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St Emilion estate to ‘equal’ Haut Brion
Prince Robert of Luxembourg has predicted that his group’s recent purchase in St Emilion is poised to become “an equal” of its other estates, first growth Haut Brion and the adjacent La Mission Haut Brion.
Quintus
2011 saw Domaine Clarence Dillon make its first move into Bordeaux’s Right Bank with the purchase of Château Tertre Daugay in St Emilion. Since renamed Quintus, the hillside estate expanded last year with the acquisition of neighbouring property Château L’Arrosée and now covers 28 hectares of vineyard.
Pointing to prestigious neighbours such as Ausone and Angelus, Prince Robert set out ambitious plans for Quintus, which he described as “the fifth child” in the Domaine Clarence Dillon family alongside the red and white wines of first growth Haut Brion and adjacent estate La Mission Haut Brion.
“We anticipate Quintus in time becoming an equal to our other estates,” he told the drinks business, describing the purchase as “a rare opportunity to reveal and revive a ‘Premier Grand Cru’ terroir that had lost some of its lustre.”
In support of this claim, Prince Robert cited references to the estate and its terroir in early editions of the reference work Bordeaux And Its Wines, which was first published by Charles Cocks and Michel-Edouard Féret during the second half of the 19th century.
“Today, our techniques and practices have evolved considerably,” he reported. As part of the “significant work” and “draconian selection” carried out at the estate during the last four vintages, Prince Robert noted the introduction of a second wine, Le Dragon de Quintus.
As a result of the efforts, he maintained: “We believe that these early vintages of Quintus are positioned very attractively, giving consumers an opportunity to discover and appreciate one of the loveliest expressions of the Right Bank.”
Despite the current negativity surrounding Bordeaux’s top end estates, Prince Robert remarked: “We believe that Bordeaux still remains the benchmark for quality wines the world over. We cannot control the global wine market so all of our energy is focused on making the best local wines in a region that we understand and know well.”