Les Grands Chais expands empire

Les Grands Chais de France has bought Château de la Tuilerie, a 59-hectare estate in the Costières de Nimes.

Château de la Tuilerie

The move marks the first acquisition in this region by the French wine giant, which described the purchase as forming part of its wider strategy of investment in “high quality” French vineyards and wineries.

Family run since 1955, Château de la Tuilerie’s vineyards are largely located within the Costières de Nimes appellation, although 12ha lie outside this boundary and fall into the IGP Pays d’Oc classification.

The property joins a group which has a turnover of around €841 million and sells the equivalent of 36m nine-litre cases each year. In addition to its prolific JP Chenet brand, Les Grands Chais owns a number of French estates and producers, including Arthur Metz in Alsace, Château de Fesles in the Loire, Pasquier-Desvignes in Beaujolais and Domaine de la Baume in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Commenting on this latest “prestigious” addition to the group’s portfolio, Tim North, UK director of Les Grands Chais de France, noted: “Currently the wines produced from the estate are mainly available in top-end on-trade establishments across France, and we are looking forward to working with the in-house wine-making team to identify further opportunities for these excellent wines both in France and on export markets.”