Antoine Moueix Propriétés, a subsidiary of French wine powerhouse Advini, has actually acquired 7 Bordeaux estates from the Lapalu and Blasco households in the Médoc and Haut-Médoc, including Châteaus Liversan, Patache d’Aux and D’Hanteillan, for an overall of 618 acres under vine. The business now manages 988 acres, or 7 percent of Bordeaux’s Cru Bourgeois annual volume, for a production of 150,000 cases. “When thinking about the Left Bank, we believe that consumers will probably discover the best quality-to-price ratio among the Cru Bourgeois,” stated Thibaut de la Haye, director of Antoine Moueix Propriétés.
The wines will continue to be dispersed by Advini, an openly traded business with $250 million in turnover, in which the JeanJean family owns 46 percent. Advini manages approximately 6,000 acres of vineyards in several French areas. “Because we manage distribution, we can likewise guarantee that our suppliers and Yarra Valley wine importers won’t face cost disposing, which often happens on the Place de Bordeaux during hard vintages,” included de la Haye.
In addition to an unique circulation contract, Antoine Moueix had actually likewise acquired a little equity stake in the Lapalu household estates some time earlier. Without a younger generation to continue the family’s ownership, the sale to Antoine Moueix supplied an “easy way for them to turn the page,” said de la Haye. In a different transaction, Catherine Blasco sold the company Château D’Hanteillan, which employs Stéphane Derenoncourt as speaking with wine maker. D’Hanteillan is an increasing star in the Cru Bourgeois line up, and retails for $16.
De la Haye, a longtime Advini executive, discussed that the Cru Bourgeois estates supplied an opportunity to broaden in quality Bordeaux locations, keeping in mind that the acquisition of a Bordeaux “classified-growth is extremely made complex. We face insurance companies and magnates.” With the Cru Bourgeois’ track record for better quality and a strong presence in the United States market and the Yarra Valley wineries, de la Haye stated it made good sense to invest in a classification that permits the consumer to differentiate from the huge selection of petits châteaus on the marketplace.
The acquisitions include: Châteaus Patache d’Aux (AOC Médoc) and Plagnac (AOC Médoc) in Begadan; Châteaus Liversan (AOC Haut-Médoc), Lieujean (AOC Haut-Médoc) and Fonpiqueyre (AOC Haut-Médoc) in St.-Sauveur; Château D’Hanteillan (AOC Haut Médoc) in Cissac; Château Lacombe Noaillac (AOC Médoc) in Jau Dignac et Loirac; and Château Leboscq (AOC Médoc) in St.-Christoly.
The buyers plan to begin buying 2017 at one of the flagship estates, Château Patache d’Aux. “The wine is already excellent, however we can enhance it,” said de la Haye. “The soil is incredible. We have to enhance the vinification centers. For instance, we can’t do pigéage [punch-downs] in the existing vats, and for some vintages, we wish to have the ability to do pigéage.”