Rauzan-Ségla was once part of the vast Rausan estate owned by Pierre de Mesures de Rausan in the mid-17th century. Over time, this estate was divided, and by the time of the 1855 Classification, had been separated into the estates of Chateau Rauzan-Gassies, Château Rauzan-Ségla, Chateau Desmirail and Chateau Marquis de Terme.

After a long ownership by the Durand-Dasier family, the estate was acquired by Frédéric Cruse of the Cruse family in 1903 who held ownership until 1957, and until 1989 it belonged to Liverpool shipping magnate John Holt. By 1982 the estate had hired the consultant services of Emile Peynaud and in 1989 the property was purchased by Brent Walker. Whatever plans he had, however, were not to bear fruit; in 1994 he sold the estate on to the Wertheimer family of Chanel, who installed a winemaking team led by David Orr and John Kolasa (both from Chateau Latour). Chanel remain the current owners, and they are credited with continuing to push the quality ever higher. In 2014, Nicolas Audebert, the former winemaker at Cheval des Andes, the LVMH property in Mendoza Argentina, was hired to succeed John Kolasa following his retirement.

The Rauzan-Ségla vineyard extends 51 hectares (130 acres) with the grape variety distribution of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The grand vin is Château Rauzan-Ségla, with an annual production of 8000 cases, and the surplus wine is destined for the second wine named Ségla.

Château Bouscaut is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red and dry white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The winery and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Cadaujac.

History

Viticulture began at the estate during the 18th century, though its reputation became established just before and after World War I. Under the ownership of Victor Place the 18th-century chateau suffered a serious fire in 1962, and was rebuilt, before the estate was sold to an American syndicate in 1968, with Wohlstetter-Sloan installed as new owners. In 1980, Bouscaut was acquired by Lucien Lurton, the owner of Château Brane-Cantenac. The current owners of Château Bouscaut are Sophie Cogombles-Lurton Laurent Cogombles.

Vineyards

The vineyard area consists of 47 hectares, 40 of which are planted with the grape varieties 55% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 5% malbec. The remaining 7 hectares are cultivated with equal amounts of the white varieties Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc.

Wines

The Grand vin, Château Bouscaut, is annually produced in 100,000 bottles of the red wine and 20,000 bottles of the dry white. Of the second wines Les Chênes de Bouscaut (having replaced the former La Flamme de Bouscaut) there is annually produced 60 000 bottles of red and 25,000 bottles of the dry white. The estate is also connected to the production of neighbouring estates Château Lamothe-Bouscaut and Château Valoux.

Château Carbonnieux is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Pessac-Léognan region of the Graves.

History

After the suffering of two World Wars, Bordeaux viticulture had reached its lowest ebb. There was a terrible frost in the winter of 1956 and it was in this same year that Marc Perrin who had bought the estate, set to work on the renovation of the château and its vineyard. He first started a significant replanting campaign that took the estate to 45 hectares in 1970 then to 70 hectares in 1980, to reach almost 95 hectares today. His son, Antony, built a new fermentation cellar and modernized the cellars to adapt to new vinification methods. He continued the restoration of the château and the vineyards and focused on increasing the renown of Carbonnieux and Bordeaux wines throughout the world. He was president of the “Union of Grands Crus de Bordeaux”, president of the “Crus Classés de Graves” as well as being one of the forerunners of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, created in 1987.

Vineyards

Today, the Carbonnieux estate covers 170 hectares of land at the gateway to Bordeaux, including vineyards on 92 adjoining hectares, with almost equal quantities of red and white varieties. The selection of grape varieties suited to soil types has been an integral part of the special winemaking culture of Château Carbonnieux for centuries. The implantation of each red and white variety is considered carefully so that each plant can flourish in the soil by drawing on the elements that will allow it to reveal its greatest aromatic finesse. 50 hectares planted with red grape varieties, 42 hectares is planted with white.

Wines

Château Carbonnieux red has for centuries been a great classic from the region of Bordeaux. With its high standard of quality, it is the smooth result of an excellent blending of grape varieties from this region. The vinification, both modern and traditional of red wines, is carried out by slow and gentle extraction in order to preserve the roundness of the wine and the mineral features of the soil. The tannins are well balanced and silky in harmony with red fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry…) and reveal toasted notes from ageing in the finest quality French oak barrels. Only the very best batches tasted are selected for the final blending of Château Carbonnieux red wines.

 

Domaine de Chevalier is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959.

History

The estate dates from the 18th century, and viticulture of significance was begun during the 19th century when it was run by Arnaud Ricard, also the proprietor of Château Malartic-Lagravière; from 1900 to 1945 it was owned by Gabriel Beaumartin, a son-in-law. Severe frosts in 1945 made partial replanting necessary, and normal production was not resumed until 1953. Managed by Claude Ricard since 1948, the Ricard family was forced to sell the estate in 1983 to the Bernard family of Cognac, though Claude Ricard stayed on as advisor for several years. Stéphane Derenoncourt is retained as consultant oenologist.

Vineyards

From a property of 80 hectares, the vineyard area consists of 35 hectares of red grape varieties: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, and 2.5% Petit Verdot; and 4.5 hectares of white grape varieties: 70% Sauvignon blanc and 30% Sémillon. 

“With regard to vineyard density, our terroir is best suited to 10,000 vines per hectare, like most of the finest estates in Bordeaux (the appellation average is 6,500 vines). This high density creates competition between vines resulting in low yields of grapes with thick skins and a high concentration of colour, aromas, and tannin. It also reduces the time it takes for full, even ripening, and gives the wine the complexity necessary to age well for many years.”

Wines

The Grand vin, Domaine de Chevalier, is annually produced in 7,000 cases of the red wine and 1,200 cases of the dry white. The red and white second wines, L'Esprit de Chevalier, has a production of 5,800 and 800 cases, respectively.

History

The name of Chateau Couhins came about in the 17th century. It’s based on an ancient Gascon word, Couhins, meaning borders or limits. Edouard Gasqueton who also owned Chateau Calon Segur in St. Estephe managed Chateau Couhins at the time of the 1959 Graves Classification. 

Chateau Couhins is probably the sole Bordeaux estate that was only classified only for its white Bordeaux wine.Today, Chateau Couhins is not not be confused with Chateau Couhins-Lurton, owned by the Lurton family, which produces both red and white wine from Pessac Leognan. 

Vineyards

The vineyard area is divided between 7 hectares with white grape varieties of 85% Sauvignon blanc and 15% Sémillon and 15 hectares with red grape varieties of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Wines

Of the Grand vin Château Couhins dry white there is annually produced 20,000 bottles, and of the red 30,000 bottles. The annual production of the second wines, Couhins la Gravette, is 30,000 bottles of red and 8,000 bottles of dry white. There's a third wine, La Dame de Couhins, of which 5,000 bottles is produced.

 Château Couhins-Lurton is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for dry white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1959.[1] The winery is located in close vicinity of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Villenave-d'Ornon.

History

Known in the late 17th century under the name “Bourdieu de La Gravette”, the château belonged to the Banchereaus, a family of important lawyers. The area under vine was practically identical to what it is today: 10 hectares on the best gravelly rises. The Hanappiers, a family of wine merchants, acquired the estate in 1883. The quality of Château Couhins-Lurton’s white wine was such that it was designated a Graves great growth in the 1959 classification.

André Lurton became tenant farmer of the vineyard in 1967. He went on to purchase part of the estate that had been acquired by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research. He sold wine from this part under the name Couhins-Lurton, qualified as a Graves classified growth. The white wine part of the vineyard is planted exclusively with Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation and ageing take place in stave wood oak barrels to give the wine balance, finesse, and complexity on both the nose and palate, as well as great ageing potential.

Vineyards

The 18 hectare Pessac Leognan vineyard of Chateau Couhins-Lurton is planted for the red wine grapes,to 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon. Those vines are located at a neighboring estate they own, Chateau Rochemorin. The terroir is gravel and sand soils. 

Wines

Couhins-Lurton is a fine dry white wine typical of the best terroirs in Pessac-Léognan. A plot of red wine vines was added to the estate in 1988. This enables Couhins-Lurton to reconnect with its history, because the château produced 95% red wine in the 19th century.

Interesting fact: André Lurton, the first Bordeaux winemaker to put classified whites under screwcap in 2004, has called time on the experiment after French wine trade buyers proved reluctant to abandon cork.

History

Situated at the heart of Bordeaux wine’s historic birthplace, Château de Fieuzal’s vineyards extend across one of Pessac-Leognan’s finest gravel outcrops. This ancient estate is a jewel of the Graves, an appellation whose soils are particularly well suited to the production of fine wines. Although most famous for its white wines, Château de Fieuzal is also recognised for the excellence of its reds, as attested by its Grand Cru Classé status. Since 2001 Fieuzal has been owned by Brenda and Lochlann Quinn, an Irish couple passionate about wine and determined to perpetuate the estate’s unique character. For this reason, the vineyard receives every possible attention that might enable the remarkable terroir to better express itself. Since 2007 a renewed team has been led by the talented young winemaker Stephen Carrier, who works tirelessly and passionately in pursuit of perfection.

Vineyards

The vineyard area consists of 48 hectares, 39 hectares of red vines consisting of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon with 33% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot, and 9 hectares of white with equal amounts of Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc.

Wines

Of the Grand vin Château de Fieuzal and the second wine L'Abeille de Fieuzal there is typically a total annual production of 13,000 cases of red wine and 4,000 of dry white.

Château Latour-Martillac, previously Château La Tour-Martillac and known as Kressmann La Tour, is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, rated a Cru Classé (Classed Growth) in the 1953 Classification of Graves wine. 

History

Thanks to the long involvement of generations of the Kressmann family, and the recognition shown in 1953 by the classification of Graves, the wines of Château LaTour-Martillac feature among the best of Pessac-Léognan. The expansion of the range was drawn up by Tristan and Loïc Kressmann. The second wines appeared at the end of the 1980’s under the label Lagrave-Martillac, followed by the Château Langlet, a magnificent property in the Graves appellation, acquired in 1999.

Vineyards

The vineyard is divided into two uniform subsectors. On the Martillac plateau, the hill dominates the property and is made up of a patchwork of gravel. These little pebbles deposited there by the river Garonne in the Quaternary period form a finely tuned mix of Quartz, Lydian, Jasper and Flint. These poor soils and drainage constitute an ideal terrain for the vine and in particular for the red grape varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Moving closer to the Garonne, the soils take on a different profile of clay and limestone, still with a gravel surface. It is here that the Merlot variety grows best and also our white grape varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Wines

The best lots from the best parcels are chosen each year to integrate into the blending of the first wines for both red and white wines. This stringent selection is driven by the direction of Loïc Kressmann and our winemaker, Valérie Vialard, with the help of one of the most renowned consultants in Bordeaux, Professor Denis Dubourdieu.

The second wine of Château LaTour-Martillac is presented under the label Lagrave-Martillac. Lagrave-Martillac red was created in 1986, its declination into white was in 1990. They are both made from plot selections of some young vines on the property. The care taken by the technical team and the vinification process are identical to that of the first wine.

The annual production averages 20,000 cases of the red Grand Vin and 11,000 of the dry white. Of the second wine Lagrave Martillac made from the estate's youngest vines, there are produced 4,000 cases of red and 2,000 cases of dry white.

Château Malartic-Lagravière, originally Domaine de Lagravière, is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. 

History

The Domaine de Lagravière was bought in 1803 by Pierre de Malartic whose uncle, Comte de Malartic through battles against the British in Canada and Mauritius brought fame to the name and the maritime theme which is associated with this estate. The Malartic name was not applied to the estate until after 1850 however. The estate has belonged to the Bonnie family since 1997, with oenologists Michel Rolland and Athanase Fakorellis as consultants.

Vineyards

From a property of 47 hectares (120 acres), the vineyard area consists of 41 hectares of the red grape varieties 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and 6 hectares of the white grape varieties 80% Sauvignon blanc and 20% Sémillon.

Wines

The Grand vin, Château Malartic-Lagravière, is annually produced in 16,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. There are also red and white second wines, Sillage de Malartic, and a rosé, Le Rosé de Malartic.

Château la Mission Haut-Brion is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, classed among the Crus Classés in the Graves classification of 1953.

History

Created and developed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by the influential Lestonnac family, Château La Mission Haut-Brion began to achieve wider renown in 1682, when it passed into the hands of the Prêcheurs de la Mission (to whom it owes its current name), the Bordeaux branch of the Congrégation de la Mission de Saint-Lazare, a missionary order commonly known as the Lazarists. 

La Mission Haut Brion continued to change hands until it was finally sold to another American family, the Woltner’s. Frederic Woltner purchased La Mission Haut Brion in 1919. Many people consider this the birth of the modern era for the property. The Woltner family maintained several other interests in the wine trade, as negociants and as vineyard owners in Napa Valley, on Howell Mountain.

The Woltner family remained the owners of La Mission Haut Brion until 1983, when the estate was purchased by Domaine Clarence Dillon, the owner of neighboring, Chateau Haut Brion. Once Clarence Dillon established control, the new owners renovated the entire property starting with replanting the vineyards.

Vineyards

Situated on uniquely stony soil, the vineyard area extends nearly 21 hectares between the two portions in Pessac and Léognan, with a grape variety distribution of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. 

Wines

The estate annually produces on average 6,000 to 7,000 cases of its grand vin La Mission Haut-Brion. For the second wine La Chapelle de la Mission, from the vineyard's youngest vines, there is produced on average 4,000 cases. The white Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, previously the wine of Château Laville Haut-Brion, has an annual production of 500 to 700 cases.

Château Olivier is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés de Graves for red and dry white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959.

History

Although the estate has a long history dating back to the 14th century when the property was occupied by the d'Olivey family, viticulture first began when it came to Count Charles-Joseph Maurice d'Etchegoyen in 1846. The estate's actual château, today classified as a monument historique, is of such a nature that it was one of only two Léognan estates given the prefix "château" in the first French edition of Cocks & Féret. 

Olivier passed to the Bousset-Salvat family, and then to Alexandre Watcher, and by the marriage of Agnew Watcher and Jacques de Bethmann in the early 20th century, the present owners De Bethmann family took control. Château Olivier was managed by Jean-Jacques de Bethmann, until his death in July 2012 led to his son Alexandre de Bethmann assuming control.

Vineyards

From a largely forested estate of 220 hectares the vineyard area consists of 50 hectares, 38 of which are planted with grape varieties of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. There are 12 hectares cultivated with white varieties of 55% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon blanc and 5% Muscadelle.

Wines

The Grand vin, Château Olivier, is annually produced in 18,000 cases of the red wine and 6,000 cases of the dry white.

Château Pape Clément is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1959.

History

The first harvest took place in 1252. For more than 750 years, therefore, Château Pape Clément has been producing fine wines on the same terroir. At this time, it was called Domaine de la Mothe. It was purchased at the end of December 1299 by Gaillard de Goth, son of a famous family from the south of Bordeaux. This purchase was made at the request of Bertrand de Goth, who had just been appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux, and for this reason could not accede to the property. Bertrand de Goth became bishop of Saint-Bertrand de Comminges, then archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299.

Jean-Baptiste Clerc was one of the owners who marked the history of the estate. He was behind the existing Château, in the neo-Gothic style dating from 1864. Under his aegis, more than 30 hectares was replanted and this same year, the property received the grand ministerial medal awarded in the competition for the most outstanding vineyard. Under Clerc’s management, Château Pape Clément soon became one of the best-known growths in the Gironde. On 8 June 1937, a violent hail storm destroyed almost all the vineyards of Château Pape Clément and it was in 1939 that it was bought by Paul Montagne, who decided to restore the vineyard and the cellar to return them to the status they deserved. The culmination of his efforts and the quality of the Grand Vin were finally to be recognised on the creation of the classification of Grands Crus Classés de Graves in 1959.

Vineyards

The vineyard area consists of 32.5 hectares, 30 of which are planted with grape varieties of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The remaining plots are cultivated with white varieties of 45% Sauvignon blanc, 45% Sémillon and 10% Muscadelle.

Wines

The Grand vin, Chateau Pape Clément, is produced annually in 7,000 cases of red wine and 350 cases of dry white wine. Additionally there are produced second wines Le Clémentin du Pape Clément and Le Prélat du Pape Clément.

The introduction of a second wine in the 1980s, was widely credited with allowing the estate to increase their focus on the quality of their Grand vin, by being more selective in which grapes were used. Today the Grand vin is typically composed of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot making up the remaining third. 

The non-cru classé white wine will typically be composed of equal amounts of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon, depending on the vintage.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Crus Classés for red wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959.

History

The estate originates in the 14th century with the house of Verrier Du Boscq who planted vines on a gravelly plateau named Lafitte already in 1365. In 1720 it was bought by the Scotsman Georges Smith who added his name to the lieu-dit, and who built the manor house of the property. The Louis Eschenauer company bought estate in 1958, after having already distributed the wine from the early 20th century. In 1990, Daniel Cathiard bought Smith Haut Lafitte and embarked on an investment programme, including the building of a new cellar.

Prior to the arrival of the Cathiard family, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte was not known for producing high quality wine. It took a decade of hard work and serious investments before things began turning around here. But starting in 2000, the wines clearly started showing a lot of improvement, with further, noticeable jumps in quality in 2005, 2008 and again in 2009, and in my eyes, once again 2010! You can add 2015 and 2016 to that growing list of top vintages as well. 

Vineyards

The vineyard area consists of 67 hectares (170 acres), 56 hectares of which are planted with grape varieties of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The remaining 11 hectares are cultivated with white varieties of 90% Sauvignon blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon gris.

Wines

The Grand vin, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, is annually produced in 10,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. The second wine, Les Hauts de Smith, has a production of 5,500 cases, and exists in red, white and rosé versions. The rosé is produced as a Bordeaux AOC. There is an alternative second wine called Le Petit Haut Lafitte produced exclusively as a red wine with a higher mix of Cabernet Grapes for a more left bank feel - this second wine is steadily gaining popularity

Château Le Pape is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pessac-Leognan.

History

The first thing Bob Wilmers did after purchasing Chateau Le Pape was to bring in Veronique Sanders to manage the estate. Veronique Sanders was already the director of Chateau Haut Bailly, so of course this was a natural fit. 

Vineyards

The size of the vineyard has since been increased as well, going from 7 hectares to 9 hectares of vines starting with the 2018 vintage. 

Wines

The average annual production for Chateau Le Pape is close to 3,500 cases per year. With the team headed by Veronique Sanders, and the spare no expense attitude of Bob Wilmers to produce the best wine possible, this is an estate to watch.

Less than a kilometre from the famous Saint-Emilion bell tower, situated on the much-vaunted south-facing “foot of the hill”, Angélus has been the life work of eight generations of the Boüard de Laforest family.

History

In the first-ever classification of Saint-Emilion wines in 1954, Château Angélus was a Grand Cru Classé. Already at the time, it benefitted from a solid reputation, which helped it survive the Bordeaux wine crisis of 1973 and take part in the oenological renewal of the 1980’s. This was the context in which Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, a graduate oenologist from Bordeaux University, took advantage of this marvellous wine’s illustrious past, while being resolutely turned towards the future and launched and continued to implement an ambitious, innovative policy in favour of achieving excellence in wine growing and making.

Vineyards

Here in Saint-Emilion at Angélus on our ancestors’ land, vines and wine are like a religion, a passion shared by the whole family. It is our fierce ambition to continue this passionate, family history by safeguarding at Angélus the identity of the great wines of the south-facing slopes of Saint-Emilion and favouring the Cabernet Franc variety. We also firmly intend to move this great estate into the third millennium and benefit from its rich technological innovation.

As you would expect, the merlot is planted in soils with more clay and limestone, while the cabernet franc is planted in the gravel, limestone and sand terroir. Chateau Angelus was one of the earliest proponents of cabernet franc in Saint Emilion. The estate owns a total of 23.4 hectares with a grape variety of 51% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Wines

The annual production averages 10,000 cases of the Grand vin and 1,000 cases of the second wine.

 

The Ausone estate is anchored to the side of the hill in a place called Roc Blancan, literally “white rock”. It is a mineral stage, slowly hewn by Man, where, for the last two thousand years, life has chosen to establish itself in stone, as have the vines.

History

For several years Ausone was jointly owned by the Dubois-Challon and Vauthier families. After an unsettling time, feuding in the courts was brought to an end when the Vauthiers bought the Dubois-Challon shares in the mid 1990s. Alain Vauthier became managing director of Ausone, while Heylette Dubois-Challon won the right to live in the chateau until her death in 2003. Michel Rolland was appointed consultant oenologist in 2002.

Vineyards

The success of the wine produced at Ausone is attributed to a combination of exposure and the soil, a mixture of sand and clay on limestone unique to the district. The vineyard is 7 hectares, arranged with the grape varieties of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, planted with a density of 6,500 plants per hectare. Due to the small scale of the vineyards, picking may be done at an optimal moment, usually in two afternoons.

Wines

These last few years, Ausone has been at the very peak of its form and with flying winemaker Michel Rolland now acting as consultant, it is now making voloptuous, fruity wines that require a minimum 10 years of bottle ageing.The winery also produces a second wine named Chapelle d'Ausone. Of both the Grand Vin and the second wine Chapelle d'Ausone, the annual production averages little more than 2,000 cases (180 hL).

Château Beauséjour, formerly fully titled Château Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde.

History

Château Beauséjour was once a vineyard cultivated by the monks of the Church of St-Martin during the Middle Ages. It was acquired by the Gerès family in the 17th century, the land then named Peycoucou.

By marriage the estate came to the de Carle family, seigneurs of Figeac, and in 1787 General Jacques de Carle renamed the property to Beauséjour. When the historic estate in its entirety came to Pierre-Paulin Ducarpe, it was divided in 1869 between his two children. The son inherited the half which was sold in 1924 to Dr. Fagouet, altering the name to Château Beauséjour-Dr-Fagouet (present day Château Beau-Séjour Bécot) and his daughter who wed Doctor Duffau-Lagarrosse, received what became Château Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse.

The estate was set up as a non-trading company (société civile) in 1963, and remains owned by the Duffau-Lagarrosse family. Nicolas Thienpont, director of winemaking at Château Pavie Macquin, is in overall charge of a 2009 effort to raise the estate's potential, assisted by consultant oenologists Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt.

Vineyards

Château Beauséjour" is situated on the left bank of Dordogne River, at the top of the Montagne Saint Émilion hillside, 2.5 miles (4 km) from Saint Émilion. This estate is the perfect example of the appellation, both due to the imposing appearence prestigious look of the buildings (castle and chai) and to the outstanding location of the vineyard, stretching from outside Saint Martin's church (12th- century Romanesque church, in the heart of Montagne village) to the five mills of Calon (2 of which have been perfectly restored and... are in working order).

