Château Romer du Hayot

The estate

Romer was divided among the de la Myre-Mory heirs at the end of the 19th century, and the larger part came in 1937 to Madame du Hayot, with Xavier Dauglade; it has carried the du Hayot name since. Then, in the early 1970s, the A62 motorway was driven through this corner of the Sauternais. The vines came through it. The château and the working buildings did not, and were pulled down. Since then the wine has been made at the family’s Barsac properties, Guiteronde du Hayot and Andoyse du Hayot, which leaves Romer du Hayot a classified growth with a vineyard and no house.

The vineyard is about 9 hectares planted, at about 7,400 vines a hectare, vines 35 years old on average: Sémillon with Sauvignon, and in some past years more Muscadelle than today. Pickers go through each plot 2 to 4 times over a harvest of about 5 weeks. The family has held Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms) since 2019, weeds by machine and uses mating disruption in place of insecticide. Le 2 de Romer du Hayot is the second wine.

At a glance

Appellation

Sauternes

Commune

Fargues

Classification

Deuxième Cru Classé 1855

Owners

The du Hayot family, since 1937

Vineyard

About 9 hectares planted; about 7,400 vines a hectare; vines 35 years old on average

Grapes

Sémillon with Sauvignon

Harvest

By hand, each plot gone over 2 to 4 times across about 5 weeks

Farming

Haute Valeur Environnementale since 2019; mechanical weeding; mating disruption in place of insecticide

Cellar

At the family’s Barsac properties, Guiteronde du Hayot and Andoyse du Hayot

Wines

Château Romer du Hayot; Le 2 de Romer du Hayot

The motorway

The château and the working buildings were pulled down in the early 1970s for the A62

Sources: Vignobles du Hayot, Château Romer du Hayot · Vignobles du Hayot, vineyard and harvest · INAO, cahier des charges Sauternes