Key Producers

Château Mouton Rothschild was established as we know it in 1853 by Nathaniel De Rothschild, prior to this it was known as Château Brane-Mouton and was under the ownership of the Brane family since the early 17th century. Back in 1855, the Château was on the brink of becoming a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux classifications, however, it ended up only achieving second growth status. Nevertheless, throughout the subsequent years, the Châteaus owners fought to have the classification changed, finally in 1973 Baron Phillipe de Rothschild was successful when Mouton became the sole amendment to the classification system, promoted to its current spot as a Bordeaux First growth.

Baron Phillipe Rothschild was instrumental in shaping Mouton into the brand we know today, one of his biggest influences was in the labels of Ch. Mouton which since 1945 has featured the artwork of a different artist each year.

The Rothschilds have owned Lafite Rothschild since 1868 when it was acquired by Baron James de Rothschild, to be placed in the Rothschild Wine estate. Prior to that, Château Lafite’s production history can be dated back to some time in the late 1600’s however it was only established as a winery at the turn of the 18th century. Since 1855 the Château has firmly remained in a first-growth position, earning the description of “first amongst the first”, with an increasingly growing reputation for being synonymous with ultimate luxury and the highest quality wines on the market.

The lands of Haut Brion have played host to grape-growing vines since the Romans settled in Bordeaux nearly 2000 years ago. However, the Château as it is known today has a traceable history back to 1509. Château Haut Brion made history in 1850, as being the first significant Bordeaux estate to bottle their own wine, this is now common practice amongst wineries in the region but it was Ch. Haut Brion that led the way. Ch. Haut Brion is also set aside from its first growth counterparts, as it is the only wine in the growth system which is not found in the Médoc region, instead, it is in the now-named, Pessac Leognan, in the Graves province of Bordeaux.

Today, as one of Bordeaux’s first growths, Château Latour is widely acclaimed as being one of the top Châteaux in the region. However this reputation didn’t come from nowhere, Latour’s history is a long and colourful one, with the first record of its existence being found in documents that date all the way back to 1331. In more recent decades Château Latour has become even more prevalent in the wine market as it was purchased in 1993 by Francois Pintault, the owner of brands like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent & Christie’s Auction House. Whilst Pintault has stayed true to Latour’s traditional style, he has also pushed the Château into the modern ages, reforming the way they produce wine. Pintault’s most significant change in recent years was when he prohibited the production of Ch. Latour for En Primeur in 2012.

The estate of Château Margaux can be traced back to the 1200s when the chateau was developed on the site of old Roman vineyards. However, the estate’s wine-making history was fully established by the 1500s when it was acquired by the Lestonnac family. This makes Margaux one of the oldest producing chateaus in the Bordeaux region.

Since 1855, Château Margaux has been classed as one of only five, highly regarded ‘First growths’, being considered a Premier Cru wine under the Bordeaux Wine classification. This makes Ch. Margaux is one of the most sought-after wines produced in the region.

The history of Château Ausone can be dated back all the way to the 4th century, where it’s believed vines were planted in the grounds of a Roman villa, owned by Ausonius. The Châteaus namesake was a Roman poet, who lived in the region after Romans had settled in Bordeaux.

Situated in the St Émilion region in Bordeaux’s right bank, Ausone has cultivated a strong reputation for quality and rarity in the marketplace and has thrived under the current direction of Alain Vauthier. Despite being one of the smallest vineyards in the region, hosting only 7 hectares of vines, the quality of production from the Château has always been highly acclaimed. This became especially obvious during the classification of St Émilion wines in 1955 when the Château achieved the status of Premier Grand Cru Classe A which is the highest level of classification given to wines in this region.

Château Angelus can be found on the right back of Bordeaux in the St Émilion region, and it is one of only four wines from that domain which has achieved Premier Grand Cru Classe A, which is the highest ranking for vineyards available. The Château has been producing wine since the 18th century when it was founded by the Boudard de Laforest family, which have still remained owners of the estate til the present day. The Boudard de Laforest family preside over 49 hectares of land (96 acres) planted with a mix of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines.

The name Angelus comes from the Latin translation of ‘Angel’, which was inspired by the Chateau’s iconic bell tower, which when rung, can be heard across the estate.

Montrose has one of the best vineyard positionings in the whole of Bordeaux. It’s one of Bordeaux’s only singly plot vineyards, close to the Gironde estuary and is situated on a hill, allowing the vines to be exposed to ample sunlight. Château Montrose has been producing wine from this plot since 1816 and achieved second growth status in 1855 after the introduction of the Bordeaux Classification.

Over the years Montrose has been championed for its ‘first growth’ quality, earning the unofficial classification of ‘Super Second’, this has made the wine a highly desirable and sought-after bottle. Whilst being high in quality, Montrose still carries a second growth price tag meaning it becomes more accessible for consumers and collectors to sample than their first-growth neighbours.

