Château Puy-Blanquet, a St-Emilion grand cru estate that lies in the village of St-Etienne de Lisse, has been sold to the Malet Roquefort family, owner of Château La Gaffelière for more than three centuries.
Financial details were not disclosed.
The deal marks a return for the family, which has been present in the St-Emilion wine world since 1705 and previously owned Puy-Blanquet for almost 150 years.
The 24-hectare estate has 19 hectares of vineyards located on clay-limestone soils and has been owned by the Jacquet family since 1958.
Vines are planted to 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an average vine age of 25 years.
According to the JP Moueix merchant house, which sells the wines, ‘Puy-Blanquet was known as one of the best St-Émilion grand crus as early as the 19th century.’
Puy-Blanquet’s current estate director, Pierre Meunier, trained with Moueix, which owns several Bordeaux Right Bank properties including La Fleur-Pétrus in Pomerol and Bélair-Monange in St-Emilion.
Of recent vintages, Puy-Blanquet 2018 was rated 90 points by Decanter’s Jane Anson.
Alongside La Gaffelière, a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate, the Malet Roquefort family’s portfolio includes Château Armens, a St-Emilion grand cru property, and Château Chapelle d’Aliénor, classified as Bordeaux Supérieur.
There have been several château purchases across the St-Emilion area in recent years, notably in 2017.
St-Emilion vineyard prices varied widely in 2019, from around €240,000 per hectare right up to €3m per hectare for the most prestigious sites, according to the latest figures from French land agency Safer.
Vineyards in St-Emilion ‘satellite’ appellations cost €95,000 per hectare on average, Safer said.
