Phelan segur sold, phelan segur wines
Château Phélan Ségur is a leading light of St-Estèphe in Bordeaux.
(Image credit: Phélan Ségur)

Phélan Ségur in Bordeaux's St-Estèphe appellation has been sold by the Gardinier family to a Belgian investor for an undisclosed fee.

  • Phélan Ségur sold to Philippe Van de Vyvere

  • Handover by Gardinier brothers expected in early 2018

  • Family to focus on fine food after owning St-Estèphe estate since 1984

The sale of St-Estèphe’s Phelan Segur has been confirmed this morning (05 September), with the 70-hectare property passing from the hands of brothers Thierry, Laurent and Stéphane Gardinier to Philippe Van de Vyvere, Belgian owner of Sea-Invest shipping company.

Thierry Gardinier confirmed to Decanter.com that the handover is planned for the beginning of 2018, and that director Véronique Dausse will remain in place alongside the entire team.

Speculation about a deal had been growing in Bordeaux and it follows a string of acquisitions in the region so far this year.

Phélan Ségur is one of the most highly regarded châteaux in St-Estèphe in the north of Médoc.


See Jane Anson’s rating for the Phélan Ségur 2016 en primeur wine


‘We have decided to devote the bulk of our future investments to the fine-food trades and high end hotel business,’ the Gardinier brothers said in a press release.

‘Wine is one of our great passions and is still central to our business, so we will be keeping in close contact with our winegrowing friends.’

Phelan Ségur is named after an Irish courtier, Bernard Phélan, who moved to Bordeaux in the 18th century. Is second wine, Franck Phélan, is named after his son.

It has been owned by the Gardinier family since Xavier Gardinier bought the property in 1984. He died in July 2013.

The Gardinier et Fils group owns Hotel des Crayères in Champagne and the Taillevent hotel group in Paris and London, 500ha of orange farms in Florida and the Comptoir de Caviar.

The business is now split into three sectors – Gardinier Hospitality, Gardinier Retail and Gardinier Estate.

‘My intention is for Phélan Ségur remains one of the great wines of the St-Estèphe AOC,’ said Van de Vyvere.

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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.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year