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  • Chateau de Fieuzal

  • Chateau de Pez

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    Roederer`s stewardship of de Pez since they took it over in 1995 is a study in how to improve a property. They have had a long look at the mix of vine varieties and the soils and have tried to match them more precisely, planting more Merlot where appropriate. They have also changed the trellising arrangements for the vines to promote better and more even ripening, while in the cellar, retention of the wooden fermenting vats, now temperature controlled, and more attention to hygiene mean the wines are suppler, fruitier and somewhat more attractive when young.

  • Chateau Doisy-Daene

  • Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou

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    Between Beychevelle to the north and Latour across the commune boundary to the south in Pauillac, and running almost down to the Gironde, sits one of the clutch of 5 St Julien second growths, Ducru-Beaucaillou. Beychevelle is in fact a parent of Ducru; in 1642, when the British were just getting going on the killing spree now referred to as the English Civil War, the Beychevelle estate was broken up to settle a debt, and one of the resulting parcels would become what is now Ducru-Beaucaillou. The name didn`t come till later.

  • Chateau Duhart-Milon

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    Duhart-Milon is a stablemate of Lafite. The vineyards are adjacent, with the same fine gravels and black sands over a bedrock of limestone, but Duhart lies on lower ground with a more northerly exposure. Once upon a time, it was made as the second wine of Lafite, and for even longer it remained in Lafite`s shadow. But it has evolved an identity all its own, under its own technical team since 2001, and it has gone from strength to strength over the last two decades. It used to be marked by a certain youthful austerity, but is typically richer these days.

  • Chateau Durfort-Vivens

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    Durfort-Vivens had a good 19th century. The 1844 was priced higher than any other Margaux wine except Chateau Margaux itself. Commentator, wine connoisseur and future American president Thomas Jefferson rated Durfort-Vivens alongside Lafite, Latour and Margaux. The 1855 classification placed it as a second growth. Things weren’t so good through most of the 20th century. In the 1930s, it was bought by Margaux and used to make that chateau’s second wine. In the 1960s, it was sold on to the Lurton family, but without its chateau.

  • Chateau d`Issan

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  • Chateau d`Yquem

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  • Chateau Ferriere

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    At only eight hectares, Ferriere is positively titchy by Bordeaux standards. Claire Villars is in charge, who runs La Gurgue and Haut-Bages-Liberal, both of which we like very much. The estate has excellent terroir, being situated on several plots of deep gravel and the wines have always tended towards the muscular end of Margaux in a similar way to La Gurgue and are immensely satisfying. To all intents and purposes Ferriere can be considered a `new` property, having been rescued from the clutches of Lascombes and only produced its first vintage from new cellars in 1992.

  • Chateau Feytit-Clinet

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    A visit to Feytit-Clinet is so unlike a visit to most Bordeaux chateaux. It’s not a castle or a stately home, nor are you filtered past receptionists or along mirrored halls. In fact, it’s much more like a visit to Burgundy where the owner stomps out from round the back in welly boots, kicking their kids` toys out of the way as they go. Jeremy Chasseuil lives and works here, and has done since the year 2000 when he took over.

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