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Changes of ownership at Châteaux de Rayne-Vigneau and La Tour de Mons

  CA Grands Crus, subsidiary of French bank Crédit Agricole and Caisses Régionales d’Aquitaine et du Languedoc, owner since 2004 of the renowned Sauternes Chateau Rayne-Vigneau in Bommes, has just sold the majority of its shares to the group Trésor du Patrimoine. In the same time, CA Grands Crus is becoming sole owner of Chateau La Tour de Mons in Margaux.   Chateau Rayne Vigneau owns 84 hectares of vineyards in one piece, near the legendary Château d'Yquem. Its sub-soil is composed of sandy gravel on clay and is planted with 74% Sémillon,…

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What are the (true) vintages of the century?

Some wine regions claim to produce a great vintage, or even “vintage of the century”, every other year! But despite these commercial declarations, there are still some truly great vintages – those that entice fine wine buyers, especially at auction. But what is a great vintage? Think about it: a winemaker is able to produce an average wine from top quality grapes, but not a top quality wine from average grapes. A great vintage is therefore one that allows a winery to harvest ‘perfect’, top quality grapes. A vineyard can produce ‘perfect’ grapes…

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Are aged wines still valuable?

Previous iDealwine auctions recorded impressive prices for older vintage wines. Now is the time to sort out your wine cellar! Online sales at iDealwine saw the prices of some older vintages soar. A bottle of Château Gruaud Larose 1928 sold for €531, while a Beychevelle of the same vintage even reached €826. Not surprisingly, the first growths will always be valuable collector’s items. Latour 1947 sold for €770, with Mouton Rothschild 1918 reaching €767. Sauternes is ageing well and prices are regularly estimated by auctions – a 1929 Climens sold for €826, while…

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