Chateau Lascombes, unofficially on the market for a number of months, is thought to have expanded its vine area by at least 28 hectares, it has emerged.

The Margaux chateau, classified second growth in the 1855 ranking, is reported by the Revue du Vin de France to be renting the vines of neighbouring ex-cru bourgeois Chateau Martinens. This includes 28ha of AOC Margaux, plus a potential 25ha of AOC Haut Medoc, bringing its total vineyard area to 108ha.

Lascombes has been owned by American pension group Capital Colony, who bought it from British brewers Bass Charrington for around €70m in 2001. The group invested heavily in the chateau and the winery, first installing Alain Raynaud, former president of the Union des Grand Crus as director, and later Dominique Befve.

Although the quality of the wines has been improving since Capital Colony’s arrival, it is widely believed that the group has been in discussions with a number of potential buyers for some time.

Dominique Befve did not wish to comment on the story, but sources in Margaux confirmed that despite expansion, the property remains on the market.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

Jane Anson
Jane Anson

Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

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