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This château produces full-bodied, rounded wines that reveal fruity flavours and aromas of black fruit, mocha and liquorice. The wines are aged for 18 months before being bottled. A nephew of the famous German composer Mendelssohn was the owner of this beautiful vineyard at the outbreak of the First World War. The French government confiscated the property and sold it at auction. It was bought by a textile entrepreneur who, following the crisis in 1929, was obliged to sell it again, but divided the property into several parts. The buildings in Margaux were sold as one lot, and the vineyard was split into two. The name disappeared. It was not until 1981 that Lucien Lurton, having patiently reassembled the pieces of the puzzle and acquired beautiful premises in Cantenac, decided to relaunch Desmirail. As at his other properties, he installed stainless steel vats and a barrel cellar. The second wine is sold under the Château de Fontarney label.

Left in a sorry state by the previous owners, in 1962 the Rothschilds of Lafite took over the property and begun to reconstruct the vineyard which was planted mostly to Petit Verdot. 4 decades later and the wines of Château Duhart-Milon are now showing the flavour and concentration you expect from such a site in Pauillac.

Château Brane-Cantenac sits in a prime position on the plateau of Cantenac and makes full use of its excellent terroir. No doubt something that Baron de Brane was aware of and along with his viticultural talents were the reasons behind the estates rise to fame. Now tended by the Lurton family, the wines continue to be in great hands. Of the 2009 vintage, Henri Lurton is known to have said that the winery was enveloped in aromas of raspberry and blackberry even before fermentation began! Even though fruit ripeness is an obvious trait, the balance and structure of the wine are also clearly evident which will see the wine age for a decade or two more.

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.

France's Bordeaux, is the spiritual home of the Cabernet family of grapes, which extends beyond Sauvignon and Franc to Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If you love Margaret River Cabernet blends, or indeed the Merlot dominant reds of Hawkes Bay, NZ, then you must look at the wines upon which many of them have been modelled. This wine is Cabernet and Merlot, deep and rich, cassis and earthy cedar, structure and uncommon length - all hallmarks of Grand Cru Bordeaux.