Yannick Evenou offers Chateau Réaut shares on Facebook

Yannick Evenou, managing director of Chateau La Dominique, Chateau Fayat and Chateau Clement-Pichon, has bought a Cotes de Bordeaux estate in his own name.

Part of a 12-strong consortium, Evenou (pictured) bought the 26ha Chateau Réaut (formerly Chateau Réaut la Gravière) in Cotes de Bordeaux from Champagne Roederer.

The deal was completed via the creation of a property sharing group or GFA (Groupe Foncier Agricole), with 400 members of the public taking shares in the property. The scheme had used social networking site Facebook to attract potential investors.

For €1500 investors become part-owners of the GFA. This investment equates to 165 vines, and 36 bottles per year, each of which will be labelled with the purchaser’s own name.

‘More than 100 are from Bordeaux, but we have had interest from all over the world,’ said Evenou. ‘They will receive a certain part of the crop, but we will also be distributing the wine through traditional methods. As some of our main shareholders are merchants and restaurant owners, we have good distribution channels in place.’

Other members of the main buying consortium include local Bordeaux restaurant owner Daniel Cuny, and several Burgundy negociants.

Chateau Bellevue, also in Cotes de Bordeaux, operates a similar system to the GFA, a private member’s club where members are shareholders and receive their dividend in wine.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux