The County of Neipperg was founded in the 12th century in northern Württemberg. It comprised around thirty towns and villages, including the town of Schwaigern, where the main line of the family still lives today. Since the 13th century, the Counts of Neipperg have been inextricably linked with viticulture.
In the 1970s, the family began acquiring properties in Bordeaux. They are managed by Count Stephan von Neipperg and his wife Sigweis. They have lived in Saint-Émilion since 1983. The estates are located on both sides of the Garonne and are called Château la Canon La Gaffelière, La Mondotte, Château d'Aiguilhe, Clos de L'Oratoire and Clos Marsalette. There are also holdings in Romania, Sauternes, Bulgaria and South Africa.
Each of the vineyards has its own specific terroir, which is expressed in the wine. Canon La Gaffelière, for example, is characterised by complexity and elegance, while La Mondotte focuses on strength and minerality. The understanding of the terroir as a habitat is the basis for the natural cultivation. Château Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte have been certified organic since 2014.
On the right bank of the Garonne, Merlot plays the leading role among the grape varieties. However, the naturally warmer terroirs also provide ideal conditions for Cabernet Franc. This traditional grape variety, one of the first to be cultivated in Bordeaux, develops a complex range of flavours and an extremely subtle tannin structure on these soils.
Introduced in the early 1990s, the production of grapes from the oldest vines of the Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg enables the propagation of a very high-quality genetic heritage and guarantees independence in the restructuring of the plots.
photos: Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg