One of the greatest wines of the Médoc and the premier château in Saint-Estèphe. Purchased from Bruno Prats by the Taillan Group, who also own GRUAUD-LAROSE, in 1998 and then by Michel Reybier in 2000, Jean-Guillaume Prats remained in charge of the property and enhanced the exceptional standards laid down by the Prats family there throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s. After a dip in the late 1990s the wine has been right back on form.. Using sophisticated vinification including must concentration, malolactic in barrel and new oak for ageing, the wine is very powerful as well as opulent. It should, however, show remarkable depth and harmony with a decade or more in the cellar. The second wine was originally called MARBUZET, which is itself a Cru Bourgeois, but is now labelled Les Pagodes de Cos. Reybier’s massive investment in state-of-the-art technology has helped Prats to bring the level of this estate to new heights. However, Prats’ departure at the beginning of 2013 has thrown some doubts as to whether the new management team can emulate the undoubted level of success achieved by him during the 12 years that he was in charge. Only time will tell.
