In 1973, Michel Boutet’s father bought the property, formerly the Castel of the Abbots Marquaux, and sold his crop to the cooperative.
In 2000, part of the château buildings, which were almost in ruins, were transformed into a sophisticated cellar with modern technology being implemented to ensure fine vinification and the simplification of the various tasks in a well design work area, which used space to the maximum.

TASTING NOTE :
2001 Château Haut Plantey, Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Colour : Deep, lively, attractive garnet, hues of deep ruby, garnet reflections. Vivid and bright intensity
Nose : Deep, intense aromas of rich, ripe fruit. Fresh black fruit savours, hint of smokiness. Good fruit / acidity, unctuous and velvety. Lingering and charming and complex.
Palate : Excellent, fresh attack. Dark, mature fruit flavours, echoing aromas of nose. Attractive firm structure, well rounded body with smooth texture. Tannins present, but very well integrated witness of well made wine. Wonderful backbone. Smoky tones at the end of palate. Excellent mouth feel. A touch of minerality.
Finish : Long with lingering freshness due to finely balanced acidity. Satisfying, velvety complexity of flavours. Well balanced maturing wine. Admirable expression classic of Saint Emilion.

Michel Boutet learned about viticulture from his father, but trained in commerce and management and then obtained a Masters degree in Agro – alimentation Management. He taught himself all he knows about wine and wine making. His background, outside the world of the wine trade and winemaking, has been invaluable in advancing Château Haut Plantey.

Obviously his training and his experience also has had an enormous influence on this philosophy about wine. He wishes to offer a wine, which is excellent value for money, whilst respecting the “terroir”.
He considers wine as being alive and in evolution and as improving over several years. Michel Boutet esteems that tastings, six months after the vintage is not necessarily the ideal method of presenting the future wine and it’s potential.

Château Haut Plantey consists of 8 hectares of vines on calcareous clay soil, on the excellent slopes of the upper plateau of Saint Emilion, similar to its neighbour Château Troplong Mondot. Merlot covers 60%, Cabernet Franc 20% and Cabernet Sauvignon 10% of surface area under vines.

Michel Boutet is proud of this very classical palette of varieties.The viticultural techniques are fundamentally traditional - green cover in the middle of the rows - and the property is working at the improvement of the weight load and distribution of the agro-viticultural equipment. The control of soil erosion is also an important preoccupation. The classicism of the wine stems from the way it is cultured; tradition is improved by modern technology and practices.
Logical, practical and environmentally friendly viticulture form the basis of the better quality of grapes produced, which, together with the functional fermentation cellar and professional winemaking, ensure continuous progression and improvement.

The conical, stainless steel fermentation vats are thermo – regulated. Vinification is quite classical. Skin contact is, on average, 21 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat and then the wine is put into barrels. A sophisticated, modern version of the traditional vertical press is used, capable of being calibrated quite remarkably accurately to produce very slow and gentle pressure.
Château Haut Plantey has placed its confidence in 5 different coopers, who have given extremely satisfactory results after a 5 year experimentation period. A third of the wine is put into new barrels, a third into barrels of one wine and a third into of two wines.
The wine then matures in oak for between twelve and eighteen months depending on vintage. Oak is but one of the elements in the process of shaping a wine. The vintage differences also dictate the regularity and usage of all the other wine making and maturing techniques.

Blending is a moment of great concentration, the careful weighing up of alternatives with a vision of the future of the wine, which has to captured - the wonderful combination of diverse complementary elements - which have to be allowed the opportunity to express themselves.

In the words of Michel Boutet, “an exciting moment in the life of our wine, our image, our message to our customers and our fidelity to our soil and our heritage”. An effluent treatment system has been installed in order to protect both the environment and the soil.

Michel Boutet finds that science is of enormous value, assistance and assurance in his decision making regarding the wine making process. Nevertheless empiric experience continues to play an important role, without ever forgetting that Nature has the final word.
Today, fortunately, the proprietor has the tremendous advantage of vast quantities of information (which has to be evaluated), and expert advice is available throughout the vegetative cycle and in the cellar.

Château Haut Plantey has the advantage of being run by a man with well developed and schooled communication skills. Communication tools should be implemented to inform and to attract the consumer. This means talking about the philosophy, the values and the principles of a property and the people who run it.
In the case of Château Haut Plantey, Michel Boutet’s sister is co – owner, but this poses no problems as the relationship between them is excellent. This is a tremendous benefit. The most factors in the action of “communicating” are the consumer and what he expects from a wine, without falling into the trap of fads and blindly following a fashion. Yet never losing sight of the specific wine in question - its history, its style and its message.

In a period of crisis, a more attentive and dynamic approach should to communication and publicity must be adopted. More pertinent publicity campaigns, together with intense and targeted public relations operations are essential in difficult times. Under prosperous economical conditions, the owner of a château only really needs to maintain his regular communication.
Since 2002, a second wine called La Bouygue, named after the plot, whence the grapes originate, has been made. This wine represents a specific place and vineyard and at being more commercial, modern and pleasurable to drink when still young. He is also the proprietor of Château Petit Val, another Saint Emilion Grand Cru. His wife owns Château des Cerfs, in Lalande de Pomerol.

80% of the production is exported by direct marketing. Mostly to Europe, but the market in the U S A is beginning to develop. Château Haut Plantey has older vintages available, which attract amateurs and restaurant owners alike – from 1973 to 1988.

One of the most attractive aspects of the wine produced by Michel Boutet, is the competitive price at which the wine reaches the consumer.
On average, 30,000 bottles of Château Haut Plantey is produced annually, whereas approximately 6,000 bottles of La Bouygue is put on the market per year. Château Haut Plantey succeeds at being top quality, classic Saint-Emilion.

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