Chateau Beauregard is an object lesson to those interested in get rich quick schemes. In the early nineteenth century, with wine prices at an all time low, the owner at the time invested in dye plants to produce pigment for paints. The introduction of cochineal to France quickly burst that bubble and the property was sold, almost bereft of vines. The property was replanted with vines which reached maturity just as phylloxera arrived in the late C19. It is now owned by Credit Foncier since 1991 and comprises 17 hectares, 70% Merlot on the clay and 30% Cabernet Franc on the sandy soils a bit lower down. Michel Rolland has consulted here for some time and it was he that introduced a second wine, since when the quality of the grand vin has consistently risen. (CW 07/06/10)