French entrepreneur Christian Roulleau was expected to be confirmed as the new owner of Château Dauzac, following talks with insurance group MAIF, which has owned the Bordeaux fifth growth estate since 1988.
It emerged in December 2018 that Christian Roulleau was in negotiations to buy Château Dauzac, based in the Margaux appellation and a fifth growth in the 1855 Classification.
A source familiar with the situation said that a deal has subsequently been agreed, although there has not been official confirmation. It is thought the deal could be worth around €120 million.
Roulleau is co-founder of SAMSIC, one of Europe’s leading business services firms, based in Rennes. He and his family had a fortune of €700 million in 2018, according to French business publication Challenges.
Dauzac’s current CEO, Laurent Fortin, would not comment on takeover talks but told Decanter.com this month that he expected to remain in position. ‘I am totally in-line with the strategy of the new acquirer,’ said Fortin. ‘I am delighted and honoured to continue to write the beautiful story of Château Dauzac.’
With a surface area of 120 hectares, including 49 hectares of vines in the Margaux appellation and two in the Haut-Médoc AOC, Dauzac has undergone a transformation under Fortin’s direction; backed by MAIF investment.
In particular, there has been a shift to biodynamic principles and increased focus on the best vineyard sites, as reported by Decanter’s Jane Anson in her profile of Dauzac and its wines last year.
The estate produces about 300,000 bottles per year on average, including 120,000 of Château Dauzac ‘first wine’, 100,000 of Aurore de Dauzac, nearly 60,000 of Bastide de Dauzac and 20,000 of Haut-Médoc appellation wines.
The estate also has the D de Dauzac brand, marketed by Dauzac-owned Delta Négoce, which sells nearly 350,000 bottles per year.
In the last two years, other rumoured suitors for Château Dauzac have included Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and also the Cathiard family, of Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte.