In the 7th edition of his book "BORDEAUX ET SES VINS" (Bordeaux and its wines) dated 1898, Edouard FERET describes this vineyard:

"The vineyard is situated on the highest chalky clay hillsides of the area. It is planted with our finest grape varieties grafted onto American rootstock and produces one of the most elegant and full-bodied wines of the village."

Wines

Of the Grand vin, Château Beauséjour there is a total annual production of 25–30,000 bottles. Each vintage offers a few rare flasks, the signature of a terroir equally as precious as confined. The second wine Croix de Beausejour is produced only in certain years and offers an alternative approach of the terroir of Beausejour.

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, formerly Château Beauséjour-Dr-Fagouet, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde.

History

The estate has been devoted to winemaking since the Gallo-Roman period. In 1787, General Jacques de Carles, wishing to commemorate for all time the pleasure that he enjoyed staying there, named the estate “Beau-Séjour” (meaning “lovely stay”).

In 1969, Michel Bécot acquired the château and brought the area under vine up to 18.50 hectares thanks to the purchase of neighbouring vineyard plots with the same terroir. He also turned seven hectares of former underground limestone quarries into a storage cellar where tens of thousands of bottles age under ideal conditions. His work in improving and embellishing the estate went on until his retirement in 1985.

His two sons, Gérard and Dominique, have followed in their father’s footsteps while introducing numerous technical innovations to both the cellars and the vineyard. Only the ripest, healthiest grapes are now harvested, and then sorted one by one. Gérard’s daughter, Juliette, started working at the château in 2001 in order to market wines from the family estate.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends 16.5 hectares with the grape varieties of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot is located on the limestone plateau of Saint Emilion with a terroir of clay that has deep, limestone soils. Below the surface there is an endless array of limestone tunnels and quarries, that really explain what makes the wine of Beau-Sejour Becot so special.

Wines

Again, Michel Rolland - the flying winemaker - plays an important role here. The wines are rich, fruity and concentrated. Of the Grand vin, Château Beau-Séjour Bécot and the second wine, Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot, there is a total annual production of 5,000 cases.

The Bécot family acquired the Gomerie vineyard in 1995, an adjacent plot of 2.5 hectares, from which a wine is produced in the manner of "Garage wine". From a small vineyard of extremely low yields, the wine performs according to "Garagiste" norms, with new wood predominance, a small production, high ratings from Robert Parker and high prices. The wine consists of 100% Merlot, and production is limited to 1,000 cases per year. From this vineyard there is also produced a second wine, Mademoiselle La Gomerie.

Château Bélair-Monange, named until 2007 Château Belair, is a Bordeaux vineyard from the appellation Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde. The estate was considered a leading producer of Saint-Émilion until the 20th century.

History

Internationally renowned, Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix has become a hallmark for the top wines of Bordeaux. The company is the largest wine merchant on the Right Bank, distributing fine wines from Bordeaux and California worldwide. Family run since 1937, Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix is also the owner and producer of several prestigious crus, including Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Château Trotanoy, and Château Hosanna in Pomerol; Château Bélair-Monange Premier Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion; and, in Napa Valley, California, Dominus Estate and Ulysses.

Vineyards

In the vineyards, the Director of Properties and his large team of permanent vineyard workers tend each vine with care, monitoring each by hand throughout the year. There is a considerable focus on soil health and maintenance using precise plowing methods. The Bélair-Monange vineyard area extended 12.5 hectares with a grape variety distribution of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. Once the Moueix family took over, they removed the few, remaining old vines of malbec and petit verdot. They also instituted a vast, replanting program. 

Wines

Of the grand vin Château Magdelaine, there was normally produced 3,000 cases, and the second wine, formerly called Château Saint Brice renamed Les Songes de Magdelaine, had an annual production of approximately 2,000 cases. 

Château Canon, originally Clos St-Martin, is a Bordeaux wine from the Saint-Émilion appellation, ranked among the Premiers grands crus classés B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located just southwest of the old town of Saint-Émilion within the commune of the same name, closely neighbouring the estates such as Château Magdelaine, Château La Gaffelière and Château Ausone and has since the early 20th century been considered one of the top Saint-Émilions.

History

There seem to be conflicting theories as to where Chateau Canon took its name. Logically, it would appear that Canon is a phonetic spelling of Kanon - the first owner. But the Fontemoing family, who just purchased the estate already owned a property in Fronsac named Chateau Canon when they bought their St. Emilion vineyards. 

Vineyards

The château overlooks a gentle slope where vines have been grown for a millennium. This vineyard is surrounded by stone walls and stretches as far as the village of Saint-Émilion. The vineyard area extends 21.5 hectares (of which 13 lie within the original clos) with grape varieties of 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. It’s reasonable to assume they wanted to expand their brand name, and began selling both of their wines under the same name of Chateau Canon. Either way, by 1770, the wines of what we know of today as Chateau Canon had become an established St. Emilion wine. 

Wines

Like the maison Chanel, who have owned Canon since 1996, Château Canon epitomises a style that is timeless, elegant and always fashionable.

Chateau Canon annually produces on average 7,500 cases of the Grand vin Chateau Canon and the second wine Clos de Canon.

Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier Grand cru classé in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde.

History

The family has made wine in Germany since the 13th century, and viticulture has never stopped being a central part of their life. The custodian of some 800 years of winegrowing tradition, the talented Stephan von Neipperg manages the Bordeaux estates acquired by his family in 1971. Ably assisted by a team of professionals, he has brought the wines from these châteaux to the pinnacle of quality.

Residing in Saint-Emilion since 1983, Stephan von Neipperg and his wife, Sigweis, have devoted themselves tirelessly to perpetuating the family tradition at their various estates. The next generation is committed to this same goal... and shares a profound respect for the terroir.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends 19.5 hectares with the grape varieties of 55% merlot, 40% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon.

Wines

Of the Grand vin, Château Canon-la-Gaffelière there is a total annual production of 7,500 cases, in addition to the production of the second wine, Côte Mignon La Gaffelière.

 

Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle"), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. As of 2012, its wine is one of only four to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, along with Château Angélus, Château Ausone, and Château Pavie.

History

In 1832, Château Figeac sold 15 hectares/37 acres to M. Laussac-Fourcaud, including part of the narrow gravel ridge that runs through Figeac and neighboring vineyards and reaches Château Pétrus just over the border in Pomerol. This became Château Cheval Blanc which, in the International London and Paris Exhibitions in 1862 and 1867, won medals still prominent on its labels. The château remained in the family until 1998, when it was sold to Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury goods group LVMH, and Belgian businessman Albert Frère, with Pierre Lurton installed as estate manager, a constellation similar to that of the group's other chief property Château d'Yquem. LVMH acquired Arnault's share in 2009.

Vineyards

The vineyard is considered to have three qualities: one third Pomerol as it is located on the boundary, one third Graves as the soil is gravelly, and the remaining third typical Saint-Émilion. The vineyard area is spread over 41 hectares, with 37 hectares planted with an unusual composition of grape varieties of 57% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and small parcels of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Wines

The House’s savoir-faire, its ability to garner the terroir’s full potential, and its bold choices of grape varieties give Cheval Blanc wine all its freshness, elegance, power and finesse. They provide a unique character and a rare potential for aging: Cheval Blanc wines are excellent at any stage, but improve year after year. This cellaring potential and timeless style, which is recreated every year according to the assets of each vintage, have ensured the the supreme distinction of the 1er Grand Cru Classé A classification since 1954. The average annual production is 6000 cases of the Grand vin and 2500 cases of the second wine, Le Petit Cheval. 

Château Figeac is a wine estate in the Saint-Émilion appellation of Bordeaux. 

History

Château Figeac, 1st Great Classified Growth of Saint-Emilion, offers the elegance and the refinement of the greatest Bordeaux wines. The estate’s location is remarkable, as are its outstanding terroir and its history, which is inextricably linked to that of Saint-Emilion. Its origins date back to the 2nd century AD and the Figeacus family, who gave the estate its name. The Manoncourt family, which has owned the estate for over 120 years, has shaped the unique character of the Château Figeac of today.

Vineyards

It is the largest estate in Saint-Émilion, with 40 hectares of vineyards. Due to its soil, which is dominated by gravel, it is planted in grape varieties cabernet sauvignon (35%), cabernet franc (35%), and merlot (30%). 

Wines

Most other Saint-Émilion wines are dominated by merlot, and Figeac therefore bears a certain semblance to the wines of Médoc and Graves despite being situated on Bordeaux's right bank. The wine, which is one of the most famous of Saint-Émilion, is aged in 100% new oak barrels.

Clos Fourtet, previously Château Clos Fourtet, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The Clos Fourtet winery is located in the Right Bank of France's Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde.

History

For centuries, the ancient ‘Camp Fortet’ (small fort) with its modest profile has overlooked the historic town of Saint-Émilion, peacefully surveying it in times of prosperity, protecting it in times of war. The 20-hectare vineyard forms a single plot, planted upon the highest slopes of Western Saint-Émilion. Constructed from the very rock upon which it stands, the chateau and its surrounding wall (hence ‘clos’) are intimate and unassuming. Ever since the beginning of the classification in 1956, Clos Fourtet has been a member of the elite ‘Premiers Grands Crus Classés’ of Saint-Émilion.

Vineyards

The 20 hectare right bank vineyard of Clos Fourtet is planted to 85% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. The vineyard and chateau are situated only a stones throw from the village of Saint Emilion, right on top of the limestone plateau. The terroir is limestone and clay soils. Their best vines are on peak of the limestone plateau, close to the chateau. The vines are on average 30 years of age. The average vine age is young here, as much of the vineyard was replanted in 1991. As the vines continue aging, you can expect an increase in the quality of the wines here. 

Wines

The wines of Clos Fourtet, Premier Grand Cru Classé, embody the finest of Saint-Émilion. Smooth, intriguing and seductive, their pure natural aromas are delicately woven together in a charming display of the unparalleled potential of our terroir. Our wines mark the culmination of all of our efforts, unveiling themselves as time passes - alive, developing and maturing. Clos Fourtet produces 5,000 cases of the Grand vin Clos Fourtet anually. They also have a second wine, called Closerie de Fourtet with an annual production of 2,500 cases.

 

Château La Gaffelière, previously Château Gaffelière-Naudes, is a Bordeaux wine from the Saint-Émilion appellation, ranked among the Premiers grands crus classés B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. 

History

Chateau La Gaffeliere has the unique distinction of being one of the oldest, family owned vineyards in the St. Emilion appellation of Bordeaux. The family can trace their roots in the Right Bank all the way back to the 1400’s! 

Vineyards

Currently, the estate extends to over 32 ha including 22ha in 1st Grand Cru Classé. Our plots are located on 3 different area. The asteriated limestone plateau: clay layers and green marls 3 to 5 meters thick jammed between two limestone bedrocks. The plateau rises 90m above sea level. The 22 hectare vineyard of Chateau La Gaffeliere is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The best terroir is the 7 hectares of vines close to Chateau Ausone and not far from Chateau Belair-Monange. 

Wines

The winery is located west of Château Pavie, just south of the town of Saint-Émilion, within the commune of the same name. Chateau La Gaffelière annually produces on average 10,000 cases of the grand vin. Good to know: the wines of La Gaffelière were not at is best during the 1980s. 

Château Larcis Ducasse is a Bordeaux wine which has the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier Grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the department Gironde.

History

In the 16th century Larcis Ducasse’s wines were extremely popular and already highly sought-after. Records show that in 1777 they were purchased at a very high price by Pierre Beylot. Then, in 1841, Lecoutre de Beauvais mentions Larcis as being one of the best Saint-Emilion crus. A few years later in 1867, a first gold medal from the International Exposition in Paris was awarded for the quality of the wines produced in this exceptional terroir. In 1893, Château Larcis Ducasse was purchased by Henry Raba – a direct descendant of a major Bordeaux ship-owning and merchant family based in Bordeaux from the 18th century. His passion led him to invest a significant portion of his fortune in maintaining this terraced vineyard and equipping the chateau with state-of-the art winery equipment. His son André took over upon his death in 1925. André then died during the war. He was childless, so his niece Hélène Gratiot Alphandéry inherited the property in 1941.She in her turn managed the property along with cellar-master Pharaon Roche and her son, Jacques Olivier Gratiot, director with l’Oréal and member of the Jurade, became manager in 1990.

Today, Château Larcis Ducasse is still in the hands of the Gratiot Alphandéry family and since 2002 the property has been under the management of Nicolas Thienpont.

Vineyards

Located within the historic perimeter of the Plateau and the Grande Côte where the majority of Saint-Emilion’s Premiers Grands Crus Classés wines are located, the vineyards of Château Larcis Ducasse enjoy a terroir with exceptional natural qualities. Covering a total of 11 hectares of closely-grouped plots, it is situated to the west of Château Pavie and to the north of Château Troplong Mondot. Larcis Ducasse occupies the tip of the famous Pavie hill (‘Côte Pavie’). It enjoys a wonderful, fully south-facing position. The terrace terroir is worthy of a Premier Grand Cru.

The vineyard is planted with the grape varieties of approximately 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wines

On average, the production is close to 4,000 cases of Larcis Ducasse per year. There is a second wine, Murmure de Larcis Ducasse.

History

La Mondotte dates back to the early 19th century. Cocks & Féret ("Bordeaux and its Wines"), mention it in their second edition in 1868. It is thus entirely untrue that La Mondotte was "created" in 1996, as one sometimes hears. During the 1996 revision of the Saint-Emilion Classification, the commission ruled that La Mondotte needed to have its own separate winemaking facility. Up until then, the wine was made at Château Canon La Gaffelière, albeit in a separate location. Major investments were made to satisfy the commission's requirement... for a 4.5 hectares vineyard!

Vineyards

La Mondotte is located on the eastern part of the Saint-Emilion plateau next to Troplong-Mondot. This 4.5 hectare vineyard is an absolute gem. Its outstanding terroir (clay limestone soil with very silty clay and a rocky subsoil) has all the natural qualities to produce very great wine. The vines are an average of 50 years old and the vineyard contains only premium grape varieties (75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc).

Wines

La Mondotte was launched with the 1996 vintage. With its extreme characteristics, it is alternately referred to as a "super-cuvée" or a "garage wine", and has become one of the most expensive wines of Bordeaux. 

Wine Cellar Insider suggests to avoid the years from 1995 to 1964, as those vintages are not worth the money being asked today. 2009, 2015 and 2016 are the best vintages La Mondotte has produced yet. 

Château Pavie is a winery in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region of France.

History

Like other vineyards in Saint-Émilion such as Château Ausone, the Pavie vineyard dates back to Roman times. It takes its name from the orchards of peaches ("pavies") that used to stand there. The modern estate was assembled by Ferdinand Bouffard in the late 19th century by buying plots from several families.

The plots were still managed separately, and the 9 hectares bought from the Pigasse family retained a separate identity as Château Pavie-Decesse. However Bouffard struggled with phylloxera, and at the end of World War I he sold it to Albert Porte, who sold it to Alexandre Valette in 1943. His grandson Jean-Paul Valette sold it to Gérard Perse in 1998 for $31 million.

Perse is a Parisian millionaire and former cyclist who sold two supermarket chains to fund his entry into the wine business. He bought Château Monbousquet in 1993, Château Pavie-Decesse in 1997, and Pavie in 1998. He ripped out most of the old equipment, building new temperature-controlled wooden fermentation vats, a new cellar, and a new irrigation system in the vineyard.

He brought in the controversial wine consultant Michel Rolland, who has seen yields cut from 55 hl/ha to 30 hl/ha with severe pruning and green-harvesting and encouraged malolactic fermentation in the wine. The result has seen the wine become much more concentrated and intense. In 2012, Pavie was elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status, which made it one of four such Saint-Émilion producers.

Vineyards

The 42 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Chateau Pavie is planted to 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This represents a change in the vineyard with less Merlot and more Cabernet Franc. In addition to replanting, trellis wires throughout the vineyard were raised in order to increase the vines’ foliage. 

Wines

The Chateau Pavie vineyard is farmed using sustainable, vineyard management techniques. Part of the goal at Chateau Pavie is to produce wine from ripe grapes and low yields. 70% of the vineyard is farmed using organic methods. It is the goal of the estate to become 100% organic. There is a second wine, Aromes de Pavie. Chateau Pavie produces 8,000 cases of wine per year. 

Château Pavie-Macquin is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine.

History

The estate is currently owned by the Corre family, descendants of Albert Macquin, and is managed by Nicolas Thienpont with the oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt in charge of vinification. The team of Thienpont and Derenoncourt has been credited with increasing the profile of Pavie-Macquin in recent years, introducing biodynamic viticulture and more modern winemaking techniques. In 2006, the Château was promoted from Grands crus classés to Premiers grands crus classés B in the Saint-Émilion wine classification.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends 15 hectares with the grape varieties of 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pavie Macquin has a complex terroir which features 9 different types of soil, most of it is clay and limestone soil. You can simplify matters by looking at their northern parcels as being in a slightly cooler, limestone are, and in the south, you find a warmer terroir. 

Wines

Of the Grand vin Château Pavie-Macquin and the second wine Les Chênes de Macquin there is typically a total production of 6,400 cases per year.

Château Troplong Mondot is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. 

History

Originally part of the De Sèze estate in the 18th century, the vineyard situated on the crest of Mondot included what is today Pavie. By the mid-19th century, the Mondot family had acquired a great portion of the land, and in 1936 it came into the ownership of Alexandre Valette. Historically not a widely known winery, it has had success in recent years, considered by many to some extent attributable to the château's collaboration with Michel Rolland. Between 1993 and 1994 the wines at Troplong-Mondot were made by 2012 Food and Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year Aaron Pott.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends 33 hectares, with a grape variety of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. 

Wines

The estate averages an annual production of 10,000 of its Grand Vin and 800 cases of its second wine Mondot.

Château Trotanoy, archaically Trop Ennuie, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

A parchment of 1453 confirms the existence of viticulture and that the name "Trotte Vieille“ was used for this estate already in the 15th century. The name is derived from the fact that there lived a lady in this chartreuse in the 14th century. This little lady was very interested in what was going on in the town of Bordeaux and used thus to walk down to the close-by crossing where the stagecoaches stopped on their way coming from Bordeaux. As the lady seemingly often hasted to the coaches, the people of Saint-Emilion called her “la trotte vieille”, the “old trot”. This unusual name was used for the chateau already in the 15th century. In honor of the name-giving lady, Trotte Vieille’s second wine is called "La Vieille Dame de Trotte Vieille”. Trotte Vieille is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Emilion and has some of the oldest vines of Bordeaux as some of these are pre-Phylloxera and thus more than 140 years old.

Vineyards

The 13.5 hectare vineyard of Chateau Trotte Vieille is planted to 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is in 1 single block, which is not common. Chateau Trotte Vieille has a terroir of clay and limestone soils. 

Wines

Of the Grand vin, Château Trotte Vieille, and the second wine, La Vieille Dame de Trotte Vieille, there is a total annual production of 3,000 cases.

Château Valandraud, or Château de Valandraud, is Bordeaux wine producer situated in the Saint-Émilion appellation, promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé in the 2012 Classification of Saint-Emilion wine.

History

In 1989 Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle Andraud bought a 0.6-hectare plot in Saint-Émilion near Château Pavie-Macquin. Further plots in the region were acquired over the years, in locations such as Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens and Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, and a former garage to be used as a winery, releasing the first vintage in 1991 of 1,500 bottles priced at €13. Exemplified as a typical "microchâteau", Thunevin is closely associated with the "garagiste" movement, and the wine is described as the pioneer "Vin de garage".

In 1995, Valandraud was given a better rating by Robert Parker than Château Pétrus, and by 1997 the Valandraud bottle price was set at €91. The 2005 vintage was set at €165.[8] The Thunevins have since taken on several projects, including the first "garage wine"' of Médoc, Marojallia, and acting as négociant distributor for several estates from Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and elsewhere, including Château Ausone, Gracia, Harlan Estate and Dominio de Pingus. Jean-Luc Thunevin is among the wine personalities satirised next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.

Vineyards

The vineyard area currently extends 4.5 hectares, with the grape varieties composed of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. 

Wines

The annual production of the Grand Vin is typically 15,000 to 20,000 bottles. Other labels produced include the Virginie de Valandraud, 3 de Valandraud, Château Valandraud Kosher, Blanc de Valandraud N° 1 and N° 2, Bad Boy, and the declassified non-vintage vin de table L’Interdit de V……d which was not allowed by INAO to vintage date the 2000 harvest or be designated as a Saint-Émillion wine.

The winery also produces the second wines, Virginie de Valandraud and 3 de Valandraud, and the Kosher wine Château Valandraud Kosher.

Château d'Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur wine from Sauternes. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was the only Sauternes given this rating, indicating its perceived superiority and higher prices over all other wines of its type. 

History

In 1996, the famous luxury good company, LVMH purchased half of the shares of Chateau d’Yquem for one hundred million dollars. The relationship between the new owners and the family members was tempestuous and inspired multiple law suits that dragged on for years. 

After a long, bitter court battle and multiple lawsuits with a myriad of heirs, the Count arranged for L.V.M.H/Moet-Hennessy-Louis Vuitton to purchase the remaining shares of the property in 2004. They named Pierre Lurton, who was already managing their other property, Cheval Blanc in St. Emilion to manage Chateau d’Yquem.

Vineyards

The vineyard has 126 hectares (310 acres) in the Sauternes appellation, though only 100 hectares (250 acres) are in production at any time. Each year, vines from two to three hectares are grubbed up and left fallow for a year. Since grapes from newly planted vines are not worthy of the chateau name for five to seven years, about 20 hectares are held in reserve each year. The vines consist of 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon blanc, though the latter's vigour implies the proportions are more nearly equal in the final wine.

The yield averages nine hectolitres per hectare, compared to the usual twelve to twenty hectolitres per hectare in Sauternes.

Wines

Chateau d’Yquem is the only wine that almost everyone, everywhere agrees stands heads and shoulders above every other wine in the appellation. On average, 65,000 bottles are produced each year. In a poor vintage, the entire crop is deemed unworthy of bearing the Château's name and sold anonymously; this happened nine times in the 20th century: 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, and 1992 and in the 21st century one time: 2012.

In July 2011, an 1811 bottle of Château d'Yquem sold for £75,000 ($117,000) at the Ritz in London to a private collector, Christian Vannequé, to become the most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold.

Château Rieussec is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves, the winery is located in the commune of Fargues.