Château Cos d’Estournel was named after its 19th-century owner Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. At the time, d’Estournel earned himself the nickname of the Maharajah of St Estephe. The moniker came from d’Estournel’s avid exportation of the chateau’s production to India. Not only this but the Chateau is widely known for its incredible architecture that differs greatly from its neighbouring Bordeaux chateaux. It was inspired by both Moorish and Indian styles with its main building featuring a traditionally styled pagoda. Over the years the Château earned the name the ‘Maharajah’s palace”, as an ode to its owner and architectural influences.
Under the 1855 classification, Ch. Cos d’Estournel was awarded second growth status and has been a source of competition for neighbouring second growth winery, Château Montrose ever since.

In the year 2000, the Château was acquired by French businessman, Michel Reybier, who continues to pay homage to Gaspards d’Estournel production techniques and values.

Château Pétrus is responsible for producing some of the most prestigious and highly sought-after wines in the world. Unlike some of the other big names originating from Bordeaux, Pétrus has never officially been classified. This is due to the fact that there is no official classification in place for the region of Pomerol which is where the Château hails from.

Pétrus, named after the Latin word ‘Petrus’ meaning rock or stone, was a nod to the dense gravel soils found on the estate’s vineyard. It held this name well before current ownership but became one that carried more weight in the marketplace after the Château was purchased by the Moueix family in 1964. In the years since the family took over the estate, Pétrus has built a reputation for exceptional quality and incredible scarcity. The Château is home to only 11.5 hectares (28.5 acres) of vines, giving it one of the smaller production quantities of any Bordeaux Winery.

Château le Pin is a wine estate situated in one of Bordeaux’s smallest appellations, Pommerol, found on the right bank of the Dordogne River. In comparison to many of its neighbouring Châteaux, it’s one of the newest wine producers in the region, debuting its product to the wine market in the 1970s. This is when the Thienpont Family initially acquired the estate, being the custodians of it in the years since. Not only is it one of the newest estates, but it is also one of the smallest, being home to just 2.7 hectares of vines, which works out to be 6.7 acres. This means that the Château’s production is extremely small, only being able to produce between 400-600 cases each year.

Domaine de la Romanée Conti is a wine estate which is home to some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world. At present, there are 6 Grand Cru wine labels that operate under the DRC banner, with the crown jewel being the Romanée Conti vineyard itself, which is responsible for producing some of the rarest and most expensive wines in the world. The history of the DRC estate dates all the way back to the 13th century when vines were first planted on the land by the monks residing in the Abbey of Saint Vivant. Whilst the vineyard was initially owned by the church, after the French Revolution, the plot changed through the hands of many private owners throughout the years before it was acquired in 1963 by the Villaine / Leroy families, who still co-own the plot to this day.

The plot of land that later became the Romanée Conti vineyard was established in 1631 and simply went by the name ‘La Romanée’. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘Romanetum’, meaning ‘place of the Romans’, who were originally responsible for cultivating vineyards in the region many centuries before.

Romanée Conti is what is known as a ‘Monopole’, meaning it is a vineyard owned by a single winery, in this instance that would be Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Due to the limited size of the DRC estate, all of the wines produced from these vines, Romanée Conti included, are produced in extremely small quantities. Romanée Conti vines only take up 1.81 hectares (4.47 acres) meaning it is the smallest of Domaine de la Romanée Conti’s vineyards. Over the years the name ‘Romanée Conti’ has become synonymous with quality and prestige within the wine market, and firmly holds its place as one of the most revered wine labels in the world.

All of the wines produced under DRC’s name are considered to be Grand Cru vineyards, meaning it is the highest level of wine classification that Burgundy has to offer.

Just like Romanée Conti, La Tâche is one of DRC’s Monopole vineyards, meaning it is owned in its entirety by the estate. Situated in the Cote De Nuits subregion of Burgundy, the La Tâche Vineyard has an extremely unique terroir, known for its rich and complex soils. The label uses only 6.06 hectares of vines (14.97 acres) giving it a relatively small quantity of production. The land that makes up the La Tâche vineyards was purchased by the Domaine in 1933, and in the consequent years have built up a solid reputation for producing some of the highest quality wines available in the market.

Richebourg is one of the six Grand Cru vineyards operating under the Domaine de la Romanée Conti estate and takes up around 3.51 hectares (8.7 acres) of the Domaine’s land. The Vineyard grows predominantly a variety of Pinot Noir grapes and is known for producing a refined and opulent expression of Burgundy wine.

During the 1800s, the land which later became the Richebourg vineyard was divided up amongst different owners which led to the creation of defined plots within the area. One of the land parcels, known at the time as ‘Richebourg Gaspar’ was purchased by the Villaine family who were co-owners of Domain de la Romanée-Conti. The family renamed the plot ‘Richebourg’ and the vineyard firmly secured its spot under DRC’s patronage.

