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In Bordeaux, two more châteaux have new owners: The Premier Cru-Château Climens in the AOC Barsac with 31 ha of vineyards was taken over by the group of companies of the Parisian real estate investor Jean-Hubert Moitry. Moreover, according to a report of the daily newspaper "Les Echos", Château Cheval Blanc bought the neighbouring Château La Tour du Pin Figeac (St. Emilion) with eleven hectares of vineyards from the owner family Giraud-Bélivier a few days ago.
The purchase of Château Climens is the first investment of the real estate developer in the wine industry and attracted a lot of attention among vintners and traders in the region. The château is considered a biodynamic pioneer farm in the Bordelais and was already listed in the Bordeaux classification as Premier Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes and Barsac in 1855. The previous owner Bérénice Lurton will work as a consultant for Climens, the long-time technical director Frédéric Nivelle is to continue in his position.
The takeover of La Tour du Pin Figeac, classified as Grand Cru Classé until 2012, on the other hand, is to significantly increase Château Cheval Blanc's white wine production. Technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet wants to use the production of only a small part of the added vineyards for red wine, while white wine varieties are to be cultivated in the largest part: "We want to take the time to study the terroir in detail to understand its diversity and potential. But we have the firm intention to increase our white wine production," Clouet told the online magazine Terre de Vins. In 2016, Cheval Blanc launched its first white wine, Petit Cheval Blanc 2014, in quantities of 3,000 bottles.
(uka / Photo: Château Climens)