In 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild acquired Château Brane-Mouton at auction. Located in the heart of the Médoc, in Pauillac, he renamed the property Château Mouton Rothschild. In 1924, Baron Philippe de Rothschild took over the reins of the property. A visionary, he decided to initiate bottling directly on the property while designing the label of the wine. 1973 marked the year when Château Mouton Rothschild became a 1er Grand Cru Classé. Château Mouton Rothschild is an emblematic example of the great wines of Bordeaux around the world.

When Château Mouton Rothschild was officially recognized as Premier Cru in 1973, Baron Philippe de Rothschild was able to change the proud inscription on his label “”Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, mouton je suis”” (First I may not be, Second I may not call myself, Mouton I am) to “”Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change”” (First I am, Second I was, Mouton doesn’t change).

Located northwest of Bordeaux, in the Médoc, the vineyard of Château Mouton Rothschild covers 90 hectares. The vines are planted on gravelly soils that capture the heat and release it during the night, thus favoring the maturation of the grapes. These poor and draining soils rest on a clay-gravel subsoil, giving this great Pauillac wine a singular power, elegance and tannic structure.

“”Lafite has a soul, a beautiful soul, tender and generous. Lafite changes the earth into a dream. Lafite is harmony, harmony between nature and man, because without our wonderful winegrowers, nothing would be done. (Baron Eric de Rothschild)

There can only be one at the top: And the first to be named on perhaps the most famous wine ranking list in the world – the Bordeaux classification from 1855 – was Château Lafite from Pauillac. Only four wineries (Lafite, Margaux, Latour and Haut-Brion) climbed to the top of the pyramid and received the title “”Premier Cru Classé””.

But long before that, word had spread about the legendary quality of Lafite wines from the Médoc. Perhaps the most beautiful anecdote: a doctor from Bordeaux prescribed a bottle of Lafite to Marshal Richelieu (1696-1788) as the “”most pleasant of all tonics.”” And when Richelieu returned to the Paris court, King Louis XV (1710-1774) remarked that his marshal “”looked 25 years younger than before he left.”” It’s crystal clear, that’s what was given to the king from that moment on.

The vineyard comprises three main areas: the slopes around the Château, the plateau of Carruades to the west and a 4.5 ha plot in the neighboring commune of Saint-Estèphe. The surface area is 112 ha, it is a fine gravelly soil, deep, mixed with aeolian sands on a tertiary limestone subsoil, well drained and well exposed.
The grape varieties are cabernet sauvignon (70%), merlot (25%), cabernet franc (3%) and petit verdot (2%).

The average age of the vines is 39 years, but it should be noted that vines less than 10 years old are not included in the grand vin, which means that the average age of the vines producing the grand vin is around 45 years. The oldest parcel, called “”La Gravière””, was planted in 1886.

Known throughout the world, Château Cheval Blanc, Premier Grand Cru Classé A, is one of the legendary properties of the Right Bank of the Bordeaux region. Cheval Blanc benefits from a unique and rare terroir, enjoying a special position on the Saint-Emilion plateau. While the Saint-Emilion appellation is known for its limestone formations, Cheval Blanc is located on the Quaternary alluvium of the Isle, a non-calcareous formation with a varied texture, combining gravel and clay soils in roughly equal proportions. This particularity of the soils makes Cheval Blanc benefit from soils similar to those of the greatest Pomerol Grands Crus.

The existence of vines at Château Cheval Blanc is attested to by ancient writings dating from the 15th century. The property entered a new era in 1832 when Jean-Jacques Ducasse, President of the Court of Libourne, acquired the estate and created it by purchasing parcels of land attached to Château Figeac. The union of Henriette Ducasse, Jean-Jacques Ducasse’s daughter, with Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, a wine merchant in Libourne, marked the beginning of a major modernization of the estate’s structure, building a network of walled and covered drains. He will lead a real revolution in the domain by taking a decision that will define the singularity of the grape variety of Cheval Blanc associating 50% Merlot, the grape variety of the Right Bank par excellence and 50% Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon. The “”old wine of Figeac”” was then marketed under the name of Cheval Blanc in 1852. After a first gold medal obtained at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1878, the wine of Château Cheval Blanc will obtain the supreme recognition at the time of the First Classification of the wines of Saint-Emilion in 1954 as First Grand Cru Classé A.

With an almost identical configuration to that of 1871, Château Cheval Blanc today watches over an exceptional and unique vineyard in Saint-Emilion, 42 years old on average, made up of 39 hectares in a single block, divided into 45 parcels.

The wines of Cheval Blanc have a great aromatic expression and a rare complexity. They are very powerful in the mouth, softened by the velvety structure of voluptuous tannins. An exceptional wine, Château Cheval Blanc has a unique capacity to be appreciated in its youth by revealing all its expression while presenting a formidable capacity of ageing going up to nearly a century.

Vieux Château Certan is one of the oldest known growths in Pomerol. It was founded at the beginning of the 16th century when the Demay family arrived from Scotland to settle there.

It appeared on Belleyme’s 1785 map under the name of “Sertan”. In Pomerol, the Certan place-name was taken from the estate.

In 1858, Charles de Bousquet became the owner of Vieux Château Certan. The château buildings that we see today were built by him.

More than a century ago the grandfather of Alexandre Thienpont (current owner) acquired what is today one of the oldest and most prestigious estates in the Pomerol area, Vieux Château Certan. Established on 14 hectares in one piece, the vineyard of Vieux Certan is the work of several centuries of work. It benefits from fertile soils. Great care is taken to control and promote the maturity of the grapes. The sumptuous brilliance of its robe, the exceptional richness of its aromas, the depth and subtlety of its taste give it an inimitable style.
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