Romanée St. Vivant carries a name which stems from the Abbey of Saint Vivant who were the owners of the vineyard during the middle ages. Over many centuries, ownership of the vineyard changed hands many times and was divided into separate plots during the 19th century. A plot known as ‘Les Gaudichots’ was acquired by the DRC estate, and later merged with nearby vineyards to create what we now know as Romanée Saint Vivant.

Grands-Échezeaux, production of one of the six Grand Cru vineyards included on the DRC estate. Grands-Échezeaux wines are produced 100% of Pinot Noir grapes, that are grown in the limestone-rich soils found in the Cote de Nuits subregion of Burgundy. Domaine de la Romanée Conti is one of the few producers who own a plot of land in the Grands-Échezeaux vineyard after they acquired the land in 1933.
The vineyard was officially recognised as a Grand Cru Appellation in 1936, and since has become one of the world’s most sought-after labels.

and borders Clos de Vougeot, the oldest vineyard in Burgundy

Échezeaux is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious and largest Grand Cru Vineyards taking up 38.54 hectares (95.25 acres). The Échezeaux vineyard dates back to the 1200s when it was owned by the Abbey of Citeaux, a Cistercian monastery. Domaine de la Romanée- Conti acquired its portion of the Échezeaux vineyard in 1954, adding it to its prestigious wine-producing portfolio.

Due to its ‘Climat’ Grapes grown in the Échezeaux vineyards always ripen easily, due to sun exposure and limited topsoil. The vineyards for this wine are spread across several different plots under DRC’s umbrella giving the grapes ample diversity within their characteristics.

Montrachet vineyards are known for their production of some of the finest white wines in the world. Domaine de la Romanée Conti was known for only producing Red Wines until they acquired their first plot on Montrachet in 1963. The plot acquired on the estate was extremely small, and even in the years since when they managed to purchase a further two plots, the amount of land only totals 0.6759 hectares. DRC only owns small holdings on the Montrachet estate, so is not the only producer of the wines, however, due to the weight of the estate’s name, it certainly sets it above the rest.

Dom Pérignonis one of the most prestigious and iconic champagne houses in the world. Founded in 1936, its name pays homage to Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignonwho is known as an instrumental figure in the development and production of Champagne in the 17th century. Champagne itself is named after the region, which is situated in the Northeast of France above Burgundy. Vintages from this champagne house are not made every year, the winemakers are extremely selective about which grapes they use in production, only accepting the highest quality. This means that every vintage produced will be of the highest quality possible.

Masseto, a world-renowned Italian wine, can be found in Tuscany’s Bolgheri region, owned by the wine estate Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia. Massetto was founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori, whose family came from a wine-producing background. The family was made famous by their influence in the Super Tuscan movement, specifically at the Sassicaia winery. The first official vintage of Massetto was produced in 1986 and was deemed to be somewhat of an experiment amongst the vineyards of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. It was created to showcase the potential of Merlot grapes in the region. Generally, Tuscany is known for its use of the Sangiovese grape variety, so at the time the use of Merlot was incredibly unusual.

The first vintage ever produced of Sassicia was produced in 1968 and was not initially intended for commercial releases, instead it was supposed to be for private consumption only, however as the winery entered the 1970’s the wine’s potential and quality were recognised within the marketplace and demand for the bottle increased massively. Sassicaia was instrumental in the development of ‘Super Tuscan wines’ and has been penned as Italy’s first ‘Super Tuscan’. This term is bestowed on extremely high-quality, non-traditional Italian wines which are separate from the traditional Italian classification system.

The wine was launched into popularity in 1978 after a blind tasting hosted by Decanter magazine where it was rated higher than several acclaimed Bordeaux wines. In the years since, Sassicaia has risen in the global ranks as one of the world’s most prestigious wines, even being granted its own DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) in 1994. This is the only single-estate wine in Italy to be awarded this honour.

The history of Opus One, like many of its neighbouring Napa Valley wineries, is short but definitely fascinating. Opus One was constructed in 1980 as a result of a union between two of the most famous wine-making families; Mondavi and Mouton Rothschild. Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild met in the 70s and finally in 1979 came together to create a wine that would appeal to the whole market. Opus One’s first vintage was released in 1984 and was considered at the time to be America’s most expensive wine.

Opus One is typically made from a blend predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon and perfectly entwines the traditional Bordeaux-making process with California’s more avant-garde methods.

When it was first created, the Screaming Eagle estate consisted of a 57-acre vineyard planted with a selection of vine varieties, predominantly consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Kroenke, an American businessman, acquired the estate in 2006 after purchasing the estate of the original owner Jean Phillips. Over the years the wine has risen up the ranks of fine wine royalty, gaining a reputation for consistent and near-perfect critic scores. Due to the winery’s limited grape growing space, the production size of the Screaming Eagle estate is extremely small, making it highly sought after by collectors.