After spending his childhood at Château Bessan, Mathieu Verdier joined his parents Rémy and Sylvie on the estate, bringing them his youth, his new ideas, his recent training, and some experience from a neighbouring cru.
After studying History, he obtained his Higher Technician Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology with Honours and then a license in “trade and marketing of wines and spirits”.
In 2010, he specialized in wine tasting at the Faculty of Oenology in Bordeaux.
He has directed the property towards organic farming and tourist reception, helped by his wife Sibylle.

We stayed at the charming Chateau Bessan, situated around 20km to the southeast of Bordeaux, in Autumn 2021. Owner Sylvie was the most gracious of hosts. We spent the late afternoon tasting Chateau Bessan's excellent wines while enjoying a magnificent sunset, sitting on the terrace of the "Cabane dans les Vignes" - a wood cabin surrounded by Chateau Bessan's small plot of vines, overlooking the Garonne river.

Harvest had just been completed, with a crop yield that had been halved due to the bad frosts experienced in many regions of France earlier in the year. Sylvie talked to us about the family history of the estate, which had been bought in the late 1980's as a project primarily of her late husband's making. Sylvie now runs the vineyard and guesthouse within the Chateau, while her son Matthieu increasingly takes on the farming, commercial aspects of the winery, and the winemaking and blending that is synonymous with the Bordeaux region. With an organic accreditation, and a delicious line-up of wines, we were pleased to become the first and exclusive importers of Chateau Bessan's wines to the United Kingdom.

1* (Up & Coming). Many of Chateau Bessan's wines are lower intervention and the land has been certified organic since 2014. However, with a bad frost hitting the region in 2021, there was the need to use some copper sulphates (enabling Sylvie and her son Matthieu to save some crops and produce half of their usual yield). The whites and some of the reds are also vegan (but not yet certified). With only a small plot, most of the parcel being used for vines. Sylvie focuses on the health of her vines to maximise yields (organically) from small hectarage, and is working on how to improve biodiversity beyond just eliminating chemical allocation. Some of the grapes are hand picked (most notably for the Excellence cuvée and the crémants).

Tasting & pairing notes

Pale lemon with hints of amber. Lively, round and fruity, this is an easy drinking white to drink as an aperitif or to pair with light fish and poultry dishes.

About the winemaker

We stayed at the charming Chateau Bessan, situated around 20km to the southeast of Bordeaux, in Autumn 2021. Owner Sylvie Verdier was the most gracious of hosts. We spent the late afternoon tasting Chateau Bessan's excellent wines while enjoying a magnificent sunset, sitting on the terrace of the "Cabane dans les Vignes" - a modern wood cabin surrounded by Chateau Bessan's small plot of vines, overlooking the Garonne river.

Harvest had just been completed, with a crop yield that had been halved due to the bad frosts experienced in many regions of France earlier in the year. Sylvie talked to us about the family history of the estate, which had been bought in the late 1980's as a project primarily of her late husband's making. Sylvie now runs the vineyard and guesthouse within the Chateau, while her son Matthieu increasingly takes on the farming, commercial aspects of the winery, and the winemaking and blending that is synonymous with the Bordeaux region. With an organic accreditation, and a delicious line-up of wines, we were pleased to become the first and exclusive importers of Chateau Bessan's wines to the United Kingdom.

Sustainability Rating: 1* (Making Progress)

Many of Chateau Bessan's wines are lower intervention and the land has been certified organic since 2014. However, with a bad frost hitting the region in 2021, there was the need to use some copper sulphates (enabling Sylvie and her son Matthieu to save some crops and produce half of their usual yield). The whites and some of the reds are also vegan (but not yet certified). With only a small plot, most of the parcel being used for vines. Sylvie focuses on the health of her vines to maximise yields (organically) from small hectarage, and is working on how to improve biodiversity beyond just eliminating chemical allocation. Some of the grapes are hand picked (most notably for the Excellence cuvée and the crémants).

Other info:

Appellation: Vin de Bordeaux AOP
Colour: White
Vintage: 2021
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris & Sémillon
ABV: 13%
Certification:
Organic (Certifié Agriculture Biologique) & Non-Certified Vegan
Closure: Cork
Service: 8-10°C

• Organic - Independently Certified