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CASTLE LIFE

THE TERROIR

LES MILLSIMES

WINES

HISTORY

FROM VINE TO WINE

THE GLASS CHTEAU

PICTURES

CONTACT

The founders 1686-1689

Pierre de Mazure de Rauzan, a wealthy bourgeois trader from Bordeaux, bought some vineyards near the Latour fiefdom and established a wine-growing estate, LEnclos Rauzan. A little later his daughter, Thrse, received it as a dowry for her marriage to Jacques Franois de Pichon Longueville, President of the Bordeaux Parliament. And so began the history of one of the greatest Bordeaux vineyards, which stayed in the same family for over 250 years. As early as the eighteenth century, this great wine was already benefiting from a significant feminine touch. The Pichon Longueville baronesses Thrse de Rauzan, Germaine de Lajus and Marie Branda de Terrefort were a strong guiding influence, managing the vineyard until the eve of the French Revolution. The young Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville inherited the vineyard from his mother, Marie de Terrefort, when he was just 19. He died at the age of 90, having lived through three revolutions, the reign of five kings, two republics and an empire. In spite of the difficult times he doggedly sought to improve the quality of the wine. His efforts were rewarded in 1855, in the rankings carried out under Napoleon III, when the chteau was classed as a Second Cru.

Virginie Countess de Lalande 1850

Just before his death in 1850, Joseph decided to divide the estate between his five children. Under this even-handed arrangement his two sons inherited two fifths of the vineyard and the wine-making facilities, and his three daughters the other three fifths. One of his daughters, Virginie, who was married to the Count de Lalande, decided to become independent, managing her share of the vineyard and that of her two sisters. Since she wished to live on her property, at the heart of the Mdoc region, the Countess commissioned the Bordeaux architect Duphot to build her a home, drawing inspiration from the Htel de Lalande in Bordeaux where her husband had spent his childhood. Her love for the vineyard and her astute management made her an imposing figure who made her mark on the estate - and whose name is still associated with it. Since she had no children, Virginie left her vineyard to Elisabeth, the wife of her nephew Count Charles de Lalande. Difficult times followed, during which the vineyard was ravaged by oidium, mildew, fraud, and finally the Great War, which dealt a fatal blow to
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the vine-growing economy. The price of wine fell relentlessly, so much so such that operating costs were barely covered. The Countess heirs had no choice but to sell the vineyard.

The Miailhes 1925

In spite of the unfavourable economic climate, in 1925 Chteau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was bought by Edouard and Louis Miailhe, who came from an old land-owning family of Bordeaux brokers. These two courageous men implemented painstaking restructuring and management of the estate, bringing it back to life once more. &nbspIn 1978, ownership passed to May Eliane de Lencquesaing, Edouard Miailhes daughter. For almost 30 years, she ran the family estate in person, and under her management the cru took on a new dimension. &nbspShe made a number of investments, adding modern, effective equipment to the vineyard. This indefatigable traveller and enthusiastic ambassador for Bordeaux wines has travelled the world, constantly seeking out new markets and raising fresh international awareness of her wine.

Louis Roederer a third family

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2007
In 2007, Madame de Lencquesaing decided to pass on her vineyard, in order to secure its future. She chose Louis Roederer to take over from her. This family business headed up by Frdric Rouzaud already owned two other Bordeaux crus, Chteau de Pez and Chateau Haut Beausjour, in addition to other high quality wines in Provence, Portugal and the United States. For three whole centuries, just two families did their work to make the chteau and its wines famous. Today, a third family now oversees the destiny of this cru, with the aim of building on the work accomplished so far and raising the level of quality and prestige still further.

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