History

In the 18th century, the Rieussec estate belonged to the Carmelite monks in Langon. The confiscation of the estate during the revolution led to its public sale around 1790 as a “object of national heritage” to Mr. Marheilhac, owner at that time of Château La Louvière in Léognan. For the 1855 classification, M. Mayne was the owner of the estate. The quality of the Rieussec soil earned its ranking as a first growth Sauternes and Barsac. After that date, Rieussec’s history involves many changes of owners: Charles Crepin (around 1870), Paul Defolie (1892), Mr. Bannil (1907), then the Gasqueton family (owner of Château Calon-Ségur at Saint Estèphe), P.F. Berry during the war (an American citizen and brother-in-law of the Vicomte de Bouzet), Mr. Balaresque (1957) and lastly, Albert Vuillier (1971), who was passionate about Sauternes’ “sweet wines”.

Château Rieussec was acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1984. The estate then consisted of 110 hectares, 68 hectares of which were vines. To enhance Château Rieussec’s potential, rigorous measures were implemented, including meticulous sorting of the grapes and fermenting in barrels, which provides a much finer selection for the blending of the Grand Vin. 

Vineyards

The Château Rieussec vineyard extends to the border of Fargues and Sauternes, and adjoins Château d’Yquem. Rieussec is one of the largest properties in Sauternes and Barsac, the vineyard covers 93 hectares of gravelly sandy-clay soil.

The iconic grape variety of Sauternes, Sémillon, dominates (90%), followed by Sauvignon (7%) and Muscadelle (3%). Traditional Sauternes techniques are used and the harvests are carried out with selective pickings depending on the ripeness of the grapes and evolution of botrytis cinerea (noble rot). They last for 6 to 8 weeks from September to November.

Wines

Production at Château Rieussec and Carmes de Rieussec varies a great deal depending on the vintage, but on average it is 12,000 cases per year. Rieussec also produces small quantities of a dry white wine, “R” de Rieussec.

Château Suduiraut, formerly Cru du Roy and Château de Suduiraut, is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves, the winery is located in Preignac, adjacent to Château d'Yquem.

History

The estate and vineyards were completely renovated at the end of the 17th century by the Count Blaise de Suduiraut. The Count, who was the grandson of the founder, hired the designer of the gardens at Versailles to create something truly special at Suduiraut. With its stunning park like grounds, lakes and greenery, there are few Bordeaux estates that are as beautiful as Chateau Suduiraut. The next big step for Suduiraut came in 1831, when the property was passed to Nicolas Guillot who increased the size of the already vast estate. Like many Bordeaux estates, Suduiraut passed through numerous hands for the next two centuries.

During the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, the property went through a bad patch. For at a time, the wines were aged in vat, instead of oak, which did not help with the quality of the wine. That practice was fortunately discontinued. The wines had lost interest for many lovers of Sauternes. This changed in 1992 when Suduiraut was sold to AXA, the large French insurance group who count several other Bordeaux wine properties in their holdings. These estates include Chateau Pichon Baron in Pauillac and Chateau Petit Village in Pomerol. 

Vineyards

The vineyard of Chateau Suduiraut is planted to 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Although, there is a small amount of Sauvignon Gris planted in the vineyard as well. Located close to Chateau dYquem, the massive 200 hectare Sauternes vineyard of Chateau Suduiraut has 92 hectares under vine. The terroir is mostly gravel, sand, limestone and clay soils that are on sloping hillsides. 

Wines

In 1982 and 1989, the property released a special wine made from their best vines, Suduiraut Creme de Tete. The property makes a second wine, Castelnau de Suduiraut, which made its debut in 1992. They also produce dry white Bordeaux wine, S de Suduiraut, that was first produced with the 2004 vintage.

In 2015, they added a second dry white Bordeaux wine, meant to attract, younger consumers, as the wine is being marketed as an entry level wine, Le Blanc Sec. Le Blanc Sec is the properties second effort making entry levels wines. The estate launched a third wine in 2011, designed to reach younger customers, Lions de Suduiraut, which is produced from almost 100% Semillon and a small, touch of Sauvignon Blanc to create the blend. 

Château La Tour Blanche, or La Tour-Blanche, is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

The modern era of Chateau La Tour Blanche really begins thanks to Daniel Osiris Iffla. Daniel Osiris Iffla gifted the chateau and vineyard to the French Government with the condition that a Bordeaux Wine School be created on the Sauternes property. In 1909, The Ministry of Agriculture finally agreed and created the La Tour Blanche School of Viticulture and Enology. Construction was completed two years later in 1911. To commemorate this gift, the name of Osiris is still seen on the label of Chateau La Tour Blanche which states “Donation Osiris”. Despite its unusual status, Chateau La Tour Blanche is run by people experienced in the Bordeaux wine business. 

Vineyards

The estate contains 65 hectares with grape varieties of 83% Sémillon, 12% Sauvignon blanc and 5% Muscadelle, as well as a smaller cultivation of the red grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wines

Annual production averages 4,000 cases of La Tour Blanche, in addition to the Second wine Les Charmilles de La Tour Blanche, annually averaging 1,250 cases. In smaller quantities, the estate produces the dry white wine Les Jardins de Thinoy, the dry white wine Isis, the demi-sec Osiris, and the red wine Cru de Cinquet.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) Sauternes wine from the Sauternes appellation.

History

The stunningly beautiful chateau of Lafaurie Peyraguey was built as far back as the 13th century. In those days, it was used as a fortress. 

Vineyards

The large, 41 hectare vineyard of Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey is planted to 93% Semillon, 6% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Muscadelle. This shows a slight increase in the amount of Semillon planted in the vineyard. Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey is located mostly in the commune of Bommes. Although they also have vines in Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes. 

Wines

Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey produces an average of 5,500 cases of Sauternes per year. There is a second wine, La Chapelle de Lafaurie Peyraguey. The estate also makes 2 dry white wines, Le Brut de Lafaurie and Le Lys de Lafaurie-Peyraguey,which made its debut with the 2014 vintage

 

Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

The Sauternes of the insiders... The vineyard of Clos Haut-Peyraguey, nestled at the highest point of the plateau of Bommes in Sauternes region is at the heart of the Premiers Crus Classés in 1855. It sits opposite to the Chateau d'Yquem, and its immediate neighbors are called Rayne-Vigneau or Château Guiraud. This ancient barony has survived the centuries since its first harvest in 1618, enjoying a unique terroir and climatic conditions combined with an ancestral know-how enabling it to make its grapes play a symphony of excellence giving a unique and prestigious golden wine : the Sauternes of Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Clos Haut-Peyraguey is the smallest estate of the Sauternes premier crus classés from the 1855 classification.

Vineyards

Clos Haut-Peyraguey with 12 ha of vineyard - including 8 ha spread on one-piece area -, situated nearby Ciron river (a tributary of the Garonne river), sees its vines lying between 50 and 80 meters on a complex gravelly-sandy soils that appeal to Semillon grapes variety (covering almost the whole area) and Sauvignon grape variety. In the vineyards, the gestures are those of sustainable agriculture.

The vineyard of Clos Haut-Peyraguey is composed of gravelly sandy soils over clay subsoil, soil traversed by veins of clay and sandy soils. This diversity is directly related to the quality of the terroir of the Clos. These different soil profiles and character differences brought to the grape (structure, bold, power, and associated with great finesse, complexity and elegance) play an undeniable role in the aromatic richness and complexity of the wine of Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Wines

On average, the production is 2,000 cases of Chateau Clos Haut Peyraguey per year. There is a second wine, Chateau Haut Bommes. In 2014, the name of the second wine was changed to Symphonie de Haut Peyraguey. 

Château de Rayne-Vigneau is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves, the winery is located in Bommes.

History

Rayne Vigneau’s vineyard lies on a splendid gravel mound, overlooking Sauternes near the village of Bommes and forming the third highest point in the area after Yquem. These slopes have seen a dozen generations take charge of this estate since it was founded by Gabriel de Vigneau in the early 17th century. Madame de Rayne, née Catherine de Pontac, bought the Domaine du Vigneau in 1834. Under her ownership, the estate reached the envied rank of premier Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes in the famous 1855 classification. Albert de Pontac, great nephew of Madame de Rayne, named the domain “Rayne Vigneau”. Significant investments and a considerable amount of work have been done by the successive owners for the quality of the wines. Today, Château de Rayne Vigneau is a true benchmark for the Sauternes appellation. Its style, intensely fresh and long, stands out vintage after vintage. It is a rare and singular wine. The legend says that its amazingly deep golden colour is an expression of its soil, rich in precious stones.

In 2015, the estate is bought by the group Trésor du Patrimoine.

Vineyards

Chateau de Rayne Vigneau is a large, 84 hectare Sauternes vineyard planted to 74% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. The terroir is sand, clay, gravel, rocks and stone soils located on a plateau. The vineyard reaches 75 meters at its peak, giving it one of the highest elevations in the Sauternes appellation.

Wines

On average, close to 10,000 cases of wine are produced here each year. There is a second wine, Madame de Rayne. In addition, the estate also produces Clos l’Abeilley, which is made from a parcel selection. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau also produces a small amount of wine from 100% Semillon, Gold de Rayne and a dry, white Bordeaux wine, Le sec de Rayne Vigneau, which comes from a specific 7 hectare parcel of 100% Sauvignon Blanc. 

Château Coutet is a Premier Cru Classé (French: First Growth) sweet wine from the Sauternes-Barsac appellation located in Barsac, in the southern part of France’s Bordeaux vineyards. Château Coutet is one of the oldest Sauternes producing vineyards, and is described by David Peppercorn as a "twin" of Barsac's other Premier cru estate, Château Climens.

History

Château Coutet was recognised as a Classified First Growth in the 1855 classification, but the lands around Barsac, among the coldest in the area, had already been planted with vines for centuries.

Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States of America, lived in France for a number of years, serving as ambassador there from 1785 to 1789. A true gourmet, he was also a wine merchant and wrote travel diaries from great French wine-producing regions. A man of good sense, he acknowledged Château Coutet as "the best Sauternes in Barsac."

Vineyards

A golden triangle formed by the ocean, the river and the forest, with the Ciron running through it: that is where you will find the terroir. Château Coutet bears the stamp of the place, a one-of-a-kind liveliness and a keen-edged style which may explain the name of the château itself, derived from couteau, the French word for knife. 

It is a playground for Botrytis cinerea, which spreads and insinuates itself into the heart of the grapes during the morning humidity. It then does its work during the afternoon warmth, transforming aromas and concentrating sugars.

Wines

The Baly family has now been at work at Château Coutet for forty years. A good opportunity to celebrate the progress made, the anniversary was marked by critical acclaim: Château Coutet 2014 was ranked third in the Top 100 World Wines published by Wine Spectator, an achievement which has spurred the team at the estate on to even greater things.

Château Climens is a Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) Sauternes wine producer from the Barsac appellation. The estate is located in the southern part of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the district of Graves, an eighth of a mile away from Barsac's other most historically rated vineyard, Château Coutet.

History

The name Climens, appeared for the first time on a contract dated 1547, the name in the local dialect meaning "unfertile, poor land". The Roborel family were responsible for expanding the estate, initiating viticulture in the 17th century, and oversaw the production of both white and red wine. In 1855, Monsieur Henri Gounouilhou bought the property, in the year Climens was classified a Premier Cru. It remained the property of the Gounouilhou family until Lucien Lurton of Château Brane-Cantenac bought the estate in 1971, along with Château Doisy-Dubroca. It has been run by his daughter, Bérénice Lurton, since 1992.

Vineyards

The grape variety is 100% Sémillon, which is said to suit the vineyard's chalky soil. The vineyard area extends 29 hectares or 70 acres, with an average production of 3,000 cases per year.

Wines

The vintages 1929, 1947 and 1949 were described by Alexis Lichine to surpass Château d'Yquem as "lighter, with less vinosity and body, yet miraculously subtle. It is a wine characteristically known as better when young, though in its greatest years at the height of finesse.

Château Guiraud is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

Originally known as La Maison Noble du Bayle, the estate earned its name, and its fame, when it was owned by the Guiraud family in 1766. At the time of the 1855 Classification, the wines were sold under the name of Chateau Bayle. 

Vineyards

The 128 hectare vineyard of Chateau Guiraud is planted to 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. There is a total of 100 hectares under vine here. The remaining 28 hectares are reserved for parkland, greenery and forest land. Here, you also find land used to plant spices and for beehives, which aids in the natural biodiversity of the soil. It is interesting to note that Chateau Guiraud maintains one of the highest percentages of Sauvignon Blanc in the Sauternes appellation. This is still lower than what was at the time of the purchase.

Wines

They are planted with 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are harvested in "tries" and the juice is then fermented in oak barrels. The wine is then aged in oak casks (50% new) for 2 years. The wines are astonishingly rich, especially in light of the high proportion of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend, and are undoubtedly amongst the finest wines being produced in Sauternes today. 

Château Rabaud-Promis is a Bordeaux wine producer in the Sauternes appellation.

History

Since the 17th century, the wines produced on the estate have always offered a harmonious balance letting fully express an explosive aromatic richness. The Rabaud-Promis castle overlooks the Ciron valley and that of the Garonne to the specific micro climate of the region to exercise its role of "taste hub." It is within this environment that our winemaking family fits perfectly in sustainable viticulture , preserving biodiversity: forests and natural habitats of wild animals have their place on the field. From generation to generation, we have been able to create attractive wines and greedy for the beginner as for the expert, through the transmission of knowledge and support of current technologies.

Vineyards

The 33 hectare Sauternes vineyard of Chateau Rabaud Promis is planted to 80% Semillon, 18% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. On average the vines are close to 40 years of age. The vineyard, located close to the chateau is planted to a vine density of 6,666 vines per hectare. The terroir is mostly gravel with clay soil on a sloping, gravel hillside. There are so many rocks and stones in the vineyard here in a few of their parcels, that t can remind of you of the terroir you find in some Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards! 

Wines

The production of Chateau Rabaud Promis averages about 3,000 cases of Sauternes per vintage. There is a second wine, which interestingly was sold under two different names, Domaine de l’Estremade and Chateau Bequet. Today, the second wine is Promesse de Rabaud-Promis. The estate also produces Raymond Louis, named after one of the previous owners of the vineyard, Raymond Louis Lanneluc. 

Château Sigalas-Rabaud, previously also named Château Rabaud-Sigalas, is a Bordeaux wine producer in the Sauternes appellation.

History

The great terroirs of the Left Bank region of Bordeaux were discovered during the XVIIth century by magistrates from the Parliament of Bordeaux. The RABAUD Counselor “created” 60 hectares south of the Le Ciron river. In 1832, the JULIEN Guide, the ancestor to the modern FERET, ranked the production of RABAUD at the same level as Yquem and Rayne-Vigneau. In 1863, Henri de SIGALAS bought RABAUD, classified Premier Cru in 1855. Though the property was in bad condition, he brought it his ability, his availability, and his name. When he died in 1895, Henri, a widower, had renovated the vineyard, which although being heterogeneous, held its rank in the list of wines available from Bordeaux trading companies.

Fast forward to the 2000s. Equipped with a strong academic background acquired in Montpellier Supagro and the School of Oenology of Bordeaux, Laure de LAMBERT COMPEYROT took the lead in 2006. As the granddaughter of Marie-Antoinette de SIGALAS, she represents the sixth generation since 1863. She takes care of the vineyard with passion. Concerned to maintain plant biodiversity as remarkable as the terroir, she has returned to the traditional method of mechanical tilling for weed management instead of herbicide treatments. Since her entry, the fame and quality of Château Sigalas Rabaud has continued to grow. Through her efforts, in 2016 it received the certification of “High Environmental Value”. Married and the mother of 3 children, recently her two sons created a start-up wine trading company and she is very proud.

Vineyards

Sigalas-Rabaud has 14.25 hectares of vineyards, planted with 85% Sémillon, 14% Sauvignon blanc and 1% Muscadelle. The average yield is 17 hectoliter per hectare.

Wines

Château Sigalas-Rabaud produces three wines: The Château Sigalas-Rabaud Grand Vin, a Sauternes; A second wine called Lieutenant de Sigalas, also a Sauternes; A dry white wine called Demoiselle de Sigalas, a Bordeaux Blanc. Annual production is around 30 000 bottles. Château Sigalas-Rabaud spends 18–24 months in new oak barrels before bottling. The proportion of the production that goes into the second wine depends on the quality of the vintage, and has varied between 0% and 34% in recent years. 

The name of the second wine has been Lieutenant de Sigalas since 2004; before that it was known as Cadet de Sigalas. The first vintage of the dry white wine Demoiselle de Sigalas was 2009, and it was composed of 50% Sémillon and 50% Sauvignon blanc.

Château Pétrus is a Bordeaux, France, wine estate located in the Pomerol appellation near its eastern border to Saint-Émilion.

History

The history of Petrus is not as well-known or documented as is the case of the first growths of the Médoc, to which it presents a serious rival. That is because the property only achieved notoriety in the second half of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, the oldest transaction of which there remains a trace dates back to the 2nd quarter of 18th century, when Jacques Meyraud buys some land "located at Gazin, commonly known as Petrus". Several successive ownerships took place until 1945 when Madame Loubat became sole owner and entrusted M. Jean-Pierre Moueix with the distribution of her wines. It really marks the beginning of Petrus story as we know it today.

Vineyards

The vineyard of Pétrus covers 11.4 hectares and is located on a plateau in the eastern portion of Pomerol. The grape variety distribution is 100% Merlot since the end of 2010.

Located on top of a 20-hectare island mound, the Pétrus boutonnière or buttonhole, Pétrus' original vineyard possesses topsoil and subsoil high in iron-rich clay that differs from neighbouring vineyards, where the soil is a mixture of gravel-sand or clay-sand.

Wines

A stringent pre-assemblage vat selection is carried out and certain parcels are rejected from the Grand Vin. The young wine is aged in 50% new French oak barrels for 12 to 16 months. An average year might yield at most 30,000 bottles.

Château Le Pin, or simply Le Pin, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

Madame Laubie, whose family had owned the plot since 1924 sold the one hectare vineyard in 1979 to the Belgian Jacques Thienpont for 1 million francs. The vineyards were developed by Jacques Thienpont whose family own the neighbouring Vieux Château Certan, and the wine was produced in tiny quantities from a farmhouse basement. The property was already called Le Pin from a solitary pine tree that grows near the winery.

At the time of the sale, the cellars Le Pin were in poor condition. The chai was nothing more than a shed that had been used to store gardening tools. The dilapidated house on the property needed work. Before Alexandre Thienpont took up residence at the estate after he was married, the small house at Le Pin was where he lived for a period of time.

Today the estate comprises 2,7 hectares in one contiguous vineyard surrounding the winery. In 2011 a new winery, designed by the Belgian architectural practice Robbrecht en Daem architecten, was inaugurated using small microcuves and gravity to move the wine. Château Le Pin is considered by some a predecessor of the "garage wines", although this idea is rejected by many, including by the proprietors, on the basis of the merits of the terroir, and the absence of extreme measures to compensate for mediocre grapes.

Occasionally the most expensive wine in the world, continually receiving high wine ratings from wine critics and produced in extremely small numbers, Le Pin bottles are a constant presence on the wine auction market. The winery is currently managed by Jacques Thienpont, and additional tiny plots of land have been acquired.

Vineyards

The vineyards extend over 2.0 ha of sandy gravel topsoil on a bedrock of limestone, with a grape variety of 100% Merlot the vines averaging 38 years of age. 

Wines

Typically 600 to 700 cases are produced per year, although in 2003 no wine was produced because of the drought and heatwave that year.

Château La Conseillante is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

The Nicolas family bought the château in 1871, and its size and configuration have not changed ever since. Exemplifying the Nicolas family’s continued commitment to this great wine, the fifth generation is currently at the helm.

Vineyards

La Conseillante has an outstanding terroir. Its full potential has been achieved, and the wine has gained a well-deserved reputation for power and elegance. The vineyard is situated in unique terroir, in predominantly clay soil, and is made up of 80% Merlot, which gives round, full and smooth wines. The remaining 20% is Cabernet Franc, planted in gravel soils, which brings structure and freshness to the blend.

Wines

The annual production averages 4,000 cases of the Grand vin Château La Conseillante, and 1,000 cases of the second wine Duo de Conseillante.

 

Pomerol is a French wine-growing commune and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) within the Libournais ("Right Bank") in Bordeaux. The wine produced here is predominately from merlot with cabernet franc playing a supporting role.

History

Over the years, Chateau Gazin was sold and resold to numerous owners before it was bought by descendants of the current owners in 1917. The Bailliencourt family assumed control of the estate in 1946. Also included in that sale was Chateau La Dominique located in the neighboring St. Emilion appellation.

The Bailliencourt family sold Chateau La Dominique in 1969 to the Fayat family. Nicolas de Bailliencourt began managing Chateau Gazin in 1988. Under the direction of Nicolas de Bailliencourt, the wines began improving. His first step was to discontinue machine harvesting and begin manual picking again. He also lowered the yields.

Chateau Gazin has very good neighbors. They share borders with Petrus and lEvangile! In fact, in 1969, Chateau Gazin sold 5.5 hectares of vines to Petrus. While the sale helped the cash starved property cover their tax liens, the loss of those vines reduced the quality and perhaps the quality of Chateau Gazin. 

Vineyards

The vineyard of Château Gazin covers an area of ??26 ha in one piece located on the high terrace of the terroir of Pomerol. It is planted with the grape varieties of 90% merlot, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 3% cabernet franc.

Wines

The annual production averages 8,000 cases of the Grand vin Château Gazin, and 2,000 cases of the second wine l'Hospitalet de Gazin.

 

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History

The Léglise family from Libourne founded the property that was to become Château L’Évangile. They were actively involved, around the middle of the 18th century, in the creation of Pomerol’s vineyards. L’Évangile appeared in the 1741 land registry under the name of Fazilleau.

Vineyards

Through a mystery of geology, the southeast Pomerol plateau features a long line of surface gravel. Three vineyards, including L’Évangile, share this rare soil. The property occupies a very strategic position. It is bordered to the north by Château Pétrus, and is separated from Cheval Blanc in Saint-Emilion to the south by nothing more than a secondary road.

The vineyard covers 22 hectares, made up of sandy clay soil with pure gravel, on a subsoil containing iron residues. The grape varieties consist of Merlot (80%) which contributes to the wine’s fruity flavour and body, and its unmistakable suppleness; and “Bouchet”, the local name for Cabernet Franc (20%), which brings finesse and structure. Traditional techniques are used. Production is limited and the harvests are carried out by hand, as are numerous other tasks in the vineyard throughout the year.

Wines

The average production of Château L’Évangile and its second wine Blason de L’Évangile is 5,000 cases.

 

History

Chateau L’Eglise Clinet has a long history in the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux. It dates all the way back to 1803, when Jean Rouchut purchased some of the vineyard land that later became L’Eglise Clinet. 

