surrounded by vineyards, the Costières vineyards. My father drank wine regularly and I used to go with him at weekends to buy his wine. It was a white Châteauneuf du Pape from our neighbouring region that gave me my first great tasting experience. It convinced me to explore the world of wine further.

While I was pursuing an international career in strategy consulting and discovering the diversity of the world's wines, my brother was developing his own property group and deepening his appreciation of Bordeaux wines. He owns a house on the Arcachon basin and wanted to have a wine estate in the region. I helped him look at various opportunities and when we discovered Climens, it was clear that we had found the family estate.

Was it clear from the outset that you would oversee Château Climens?

When we started the acquisition process, I wasn't planning to take over the management of the estate, but when we discovered Climens, it very quickly became clear. I'm a fervent defender of terroirs, convinced that they are essential if you want to make great wines. Discovering the terroir of Climens and the freshness it gives to its wines quickly convinced me that we have superb potential to make great white wines, whether they be sweet, like our1er cru classé, or dry, like Asphodèle since 2018, and Lilium and Petite Lily since our arrival.

How did you prepare for your job?

I didn't study wine, but I did study science and engineering. I've been passionate about wine for over thirty-five years. I've tasted a lot, belonged to a wine-tasting club and discovered many vineyards and winemakers on visits. I'm also a keen reader and I've learned a lot from what I've read. Curious by nature, I also discovered the challenges of organic and biodynamic viticulture, at a time when these practices were little known and poorly understood. So I was able to develop my own vision of wine and, through my professional practice, I was also able to develop marketing and management skills, as well as the ability to work with technical experts, which today enables me to lead the fantastic Climens team.

Can you still remember your first days at Château Climens?

Yes, absolutely. It was on the first day of my new job that we acquired the first Wineglobes, the glass containers that enabled us to take a big step forward and develop our great dry white wine, Lilium. We were visiting a technical supplier to discuss their solution for protecting the vineyards against frost; this was my top priority when I took up my job, as we absolutely had to be prepared for the winter and avoid the setbacks of previous years (3 vintages without production due to frost). We took the opportunity to see this distributor's Wineglobes. And after a few tests, it turned out to be a major discovery for the ageing of our great dry white wine.

How much has your consumption of Sémillon increased in recent years?

Drastically, because I used to drink very little, if any, Semillon. I've discovered a very interesting grape variety, which can be exceptional but which needs special conditions to express itself fully. In Bordeaux, it is often blended with Sauvignon, losing its authentic, rich aromatic expression to the sharper Sauvignon. Thanks to our exceptional terroir, with the presence of the limestone slab of the Haut Barsac plateau in the soil, we can fully express Sémillon.

Has your view of wine changed since you have been working at Château Climens?

I can't say that my point of view has changed, but it's clear that I can better understand the logic behind some of my feelings about the wines at the time. For example, when it comes to dry white wines, I've always enjoyed wines with a good balance between freshness (verticality) and richness (amplitude), and I've always had a problem with too much acidity in these wines. And yet it's so often the case that the freshness of wines comes from their acidity. It wasn't clear to me how to resolve this dilemma. Now I understand better the role that terroir can play in expressing the freshness of a wine in the absence of acidity.

Château Climens is mainly known for its sweet wines, but you also produce excellent dry wines - how did you decide that Château Climens needed to produce more dry wines?

Producing dry white wines today is an obvious choice for the Sauternes region. It's also a way of respecting and enhancing the Haut-Barsac plateau terroir, which is extremely well-suited to the production of high-quality dry white wines. And it's a step back in time, because the first wines produced in the region were dry white wines. The discovery of botrytis cinerea and strong customer demand in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the development of sweet wines, thanks in particular to the Dutch merchants who intended these wines for the markets of Northern Europe and Russia. This ties in with my belief in the role of the winegrower. We are the ‘go-betweens’, the intermediaries who create the connection between consumers and the terroir. We have to find the best expressions of our terroirs in order to appeal to wine lovers, those customers who give us our livelihood and give meaning to our mission.

What do you think makes your dry wines so special?

As well as being great wines, produced on an exceptional terroir, our dry white wines are special in that they offer a pure, elegant, fresh and straightforward expression - often referred to as mineral - of a grape variety with a rich, full range of aromas. It is interesting to note that this balance between freshness and aromatic breadth is what best characterises our great sweet wines. The other special feature of these 100% Semillon dry white wines is the grape variety's capacity for ageing. In fact, a few years down the line, you'll find aromatic notes reminiscent of our1er cru liquoreux. In short, these are truly original dry white wines, which I have never had the opportunity to find elsewhere.

Has the style of Château Climens changed since you have been working at the estate?

Absolutely not for the1er cru liquoreux. The style of Climens is exceptional. I won't touch it because it's part of history. When you see some great tasters recognise our1er cru by its elegant, chalky mouthfeel, that commands respect. On the other hand, history is being rewritten for dry white wines, and we have chosen a path that respects the terroir, similar to that followed for our sweet1er cru. It can be described as ‘a quest for purity and elegance’.

What do you like most about working at Château Climens?

First of all, I really enjoy working with a great team, dedicated to Climens, who work hard to produce the best wines and delight our customers, who are sophisticated wine lovers. Secondly, I love the many challenges we face as we write a new page in the history of Climens with our new dry white wines. Finally, we face many challenges, and have sometimes been hit very hard by nature and climate change, but working on new solutions and ways of adapting is a very demanding and exciting adventure.

Do you have a favourite wine-food pairing with your wines?

I have to say that I've totally changed my point of view over the last two years with regard to our great sweet wine. I was influenced by the commonly accepted view (foie gras and dessert) and I've discovered that this wine can accompany almost any dish... very simple dishes like roast chicken, world cuisine like Asian cuisine, as an aperitif, on its own... As I often say, it's a cocktail in itself, because it's made up of alcohol, sugar and fruit. Personally, I sometimes simply enjoy it as a dessert with a good cigar...

Our dry white wines also go very well with many dishes. Petite Lily can be enjoyed well chilled as an aperitif or with a charcuterie platter, Asphodèle after two or three years with spicy Asian cuisine and Lilium with a fine fish.

Let's not forget, too, that we all have different palates and don't all appreciate the same wine in the same way, and even less so when it comes to pairing it with a dish. For me, the most important thing is to get away from preconceived ideas and give free rein to tasting with all types of food. You're always surprised at how many happy pairings there are!

Is there still a wine on your bucketlist that you would like to drink one day?

A great dry white wine from Climens, between twenty and thirty years old. I hope to be able to do that!

And last but not least, can you give our readers some restaurant and winebar recommendations for when they visit Barsac?

The Sauternes region is rich in wine tourism and good restaurants. If you're looking for a gastronomic experience, there's of course the Lalique restaurant, 2* in the Michelin guide, as well as the Darroze restaurant, 1* in Langon. A less expensive option, in the bistronomic register, is the Cercle Guiraud in Sauternes. For a simpler option, based on tapas but with fine wines recommended by a true wine lover, go to La Barrique in Langon. And if you're a small group looking for a great Château experience, you're more than welcome at Climens (our offer is described on www.chateau-climens.fr).