On our annual trip to Bordeaux, we had the pleasure of visiting the vineyards and cellar of Liber Pater – renowned for producing the most expensive, and most controversial, wine in the world.

It was a sensory experience guided by Loïc Pasquet, the French vigneron with a desire to revive the real taste of Bordeaux, experimenting with non-grafted pre-phylloxera regional grape varieties such as Castets, Pardotte, Tarnay, Petite Vidure (Cabernet Sauvignon), Camaralet, and Saint-Macaire.

For the most expensive wine in the world, released at €30,000 per bottle, Liber Pater is not what you would expect – a Vin de France that goes against rules and classifications.

Epitomizing the contrary of the grand estates of Bordeaux – a position that Loïc takes pride in – this boutique ‘garage’ winery is tucked away among the small streets of Podensac. Greeted by Loïc, we enter the dimly lit cellar where we are confronted by amphoras, deity sculptures hanging above them, while slightly eerie classical music is playing in the background.

This sets the scene for our Liber Pater experience. Loïc takes us upstairs, a room full of Liber Pater artworks (larger versions of the unique labels made from wine foil), ancient Greek vessels, Napoleon wine books, patterned tapestry, and a collection of different Liber Pater bottle formats.

Within the first five minutes of entering the winery, one understands that this is a place full of symbolism, cultural and religious references – often mixed together to construct the brand identity.

We sit down with him to understand more about the price of exclusivity, his views on the market, future plans, and his pride for Tétradrachme, his Naxos white wine which is also the most expensive Greek wine on the market.

Liber Pater translates to ‘the free Father’, the god of viticulture and wine, male fertility, and freedom. But the winery also bears references to both Dionysus – the ancient Greek God of winemaking, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre, and Bacchus – the Roman God of agriculture, wine, and fertility.

Loïc himself is not religious but he recognizes that ‘wine is more than alcohol’. ‘In a bottle of wine, we have 11,000 years of heritage in Europe, a lot of history, art and spirituality,’ he explains.

This is why when deciding on the final Liber Pater blend, Loïc invites a priest to the tasting.

‘Because if we don’t have a monk, people are not focused on what they do. If you have a monk, you have no noise. People respect the monk and are very concentrated to find the best blend to make wine.

Here, they are in this very special atmosphere to understand that we don't make only wine. They need to think about 11,000 years of heritage, and they need to remember this is the blood of Christ.’

There is also greater recognition of the function wine plays in society. For Pasquet, ‘wine is more than just a beverage; it’s a cultural artifact that connects us to our past and enriches our present’.

In contrast to Bordeaux’s top châteaux, which have built their reputations over the centuries with long family histories spanning generations, Liber Pater, which has been in existence since the early 2000s, draws on a blend of religion, antiquity, and myth to relay a sense of identity and an even longer-standing heritage.

For Pasquet, Liber Pater is a special experience that has to be cherished and enjoyed. Production totals 500 bottles per year, with only 200 being released for sale.

It is all about exclusivity. ‘Only a few people know Liber Pater. If you go in the street, everybody knows Pétrus but nobody knows Liber Pater,’ he tells us.

Pasquet strictly controls distribution: ‘I take care, myself, where I sell my wine because I want to be sure they are not on the secondary market. I want to be sure people buy and drink’.

In his own words, ‘spending €30,000 makes it a better experience than if you spent €2,000 on it. Because the enjoyment of spending that money makes it more enjoyable’.

To set these kinds of prices – and sell successfully – Pasquet has gone against the grain,   comfortably rejecting rules and classifications. He is a maverick, a Burgundian-style vigneron in Bordeaux. He claims that most Bordeaux producers ‘don’t make wine to have the message of the terroir’ but rather ‘to have a good score’.

His focus is on being pragmatic rather than dogmatic in wine production, with a strong belief in adapting farming practices to changing conditions rather than strictly following a doctrine laid out by authority.

Still, his views can be seen as controversial. ‘We don't plant Merlot on gravel here. We don't plant Petit Verdot on clay. Merlot, for me, it's not a good variety. It's like a prostitute. It's never good, but it's never bad,’ he argues.

Ultimately, Loïc wants to relay the most authentic expression: ‘We want to replant the native varieties, high density, franc de pied, ungrafted, to have the message of the terroir’.

When it comes to future planning, Loïc seems motivated to expand Liber Pater, driven by personal pursuits and a desire for rediscovery, but also to adapt viticulture to the challenges presented by climate change.

His Greek project – situated, naturally on Naxos, the island of Dionysus – bears more than just cultural and religious significance. Aside from perfectly embodying the Liber Pater brand narrative of being chosen, for Loïc, island wines present the opportunity for true sustainability.

‘For me, why I bought this vineyard in Greece? Because I think in the mountain we can continue to make a fine wine at the end of the century. I'm sure it will be impossible to Bordeaux.’

His Tétradrachme label, the most expensive Greek wine at $650 a bottle, is a blend of 80% Potamissi and 20% Assyrtiko, from 2-3 centuries old vines, found under the forest on a terraced vineyard.

‘When we bought the vineyard, nobody knew Potamissi. So nobody knew the quality of Potamissi. For me, it's fabulous. It's very precise. It's very pure. When I smell it, I feel like I am in Naxos. Why did I choose Naxos? If they put Dionysus here, 4,000 years ago, it was not by chance. This is because they made very good wine.’

‘You need to understand you make wine for eternity. It must be good in one century. A great wine is good young, but it's good with aging. This is the definition of a good wine.’

Please contact us if you are interested in securing a direct allocation and joining the waiting list for upcoming releases.

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