Denis Durantou took over Chateau L’Eglise Clinet in 1983. In his early years, it was not easy managing the estate. Denis Durantou had to renovate the cellars as there was no floor, only dirt. It took just 2 years for Denis Durantou to start Chateau L’Eglise Clinet on the road to legendary status. 1985 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet was his first true success! Year after year, the wines of Chateau L’Eglise Clinet continue improving. The level of quality really kicked in starting with the 1998 vintage. There was no looking back after that. Chateau L’Eglise Clinet, slowly but surely keeps getting better and better. Today, it is one of the true stars of Pomerol! 

Vineyards

Its 5.5 hectares of vineyards are located on the Pomerol plateau, where the soils are rich in gravel, clay, sand and iron. The vines have a high average age of around 45 years, with a proportion of them dating back to pre-1956, having escaped the brutal frosts of that year.

Wines

L'Eglise-Clinet's wine is typically a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are vinified in a combination of concrete vats and stainless steel vats. The wine is then aged in small oak barriques (50-70% new) for 18 months.  

Vieux Château Certan is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

Although the estate's origins are uncertain, its age has been estimated by professor Henri Enjalbert to an origin date around 1770. It was then the property of the Demay family, and the estate was named Sertan. Long estimated as the leading estate of the region, it yielded the position to the adjacent Pétrus in 1875. 

The estate was bought by the Belgian wine merchant Georges Thienpont in 1924, and it has remained within the family since. The family diversified in 1979 when Marcel and Gérard Thienpont founded nearby microcuvée estate Château Le Pin. In 1985, management of Vieux Château Certan came to Alexandre Thienpont.

Vineyards

With a surface area of 14 hectares (35 acres) planted in one single block, the Vieux Château Certan vineyard is made up of 23 plots, each of them individually managed according to soil type, grape variety planted, and age of vines.

The soils are subtly varied and contain a very clayey part planted mainly with Merlot (70%), a gravel-clay part planted with Cabernet Franc (25%) and a very gravelly part planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (5%).

Wines

The annual production averages 5,000 cases of the grand vin.

Château Beauregard is a Bordeaux wine estate from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde. As all wine produced in this appellation, Château Beauregard is unclassified but the estate is estimated among the great growths of the region.

History

Beauregard’s history dates back to the 11th century and the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, from which Beauregard’s emblematic Knights Templar cross originates. The knights were active in the Pomerol region, owned a small manor, and already farmed these lands. It was on this site, five centuries later, that the Beauregard family built the first house, which was replaced during the Napoleonic era by the present château -a magnificent Gironde chartreuse, created by a pupil of Victor Louis, the architect of Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre. Which opens out onto a terrace with two dovecotes overlooking a moat and beautiful grounds. This residence inspired the Guggenheim family, who subsequently built a copy of it at Port Washington on the Long Island peninsular and named it “Mille-Fleurs”. It was in the middle of the 18th century that Beauregard changed from a mixed farming estate to a vine-growing property. Decade after decade, successive owners contributed to its development and towards its rank as one of the best wines in Pomerol.

Vineyards

Château Beauregard, one of the first estates in the region to expand its vineyard in the 18th century, possesses exceptional terroir. Its position on the south-east edge of the famous Pomerol plateau enables the property to grow vines on fascinating, precious land. This mainly gravelly soil, in which clay and sand make up the other soil types, produces elegant, flavoursome, fresh and characterful Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Its vineyard stretches over 17.5 hectares where over 35 plots are grown and tended on an individualised basis according to their specificities. Beauregard is situated at the entrance to the appellation and covers an area of 17.5 hectares, making it one of the largest Pomerol estates. Its grape composition is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. In 2016, 4% of Cabernet Sauvignon was added to the vineyard, and these grapes will enter into the blend within a few years.

The vines have reached an average grand old age of 35 years, while every new plantation is planted at the very high density of 9,200 vines per hectare.

Wines

Of the Grand Vin, there is annually produced 50,000 to 65,000 bottles, and of the second wine Le Benjamin de Beauregard (formerly Domaine des Douves) there is typically less produced - around 25,000 to 35,000 bottles.

 

Château Latour-Martillac, previously Château La Tour-Martillac and known as Kressmann La Tour, is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, rated a Cru Classé (Classed Growth) in the 1953 Classification of Graves wine. 

History

Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is owned by the Goldin Group, which is headed by Sutong Pan. Prior to that, the property was owned managed by Michel Rolland, and Dany Rolland, the famous Bordeaux consultants.

Vineyards

The 6.62 hectare Right Bank vineyard of Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Interestingly, a portion of Bon Pasteur is located in St. Emilion. This situation is not uncommon in Pomerol. 

The Pomerol appellation encompasses a multitude of micro-terroirs. What makes Château Le Bon Pasteur, with a total surface area of 6.7 hectares, so unusual is that it is located on the border between two world-famous regions: Pomerol and Saint-Emilion. As opposed to the great châteaux of the Médoc, the vineyard is not in a single block, but spread out over 21 plots. This patchwork of terroirs accounts for the wine’s considerable complexity, deep colour and delicate bouquet, as well as a softness typical of Pomerol and a generous, powerful side reminiscent of Saint-Emilion…

Wines

Deep color and delicate bouquet, as well as a softness typical of Pomerol and a generous, powerful side reminiscent of Saint-Emilion are the hallmarks of the wines of Château Le Bon Pasteur. This extraordinary complexity results from the mosaic of identities of its 21 cadastered plots in the Pomerol appellation, to the French border of St. Emilion.

Production averages close to 2,500 cases of Pomerol wine per vintage. There is a second wine, L'étoile Bon Pasteur. 

History

The Bourotte family bought the property in 1926. At the time, the Pomerol appellation was in a period of expansion, and the vineyard area was being fully restructured; that would prove a source of stability for the decades that followed. Since then, each family member that has run Bonalgue has been lucky enough to do so with complete freedom and independence.

Vineyards

Château Bonalgue sits in the very west of Pomerol just near the Libourne city limit. The soils are a mixture of sand, clay, and limestone. The 9 hectare vineyard of Chateau Bonalgue is planted to 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. 

Wines

The property traces its history back to before the French Revolution with the current owning family having purchased the chateau in 1926. Made with 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, the wine is aged for 18 months in oak of which 50% is new. On the palate - flowers, cocoa and raspberries with medium body and fresh style, the wine ends with a red berry and herb-dominated finish.

History

Clos Rene is one of the older estates in Pomerol, dating back to the mid 18th century. At the time of its birth in 1734, it went under the name of Reney. The original chateau pictured on the label was constructed in 1880.

Vineyard

The 12 hectare Pomerol vineyard of Clos Rene is planted to 70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% malbec. With 10% malbec in their vineyards, they have the largest plantings in Pomerol as well as one of the largest plantings of malbec in the Right Bank. 

Wines

Chateau Clos René is a family estate that has passed from generation to generation for over a century. If it is not the best known of the appellation Pomerol, but Clos René is not any less remarkable. Its wines are known for their consistent quality and are produced using sustainable agriculture methods. On average, close to 6,000 cases are produced of Clos Rene Pomerol every vintage. Clos Rene was consulted by Michel Rolland. However, today, Thomas Duclos consults the property. There is a second wine, Moulinet-Lasserre. 

Château Lafleur is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde.

History

Located in the vicinity of Château Pétrus, this small estate shares history with the property across the road, Château Le Gay. Both part of the property Le Manoir de Gay in the mid 18th century, it was purchased by the Greloud family and divided among the sons into two properties, the Domain de Lafleur section eventually inherited by André Robin who imprinted on Lafleur his personal motto, "Qualité passe quantité" (French: Quality surpasses quantity). 

In 1946 the sisters Marie and Thérèse Robin inherited both Lafleur and Le Gay, and ran both estates for nearly 40 years until Thérèse Robin's death.[4] Allegedly reclusive characters, the sisters were uninterested in the growing fame of Lafleur, preferring to remain in the shadow of Château Pétrus. In 1981 the longstanding distributors of Lafleur the Libourne merchant Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix handled management for Marie Robin. Upon the death of Marie Robin in 2001, Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau took charge of the estate.

Vineyards

The vineyard area consists of 4 hectares with the grape varieties of 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. 

Wines

Chateau Lafleur is another Pomerol wine tied to the success and continuous praise heaped on the wine by Robert Parker. Prior to Robert Parker, the quality of Lafleur was not widely known outside the Right Bank, Belgium and a few buyers in London. Robert Parker made his first visit to the estate in 1975 and never stopped writing about the wine. 

The annual production averages 1,000 cases of the Grand vin Château Lafleur and approximately 750 cases of the second wine Les Pensées de Lafleur. 

History

The formation of Chateau La Pointe dates all the way back to the middle of the 19th century. The estate found the inspiration for its name due to the unusual, triangular shape of their Pomerol vineyards. 

Things change at Chateau La Pointe after the property was purchased by the d’Arfeuille family in 1941, who later purchased Chateau La Serre in St. Emilion. Following their ownership, Chateau La Pointe was sold to the French insurance company, Generali France in 2007. 

Vineyards

The philosophy in a Grand Cru is not to force the plant to produce maximum yield but rather to bring out the full potential of the terroir, taking into account the diversity of the various soil types as well as the natural differences between each vine plant.

The 23 hectare Pomerol vineyard of Chateau La Pointe is planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The property is one of the larger vineyards in the tiny, Pomerol appellation. Most of their vineyards are placed just north of Catusseau, close to Libourne, with the exception of 1 parcel, situated close to Trotanoy. 

Wines

Chateau La Pointe produces more than 12,000 cases of Pomerol wine per year from their Right Bank estate. There is a second wine, Pomerol de la Pointe. The name of the second wine has changed as it was previously known as La Pointe Riffat. 

 

Château La Fleur-Pétrus is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

In 1953, Chateau La Fleur Petrus was purchased by Jean-Pierre Moueix from the Garret family. Prior to that sale, Chateau La Fleur Petrus was the property of numerous owners, including the Arnaud family, who also owned Petrus. The estate was enlarged with the acquisition of vines from Château Le Gay in 1953 and 1994.

Vineyards

The 18.7 hectare Pomerol vineyard of Chateau La Fleur Petrus is planted to 91% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. This marks a large change in the vineyard, which was 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc until about 2012. 

Wines

La Fleur-Pétrus produce elegant, smooth and refined Pomerols that, whilst lacking the concentration and intensity found in Pétrus, are still amongst the finest wines of the region.

 

History

The origin of the château La Croix Gay and the Lebreton family is the hamlet of Pignon in the north of the Pomerol appellation, on the edge of the Barbanne River. It is in all likelihood the Pomerol historic village on the road leading from Saint-Emilion to Guitres. The old church dating from 11th century was 100 meters away in the center of the cemetery. The former rectory where the Abbot Trémolière hid, in 1793, the proscribed Girondins Barbaroux, Louvet and Valady is located in the heart of this hamlet.

Vineyards

The four hectares vineyard of Château La Croix de Gay is mostly composed of merlot. Some very old cabernets francs plot account for around 5% of the vineyards total surface. The vineyard is divided into 10 separate parcels. The terroir is gravel, sand and clay soils. The vines are on average close to 30 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 5,000 vines per hectare.

Wines

Chantal Lebreton-Raynaud is presently in charge of the estate, guaranteeing that that wine she produces is in keeping with its status of “veritable ferruginous nectar” – as per the 1929 edition of the Cocks & Féret (“Bordeaux and its Wines”). This is an allusion to a major characteristic of Pomerol’s terroir (ironpan) that gives the wine roundness, makes it approachable young, and contributes typical aromas such as violet and truffle.

Château Trotanoy, archaically Trop Ennuie, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.

History

In the 18th century when owned by the pioneering Giraud family, the estate enjoyed a good reputation under the name Trop Ennuie, ("too annoying" in medieval French) a name indicating that cultivating the soil was difficult. In the early 20th century Jean-Jacques Moueix, nephew of Jean-Pierre Moueix, gave the estate its present name. It was purchased in 1953 by Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix. As Château Pétrus, Trotanoy is in the portfolio of Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, and its wine said to be made in a similar style to Pétrus.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends 7.2 hectares with the grape varieties of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The fascinating soil diversity - half gravel mixed with clay and half deep black clay - with the presence of “machefer” or iron pan in the subsoil, brings power and depth as well as complexity to the wine.

Wines

The annual production averages 25,000 bottles of the Grand vin Château Trotanoy. When ready, this wine shows enormous complexity and concentration and belongs to the most sought-after Pomerols. It can easily be kept 25 years or more in great vintages. 

Château Clinet is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde. 

History

When Jean-Louis Laborde bought Château Clinet back in 1999, his son Ronan was just 19 years old. Before that, they had travelled together to Argentina, looking at potential vineyards to purchase but destiny brought them back to Bordeaux, when the perfect property presented itself for sale. As soon as Ronan finished his studies, now aged 23, he became highly involved in the day-to-day management of Clinet, to the point that his father was soon able to comfortably take a step back and return to his former businesses.

Vineyards

The 11.27 hectare vineyard of Chateau Clinet is planted to 88% merlot, 11.5% cabernet sauvignon and .5% cabernet franc. The vineyard has 10 hectares cultivated with vines planted to a vine density ranging from 6,777 vine per hectare to 7,200 vines per hectare. The young are at the higher level of density. On average, many of their vines are close to 45 years of age. However Chateau Clinet also has some of the oldest vines in Pomerol. 

Wines

The annual production averages 2,000 cases of the grand vin Château Clinet. The wine of Chateau Clinet is aged in 60% new, French oak barrels for between 18 to 22 months. 5% of the oak barrels are from an even split of German oak and Austrian oak. The barrels at Clinet are hosed down twice a day, to keep the barrels tight, and the cellars humid. The wine is blended after the oak aging is completed. 

Also, the estate produces a negociant wine named Ronan by Clinet. Ronan by Clinet is produced from purchased grapes that are planted in various satellite appellations in Bordeaux. It's is made from 100% merlot. 

History

In the 1920s, the Art Deco movement reinforced the pleasures of simplicity geometry. In an echo of this aesthetic, Jean-Baptiste Audy found his terroir, at the heart of the Pomerol plateau. A ‘marvellous garden’, enclosed by low walls, with the church rising in the background. Clos du Clocher was born, due to become a classic of the appellation. 

The estate is managed by Jean Baptiste Bourotte, a direct descendant of the founder, Jean Baptiste Audy. Michel Rolland is the consultant for Clos du Clocher. In 2010, the estate renovated their wine making facilities which included the construction of an entirely new wine cellar. 

Vineyards

At Clos du Clocher, as at Petrus, Le Pin, La Conseillante and Vieux Château Certan, a "natural contract" binds the vines to its terroir, ensuring they reach full maturity, and that the grapes show intense complexity. At the heart of the Pomerol plateau, Clos du Clocher comprises three plots that cover a total area of 4.6 ha Merlot, of course, takes pride of place, but 30% of the blend comes from old Cabernet Franc vines that have long given the wine's final blend its distinct personality.

Wines

The wines being produced at Clos du Clocher since 2009 have never been better. This is a Pomerol property to watch as prices have not caught up their level of quality. While 2009 and 2010 were quite good, their 2015 is the best ever produced at Clos du Clocher! 

 

Château Branaire is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Branaire is also the name of the main red wine produced by this property and which was classified as one of the ten 'Fourth Growths' (Quatrièmes Crus) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Chateau Branaire Ducru has a long history that goes all the way back to 1680. In those early days in Saint Julien, Branaire Ducru was a part of the massive Beychevelle estate. When the owner of Beychevelle passed away, he left behind a huge Bordeaux vineyard that was seriously in debt. To pay the bills, the vineyard was broken up and sold to pay their debts. Several new estates were created in Saint Julien including this chateau. 

Vineyards

Although the actual château is located on the southern border of the appellation, across from Château Beychevelle, the vineyards of the estate are spread throughout Saint-Julien. In total, the vineyards cover 50 hectares (about 120 acres). The majority of plantings are devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), followed by Merlot (22%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The vines average 35 years of age and are harvested by hand.

Wines

The grand vin Château Branaire (often referred to as Château Branaire Ducru) averages about 15,000 cases per year. Branaire uses a novel (for the area) gravity-flow style winery to minimize damage to the grapes as they are processed. The wines go through primary fermentation for about three weeks in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. About 1/3 of the production undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. Once fermentation is complete the wines are transferred into oak barrels (50% new oak) for 18–24 months of aging. The estate also produces about 7,000 cases of its second wine, Duluc de Branaire-Ducru.

Château Lafon-Rochet is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The Chateau is owned by the Tesseron family who made their fortune in the Cognac trade and also own Château Pontet-Canet. Purchased by Guy Tesseron in the 1960s, it was the first Médoc chateau to be rebuilt in the 20th century.

In 2007, Basile Tesseron joined his father in order to continue the work started by his grandfather, who had already initiated the young Basile into the subtleties of the aromas and flavours of cognac. With passion, humour and ambition, Basile pursued the work of his predecessors enabling Lafon-Rochet to live on through the centuries. He began by redesigning the vat room of the property, reviving the quest for excellence and quality in keeping with the exceptional terroir and the human and family values that have punctuated 5 centuries of adventure. Lafon-Rochet is a story of wine, men and taste.

Vineyards

The grapes follow the same grandmother’s recipe for the cultivation of old apple trees, of which apples have more taste, a genuine flavour and a very particular length that is not only due to the variety but at the age of this apple tree. Coming from the oldest wines of the vineyard, they bear less fruit, but offer greater complexity. 

Wines

Lafon-Rochet is a wine that is both simple and complex, it expresses aromas of black fruit in most vintages. There is truly a blend and features specific to Saint-Estèphe, a certain warmth and roundness, full of delicacy coming from Merlot’s grape variety. The Chateau has 45 ha planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Lafon-Rochet previously had a reputation for very tough, tannic wines. In recent vintages, the increase usage of Merlot has soften the blend. A second wine is produced under the label Les Pelerins de Lafon-Rochet. 

Château Marquis de Terme is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

Thanks to his wedding with Mlle Ledoulx d’Emplet in 1762, The Marquis de Terme named François de Peguilhan became the owner of the winery that will later bear his name. For more than 120 years, this family was in charge of the winery and strived for excellence and as a result they successfully became part of the very prestigious group of the 1855 classified Châteaux.

Pierre Sénéclauze bought the property back in 1935 and passed it down to his sons, Pierre-Louis, Philippe and Jean, who are now the owner. Since 2009 and with the support of the owners, Ludovic David, Managing Director of the winery has been undertaking significant changes on a wider international scale.

Vineyards

The 40 hectare, Left Bank vineyard of Chateau Marquis de Terme is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. This shows a slight change since the mid 1990’s with less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot planted today. The Cabernet Franc has also been removed from the vineyard. 

Starting with the 2013 vintage, Chateau Marquis de Terme began experimenting with organic farming on a small parcel of vines. They are now farming their vineyards using only, 100% organic vineyard management techniques, and were certified organic in 2017. 

Wines

On average, Chateau Marquis de Terme produces close to 12,500 cases of Margaux wine per year. There is a second wine. Prior to 2008, the second wine was sold as Les Gondats de Marquis de Term. In 2008, the name for the second wine was changed to La Couronne de Marquis de Terme. The owners also produce wine in the Rhone Valley in the Bandol and Cotes de Provence appellations.

Château Duhart-Milon, previously also Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus Classés (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

In the early 18th century, the Pauillac district began widespread grape cultivation at the urging of the owners of Lafite. The Milon wines served as additional income for Lafite’s master, and became Château Lafite’s second wine. So early on, the soil was acknowledged as being of particularly high quality. Lafite’s owner at that time was the Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, whom Louis XV referred to as “The Wine Prince.”

In 1815, the broker Guillaume Lawton was already talking about Mandavy-Milon from the Milon hills as a fourth growth Pauillac wine in the making. Between 1830 and 1840, the Castéja family was left an inheritance by both Mandavy and the Duhart widow (14 hectares). The family thus possessed a 40-hectare vineyard that was named Duhart-Milon. The oral tradition is that “Sieur Duhart” was the name of a privateer under Louis XV who settled in Pauillac on his retirement. The privateer’s house in the port of Pauillac existed up to the 1950’s, and inspired the label for the Duhart-Milon wines.

The 1855 classification recognized the quality of Duhart-Milon’s terroir by ranking it as the only 4th growth wine in Pauillac. The Castéja family remained in possession of the estate during the second half of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century. Château Duhart-Milon was then one of largest Pauillac estates with around 50 hectares.

In 1937, the result of successive inheritances led to the sale of the estate. The property went through five different owners in just 25 years, and the splitting up of the vineyards caused a speedy decline, which was only made worse by the severe frost of 1956. The quality of the Château’s wines declined considerably until the Rothschild family purchased the property in 1962. Duhart-Milon then consisted of 110 hectares, of which only 17 hectares were vines. Major construction projects were then undertaken in the vineyard: draining, uprooting and replanting, the purchase of adjacent plots, and reintegrating the vineyard by trading plots. New cellar and vat rooms were installed in Pauillac.

From 1973 to 2001 the vineyard increased from 42 ha to 71 ha. Today, the new vines are all mature, and the renovation of the cellar adds a finishing touch to a remarkable 40-year effort that has restored Château Duhart-Milon to its Médoc 4th growth rank. The promise of the 1990, 1995, 1996 and 2000 vintages has already been confirmed and the renewed quality is expressed in the consistency of the vintages at the highest level. This can be seen in the remarkable potential of all the vintages since 2003. 

Vineyards

The Château has 70 hectares planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Château produces a second wine under the label Moulin de Duhart. It is managed by Charles Chevallier, general manager at Château Lafite Rothschild.

Wines

Château Duhart-Milon’s grand vin is often described as a model of the Pauillac appellation. The broker Guillaume Lawton noted as early as 1815 that “it is very robust, with a fine colour, and quite pronounced sappiness” (he describes the “sappiness” of the Médoc’s premiers crus as “something like the odour given off by finest sealing wax when it is burned”).

Château Duhart-Milon’s second wine is selected on the same basis as the “Grand Vin”. In general, the grapes are from the younger plots in the vineyard. Moulin de Duhart has several characteristics similar to the grand vin, but with less potential for ageing as its barrel ageing period is shorter. It should be consumed younger than its more robust counterpart. The origin of the name comes from the former presence of a windmill on the Carruades plateau, next to the Duhart-Milon vineyard.

Château Pouget is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

François-Antoine Pouget inherited Château Pouget in 1748. His daughter Claire maried Pierre-Antoine de Chavailles in 1771. Over one and a half centuries, the Pouget de Chavailles family was in charge of Château Pouget. They had sometimes to face difficulties, as when, during the French Revolution, their properties were requisitioned, but they also met with great success, as Château Pouget was classified as a fourth Cru Classé in 1855. The château itself used to be a cellar, its front portion was turned into a house during the second half of the 19th century. Two marble medaillons on the frontage of the house commemorate the different classifications of Château Pouget. 

