Calon-Ségur undertakes renovations at 20 million euros

Château Calon-Ségur is investing 20 million euros to renovate its cellar and welcome the public.

Known for its discretion, the Third Grand Cru of Saint-Estèphe (photo) will use part of this investment for the creation of a new tasting room, explained to decanter.com Laurent Dufau, general manager of the domain. It should be finished for the upcoming Bordeaux primeurs campaign.

“We would like to open the castle more to the public,” he said. Renovations until 2017 will make the castle and the park accessible to visitors.

Dufau added that this month he became the first French representative of the estate in 120 years to hold a commercial tasting in the United States.

“The new owner would like to invest more in these types of events,” he said after tasting 16 vintages vertically in Washington DC.

Calon-Ségur and its parent estate Capbern Gasqueton were acquired by French insurance company Suravenir Assurances in 2012 for €170 million. Jean-François Moueix is a minority stakeholder through his Videlot wine business.

The new Calon-Ségur cellar is expected to open in 2016, with vats sized to “exactly” match specific vineyard parcels, according to Dufau. It will also be possible to apply the technique of filling the tanks by gravity.

The €20 million investment will also be used to increase the density of the vineyard by 25 % to reach 10,000 vines per hectare by 2028, Dufau added.

Source: Panos Kakaviatos
Decanter.com
January 30, 2014