Land, climate, prestige, and ancestral expertise, the Médoc is home to each of these qualities for sustainable investment in wine production.

Yet beyond rational decisionmaking also lies the passion which guided the choices of Jacky Lorenzetti and his wife, Françoise, who was born in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, in the Gironde. They share the same passion for the great wines of Bordeaux. So, quite naturally, they sought out a rare diamond along the left bank of the Garonne River.

Lilian Ladouys has all the qualities of a great Saint-Estèphe wine. Its vineyard has been enriched in quantity and quality. The wine we produce here is extremely full-bodied and ideal for a drink with friends, and is regularly mentioned by expert French and foreign wine tasters as amongst the best, and has been classed as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in January 2020.

Nestled between Mouton Rothschild, Pontet-Canet and Lafite Rothschild, Château Pédesclaux was very much a sleeping beauty when we purchased the vineyard back in 2009.

This Grand Cru Classé from 1855 deserved nothing but the very best, and so we set out to recruit experts from all domains, worked hard on the land and the vines in total respect of the environment and local terroir, as well as entrusting architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte with the construction of a cellar combining absolute modernity with the most sophisticated of wine production methods to match the quintessential excellence of this wonderful wine. All of these investments have given, vintage on vintage, Château Pédesclaux an appeal worthy of this wonderful vineyard and making it a cornerstone of Pauillac.

The deliberate choice of switching to organic agriculture for these two exceptional wines has merely confirmed the Group’s wish to permanently strive for excellence.

Thanks to the greatness of Saint-Estèphe, and the sophistication of Pauillac, all that was missing in the Ovalto wine production division was the elegance of a great Margaux vintage. By joining forces with the Cruse family, owner of the prestigious Château d’Issan, whose reputation has known no bounds across Europe for many years, we not only filled this void but also welcomed the rare expertise of a Grand Master from the Commanderie du Bontemps wine fraternity to take up a position at the head of our wine division.

Issan’s history dates back to the 12th century, when its wines were served at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the future King of England, Henry II, in 1152. Its historic 17th-century walled enclosure surrounds its vineyard.

The acquisition in 2021 of Château Lafon-Rochet (4th vintage from 1855 from the Saint- Estèphe appellation), located in the immediate vicinity of Château Lilian Ladouys, has consolidated our wine-growing division as one of the most important in terms of Médoc blends.

This nugget, a property with a worldwide reputation, is perfectly in line with our permanent quest for excellence.