Vineyards & wine

Château Pouget is the epitome of Margaux wine, a rarely-found combination of depth and finesse, delicious red and black fruit, grace and style of perfectly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a classic Margaux, effortlessly combining finesse and substance. At Château Pouget particular attention is paid to the harvesting date, with the aim of picking grapes that have reached optimum ripeness. The grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and at the winery, and express all the finesse of this great terroir.

 

Château Prieuré-Lichine, previously Château Le Prieuré and Château Prieuré-Cantenac, is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Cantenac. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Originally a priory of Benedictine monks who cultivated grapes for service at dinner and at religious ceremonies, practices gradually evolved by the 18th century to establish sales of the wine under the name Le Prieuré de Cantenac. As a consequence of the French Revolution, the property was seized, divided and sold in 1789 to several surrounding estates, including Château Palmer. A portion was bought by Monsieur Pagès who passed on the estate to his widow, when due to its reputation and broker prices received a fourth growth classification in 1855. Several changes in ownership resulted in changes to the name, such as Le Prieuré and Prieuré-Cantenac, and when the late wine writer and authority Alexis Lichine arrived to buy the estate it consisted of 11 hectares of neglected vines.

Alexis Lichine bought the vineyard in 1951 (shortly after having purchased the Margaux estate Château Lascombes with a consortium) and work began to group and reconstitute the property on the ideal slightly-rising ground. With the money he was garnering from the import business and a few partners, Alexis Lichine bought the Prieure for 11,000 pounds, at the time about $16,000. In 1953, with the help of Count Lur-Saluces of Château d'Yquem, Lichine renamed the Prieuré to Château Prieuré-Lichine. With the estate renamed in 1953, the following year Cantenac wineries were entitled to use the appellation of Margaux.

Sacrificing quantity for quality, trades in portions of desirable land at a loss of two to one were made with third growth neighbours Palmer, Ferrière, Kirwan, Giscours, Issan, Boyd-Cantenac and second growth neighbours Durfort-Vivens and Brane-Cantenac, adding up to 19 ha of vineyards by the mid-1960s.

With an aim to produce a wine well beyond its classification, Lichine undertook extensive replanting, repairs and investments and brought in oenologists Emile Peynaud and Patrick Léon to advise on vat selection. By the 1970s the estate amounted to 58 hectares dispersed across the communes Cantenac and Margaux.

After Lichine's death in 1989, the estate was run by his son Sacha for several years, with oenologist Michel Rolland acting as consultant, until the estate was sold to the Groupe Ballande in 1999. The winery currently employs Stéphane Derenoncourt as its consulting oenologist.

Vineyards

Château Prieuré-Lichine currently consists of about 77.5 hectares planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit verdot. The soils of Château Prieuré-Lichine are essentially made up of gravel deposited by the river during successive glacial floods in the Quaternary era. Streams resulting from the floods then cut up these sedimentary soils into well drained mounds, which today look out over the Gironde estuary.

Wines

The Château produces a second wine under the label Château de Clairefont (also called Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine since 2008), and a Haut-Médoc, Le Clocher du Prieuré.

Château Saint-Pierre is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus Classés (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

There is another Château Saint Pierre at Toutens in the Lauragais 30 km east of Toulouse, which dates from the 18th century and is one of the château of the froment.

History

Originally owned by the De Cheverry family, from at least 1693 according to archives and under the name Serançan, the estate was renamed near the end of the 18th century when it was bought by Baron de Saint-Pierre, whose family connections to the estate remained until just after World War II. For a period beginning in 1832, the estate was split into two vineyards, Château Saint-Pierre-Bontemps and Château Saint-Pierre-Sevaistre, but became reunited under the Dutch company Van den Bussche's ownership, although some of the best sections of the vineyard was sold to Henri Martin who incorporated the land into his Château Gloria. In 1982 Martin bought the complete estate, and while selling some land to neighbouring Ducru-Beaucaillou and Gruaud-Larose, restored the château and brought improvements to the vinification. The current proprietors of the estate and residents of the château are Martin's daughter and son-in-law, Françoise and Jean-Louis Triaud.

Vineyards

The vineyard extends to 17 hectares, with a grape variety distribution of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. After harvesting, the grapes are transported to the chai of Château Gloria where the wine is produced.

Wines

The annual production of the grand vin is approximately 5,000 cases, and with no second wine, the rejected and surplus fruit is sold off in bulk to local merchants.

Château Talbot is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Talbot is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. It was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus Classés (Fourth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The Château used to be the property of Sir John Talbot, Governor of Aquitaine, Earl of Shrewsbury, in the 15th century.The property belonged to the Marquis of Aux for several decades, receiving its first Cocks & Féret lists in 1846 and 1855 and fourth growth classification in 1855, was then bought by Monsieur A. Claverie in 1899,[1] before being acquired by Désiré Cordier in 1917. His son Georges, then his grandson Jean inherited the property and since his death in 1993 the present owners are his daughters Lorraine Rustmann and Nancy Bignon-Cordier, the fourth generation of the Cordier family.

Vineyards

The vineyard area of Chateau Talbot extends 102 hectares, located a short distance from the Gironde estuary, is among the largest in Bordeaux. The vineyard is on fine gravelly rises, which are well drained. The distribution of red wine grape varieties is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines is 42 years old with a 45 hl/ha yield. There are also cultivated white grape varieties on 4 ha, given to 80% Sauvignon blanc and 20% Sémillon. All the grapes are harvested by hand with no fewer than 180 grape-pickers and may be fermented either in wood or stainless steel tanks.

Wines

Château Talbot produces three wines; an eponymous grand vin, a second wine called Connétable de Talbot released since the 1979 vintage, respectively aged 15 and 12 months in oak barrel, and one of the Médoc's oldest dry white wines, Caillou Blanc.

Château La Tour Carnet is a Bordeaux wine estate in the appellation Haut-Médoc. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, at the time known by the name of Carnet.

History

The estate has origins in the early Middle Ages, though the details are largely unknown, but takes its name from Jean Caranet or Carnet, an heir of Jean de Foix who is believed responsible for having built the château tower. The estate has been owned by Bernard Magrez since 1999. 

Vineyards

Château La Tour Carnet extends 126 hectares, of which 73 ha are under vine, planted with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot of red grape varieties, as well as white grape varieties of which there is a distribution of 45% Sauvignon blanc, 15% Sauvignon gris and 30% Sémillon.

Wines

The chateau typically produces 15,000 cases (1,300 hL) annually of the grand vin Château La Tour Carnet. A second wine is produced under the label Les Douves du Chateau La Tour Carnet, with an annual production of 9,000 cases (810 hL).

Château Batailley is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced at the estate was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The current name has been in use since the end of the 18th century, when the vineyard was owned by the Saint-Martin family. The property then saw a succession of owners and temporary partition until the estate was largely restored and expanded by Daniel Guestier of Barton & Guestier after 1816. The estate was first mentioned in classification by Abraham Lawton in 1815, as a "fifth growth" under the name of "Bedou", and in 1846 by Charles Cocks under the name of proprietor Guestier. By Guestier's death in 1847 Batailley was established as a fifth cru ahead of the 1855 Médoc classification.

Brothers François and Marcel Borie purchased the estate in 1932, and in 1942 divided it into the two properties that are today Batailley and Haut-Batailley, in order to prevent future difficulties with inheritance laws. The larger part, which included the château, became the sole property of Marcel Borie until his death in 1961, when it passed to his daughter Denise and her husband Emile Castéja. Batailley is currently owned by the Castéja family, whose Borie-Manoux holdings also include the Pauillac fifth growth Château Lynch-Moussas and the Saint-Émilion estate Château Trotte Vieille.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends to 57 hectares, planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Wines

Around 22,000 cases of the grand vin Château Batailley are produced each year. The second wine, introduced in 2016, is Lions de Batailley.

Château Belgrave is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Originally a highly reputed hunting pavilion during the reign of Louis XV, the expansion of the vineyards was particularly influenced by the Coutanceau family, whose name was first adopted for the estate’s wines during the classification of Bordeaux wines carried out by Guillaume Lawton in 1815. The “Bellegrave” designation first appeared in 1845, when Bruno Devès, a negociant in Bordeaux, remodelled the estate, favouring vine growing on the finest gravel terroirs. He built residences, tank rooms and wineries, and constructed the existing residence on the site of the original hunting pavilion. The wine was classified as a 5th growth in 1855, still bearing the name of Coutanceau, whilst the “Belgrave” name was only to be attributed at the beginning of the 20th century by Marcel Alibert, founder of the Syndicate of Crus Classés, and owner of the estate for almost 30 years. The link between the wine and hunting explains the ferret that features on the packaging, and also the name “Diane de Belgrave” given to its second wine.

Vineyards

Situated at the extremities of the St-Julien appellation, separated from its neighbour Château Lagrange by only a stream, Château Belgrave is one of the oldest Cru vineyards in the Médoc. In 1855 it was classified as a 5th growth because of the exceptional quality of its deep gravel soils. The soils at Château Belgrave show remarkable diversity. Two hillocks made up of gravel and pebbles deposited thousands of years ago by the Garonne river, overlying a bed of clay, rise to 23 and 26 metres. This type of soil is favourable to late-ripening grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit-Verdot, which now covers 4% of the surface area following remodelling of the vineyard. The gravel thins towards the foot of the hillocks, where the soil is a combination of gravel and sand offering good drainage, and clay outcrops, which are particularly adapted to the cultivation of Merlot. 

Wines

Château Belgrave produces a second wine called Diane de Belgrave, introduced with the 1987 vintage.

Château de Camensac is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château de Camensac is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Today, Chateau Camensac is perhaps, one of the more obscure, 1855 Classified Growths in the Medoc. The original chateau which is still in use today, was constructed in the 18th century. Chateau Camensac was purchased by the Forner family in 1965. The Forner family first became active in winemaking in Spain, where they own the popular, Marques de Caceres winery. Marques de Caceres is located in the Rioja appellation of Spain. Their experience in the Spanish wine trade proved helpful in knowing what to do next, which was to renovate the estate and replant their vineyards. They also modified the estates name slightly in 1988 when they changed it from, Chateau de Camensac to just Chateau Camensac. They hired the successful wine consultant Michel Rolland. Michel Rolland does not consult Chateau Camensac anymore. In 2005, Chateau Camensac was purchased by Jean Merlaut and his niece, Celine Villars Loubet. In 2014, Claire Thomas-Chenard joined the team as the director of the estate. Claire Thomas-Chenard is well-known for her work at Chateau Soutard and Chateau Larmande in St. Emilion.

Vineyards

The vineyards of Château Camensac are in the commune of Saint-Laurent-Médoc, just beyond the boundary of the Saint-Julien-Beychevelle appellation. As such it is entitled to only the Haut-Médoc appellation for its wines. The estate's 65 hectares of vines (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot) are planted at a dense 10,000 vines per hectare and have an average age of 35 years. The estate limits yields to 45 hectoliters per hectare and grapes are picked and sorted by hand.

Wines

As is common for wineries in the Médoc, Château Camensac produces two wines, its first label, Château Camensac, and a second label, La Closerie de Camensac, into which lesser quality lots are blended. After harvest, the wines undergo primary fermentation in stainless steel vats before being transferred to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and 17–20 months of aging. In recent years, oenologist Michel Rolland has been a consultant.

 

Château Cantemerle is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France, in the commune of Macau. The wine produced here was the final estate to be classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

Its absence from the classification map featured at the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris created some controversy, even though it has been listed on all maps published after 1855. Some sources will include an asterisk next to Château Cantemerle listing in reference to this controversy. The estate has a long history in the Haut-Médoc with records detailing its existence since at least the 12th century and wine production since at least the 14th century. In the 19th century, the estate was hard hit by the phylloxera epidemic as well as grapevine attacks of downy mildew, after which production dropped nearly 50%. Towards the end of the 20th century, the estate was sold to French insurance group Les Mutuelles d'Assurance du Bâtiment et des Travaux Public who have contributed significant investment in the estate's vineyards and winemaking facilities.

Vineyards

Today the Chateau owns 190 hectares of land and 90 of those are planted with vines. Of these, 87 are under production. The grape varieties cultivated are mainly 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with additional 5% of Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. On average, the vines are 30 years old. 

Wines

According to wine writer Tom Stevenson in The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, Château Cantemerle wines are characterized by rich, oaky, fruit flavors that balance well. The wines have good coloring for a classified Bordeaux wine and typically reach their peak between 8 and 20 years. The typical blend is a composition of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

The Chateau annually produces on average 25,000 cases of its Grand vin, and 12,500 cases of its second wine, Les Allées de Cantemerle. Depending on the vintage, a third wine might also be produced-Baronne Caroline with a production between 5,000 and 10,000 cases.

Château Cos Labory is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

A real family property, where the generations have genuinely laboured already for nearly a century for the estate to blossom and grow. The name of the estate comes from its geographical location on the Cos hill and the name of François Labory, who was the first owner until 1845. Mr. d'Estournel then acquired it before selling it again to an English banker, Charles Martyns in 1852.

The property was finally taken over by George Weber in the 1930's, who bequeathed it to his daughter and son-in-law, François Audoy in 1959. In 1971, the couple acquired the neighbouring estate, Château Andron Blanquet. Their sons worked with them on the two estates for a few years and then the elder Bernard took over the running of the properties. Bernard is a strong, practical manager with a quiet reassuring manner. He has always lived in Saint-Estèphe and is perfectly emblematic of his estate, his wines and the appellation that he has presided over since 2000.

Vineyards

This eighteen-hectare vineyard on top of the Cos hill is blessed with Quaternary gravel soils and exceptional drainage. To extract the best, we strive vintage after vintage to perfect the fit between the plots and the grape varieties. We also choose slow growing rootstocks and keep the planting densities high. Over time, the changes came gradually through substantial investment into technology, particularly an ultra-modern vathouse and a new cellar. Having decided to vinify the wines at low temperatures to preserve and extract the fruit, we aim to offer wines that age well but are also enjoyable when still young.

Wines

Cos Labory wines are fruit-forward wines that are meant to be consumed fairly young for a classified Bordeaux wine. Made from fruit from the best plots on the Cos hill, Château Cos Labory combines characteristic Saint-Estèphe vigour and elegance. Its rich tannin content gives this wine good ageing potential.

Made from fruit from our young vines, Charme de Cos Labory is a nicely balanced, enjoyable wine that is beautifully delicate and fruity.

Château Clerc Milon is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

Château Clerc Milon is located in the northern part of the Pauillac appellation, with its vinery building in the village of Mousset, and faces Château Lafite Rothschild on the other side of the D2 road.

History

The name of the estate is derived from its former owner Jean-Baptiste Clerc, who owned it at the time of the 1855 classification, and the village of Milon, which also has lent its name to Château Duhart-Milon. One Jacques Mondon had come into possession of some vineyards that had previously been part of the Clerc-Milon estate, and after Clerc's death in 1863, he mounted a successful legal challenge to be allowed to use the Clerc-Milon name for his vineyards, which became the origin of the current-day Château Clerc Milon. Mondon subsequently adopted the name Clerc-Milon-Mondon for his estate. In 1970, Château Clerc-Milon-Mondon was purchased by Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild, for a sum of 1 million francs. At this time, the property was in poor shape and consisted of 16.5 hectares of vineyards. Rothschild removed the Mondon part of the name, and subsequently expanded the estate by purchasing additional vineyards that had previously been part of Clerc Milon. A new winery building was completed in 2011.  

Vineyards

Château Clerc Milon has 41 hectares of vineyards in Mousset and around Milon, planted to 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, and with a planting density of 10 000 vines per hectare.

Wines

A wine with considerable ageing potential made in the traditional Médoc way, Château Clerc Milon is the result of a particularly successful marriage between gravel and clay-limestone terroirs and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Powerful, tannic, full-bodied and rich in fruit, it also has all the typical elegance of the finest Pauillac wines.

From an exceptional terroir, Pastourelle de Clerc Milon is the second wine of Château Clerc Milon, an 1855 Classified Growth at Pauillac. Made with grapes from selected vines on the famous estate, it is made and bottled with the same painstaking care. The grapes are harvested in small open crates then fermented in the Château Clerc Milon vat house and the wines are matured in oak barrels in the traditional manner. The particular attraction of Pastourelle de Clerc Milon, a round and supple wine, lies in the rich elegance of its aromas and flavours.

Château Croizet Bages is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

In the early 18th century, the Croizet brothers, both members of the Bordeaux parliament, consolidated a number of small vineyard plots in order to form a wine estate in the famous hamlet of Bages, in Pauillac. This estate was included among the fifth growths in the famous 1855 classification under the name of Château Croizet-Bages.

Jean-Baptiste Monnot, an American citizen and owner of the famous Klaxon brand, acquired Croizet Bages soon after the First World War. He in turn sold it to Paul Quié, owner of châteaux Rauzan-Gassies (a great growth of Margaux) and Bel Orme Tronquoy de Lalande, in 1942. Monsieur Quié undertook a renovation of the vineyard during the postwar period. This was completed by his son, Jean-Michel, who took over management in 1968. Jean-Michel Quié is now assisted by his children, Anne-Françoise and Jean-Philippe, in overseeing the three family châteaux. Their passion for fine wine is very much in the tradition of the great growths of Bordeaux, and one of Jean-Michel Quié’s greatest pleasures is to share his wine with people who are dear to him.

Vineyards

The 30 hectare Medoc vineyard of Croizet Bages is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age. The vineyard has a terroir of gravel and sand soil on the Bages plateau.

Wines

There is a second wine, La Tourelle de Croizet Bages, which made its debut in 1998.

Château Dauzac is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Labarde. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Since 1988, the estate has belonged to the insurance company MAIF, but is managed by the André Lurton group. In 2004, his daughter Christine Lurton-Bazin de Caix took charge of the property. In the 1880s, the trials which led to the development of the Bordeaux mixture to combat downy mildew mostly took place in the vineyards of Château Dauzac. They were conducted by professor Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet, assisted by Dauzac's technical director Ernest David.

Vineyards

The domaine comprises 120 ha, of which 45 ha are planted, 60% with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and 40% with Merlot. The average age of vines is around 30 years.

Wines

The Château produces the main wine, Château Dauzac, from the 42 ha planted in the Margaux appellation, as well as a second wine named La Bastide Dauzac. The estate also owns 3 ha in the Haut-Médoc appellation, from which it produces a third wine, Château Labarde.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating in many ways. It is a family saga going back to the 16th century. The name Grand-Puy, already mentioned in documents from the Middle Ages, comes from the ancient term "puy” which means "hillock, small height”. True to its name, the vineyard sits on outcrops with a terroir similar to that of the Médoc's first growths. Since the 16th century the property remained attached to a single family from generation to generation, in a direct line through marriage until 1920, before connecting with another family in 1978—the Borie.

This winery shares a part of its name with Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse. Grand Puy is the name of a low gravelly hill which used to be owned in its entirety by the same estate. Parts of the vineyards on this hill were sold in 1750 to a man by the name Pierre Ducasse. The estate containing the remaining vineyards, the present day Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, has been known under several names which have changed when daughters of the owning family have married. It was known as Saint-Guiron in the mid-19th century after a marriage to a monsieur de Saint-Guiron, and acquired its present name one generation later when a daughter married a man by the name François Lacoste.

Vineyards

Situated a few kilometers from the town of Pauillac, the vineyards of Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste total roughly 36 hectares (90 acres) with Cabernet Sauvignon making up 75% of the total plantings and the rest belonging to Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Typical of the region, the vineyard consists of a deep gravel top soil on a limestone base.

Wines

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste produces about 12,000 cases of wine in an average year. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, and then the wines are placed into oak barrels (50% new) for 18 months of aging.

Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

This winery shares a part of its name with Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Grand Puy is the name of a low gravelly hill which used to be owned in its entirety by the same estate. Parts of the vineyards on this hill were sold in 1750 to a man by the name Pierre Ducasse, which was the origin of the name.

Vineyards

The vineyard's 40 hectares (99 acres) are divided between three main plots which lie on sandy Garonne gravel within the Pauillac appellation. The vines border those of Mouton, Lafite and Pontet-Canet to the North. In their central part, they cover part of the Bourdieu of Grand Puy, and, at their southern extremity, the Saint-Lambert plateau. With an average age of 25 years, 62% of the vines are Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot. Average yields are 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Wines

Château Grand-Puy Ducasse was classified 5th growth in the famous 1855 classification. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are planted on a gravel soil, typical of Pauillac. Thanks to impeccable harvesting and tailor-made winemaking, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse has all the excellent qualities of a legendary fine wine, renowned for aromatic complexity, glorious structure and ageing capacity, all true to the Pauillac’s style.

The name “Prélude” states the ambition of this second wine to provide a true introduction to the “Grand Vin”. Made from the young vines of the estate, it receives the same care at every stage. It ensures that it is more supple and forward than its senior, while showing the same qualities of elegance and harmony.

Château Haut-Bages-Libéral is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Haut-Bages-Libéral is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The Libéral family settled on the estate in the 1700s. The family's business, working as an intermediary between wine producers and the market, enabled them to build a fortune and acquire vineyard land. By the 1800s, the wine's reputation was quite good, enough so that the estate was classified Cinquième Cru Classé in the Classification of 1855.

During the next century, the estate's reputation and quality waned, as phylloxera, war, and the Great Depression took their toll. The Société Civile Charreules (owned by the Cruse family) purchased the estate in 1960, and during the next decade, some of the vineyard plots adjoining Château Pontet-Canet were transferred to Pontet, which was also under the Cruse's control.

 In 1982, several years after selling off Pontet-Canet, the Cruses sold the estate off to Jacques Merlaut, head of the Taillan Group. Merlaut was owner of Château Chasse-Spleen; the Taillan Group would later acquire Château Gruaud-Larose, Château Ferrière, Château Citran, and Château La Gurgue. Merlaut's granddaughter, Claire Villars-Lurton, runs the estate today.

Vineyards

The estate has three vineyards; the largest is adjacent to Château Latour, with a smaller plot down the road adjacent to Château Pichon-Lalande. Both of these plots are relatively close to the Gironde; the third plot is further inland, adjacent to Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The soil consists mainly of a deep bed of gravel over limestone affording drainage. The total area under vine is 30 hectares, with an average vine age of 40 years. Vines are replanted individually, with the varietal mix being approximately 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. In 2009, the final blend of the grand vin was 68% Cabernet, 32% Merlot.

Wines

For the grand vin, grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in temperature controlled steel tanks. Barrel aging occurs over 16 months in 40% new oak, with malolactic fermentation occurring during this time. A second wine is produced under the labels La Fleur de Haut-Bages-Libéral and La Chapelle de Bages.

