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While a fair share of Bordeaux vineyards can claim significant historical pedigree, few would be able to touch Chateau Figeac - it is one of a select few St Emilion vineyards to have been continuously occupied for over 2,000 years! The estate dates back to the second century when even the ancient Romans who occupied the area were aware of its outstanding terroir. One figure dominates the Chateaus modern era, and that is Thierry Manoncourt who ran the property from 1947 until his death in 2010, just shy of his 93rd birthday. Under his leadership, the Chateau was the first major Right Bank estate to embrace modern techniques such as temperature controlled, stainless steel vats. The traditional-styled Bordeaux has, understandably, gone through a wide range of iterations in its 2,000-plus year history - yet it still manages to surprise and delight. The 2016 earned rave reviews from critics, with Jancis Robinson hailing it as a wine of which ...the Manoncourt family should be very proud.

Majestic, intense, full bodied and tannic, Cos dEstournel is considered the leading wine of St Estèphe. Highly tannic in its youth, over time it develops much much like the great wines of adjoining Pauillac. The wine is typically a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, consistently displaying immense power and evident breed.

Château la Mission Haut-Brion is on uniquely stony soil in the Pessac-Léognan appellation close to the city of Bordeaux. It is a Cru Classé in the Graves Classification of 1953. The 22.5 hectare red wine vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (46%), Merlot (44%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The chateau wine is vinified in large (180hl) temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and aged in 100% new French oak for an average of 22 months. Annual production is 6000-7000 dozen. The famous white wine of the chateau comes from 3.5 ha planted to Semillon (62%) and Sauvignon Blanc (38%). Overall planting density is 10,000 vines per hectare (red) and 8000 vines per hectare (white). Since 1983, under the ownership of Domaine Clarence Dillon (which also owns the neighbouring Chateau Haut Brion), the entire estate has been renovated vineyards, winemaking facilities and the chateau itself. The property got its name in the 1600s when it was owned by the Catholic Church.

Taking its name from its uniquely rocky terroir (beau caillou translates as beautiful stones), and Bertrand Ducru who purchased the estate in 1795, what we know today as Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou as a wine producing estate, has history stretches back to the 13th century. Owned today by The Borie family (who have long-standing roots of their own in Bordeaux), the Chateau is, according to many, producing the best wines in their history at this very moment. The 2016 vintage has already been hailed as yet another monumental success for the winery with Antonio Galloni praising it as simply magnificent.

With its name enclosed in a heart on the label, Chateau Calon-Ségur is a third-growth estate (3ème Cru Classé) in Saint-Estèphe. Firm and sturdy in style, Chateau Calon-Ségur is somewhat austere in its youth, possessing a prominent tannin structure that rewards extended cellaring over 10 to 20 years.

Dating back over 800 years in the Bordeaux region, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is owned today by Daniel and Florence Cathiard. The estate also features a world class spa, which specialises in Vinotherapie - using grape extracts in many of their treatments. Up until the year 2000, the estate was not known for producing top quality wines, however in the capable hands of the Cathiard family and after over a decade of hard work and reinvention, the wines truly began to come into their own. It has been, in the words of Andrew Caillard, an astonishing ascendancy in the past 15 years, and given the sterling reviews the 2016 vintage has received, its trajectory seems set to continue its meteoric rise.

Château Pavie Decesse is a St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé property in the Côtes sub-district, considered the equal of its illustrious neighbour, Chateau Pavie. The origins of both can be traced back to ancient Roman times. The 3.5ha vineyard, on chalky, limestone and clay soils and contiguous with Pavie, is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Following cold maceration, the Chateau wine is vinified in temperature-controlled oak vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels. The wine is aged in 80% new oak for between 18 and 24 months, depending on vintage character. Production is small, around 650 dozen each year. The hedonistic Pavie Decesse style combines opulent, rich, sensuous textures with minerality, freshness and concentration. Due to its lush style Pavie Decesse drinks well young, yet does develop additional complexity with time in the cellar. Wine quality has been consistently excellent under the ownership, since 1997, of Gerard and Chantal Perse.

While the estate known as Chateau Haut-Bailly dates back to 1461, its wine production began in 1530, falling into the hands of the de Leuvarde and Le Bailly families in 1630. It was purchased in 1998 by Robert G Wilmers, a Harvard-educated banker, and his French wife Elisabeth and under their care, the estate has begun producing some of the best wines in its history. The cellars and production procedures were renovated and modernised and this year, the Chateau itself was awarded government recognition of its cultural and vinious heritage.