Bordeaux · Belgian owners · Saint-Émilion, Pessac-Léognan, Saint-Estèphe
Belgian châteaux of Bordeaux: Cheval Blanc, Malartic-Lagravière, Phélan Ségur
The Belgians are, along with the Chinese, the leading foreign owners of Bordeaux vineyards: about fifty estates according to the specialist press. Here are the ones Transvins offers, vintage by vintage, with the guide price and what to expect of them today; and, for each, who bought it and when. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
Wines from Belgian owners on offer
Four châteaux and a second wine, from the most prestigious to the most affordable. Filter by budget or by “ready to drink”. Nothing is sent until you click on the quote.
Who owns what
Three Belgian families, three appellations. The dates are those of the sales reported in the press.
Cheval Blanc and Quinault l'Enclos
In 1998, the Belgian businessman Albert Frère and Bernard Arnault bought Cheval Blanc in equal shares. The Frère family is still a shareholder. In 2008, the same two owners took over Quinault l'Enclos, in Libourne, in the Saint-Émilion grand cru appellation.
Malartic-Lagravière
At the end of 1996, Alfred-Alexandre and Michèle Bonnie, from Brussels, bought this Graves classified growth in Léognan. The vineyard grew from 19 to 53 hectares, and the cellar was rebuilt. Since 2013, their children Jean-Jacques and Véronique Bonnie have run the estate. Second wine: La Réserve de Malartic.
Phélan Ségur
In September 2017, the Gardinier brothers sold this Saint-Estèphe of about 70 hectares, facing the Gironde, to Philippe Van de Vyvere, chairman of the Ghent port-handling group Sea-Invest. The existing team was kept on.
Belgium and Bordeaux, a long story
Long before the château purchases, Belgian and Dutch merchants were buying Right Bank wines in Libourne. The Thienpont family, wine merchants in Etikhove, Flanders, since 1842, is the example: Georges Thienpont bought Troplong Mondot in 1921, then Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol in 1924; he sold Troplong Mondot in 1936. His descendants still hold Vieux Château Certan and, since 1979, Le Pin, one of the most expensive wines in the world.
Other families followed, such as the Sioens, Flemish industrialists, at La Marzelle (Saint-Émilion) in 1998. Belgium, for its part, remains one of the leading export markets for Bordeaux. Vieux Château Certan, Le Pin and La Marzelle are not on the current price list: ask, with no guarantee of finding them.
What to serve them with
- Cheval Blanc of twenty years and more: a simple dish that lets it speak, roast lamb or a Bresse chicken (what wine with lamb).
- Malartic-Lagravière or Phélan Ségur of eight to fifteen years: rib of beef, fillet (what wine with beef), game birds.
- Quinault l'Enclos, La Réserve de Malartic: duck breast (what wine with duck), firm pressed cheeses.
Who for, what for
For a Belgian client or partner, a bottle whose story can be told at the table: the end-of-year client gifts page does the sums per gift and in total. For a birthday, Cheval Blanc 1986 or 2000 carries a year: the birth-year vintage page says what is still drinking. For a celebration meal, the second wine of a great château says when La Réserve de Malartic is the right choice. For a cellar in Switzerland: great growths and old vintages for Swiss collectors.
How many Bordeaux châteaux are owned by Belgians?
About fifty according to figures published by the specialist press in the mid-2010s, which made the Belgians the second-largest foreign owners after the Chinese. There is no official, up-to-date register; sales are followed in the press.
Is Cheval Blanc a Belgian château?
Half of it. Since 1998, it has belonged in equal shares to Bernard Arnault, personally, and to the family of the Belgian Albert Frère. It left the Saint-Émilion classification in 2022, by its own choice; the vintages on the price list, 1986, 2000 and 2004, were sold as premiers grands crus classés A.
Why so many Belgians in Bordeaux?
An old trading link, through the Libourne merchants and the ports of Flanders; a Belgian market that drinks a lot of Bordeaux; and, for industrial families, a family-wealth investment that can be passed down.
Can it be delivered to Belgium?
The price and lead time for delivery to Belgium are to be confirmed with Transvins. For a private buyer, Belgian excise duty and VAT apply to wine delivered from France; the quote will say what is included. In France, the delivery rates give guide prices.
Are Le Pin or Vieux Château Certan available?
Not on the current price list. These wines go in very small quantities; Transvins can look for a specific vintage, without guarantee. Give the year and the number of bottles in the quote request.