 

Château Batailley is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced at the estate was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The current name has been in use since the end of the 18th century, when the vineyard was owned by the Saint-Martin family. The property then saw a succession of owners and temporary partition until the estate was largely restored and expanded by Daniel Guestier of Barton & Guestier after 1816. The estate was first mentioned in classification by Abraham Lawton in 1815, as a "fifth growth" under the name of "Bedou", and in 1846 by Charles Cocks under the name of proprietor Guestier. By Guestier's death in 1847 Batailley was established as a fifth cru ahead of the 1855 Médoc classification. Brothers François and Marcel Borie purchased the estate in 1932, and in 1942 divided it into the two properties that are today Batailley and Haut-Batailley, in order to prevent future difficulties with inheritance laws. The larger part, which included the château, became the sole property of Marcel Borie until his death in 1961, when it passed to his daughter Denise and her husband Emile Castéja. Batailley is currently owned by the Castéja family, whose Borie-Manoux holdings also include the Pauillac fifth growth Château Lynch-Moussas and the Saint-Émilion estate Château Trotte Vieille.

Vineyards

The vineyard area extends to 57 hectares (140 acres), planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Wines

Around 22,000 cases (2,000 hl) of the grand vin Château Batailley are produced each year. The second wine, introduced in 2016, is Lions de Batailley.

Château Lynch-Bages is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Lynch-Bages is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Thomas Lynch was a descendant of the Tribes of Galway. His father John emigrated in 1691 from Galway, Ireland to Bordeaux, inherited an estate in the village of Bages through his wife, Elizabeth, in 1749. This year represents the foundation of Château Lynch-Bages, which Thomas passed on to his son, Jean-Baptiste, upon his marriage in 1779. Jean-Baptiste soon handed over supervision to his brother Michel who maintained responsibility for the Bages estate until 1824, when the family sold it to a Swiss wine merchant, Sebastien Jurine, who had recently moved to Bordeaux. Château Lynch-Bages remained in the hands of the Jurine family, followed by the Cayrou family, for over a hundred years. In 1934, Jean-Charles Cazes rented the property from its then owner, Felix de Vial, subsequently purchasing it in 1938. After Jean-Charles Cazes' death, aged 95, in 1972, the estate has been largely managed by his grandson, Jean-Michel Cazes. In the late 1980s, the AXA Millésimes group began to develop a portfolio of wine property holdings, and approached Jean-Michel Cazes for help (Claude Bébéar, the AXA President, was a long-time Cazes family friend). They established Châteaux & Associés, which Cazes ran until he reached 65, and which by the end of the twentieth century owned many vineyards across Europe. Ownership of Château Lynch-Bages, however, remains with the Cazes family. In 2017, the Cazes family has acquired Château Haut-Batailley, the 1855 Grand Cru Classé estate in Pauillac.

Vineyards

The 90 hectares of Château Lynch-Bages are located just outside the town of Pauillac. The vineyard occupies a gravel ridge looking down over the Gironde estuary. The well-drained soil consists mainly of deep gravel beds over a limestone sub-strata, and it is planted predominantly with red wine grape varieties (73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot). There is also a small (approximately 4.5 ha) plot planted with white varieties (40% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon blanc and 20% Muscadelle).

Wines

Château Lynch-Bages is primarily known for its eponymous red wine, of which approximately 25,000 cases are made in an average year. The malolactic fermentation takes place mainly in large stainless steel tanks, and the wine then spends about 15 months in oak barrels (of which some 50-60% are new) before bottling. As of 2008, the second label of Lynch-Bages will be called, "Echo de Lynch-Bages". A third wine has now been added, called "Pauillac de Lynch-Bages".

Château Lynch-Moussas is a French winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Lynch-Moussas is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The estate was first owned by the Lynch family originally from Ireland, notably including the Count Jean-Baptiste Lynch in the 18th century, and was at the time much larger than it is today. In 1919 it was purchased by the Castéja family, and sole control was eventually consolidated to Emile Castéja in 1969 by which time the estate had become dilapidated and work to restore the property was initiated. Since then a complete overhaul of the vineyards and winemaking facilities has been completed in an effort to improve its wine. In the Borie-Manoux portfolio of the Castéja family, the château is owned in conjunction with the fifth growth Château Batailley.

Vineyards

Château Lynch-Moussas' wine originates from the estate's vineyards morcellated through the commune of Pauillac. The soil for these vineyards is typical of the Pauillac consisting mostly of gravel over a limestone subsoil. The vineyard area extends 60 hectares with a grape variety distribution of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

Wines

There is an annual production of 20,000 cases (1,800 hl) of the grand vin Chateau Lynch-Moussas, as well as production of the second wine under the label Les Hauts de Lynch-Moussas.

Château d'Armailhac, previously named Château Mouton-d'Armailhacq (historical name from inception, 1750–1955), Château Mouton-Baron Philippe, Mouton Baronne and Château Mouton-Baronne-Philippe (1979–1988), is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

A local register notes the existence of two brothers, Dominique et Guilhem Armailhacq, who own parcels of land in Pauillac. Another register mentions in 1750 a certain Dominique Armailhac, who has “planted with vines” the family estate, taking advantage of the “planting frenzy” then sweeping through the Médoc. The vines covered 15 to 16 hectares. In the late 18th century, the vineyard, generally called Mouton d’Armailhacq, spans some 52 hectares between Brane-Mouton in the north and Pibran in the south.

Château Mouton d’Armailhacq is classified as a Fifth Growth in the famous classification drawn up by Bordeaux wine brokers. In Bordeaux in the same year, Armand d’Armailhac publishes a learned treatise on vinegrowing and winemaking in the Médoc. A Fifth Growth of acknowledged quality, Mouton d’Armailhacq is renamed Mouton Baron Philippe, then Mouton Baronne Philippe, until the vintage 1988. In 1989 Baroness Philippine decides to restore its original identity to Mouton d’Armailhacq, giving it the name Château d’Armailhac.

Vineyards

The vineyard of Château d’Armailhac, an 1855 Classified Growth under the name Mouton d’Armailhacq, covers 70 hectares (172 acres) in the northern part of Pauillac. An extension of the Carruades de Mouton plateau, the Plateau des Levantines et de l’Obélisque, made up of light and very deep gravelly soil, is the preferred terroir of Cabernet grapes. The deep gravelly soil of the Plateau de Pibran rests on a clay-limestone base, giving the Château d’Armailhac wines their characteristic refinement and elegance. The light gravelly soil of the Croupe de Béhéré is up to three metres deep.

The vineyard is planted with traditional Médoc grape varieties (52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot) on rootstocks best suited to the soil (mostly Riparia-Gloire). The average age of the vineyard is 46 years, but nearly 20% of the total surface area dates back to 1890. Plantation density is high at 10,000 vines per hectare: Château d’Armailhac preserves the old methods of ensuring quality.

Wines

The deep gravelly soil of the Plateau de Pibran rests on a clay-limestone base, giving the Château d’Armailhac wines their characteristic refinement and elegance.

 

Château Pédesclaux is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The Château was founded in 1810 by winebroker Pierre Urbain Pédesclaux, who passed it to his son Pierre-Edmond in 1849. After death of the latter his widow continued to run the Château until 1891, when the estate was sold to the Count de Gastebois. In 1930, Lucien Jugla became tenant, and eventually purchased the Château in 1950. In 2009, the estate was purchased by Jacky Lorenzetti, who also owns Chateau Lilian Ladouys in Saint-Estèphe and 50% of Château d'Issan in Margaux. Lorenzetti enlarged the vineyards with the purchase of 12 hectares of Medoc vines that are situated next to parcels owned by Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. 

Vineyards

The vineyard covers an area of 46 hectares and produces about 8,000 cases of wine every year. The Château has 44 hectares in Pauillac, but also two hectares in the Haut-Médoc area. Wines from Pédesclaux are composed of roughly 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet franc. 

Wines

The estate produces three wines: the first wine, Château Pédesclaux, the second wine, Fleur de Pédesclaux and finally a third wine, Le Haut-Médoc de Pédesclaux, sold under the Haut-Médoc appellation.

 

Château Pontet-Canet is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. Chateau Pontet-Canet is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Ten years following the 1855 classification, the property was purchased by Herman Cruse in 1865, in whose family the estate remained for many years. The Bordeaux wine fraud scandal in 1973 forced the sale, in 1975, of Ponet-Canet to Cognac merchant Guy Tesseron owner of Château Lafon-Rochet. The estate remains in his control today.

Vineyards

Of the 120 hectares estate of Pontet-Canet located in the northern end of the Pauillac commune, across the road from first growth Château Mouton Rothschild, 80 ha are under vine. The soil composition is mainly gravel over a subsoil of clay and limestone. The grape variety distribution is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Vines average 35 years of age.

Wines

Pontet-Canet has one of the largest productions of any classified growth in the Medoc with a production of nearly 20,000 cases of its grand-vin, and another 20,000 cases of its second wine, Les Hauts de Pontet. 

Château du Tertre, or Le Tertre, is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Arsac. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Located on the tertre (French for "hillock" or "rising ground") from which it takes its name, the ancient origins of Château du Tertre are traced back to the Seigneurie d'Arsac documented as early as 1143 whose descendants owned the estate in the 16th century. Le Tertre passed through the ownership of the Arrérac family and Marquis de Ségur until the 1855 classification. When the estate was owned by Charles Henri, Le Tertre hold a good reputation and was in demand on the Dutch market. It was sold to Henri de Koenigswarter in 1870 under whose ownership Le Tertre's reputation increased further. By World War II the reputation and production had diminished, but in 1961 Château du Tertre was acquired by Philippe Gasqueton, who restored the vineyards and château with the backing of Belgian business partners. Following Gasqueton's death in 1995 his widow sold the property to Eric and Louise Albada Jelgersma, owners of the neighbouring estate Château Giscours.

Vineyards

From an 80 hectare estate, the vineyard area extends approximately 50 hectares consisting of the grape varieties of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, with vines averaging about 35 years.

Wines

Château du Tertre (Margaux AOC): This Classified Growth in 1855 is the first label of Château du Tertre. It is of great sweetness and flavour. Silky and freshness are combined in this flask to bring you the elegance expected of a great Margaux wine. The aging potential of this great wine is between 8 and 20 years or even more for the most exceptional vintages.

Château Calon-Ségur is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus Classés (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. It is the northernmost classified growth in the Médoc.

History

Perhaps because it is one of the oldest estates in the Médoc, or perhaps because its most emblematic owner, the Marquis de Ségur, built an absolute legend around Calon.

"Calon," meaning a little river skiff used in the Middle Ages to ferry timber across the Gironde estuary, gave the name to this district which was at one point known as Calones or Saint-Estèphe-de-Calon. In early times, Château Calon-Ségur was one of the original three vineyards in Saint-Estèphe, and in 1825, Château Montrose (in 1855 classified as a Second Growth) was a forest-land parcel belonging to the Calon-Ségur estate.

By marriage, the estate came to be owned by Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur who also owned Chateau Latour and Chateau Lafite. Despite his ownership of these two First Growths, the Marquis said that "I make wine at Lafitte and Latour but my heart is at Calon Segur." The wine's label today includes a drawing of a heart around the Chateau's name.

In the modern era the estate has been in ownership by the Capbern Gasqueton family since 1894. After Mme Capbern-Gasqueton's death, it was sold in 2012 to Suravenir Assurances, an insurance company.

Vineyards

Fifty-five hectares at the time of the 1855 classification, fifty-five hectares today: the estate is a rare example of consistency of terroir over the centuries. The vineyard is made up of one single block adjacent to the village of Saint-Estèphe. Unique in the Médoc, it is completely surrounded by a stone wall. Inside, closest to the château, this “enclos” groups together the most famous plots of Calon.

There are very few geological models that can be compared with the terroir of Calon Ségur. The vines delve down into a deep gravel layer that was deposited there by the river. This layer covers another which is predominantly clay. This combination of clay and gravel soils is one of the main reasons for the power and finesse displayed in the wines of Calon Ségur.

Wines

Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of Calon Ségur. This grape variety makes up over three-quarters of the blend, and in great years its proportion can be as high as 90%. No great wines can ever be made without constant and meticulous care of the vines. The soils are ploughed in the time-honoured tradition. From spring to autumn, vine canopy management tasks are done by large numbers of vineyard personnel. The crop is picked by hand at perfect ripeness.

The Grand Vin of Calon Ségur is the mirror image of its terroir: rare, authentic, moving. With great ease, it reveals both lovely softness and amazing intensity. All the magic of Calon is in this balance. The Second Wine, Marquis de Calon, is a different expression of the Calon terroir. With an average proportion of 75% Merlot in the blend, it is enjoyable to drink in the immediate term and exhibits a warm and velvety character. It is aged in barrels, a third of which are new, for up to 18 months.

Château Beychevelle is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The men of Beychevelle have always ruled their land nobly and brought glory to the château. Ever since its construction in 1565 by Bishop François of Foix-Candale, the reign of the Dukes of Epernon (of which the great admiral, Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette was the first), its rebuilding in 1757 by the Marquis de Brassier and subsequent enlargement by the Heine family, followed by the Achille-Fould family until 1986, the château has never ceased to amaze visitors, both in terms of its vineyard and the exceptional setting. Beychevelle’s reputation and extraordinary beauty would not be what they are today without the help of remarkable women, such as Marie-Amélie Kohn, Madame Guestier and Madame Heine, Marie-Louise Fould and Lillette (Elisabeth de Foucaud) who have marked its history, developing its decorative style, its aura of hospitality and its beautiful gardens. Today, Château Beychevelle belongs to Grands Millésimes de France, which is part of the Castel and Suntory groups, represented by M. Nobuhiro TORII.

Vineyards

Château Beychevelle has 250 hectares of land, about 90 of which are planted with vines. The rest consists of grassland where Limousin cows graze, and of pine forests, poplar, ash and walnut trees. The vines have an average age of 30 years and are closely planted, with densities of 8,300 to 10,000 vines per hectare; they have developed substantial root systems, enabling them to draw nutrients from deep in the soil, and to cope with the sometimes difficult weather conditions, such as when there are droughts in the summer. The vineyard is planted with the Médoc’s four traditional grape varieties: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Our job is to select the right grape variety for each plot, depending on the terroir’s characteristics and constraints. Manual harvests allow us to sort and retain the best grapes, which are then vinified and blended in our wines.  

Wines

Ever since it was first produced, and down through the various vintages, Château Beychevelle has reflected the elegance and finesse of Saint Julien's finest terroirs.Graceful and complex, with a tremendous aromatic richness, Château Beychevelle is made from the best plots in the vineyard and undergoes a rigorous selection process.It reveals its character after about ten years, and can be kept for several decades, depending on the vintage. The chateau makes a second label wine called Amiral de Beychevelle.

Château Kirwan is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

So, where does the strange-sounding name ‘Kirwan’ actually come from? It has a more northern ring to it than these vines growing on the Cantenac plateau. In fact, it is a relic from Bordeaux’s golden age, because the chateau bears the name of a long line of Irish wine merchants. Mark Kirwan inherited the estate in 1760, when he married one of the daughters of Sir John Collingwood, an English wine merchant in Bordeaux.

The wines of the property already had a sound reputation. Their fame grew as the reputation was confirmed. The new owner gave the estate his name, so that foreign merchants would better pick out his wines, because they sounded less French. Thomas Jefferson himself, a knowledgeable wine enthusiast, classified the estate’s wines as a second-rank growth, while he was U.S. Ambassador to France. He gave the name his own idiosyncratic pronunciation and spelling: “Quirouen”.

He did much to enhance the wine’s reputation, and the book “Thomas Jefferson on Wine” tells us that the third American president praised the wine greatly during a trip to Bordeaux in 1787, noting that “Château de Quirouen” was in the 2nd category, along with “Ségur”, “Lynch”, etc.

Vineyards

Château Kirwan has 40 hectares of vineyards, planted to 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot.

Wines

Château Kirwan is a wine that is produced from the best parcels of the vineyard that have mainly gravel soils, but some are also clay. The fruit is picked and sorted twice by hand, then vinified in separate batches corresponding to individual vineyard parcels. Half the oak barrels used to age the wine for eighteen months are renewed every year.

Les Charmes de Kirwan is the second wine of the property, launched in 1993. It is the main wine’s “little brother” and is generally made from the fruit of the youngest vines and parcels of the vineyard that are less gravelly, but sandier. The wine is made highlighting its fruit and maximising suppleness. It can therefore be enjoyed younger.

Château Lagrange is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, and is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. It is owned by the Japanese liquor giant Suntory. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

After a long period of mediocrity, Château Lagrange was purchased by Japanese liquor giant Suntory in 1983 with Marcel Ducasse as directeur général and winemaker. Large budgets from Suntory allowed Marcel Ducasse to invest in the remake of the vineyards and cellars and led to a successful revival of Château Lagrange.

Vineyards

The largest single vineyard among classified estates in the Medoc, the 110 hectares vineyard of Lagrange is an unmorcellated block in the western portion of the appellation. As is typical of the region there is a high percentage of cabernet sauvignon, about 65%, planted in the vineyard with vines averaging 30 years of age. The remainder of the gravelly vineyard is planted 28% merlot, and 7% petit verdot. Château Lagrange also has a small vineyard of 40 hectares planted to white varieties (53% sauvignon blanc, 36% semillon, and 11% muscadelle).

Wines

Château Lagrange produces three wines; an eponymous grand vin (about 23,000 cases), a second wine called Les Fiefs de Lagrange (about 31,000 cases), and since 1997, a small amount of white wine called Les Arums de Lagrange. The red wines are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, and then aged in oak barrels, 50% of which are new, for roughly 20 months before bottling.

Château Lagrange is also the name of an unrelated small estate in the appellation of Pomerol.

Château d'Issan is a castle and winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

The history of Château d’Issan consists primarily of a long list of property transmissions and legacies. By inheritance and marriage, the estate has been handed down from owner to owner, and all of them have contributed in their own way to its renown and helped to forge its unique character. In the 12th century, the property was a fiefdom with the name at that time of La Mothe-Cantenac, before becoming Théobon Manor, when a female heir married a lord with the same name.

Over a period of nearly three centuries, the estate was passed down along a line involving a number of families with names such as Noailhan, Meyrac, Ségur, Salignac, de la Vergne, Escodeca de Boisse, etc. From 1575 onwards, the property was owned by five generations of the Essenault family, who ended up renaming it, contracting their name to “Issan” and thus Château d’Issan was born.

During the period between the two World Wars, the estate was unfortunately left to deteriorate, but was reawakened by the Cruse family, owners since 1945. Under the management of Lionel Cruse, the chateau has been restored, the installations modified and the vineyard replanted. Since 1998, as a result of investments made by Lionel’s son Emmanuel Cruse in the vines and cellars, Château d’Issan wines have become even more a faithful reflection of their exclusive terroir. .

The winery is under the proprietorship of Emmanuel Cruse, of the Cruse family. In February 2013, 50% of the estate was purchased by Jacky Lorenzetti, who also owns Château Pédesclaux in Pauillac & Chateau Lilian Ladouys in Saint-Estèphe.

Vineyards

The vineyard abuts other Margaux châteaux, including Château Palmer and Château Margaux itself, in separate lots totalling 44 hectares. Château d’Issan is in the middle of the Margaux appellation, a truly privileged location, which explains the outstanding quality of its wines. The mild weather, regulated by being close to the sea and the Gironde Estuary, provides ideal conditions for vine growth.

The soil is made up of mounds of gravel and 15-metre (50-foot) high alluvial hills, rounded by erosion. This ground drains well, forcing the vines to develop deep root systems in search of the special ingredients that make Château d’Issan wines so distinctive.

The grape varieties cultivated are 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot.

Wines

Producing annually 6,000 cases of the Grand Vin, d'Issan also makes a second wine under the label Blason d’Issan.

Château Langoa-Barton (archaically named Pontet Langlois is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Langoa-Barton is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

In 1722, Thomas Barton left his native Ireland to settle in Bordeaux, founding few years later a wine merchant company - that still bears the name Barton today. Then, in 18921, his grandson, Hugh Barton, purchased Château Langoa, an elegant residence built in 1758. Seduced by the architecture and its 20 hectares of vines planted in the Saint-Julien appellation, Hugh re-named the estate "Château Langoa Barton". His passion and pride in his wine were only to grow when he saw Langoa awarded the rank of "Third Classified Growth" in the historic 1855 classification. 6 generations later, the Barton story continues with Anthony's daughter, Lilian, and her two children, now writing the chapter of the 10th generation.

Vineyards

The plots that compose the Château Langoa Barton terroir overlook the river. The splendid slopes of quaternary gravel bring the grapes to full maturity and then they undergo a rigorous selection process before being chosen for the Langoa Barton. The plowing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide. The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon 57%, Merlot 34% and Cabernet Franc 9%.

Château Léoville-Barton & Château Langoa-Barton

Château Langoa-Barton shares its cellar with its sibling Château Léoville-Barton, and though the red wines share similar upbringing in the cellar, Langoa-Barton generally ends up as the lighter style of the two. About 7,000 cases of Château Langoa-Barton are produced in an average vintage.

Château Malescot St. Exupéry is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Château Malescot St-Exupéry owes its name to two former owners: Simon Malescot, a royal councillor to the Bordeaux parliament, who acquired the estate in 1697, and Count Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Exupéry, who owned it from 1827 to 1853. 

Paul Zuger and his son, Roger, purchased the château, located in the middle of the town of Margaux, in June 1955. After more than thirty years of unstinting efforts, Malescot St-Exupéry’s coat of arms has never been truer: Semper Ad Altum (“Ever Higher”). The 45-hectare estate has 23.5 hectares of vines on a fine terroir that “overlooks the river” – indicative of the best vineyard sites according to an old local saying.

Vineyards

The vineyards are planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, at a density of 10,000 vines/hectare, with an average age of about 35 years.

Wines

To produce the wine of Chateau Malescot St. Exupery, vinification takes place in a combination of 22, temperature controlled, concrete vats and stainless steel tanks. These are divided into 6 concrete vats and 16 tanks of stainless steel that range in size from 80 hectoliters up to 160 hectoliters. Malolactic fermentation takes place in either tank, vat, barrel, or a combination of any of those vessels. They can use concentrators or reverse osmosis machines, as well as bleeding of the vats to increase the concentration of the wine. Those decisions are left up to the vintage according to Jean Luc Zuger. The wine of Chateau Malescot St. Exupery is then aged in between 80% new and 100% new, French oak barrels for between 14 to 16 months before bottling. There is a second wine, La Dame de Malescot. On average, production is about 9,000 cases of wine per year. 

Château Cantenac-Brown is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

In 1806, John Lewis Brown, a French from Scottish origins bought a vineyard in Cantenac and gave his name to the estate. He built a Tudor Revival castle, unique in Médoc. His grandson, John Lewis Brown, an esteemed painter, lived in the castle during his childhood.

