Haut-Brion owner joins elite family wine club
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The owner of Château Haut-Brion, Domaine Clarence Dillon, has become the 12th member of the Primum Familiae Vini, a group of family-owned producers that also includes wines from Mouton Rothschild, Beaucastel, Sassicaia and Pol Roger.
Prince Robert of Luxembourg, fourth generation owner of Château Haut-Brion, has become the 12th member of Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), a group that brings together family owners of some of the world’s greatest wines.
The other 11 members of the PFV are:
- Antinori
- Joseph Drouhin
- Egon Muller Scharzhof
- Famille Hugel
- Familia Torres
- Baron Phillipe de Rothschild
- Famille Perrin
- Tempo Vega Sicilia
- Tenuta San Guido
- Symington Family Estates
- Pol Roger
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The PFV meets annually to exchange ideas on quality and business issues, and the younger generation often gain experience working in members’ wineries.
‘My family and I are truly honoured and thrilled to be included in such a prestigious organisation that shares our values and our long-term commitments to the world of fine wine,’ said Prince Robert.
Hubert de Billy, PFV president and fifth generation owner of Pol Roger Champagne, told Decanter.com, ‘When the group formed in the early 1990s, we had two Bordeaux estates, with both Mouton and Cos d’Estournel.
‘When the Prats family sold Cos, they were no longer able to be a part of the group. So it is fitting that we again have a second Bordeaux estate, and one with a focus on Graves and St-Emilion, so complementary to Mouton Rothschild in the Médoc.’
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Domaine Clarence Dillon also owns La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Quintus. And like the Symington family with the Vinum restaurant in Porto, the family also offers a blend of wine and gastronomy, with the fine wine shop La Cave du Château and two-star Michelin restaurant Le Clarence in Paris.
It was anticipated that Clarence Dillon would be the final member of the PFV.
‘There are 12 bottles in a case of wine, and we now have 12 members,’ said de Billy.
‘But the group is not just about meeting the requirements of having global reputation and a long family history. It is also about human exchange. Having a genuine friendship is essential.’
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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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