Chateaux La Pointe and Carignan sold, Poujeaux sale on the cards November 6, 2007
Sophie Kevany in Bordeaux
Pomerol estate Chateau La Pointe has finally been sold for a reported 32-35m
The 25ha estate - one of the biggest in Pomerol, covering 3% of the appellation's total hectarage has been bought by Generali, Europe's third largest insurer.
'Given the reputation of the group we were interested in a top quality acquisition in a good area,' said Eric Monneret, La Pointe's new director and Generali France executive.
Generali is already a major agricultural property holder in Italy, including vineyards, and knows agribusiness well, Monneret said. The group had profits of 2.4bn last year.
'This was a very carefully considered purchase,' he added. 'We also had a very good rapport with (owners) the d'Arfeuille family.'
Monneret is already director of Generali's other Bordeaux chateau, the 90ha La France in Beychac just outside of Bordeaux, which it bought in 1988.
The deal to buy La Pointe, owned by the d'Arfeuille family since 1941 and unofficially on the market for about 10 months, was signed on 26 October.
Another deal finalised last month was the sale of Chateau Carignan, bought from the Pieraerts family by Andy Lench for 11m on 31 October. UK born Lench is the director of US based Wine Locators, a Bordeaux wine importer based in Tumwater, Washington State.
Lench said he had dreamed of buying a Bordeaux chateau for many years, but, more practically, said it would give his company a central point to assemble wines bought from different negociants.
'It will allow us to do on-the-spot quality checks,' he said. Describing Chateau Carignan as an everyday drinking man's claret, Lench said it was reliable in terms of being relatively protected from the price swings top Bordeaux are prone to.
The third deal, not yet concluded, is the predicted purchase of Chateau Poujeaux by St Emilion based Clos Fourtet. Local paper Sud Ouest claims a signature is expected any day now for the 68ha Medoc property owned by the Theil family.
Tony Ballu, manager of Clos Fourtet, owned by the Cuvelier family, refused to comment on the report.
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