In 1843, Mr. Gromard bought the estate and sold it to Armand Lalande, a Bordeaux wine merchant, after the Classification of 1855. Mr. Lalande extended the building and the vineyard. In 2006, the Simon Halabi family decided to give the estate a new impetus, wanting to raise it to the highest level.

Vineyards

The vineyard covers 48 hectares and is composed of 30% Merlot, 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the average age of the vines is 35 years old. Since 1996, José Sanfins has been practicing sustainable viticulture, trying to make the best of the terroir of the Château Cantenac-Brown. 

Wines

The estate produces four wines :

• The Grand Vin, Château Cantenac-Brown, Margaux, ages in French oak barrels.
• The second label, Brio de Cantenac-Brown, Margaux, ages in French oak barrels.
• Château Brown-Lamartine, Bordeaux Supérieur, vineyard of 3.2 ha composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot.
• Alto de Cantenac-Brown, Bordeaux, a white wine made from a vineyard of 1.8 ha, composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc 10% Sémillon.

Château Palmer is a winery in the Margaux appellation d'origine contrôlée of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The property is situated in the communes Margaux and Cantenac, and its wine is considered to be one of the two most popular Third Growths.

History

Once a part of the ancient estate, Château d'Issan, divided by the heirs of the Foix-Candale family in 1748, 50 hectares of vineyards came to the Gascq family. Though without association to any noble château, the wine produced became Château de Gascq, quickly established in the market and served at the court of Versailles under Louis XV.

By 1814, the widow of the final Gascq heir, Madame Marie Bumet de Ferrière, sold the property for fr 100,000 to an Englishman, Major General Charles Palmer. Having retired from military life, Palmer invested in the property over the following years, acquiring additional land and facilities. By 1831, the domain extended 163 hectares with 82 hectares under vine, buildings in Issan, Cantenac and Margaux, and had a reputation on a par with Château Margaux and Château Beychevelle. In the early 1840s, Palmer had economic difficulties which would later affect the estate's position in the 1855 Classification, and was forced to sell the property to madame Françoise-Marie Bergerac in 1843 for fr 410,000, at a substantial loss. 

From 1844, during the arrival of oidium to Bordeaux, Château Palmer was managed by an agricultural mortgage corporation, Caisse Hypothécaire de Paris, until it was sold on 1853 to the Péreire brothers, Isaac and Emile Péreire, bankers and rivals of the Rothschilds. The Péreires widely improved the estate but faced a difficult period of oidium, and by 1858 the entire vineyard had to be replanted. The architect Burguet was commissioned to build the present château constructed on 1857-1860, and by 1870 the estate extended 177 hectares, with 109 hectares under vine. The Société Civile Péreire was formed in 1889, remaining proprietors until the poor economy following World War I and the Great Depression. Having sold off land during the preceding years, the final sale of the remaining estate took place in 1938.

A syndicate of the Sichel, Ginestet, Mialhe and Mähler-Besse families, forming the Société Civile de Château Palmer took control, the Sichel and Mähler-Besse families remaining major shareholders to date. Before World War II, Château Palmer's owners bought Château Desmirail, another Third Classified Growth, and uniquely in 1963 Palmer wines were sold under the Desmirail name. 

Since 2004, Palmer has been managed by Thomas Duroux, formerly a winemaker of Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia.

Vineyards & production

The vineyard area extends 55 hectares, planted 47% with Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. The annual production of the Grand vin Château Palmer is 11,000-12,000 cases; of Alter Ego de Palmer, 7,000-8,000 cases.

Second label

Since 1998, the Château has been producing also a second label, not asecond wine, Alter Ego de Palmer, selected from the same quality terroirs, but employing different wine-making techniques and different proportions of grapes. In order to produce an earlier-drinking wine. Some 40% of the estate's production, is now sold as Alter Ego de Palmer. The result has been a significant reduction in the quantity of wine sold as Château Palmer (from nearly 20,000 cases before the introduction of Alter Ego de Palmer to 11,000-12,000 cases currently). The previous second wine, La Réserve de Général, is not a component of Alter Ego de Palmer, but is now sold off in bulk.

Château La Lagune is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History 

Chateau La Lagune has a long history that dates all the way back to the 16th century, under King Henri IV. This was at the same time the Dutch engineers began the modern age for Bordeaux when they started draining the water from the marshes and swamps. The beautiful, classically styled chateau was built in 1715.

Rescued from dereliction in 1954 by Georges Brunet, La Lagune was subsequently sold to the Ducellier family of Champagne Ayala. In 2000, both La Lagune and Champagne Ayala were sold to the Frey family. Ayala was then sold to the House of Bollinger, and the Frey family acquired Maison Jaboulet in the Rhone. The Freys are also a substantial but not majority shareholders of Billecart-Salmon, the producer in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. 

Vineyards

Located in the commune of Ludon, La Lagune has 72 hectares under vine with a grape variety distribution of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot.

Wines

To produce the wine of Chateau La Lagune, the wine is fermented in a total of 72 different, temperature controlled, stainless steel vats that vary in size from 22 hectoliters to 200 hectoliters to allow for parcel by parcel vinification. The vats are laid out in a functional and architecturally interesting pattern. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine is blended before the aging process begins. This is similar to what takes place at Chateau Haut Brion. The wine is aged in between 50% and 60% new French, oak barrels for 18 months before bottling.

Chateau La Lagune has produced 2 different wines in small quantities blending Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley with Cabernet Sauvignon with their Bordeaux vineyards. In 2010, they released Evidence, a wine that is made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Syrah coming from vines they own in Crozes-Hermitage.

They also produce one barrel each year, blending Syrah from Jaboulet La Chapelle with Cabernet Sauvignon from La Lagune, calling it Duo. The wine is bottled only in large formats and is sold primarily at auction. Both wines are sold as Vin de France.

There is a second wine, Moulin de La Lagune. The Frey family also produce a third wine, Mademoiselle L from 30 hectares of vines planted in the Haut Medoc appellation. Denis Dubourdieu is the winemaking consultant. On average, Chateau La Lagune produces between 18,000 and 20,000 cases of Bordeaux wine per vintage. 

Château Desmirail is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

The name Desmirail has been associated with wine production in the Médoc region since the end of the seventeenth century. Jean Desmirail, a lawyer in Bordeaux's parliament, gave his name to the property when he received it as part of his wife’s, Demoiselle Rausan du Ribail dowry.

The château belonged to the Desmirail family until just before the 1855 classification, when it was purchased by Monsieur Sipière, the estate manager at Château Margaux. It was under his ownership that Desmirail was classified as a Troisième Grand Cru Classé (third growth).

At the beginning of the twentieth century the property was briefly owned by Robert de Mendelssohn, the nephew of the famous composer, before being acquired by Martial Michel, a glove maker from the north of France. Michel went on to sell the château shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War to Château Palmer.

The Château Palmer company owned the property for several years before selling it to Lucien Lurton, an iconic figure in the Bordeaux wine world, in 1980.

In 1992, Lucien Lurton passed on his properties to each of his ten children. Denis, one of the older children and a lawyer by profession, took over the management of Château Desmirail. Today Denis is taking his father's work even further, modernizing the wine making facilities and putting all of his energy into the development of this Grand Cru Classé.

Vineyards

Internationally renowned for its Grand Cru production, the Margaux appellation, on the left bank in Bordeaux offers wines that are characterized by finesse and elegance.

The outstanding quality of Margaux’s wines can be explained by both the unique microclimate created by its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary, and the exceptional terroir. Approximately 2.5 million years ago, at the beginning of the quaternary era, various rivers carried gravel to the region and it is this gravel that is key to the successfull cultivation of exceptional vines. The gravel stones store the sun’s heat, and then radiate it back into the soil, helping to guard against frosts and encourage sugars to be produced by the vine ; it also regulates the vines' water supply.

At the property, these pebbles create an ideal terroir for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for 70% of the vines, with the rest of the plantings being made up of Merlot (29%) and Petit Verdot (1%).

These grape varieties are grown using sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques on an area of about forty hectares with minimum use of pesticides. The soil is worked in various traditional ways (ploughing into mounds around the base of the vines in the winter, returning of the soil into space between the vines in the spring, etc.) and treatments are adapted to the weather conditions.

Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Established by the Marquis d'Alesme in 1585, the estate was originally planted in 1616. The property was acquired in 1809 by the Dutch business man Jan Bekker Teerlink (1759-1832), commonly referred to as ‘Monsieur Becker’ (the misspelled first part of his double-barrelled family name), who attached his name to that of the estate, and for a period the wine was called simply "Becker" in Bordeaux. 

In the early 20th Century, the property was bought by Comte Jean-Jules Théophile Chaix-d'Est-Ange, who had also inherited neighbouring Château Lascombes from his father, who intended to combine the two estates, but died in 1923 before carrying out the plan.

The original Marquis d'Alesme château became offices for Lascombes, with the original château of Desmirail taking its place. The estate saw a succession of owners, including English firm WH Chaplin & Co and the Zuger family, until it was sold in 2006 to petrochemical industry businessman Hubert Perrodo.

Apparently with elaborate plans of combining several of his Margaux estates, no changes took place after Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident in late 2006. The estate is currently run by Nathalie Perrodo.

Vineyards & production

The vineyard area consists of 16 hectares of vines, currently planted with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, an unusual composition of grape varieties for Margaux or the Médoc.

Approximately 8000 cases of the Grand vin is produced per year, and 1000 cases of the second wine, Marquise d'Alesme.

 

Château Ferrière is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The Château has 12 hectares planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

History

Château Ferrière was founded in the 18th century by Gabriel Ferrière. He was a shipbroker and a King officer in charge of hunting. The vineyard was progressively enlarged by his cousin Jean, the mayor of Bordeaux in 1792. At his death, the property was sold by the court due to joint ownership and under age heirs. His widow, Marie bought it. She had three heirs: Gabriel, Michel and Rosa.

Though she was born into a wine growers' family, Claire Villars Lurton did not intend to manage a property. She lived in Paris where she had a master's degree in chemistry and physics. She was preparing a thesis in physics dealing with the preservation of old books at the CNRS (NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH) when her parents died in an accident in 1992. She decided to get actively involved in the management of the family properties. She gave up her studies and joined her grandfather Jacques Merlaut to continue the work of her mother Bernadette Villars Merlaut.

With flawless energy and determination, Claire took control of Château Chasse-Spleen which she has maintained at the top of the hierarchy of the Cru Bourgeois classification. At the same time, Claire studied vine growing and oenology at the University of Bordeaux with outstanding professors such as Yves Glories and Denis Dubourdieu. However, her main tutor was her grandfather, Jacques Merlaut. He taught her how to discipline her energy and sort out what is essential.

In 1994 she married with Gonzague Lurton, the owner of Château Durfort-Vivens, a 2nd Classified Growth in Margaux. Together, they purchased Château Domeyne, in Saint-Estèphe in 2006 and the Trinité Estate vineyard in 2012. This estate Located in the North of California, the property produces one of the greatest wines of Sonoma County named: Acaibo. Since 2000, the year when the family estates were shared, Claire has been at 100% involved in the management of the properties that have belonged to her.

Through her work, Château La Gurge has improved its elegance, Château Ferrière has found a new youth allying power and finesse. As for Château Haut-Bages Libéral, the wine completed its powerful Pauillac style with a touch of feminine elegance. Beyond the technical improvements brought years after years to each of the properties, Claire's main achievement has been to make out the best of the great terroir under her care. According to Claire, biodynamic farming is the key of the success.

Vineyards

With its 12-hectare vineyard, composed of Garonne gravels laying on chalk, Château Ferrière has the smallest surface of vines of all the classified growth in 1855. A parcel of this small piece of terroir lies in the heart of the Margaux village and is rounded by an old stone wall.

With 21 classified growths in 1855, the Margaux appellation has more classified estates than any other commune in the Medoc. 

Château Brane-Cantenac is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Previously a reputed estate named Château Gorce (sometimes recorded as Gorse), its wine was sold at high prices and was listed as a second growth in pre-1855 classifications such as Cocks & Féret. It was acquired in 1833 by Baron Hector de Branne, termed the "Napoléon of the Vines", who named the estate after himself, a bold gesture for that period. Having once also owned the land that today is Château Mouton Rothschild, the sale of Château Brane-Mouton helped finance the purchase of this estate. With the Baron's total devotion to the vineyard, the wine was estimated to be the finest produced in Cantenac.

In the early 20th century the vineyard lost much of its reputation, and in 1922 it was acquired by the Lurton family. In 1992 control passed to Lucien Lurton's son, Henri Lurton; the same year, another of the family's properties, the Château Durfort-Vivens was passed to another of Lucien's sons, Gonzague.

Vineyards & production

The vineyard abuts other Margaux châteaux, including Château Cantenac-Brown and Château Boyd-Cantenac, in separate lots totalling 94 hectares. The grape varieties cultivated are 62.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 0.5 Carmenère.

Wines

Producing annually 30,000 cases, Brane-Cantenac makes in addition to its grand vin, the second wine Baron de Brane, an additional label named Château Notton using grapes from the Notton vineyard, a plot acquired from Château d'Angludet, and a generic Margaux wine with grapes sourced from young vineyards.

The estate also produces a second wine named Baron de Brane, a label named Château Notton, and a generic Margaux.

Château Cos d'Estournel is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The name Cos (with the S pronounced) refers to a "hill of pebbles" in Gascon dialect and the name Cos d'Estournel was given in 1810 by Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel.

The estate has changed hands several times during its history, starting in 1852 when it was purchased by the English banker Charles Cecil Martyns. In 1869, it was sold to the Spanish Errazu family only to be sold again 20 years later in 1889 to the Bordeaux-based Hostein family. Through his marriage to Marie-Thérèse Hostein, Louis-Victor Charmolue, who also owned Château Montrose, gained control of Cos d'Estournel in 1894. In Finally in 1917, it was sold to Fernand Ginestet.

The château has remained in the Ginestet family since then, becoming in 1970 part of Domaines Prats, the combined holdings of the Ginestet and Prats families, and controlled by Bruno Prats.

In June 2008 it was announced that Michel Reybier, current owner of Cos d'Estournel, purchased Napa winery Chateau Montelena for an undisclosed sum. By November 2008, however, this agreement was cancelled, the termination of the transaction by Chateau Montelena stated to be due to that Reybier Investments had been "unable to meet its obligations".

Vineyards & production

From a 100 hectare estate, the vineyard area extends 70 hectares, divided into 30 parcels, primarily composed of the grape varieties of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with minor cultivation of Cabernet Franc and Petit verdot that appears to participate little in the modern production. The annual production is typically 32,000 cases. 

Cos wines tend to have a higher blend of Merlot than other classified Left Bank wines.

Second label

Château Cos d'Estournel produces the eponymous grand vin, the second wine since the 1994 vintage, Les Pagodes de Cos from the estate's younger vines, as well as Château Marbuzet from fruit of nearby plots. The property is adjacent to Château Lafite-Rothschild in the neighboring commune of Pauillac.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The estate Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was purchased by Francois Borie in 1941 and has remained in the family since then. The family also owns other estates, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Château Haut-Batailley. In the mid-1980s the estate battled an infestation of TCA in their cellars that marred several vintages including the 1988, 1989, and 1990. The Chateau has since corrected the problem, and today the wines are fermented and aged in a new underground cellar created in the late 1990s. Today the estate is managed by Bruno Borie.

Vineyards & production

Ducru-Beaucaillou's vineyards consist of 50 hectares of well drained gravel with stones up to 2.5 inches in diameter (beaucaillou means "beautiful stones".) The vineyards are planted in Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Merlot (30%); previous plantings of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot having been uprooted. The vines' average age in 2005 was 38 years.

Wines

Ducru-Beaucaillou produces two wines. The grand vin called Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and a second wine produced since 1995 to which lesser-quality lots are relegated, La Croix de Beaucaillou. The wines are aged for 18 months in 50% to 80% new oak barrels according to the richness of the vintage, fined with egg whites, lightly filtered, and then bottled. Wine writer Jay McInerney wrote "Ducru has always been a wine of finesse rather than sheer brute power, a kind of Burgundian Bordeaux."

Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. 

History

In the 1950s, the estate was purchased by French wine writer Alexis Lichine who continued to own part of the estate till 1971 when Bass Charrington took over principal ownership. In 2001 it was purchased by Yves Vatelot and US-based Colony Capital, who in 2011 sold it to the French insurance group MACSF. 

Currently Lascombes employs Michel Rolland as consultant of oenology.

Vineyards

The vineyard is situated in the northwest of the appellation, neighboring châteaux Labégorce, Perrière and La Gurgue. It covers 112 hectares (275 acres) in Margaux with a parcel of 6 hectares in the Haut-Médoc appellation. The vineyard has three distinct parts of roughly equal size; a gravelly mound on which Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are planted, a clay-gravel area of Merlotand Cabernet Sauvignon, and clay-limestone plots better suited to Merlot. Unusually for Margaux, Merlot accounts for around 50 percent of plantings with Cabernet Sauvignon playing second fiddle along with a small amount of Petit Verdot. Despite this, the grand vin tends to feature around 55 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wines

Around 300,000 bottles of Château Lascombes are produced per year, with around half as much of the second wine Chevalier de Lascombes, which is blended from batches of wine not selected for the top wine. Around 20,000 bottles of Haut-Médoc de Lascombes are produced from the vines outside of Margaux. In the 1980s and 1990s another second wine, Château Segonnes, was made from specific plots within the estate. In addition to its premier cuvee, a second wine is also produced, under the name Chevalier de Lascombes.

Château Durfort-Vivens is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The Durfort property dates back to the 12th century having been owned by the influential Durfort de Duras family for seven centuries. The family also owned the nearby Château Lamothe, later renamed Château Margaux. The property was purchased in 1824 by M. de Vivens, and renamed Château Durfort Vivens. In the 20th century, the château was purchased by local négociants, and in 1961 it was purchased by Château Margaux, which was controlled by the Lurton family, which also owns Château Brane-Cantenac and Château Climens. Until that time, the wine was produced at Château Margaux. Lucien's son Gonzague Lurton, became the head of operations 1992.

Chateau Durfort Vivens, like many Bordeaux wine producers is named after a previous owner. In this case, it was the Durfort de Duras, a well connected family from South West France. Several hundred years later, in 1824, Chateau Durfort took the second part of their name from the owner at the time, the Viscount of Vivens and became Chateau Durfort Vivens. In those days, the wines of Chateau Durfort Vivens were popular. In fact, the 1844 vintage was priced higher than every other Bordeaux wine in the appellation, except for Chateau Margaux of course. 

Thomas Jefferson, the American ambassador to France and the future president of the United States, was a Bordeaux wine connoisseur and ranked it directly after Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux in his fascinating travel diaries. 

Vineyards & production

The Chateau has 350 hectares planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The terroir is gravel, clay and sandy soil. The vines are planted to a density that varies from 6,600 to 7,700 vines per hectare. The higher levels of vine density are for the newer plantings.

Wines

To produce the wine of Chateau Durfort Vivens, the wine is vinified in a combination of wood and concrete, temperature controlled vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine of Durfort Vivens is aged in about 40% new French oak barrels for an average of 18 months, depending on the quality and character of vintage. There is a second wine which is sold under two names, Vivens and Le Relais de Durfort Vivens. The estate also produces a unique label that is specific for the Chinese market for their second wine which is called Jardin de Durfort. In addition, the family also produces Chateau Domeyne from vines they own in the St. Estephe appellation. 

Château Léoville-Poyferré is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Léoville-Poyferré is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The origin of the estate dates back to 1638. At that time, Léoville was the largest domain in the Médoc. Since then, it has been fragmented over time and generations. The legacy of the grand vin of Léoville Poyferré began in 1840, consecrated as a Second Classified Growth fifteen years later. Didier Cuvelier has presided over the destiny of this gem since 1979.

The Saint Julien appellation is small in size, yet big on talent. In the heart of the famed Médoc vineyard, Château Léoville Poyferré has always been one of the most prestigious estates of this terroir. Since 1979, our family has been dedicated to a vision that leaves no room for improvisation. Every decision, every investment , is a step towards ultimate quality, one that makes a simple wine an exceptional one, recognized as a Second Classified Growth in 1855.

Vineyards

Between Margaux and Pauillac on the left bank of the Gironde Estuary, Saint-Julien is a small appellation of 920 hectares. As far as the eye can see, the land is covered with pebbles that naturally regulate soil temperature. Gravel, sand and clay are the other components of this geological alchemy, the result of sedimentary deposits by the Garonne in the Quaternary period. The vineyards of the appellation stretch over gravelly ridges that have been finely chiseled by erosion and designed to promote excellent drainage. Man could not have done better.

The 60 hectare Saint Julien vineyards of Léoville-Poyferré are planted to 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 

Château Gruaud-Larose is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The property has a younger history than most of its cohorts. Its origins date to 1725 and the knight Joseph Stanislas Gruaud. The property was called Fond-Bedeau, and was administered by two Gruauds; one a priest and the other a magistrate. The magistrate, the Chevalier du Gruaud, died in 1778 and his part of the property was deeded to Joseph Sebastian de La Rose, who renamed this property Gruaud-La Rose or Gruaud-Larose. This piece was classified as a Second Growth in 1855.

Control of the property was split among multiple descendants, but the property remained intact until 1867 when it was split into Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget (after the Baron Sarget) and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure (after Adrien Faure, who married one Sophie Bethmann, heiress to a portion of the estate).

The two châteaux were reunited by the Cordier family, who purchased the Sarget piece in 1917 and the Faure piece in 1935; the château became a centerpiece of the many Cordier properties along with Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Château Talbot.

In 1983 it was purchased by the Compagnie de Suez, and in 1993 by Alcatel-Alsthom, and in 1997 by the Taillan Group, headed by Jacques Merlaut, which owns a number of other properties, most notably Château Haut-Bages-Liberal.

Vineyards & production

The vineyards cover 82 hectares and are planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It is the goal of the estate to eventually reach 70% Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard. The vineyard of Gruaud Larose is unique as they have one of the largest vineyards in Bordeaux with most of their vines one single block.

The notion of terroir binds geology and climate together. The largest concentration of Grand Cru Wines is in the Medoc, an area which benefits from a microclimate that is particularly favourable for the expression of the vine. The soil, by nature, limits water retentivity and the summer period, very hot and dry from July to September, is determinant for good ripening, a good maturity and the satisfactory transfer between the root system and the grape. East and West winds dry the grapes to keep them from perishing. Every year the heavens play a decisive role in wine making. Their influence on the success of the wine is different each year; no terroir, man or technique can alter the part they play.

Chateau Gruaud Larose is one of the few Bordeaux estates to maintain a hail reduction canon. The canon works by radar. When the radar detects hail, the canon fires, sending out shock waves which help break the oncoming hail stones into smaller pieces, protecting the vines. 

Wines

Chateau Gruaud Larose on average produces close to 18,000 cases of Saint Julien wine each year. There is a second wine, Sarget de Gruaud Larose. The estate introduced the second wine starting with the 1981 vintage, called Sarget du Château Gruaud-Larose, or Larose de Gruaud. Very confusing, there seems to be a third label of this château's wine: La Roseraie de Gruaud Larose. 

Château Pichon Longueville Baron or Château Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville (commonly referred to as Pichon Baron) is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Château Pichon Baron was once part of a larger estate, owned by Pierre de Rauzan, along with Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. In 1850 the estate was divided into the two current Pichon estates. In 1987 the estate was purchased by French insurance company AXA, who immediately appointed Jean-Michel Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages as administrator. The property is currently managed by Englishman Christian Seely.

Vineyard

Château Pichon Baron's 73 hectares are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). The planting density is 9 000 vines per hectare using a double Guyot training and the average age of the vines is 30 years. The yield is typically less than 40 hectoliter per hectare. The vineyard is situated at the southern end of the commune of Pauillac near border with the Saint-Julien-Beychevelle appellation.

Wines

Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, and then macerated for 20-30 days, and fermented at 28-32 °C in temperature controlled stainless steel vats of varying sizes. The wine is transferred into oak barrels for aging after finishing its malolactic fermentation. The estate also produces a second wine, Les Tourelles de Longueville.

Château Léoville-Las Cases is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Léoville-Las Cases is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Léoville-Las Cases was once part of a much larger estate until the time of the French Revolution when a portion of this estate was separated into what is today Château Léoville-Barton. In 1840, the estate was again divided and land that would eventually become Château Léoville-Poyferré was split off. Since the mid 20th century the Delon family have been owners of this estate, also owners of châteaux Potensac and Nénin. In 1976, the 1971 vintage ranked number six among the ten French and California red wines in the historic "Judgment of Paris" wine competition.

Vineyards

The largest plot of Léoville-Las Cases' vineyards, known as the Grand Clos, is located on the northern boundary of St-Julien, with only the Juillac tributary separating its vineyards from those of Château Latour in Pauillac. The vineyard area in total extends 97 hectares planted with a grape variety distribution of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The vineyard underwent major replanting during the 1950s, and today the vines average 30 years of age. Léoville-Las Cases produces two wines, its grand vin, and a second wine called Clos du Marquis that has been in production since 1902. 

Grapes are harvested by hand, crushed and then may be fermented in temperature controlled wood, concrete, or stainless steel vats of varying size depending on the style of the vintage. Léoville-Las Cases also employs a state of the art reverse osmosis machine to help extract excess water from the grape must in a rainy vintage. Use of this machine is considered legal, but highly controversial, and while Léoville-Las Cases is not the only estate to employ this technique, few estates admit to their use. After processing and fermentation, the wine is transferred into oak barrels for 18–20 months of aging before being fined with egg whites and bottled. 

Wines

The average annual production is 180,000 to 200,000 bottles for the Grand Vin, and 250,000 to 270,000 bottles for the second wine, Clos du Marquis.

Léoville-Las Cases was one of the first estates in Bordeaux to introduce a second label, Clos du Marquis. However, Clos du Marquis is a separate wine. Since 2007, the Chateau has offered a Second Wine known as Le Petit Lion de Marquis de Las Cases.

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

Château Pichon Comtesse was once part of the larger Pichon estate, owned by Pierre de Rauzan, along with what today is Château Pichon Longueville Baron. In 1850, the estate was divided into the two current Pichon estates. In 1925, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was bought by Edouard Miailhe and Louis Miailhe. The daughter of Edouard Miailhe, May Eliane de Lencquesaing (born in 1926) later became the owner and manager of the property. In 2006, de Lencquesaing sold a majority interest in the Château to the Rouzaud family, which also owns the Champagne house Louis Roederer.

Vineyards

Wines

With 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot, Pichon Lalande has an unusually high proportion of Merlot for a Pauillac property which tends to make the tannic structure of this wine slightly softer than wines from many other classified Pauillac châteaux, which particularly in France is described as a more "feminine" style. The second wine is called Réserve de la Comtesse.

Château Montrose is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The story of Montrose, written by three families of owners over two centuries, is a reflection of their spirit, marked by their pursuit of excellence and by legendary vintages. As pioneers in the Médoc, visionary builders and astute managers, they tended and got the best out of its unique terroir. It is they who laid the foundations to which Montrose now owes its image and its unique place in the world of great wines.

Vineyards

The 95-hectares vineyard surrounds the château, the winery and the outbuildings in a single continuous sweep, an exceptional and historically very rare feature. As well as making the vineyard easier to work, this unity means that it can be treated as a single entity, providing ideal conditions for efficient organisation and for monitoring the condition of each parcel.

At Château Montrose, the largest parcel is two hectares, the smallest only a few hundred square metres, but each has its own personality, its own particular soil or subsoil, and vines whose age, yield, variety or rootstock are different from those of its neighbour. In the end it is the wine itself which, in its own way, brings this amazing patchwork together, since it is both the result and the synthesis of each micro-terroir. 

The mix of grape varieties at Montrose, with Cabernet Sauvignon predominant (60% of the vines), is typical of the finest Médoc estates. Cabernet Sauvignon gives its best on warm, gravelly and permeable soil with clay subsoil which helps to store the water the vines need in drought conditions. The Garonne gravel terroirs found at Montrose are its preferred home. Parcels of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%) are also planted where the soil suits them best, enabling the grapes to reach full maturity and express the complexity typical of the terroir.

One of the unique features of Chateau Montrose is the hail canon that uses ultrasonic waves to protect the vineyard from damage caused by hail storms. They installed a geothermal pumping technology that is used for cooling as well as heating. Striving to be as green and energy efficient as possible, they added solar power as well to Chateau Montrose.

Wines

Château Montrose produces two red wines: its eponymous grand vin, and a second wine named La Dame de Montrose. The 1970 vintage placed third among the ten California and French red wines at the historic Judgment of Paris wine competition, which was won by the Americans. Montrose wines tend to be deeply tannic and during excellent vintages can take up to 20 years to mature. The 1990, 2009, and 2010 vintages were rated 100 points by Robert M. Parker.

Château Rauzan-Gassies is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The domain began as the property of Gaillard de Tardes in the 16th century, and belonged to Bernard de Baverolles in the 17th century, and came to be a part of the vast Rauzan estate owned by Pierre de Mesures de Rauzan in the 18th century. Over time this estate was divided, and by the time of the 1855 Classification, had been separated into the estates of Rauzan-Gassies, Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Desmirail, and Château Marquis de Terme. The estate was purchased by the Quié family in 1945 and remains in their holdings.

Vineyards & production

Château Rauzan-Gassies consists of 28.5 hectares of vines planted on the sandy-gravel soil typical to the Margaux appellation. There is a grape variety distribution of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The neighbouring châteaux are Rausan-Ségla and Marquis de Terme. Fermentation of the wine takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for about three weeks, after which the wine is aged for 14 to 18 months in oak barrels, 30% of which are new oak.

Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as Château Brane-Mouton, its red wine was renamed by Nathaniel de Rothschild in 1853 to Château Mouton Rothschild. In the 1920s it began the practice of bottling the harvest at the estate itself, rather than shipping the wine to merchants for bottling elsewhere.

History

The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 was based entirely on recent market prices for a vineyard's wines, with one exception: Château Mouton Rothschild. Despite the market prices for their vineyard's wines equalling that of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild was excluded from First Great Growth status, an act that Baron Philippe de Rothschild referred to as "the monstrous injustice”.  It is widely believed that the exception was made because the vineyard had recently been purchased by an Englishman and was no longer in French ownership.

In 1973, Mouton was elevated to "first growth" status after decades of intense lobbying by its powerful and influential owner. The only change in the original 1855 classification (excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantemerle). This prompted a change of motto: previously, the motto of the wine was Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis. ("First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am."), and it was changed to Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change. ("First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.")

Vineyards

Château Mouton Rothschild has its vineyards on the slopes leading down to the Gironde Estuary, in the Bordeaux region, mainly producing grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. Today, Château Mouton Rothschild has 222 acres (90 ha) of grape vines made up of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Their wine is fermented in oak vats (they are one of the last châteaux in the Médoc to use them) and then matured in new oak casks. It is also frequently confused with the widely distributed generic Bordeaux Mouton Cadet.

Labels

Baron Philippe de Rothschild came up with the idea of having each year's label designed by a famous artist of the day. In 1946, after the success of the 1945 label, this became a permanent and significant aspect of the Mouton image with labels created by some of the world's great painters and sculptors.

Artists such as Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Picasso and Miró designed labels for bottles of Mouton Rothschild.

James Bond

Château Mouton Rothschild wine plays a brief, but important part in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Bond (played by Sean Connery), after tasting a glass of Mouton Rothschild 1955, casually remarks that he had expected a claret with the grand dinner he has been served. When the villain Mr. Wint (played by Bruce Glover) replies that the cellars are poorly stocked with clarets, Bond exposes Wint's ignorance, replying that Mouton Rothschild, in fact, is a claret.

 

 

History

Chateau Margaux

It’s difficult to summarise in a few lines, the long and passionate history of the estate, it could be entitled “Once upon a time Château Margaux”.

XVI Century : Birth of the estate XVII century : Berlon

XVIII : The golden century

1801 : The marquis de La Colonilla

1810 : The "Versailles of the Médoc"

The 1830s : Alexandre Aguado

1855 : The official classification

XIX century : Count Pillet-Will

The 50s : The Ginestet Family

1977 : André Mentzelopoulos: "A Hellene in the Médoc"

1980 : Corinne Mentzelopoulos : In her father's footsteps

XXI century :

2015 : Two Centuries of Architecture in Tribute to a Great Wine

Château Margaux’s history and renown stem equally from the intrinsic genius of the place as from the contrbutions made by the various people who have served it for five centuries. But there has probably not been an owner who has played such a decisive role, in such a short time, as André Mentzelopoulos, who purchased the Estate in 1977 and who would have been 100 years old today.

Vineyards

The domaine of Château Margaux extends 262 hectares, of which 87 hectares are entitled to the Margaux AOC declaration. 80 hectares are planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, with 2% Cabernet Franc and Petit verdot. 12 hectares are cultivated with Sauvignon blanc to make the dry white Pavillon Blanc.

Wines

The average annual production of the Grand vin, Château Margaux, is 150,000 bottles, while the second wine Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux has an average production of 200,000 bottles. The dry white Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux has a production of around 35,000 bottles, and must be sold under the generic Bordeaux AOC as the cultivation of Sauvignon blanc does not fall under the directives of the Margaux AOC. The remainder of the production, what is determined to be "lesser grapes", is sold off in bulk.

The estate also produces a second wine named Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, a third wine named Margaux de Château Margaux, as well as a dry white wine named Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux which does not conform to the Margaux appellation directives.

A bottle of Château Margaux 1787 holds the record as the most expensive bottle of wine ever broken, insured at $225,000.

Château Latour is a French wine estate, rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, owned by Groupe Artemis. Latour lies at the very southeastern tip of the commune of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux, at its border with Saint-Julien, and only a few hundred metres from the banks of the Gironde estuary.

History

Château Latour has played an important role in the region's history. Knowledge of the past is valuable in helping us to understand the property's current reputation. Fortunately, numerous archives have been preserved over the centuries enabling us to establish an accurate picture of the past. This unique heritage shows us an extraordinary stability and continuity in the life of the property and those who have worked there during its long history, which has no doubt been an important factor in the exceptional regularity and quality of the wines.

The oldest document mentioning Latour dates from 1331 and is an authorization granted to Gaucelme de Castillon by Lord Pons to build a fortified tower in the parish of Saint Maubert. Château Latour then appears in the Jean Froissart's « Chronicles » in 1378. This was the time of the Hundred Years War and the « Tour de Saint Maubert » was a fortress to guard the estuary, manned by Breton soldiers for the King of France. After a three-day siege, the Anglo-Gascon army seized the fortress and installed a garrison.

Latour was a jointly held lord's domain until the end of the 16th century, whose co-owners received rents from the farmers who cultivated the land. At that time, the property was not entirely covered by vines and yet production largely exceeded requirements. There was no proper storage for the wine and it had to be drunk within the year. The estate remained in the hands of the Mullet family until the late 17th century, and while direct use of the land gradually replaced the leasing system, the wine-making situation changed very little.

As a result of successive marriages and inheritances, Château Latour became the property of Alexandre de Ségur, who quickly acquired a considerable collection of properties in the Médoc. The château's real wine history began with the arrival of this family. Just before his death in 1716, Alexandre de Ségur acquired Château Lafite. His son, Nicolas-Alexandre, was dubbed the « Prince of the Vines » by Louis XV. President of the Parliament of Bordeaux, he further enlarged the family's estates in 1718 with the acquisition of plots from Mouton and Calon.

In the years since 1993, under the leadership of François Pinault, significant changes have been made with a view to upholding Château Latour's pursuit of excellence in the wines that it produces. In 1998, Frédéric Engerer, who joined the estate early in 1995, was appointed Manager. Major works started in November 1999 and continued until September 2003. A total renovation of the winery, vat room, wine making facilities and storage areas enabled even greater precision in the production of the wines. A new technical team was also created. In 2012, we undertook further work to enlarge the workspace and create a new ageing cellar, following the decision to no longer sell the Château’s wines en primeur.

Vineyards

The estate has 78 hectares of vineyard, of which a 47-hectare portion near the château is named l'Enclos, where fruit exclusive to the grand vin is grown. The composition of grape varieties is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 2% of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The grand vin Chateau Latour, typically a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, with the remainder Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, normally has an annual production of 18,000 cases.

Wines

Château Latour’s Grand Vin is made exclusively from “vieilles vignes”, an average of 60 years-old, in the Enclos. Gravettes, Sarmentier, Pièce de Château... these are the names of some of the finest plots that express the character of the terroir and forge the wine’s identity every year.

The estate produces three red wines in all. In addition to its Grand vin, Latour has also produced the second wine Les Forts de Latour since 1966, and a third wine, simply named Pauillac, has been released every year since 1990. An impériale (six-litre bottle) of Château Latour sold for £135,000 in 2011.

Château Giscours is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Labarde. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The first written reference to the domain of Giscours, a deed confirming the sale of the estate, dates from 1330 and refers to a fortified keep.[1] Records of Giscours' vineyards go back to 1552 when Seigneur de la Bastide sold it to Pierre de l'Horme.

Prior to the French Revolution Giscours belonged to the Saint-Simon family before it was confiscated, and then bought by two Americans in 1793, John Gray and Jonathan Davis of Boston. Several owners followed, and Giscours' great era began with the purchase of the property by the banker Count de Pescatore in 1845, who in 1847 hired Pierre Skawinski to manage his estate. Skawinski proved to be one of the great agriculturalists of Médoc in the 19th century, in 1860 the inventor of a plough which bears his name, and a pioneer in the fight against mildew, he was instrumental in making Giscours one of the most reputable third growths.

Skawinski managed the estate for 50 years, also during the following ownership by the Cruse family, the estate's most successful period. The family sold Giscours in 1913, and many difficult years followed. In 1954 the estate was purchased by Nicolas Tari, formerly a large-scale winemaker in Algeria, who restored and enlarged the property, making it one of the most productive estates in the Médoc. In 1976, the then-owner of the château and President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Pierre Tari, was selected as one of 11 judges to take part in the "Judgment of Paris" wine competition. In 1995, Château Giscours' wine growing business activities were acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma.

Vineyards

From an estate of nearly 400 hectares, the Giscours planted vineyard area extends 80 hectares spread out over several plots. The composition of grape varieties is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 

Wines

Of the Grand vin Chateau Giscours there is annually produced 25,000 cases, and of the second wine La Sirène de Giscours there is typically produced 10,000 cases. A 40 hectare plot of vines adjacent to Giscours outside the Margaux boundary is bottled as Le Haut Médoc de Giscours. Other wines produced by the estate include Château Dutheil and Château Houringe, both Haut-Médoc cru bourgeois properties, the former is vinified at Giscours, the latter is since 1982 operated on a lease.

Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. The name Lafite comes from the surname of the La Fite family.

History

Situated in the wine-producing village of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux, the estate was the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234. In the 17th century, the property of Château Lafite was purchased by the Ségur family, including the 16th century manor house that still stands. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard.

In the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur refined the wine-making techniques of the estate, and introduced his wines to the upper echelons of European society. Before long he was known as the "Wine Prince", and the wine of Château Lafite called "The King's Wine" thanks to the influential support of the Maréchal de Richelieu. Towards the end of the 18th century, Lafite's reputation was assured and even Thomas Jefferson visited the estate and became a lifelong customer. Following the French Revolution, the period known as Reign of Terror led to the execution of Nicolas Pierre de Pichard on 30 June 1794, bringing an end to the Ségur family's ownership of the estate which became public property. In 1797 the vineyards were sold to a group of Dutch merchants.

The first half of the 19th century saw Lafite in the hands of the Vanlerberghe family and the wine improved more, including the great vintages of 1795, 1798 and 1818. In 1868 the Château was purchased by Baron James Mayer Rothschild for 4.4 million francs, and the estate became Château Lafite Rothschild.

Rothschild, however, died just three months after purchasing Lafite. The estate then became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave and Edmond Rothschild. The 20th century has seen periods of success and difficulty, coping with post-phylloxera vines, and two world wars. During the Second World War the Château was occupied by the German army, and suffered heavily from plundering of its cellars. Succeeding his uncle Élie de Rothschild, Lafite has been under the direction of Éric de Rothschild since 1974.

The record price at auction for a bottle of wine £96,000 was for a 1787 Château Lafite which was once thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson. The authenticity of the bottle has been challenged.

Recently the 2008 vintage produced a worldwide increase in price of over 125% in six months from release, which in turn has come to push some Asian countries to the top of the list of worldwide markets in which investment grade wine is purchased.

Vineyards

The vineyard is one of the largest in the Médoc at 107 hectares, and produces around 35,000 cases annually, of which between 15,000 and 25,000 are first growth. Its vines are around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, whereas the final wine is between 80% and 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% and 20% Merlot, and up to 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Occasionally exceptions are made, such as the 1961 vintage which was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wines

In addition to the first growth, around a third of the wine is released as a second wine under the label Carruades de Lafite.

Château Haut-Brion is a French wine, rated a Premier Cru Classé (First Growth), produced in Pessac just outside the city of Bordeaux. It differs from the other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves. Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day.

History

Chateau Haut-Brion has one of the longest and most interesting histories of any Bordeaux vineyard. The property derives its name from an ancient Celtic term “Briga.” Loosely translated, this means a rise or mound in the land. This unique terroir was first prized for growing grapes to produce Bordeaux wine close to 600 years ago! Documents are available showing that Johanna Faure grew vines at Haut Mont near what we now know of as Haut-Brion. Those ancient records are dated September 6, 1426! The vines were planted to produce wine for a local chapel that was founded in Bordeaux by the Menuts Monks to remember the recently deceased Monk, Johan d’Artiguemale. 

1935 began a new era for Chateau Haut-Brion, taking place in the middle of the depression. Clarence Dillon, a New York financier purchased Haut Brion May 1935. In 1979 at the age of 96, Clarence Dillon passed away. He was almost the same age as the founder of Haut Brion, Jean de Pontac when he died. 

In 1967, the grand daughter of Clarence Dillon, Joan Dillon married Prince Charles of Luxembourg, a direct descendant of Henri IV. In 1975, the Princess, Clarence Dillon’s grand-daughter, took control of managing Chateau Haut Brion. hb delmas 61 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Bordeaux Wine, Complete Guide After the death of Prince Charles of Luxembourg, in 1978, Princess Joan married the Duke de Mouchy. The Duke de Mouchy joined the team of Haut Brion and Domaine Clarence Dillon alongside the Duchess, before retiring in 2003. That sense of continuity continues as today, as Prince Robert of Luxembourg took over managing Domaine Clarence Dillon and Chateau Haut Brion in 2008.

Vineyards

Château Haut-Brion devotes 48.35 hectares to red grape varieties, with a distribution of 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and 2.87 ha to white grape varieties, distributed with 52.6% Sémillon and 47.4% Sauvignon blanc.

The vineyards are elevated, up to 27 meters, somewhat above the Bordeaux norm. The soil consists of Günzian gravel and some parcels have high contents of clay. All the vineyards are located in a cluster near the château itself and on the other side of the main road.

Wines

The annual production ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 cases of the red grand vin Château Haut-Brion, and from 650 to 850 cases of Château Haut-Brion Blanc.

In addition to the grand vin, Haut-Brion produces a red second wine. Formerly named Château Bahans Haut-Brion, beginning with the 2007 vintage, it was renamed Le Clarence de Haut Brion. The red Le Clarence de Haut-Brion has a production of 5,000 to 7,000 cases and the white La Clarté de Haut-Brion, previously named Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion, has a production of 1,000 to 1,200 cases.

The vineyard also produces a limited release of the second dry white wine, Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion, renamed La Clarté de Haut-Brion for the 2008 vintage. Since 2003, Domaine Clarence Dillon's daughter company, Clarence Dillon Wines, has also released the Bordeaux brand wine named Clarendelle.

History

The vineyard is believed to have been created during the 16th century by a rich family from the Pays Basque region. By 1630 it was acquired by the Parisian banker Firmin Le Bailly, who gave his name to the estate. In 1955, the property was bought by the Belgian wine merchant Daniel Sanders, beginning a prosperous period of quality and restored reputation. Though known for his meticulous control, there was near the end of Sanders' life a perceived dip in quality in the 1970s, as he was reluctant to release management control to his son, but this eventually happened at his death in 1980, and Jean Sanders was able to resume progress. For several years the late Oenologist Emile Peynaud was retained at Haut-Bailly.

The current owner, since 1998, is the estate of the late American banker Robert G. Wilmers  who died on 16 December 2017, with Daniel Sanders' grand daughter Veronique Sanders functioning as general manager, and Gabriel Vialard employed as technical manager.

Production

The soil consists of sand mixed with the gravel that gives the Graves appellation its name. From a 32-hectare (79-acre) estate, the vineyard area extends 28 hectares (69 acres) with the plantings are divided up as 65% Cabertnet Sauvignon 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

The grapes for Haut-Bailly are harvested by hand, processed, and then fermented for up to ten days in both temperature controlled stainless steel and concrete vats of varying sizes. After maceration the wines are aged for eighteen months in oak barrels, many of which are new.

In total the estate produces 150,000 bottles annually. In a typical vintage, between thirty and forty percent of the wine is relegated to the estate's second wine, La Parde de Haut-Bailly, produced since 1967, but under the name Domaine de la Parde until 1979. A generic Pessac-Léognan third wine, titled Pessac-Léognan by Chateau Haut-Bailly, has been produced since 1987. Unlike many producers from the Graves appellation, no white wine is made at Haut-Bailly.