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Eyewatering price revealed for William Fèvre acquisition
Financial filings by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) reveal how much the French family paid to acquire William Fèvre from Domaine Artémis in January.
The acquisition of William Fèvre at the beginning of the year marked Barons de Rothschild’s first move into Burgundy, with the lion’s share of its properties located in Bordeaux.
Known for its high-end Chablis wines, William Fèvre’s focus on “sustainable development” played a key factor in DBR’s decision to purchase, it said, with William Fèvre winemaker Didier Séguier (who stays on at the estate) a passionate advocate for biodiversity, as well as organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard.
William Fèvre’s 75ha of largely Chardonnay vines, of which 15.9ha are classified Premier Cru and 15.2ha Grand Cru, will bolster DBR’s standing as consumers continue to turn away from red wines towards whites. And it couldn’t come at a better time for quality. Earlier this year, as Burgundy’s en primeur campaign kicked off, critics hailed the “fabulous”2022 vintage as a “big crowd pleaser that will satisfy the intellectuals as well”.
Berry Bros & Rudd’s Burgundy buyer Adam Bruntlett called the Burgundy wines “the best he had tasted in over a decade working in the region”.
High value
At the time of the William Fèvre purchase, no price was disclosed for the acquisition, though the trade speculated that figures were likely to run high. Now, financial filings by DBR suggest that the Rothschilds paid US$99 million for the property, according to Bloomberg.
Before this, DBR’s last major investment was when it established Domaine de Long Dai in the northeastern part of China’s Shandong Peninsula, planting vineyards there in 2011 and releasing the estate’s first vintage in 2019. It was reported in late 2023 that Domaine de Long Dai is also considering converting to organic viticulture in line with DBR’s wider vision.
DBR is not the first prestigious French family estate to expand its Burgundy offer recently. In June 2023, db reported that Maison Joseph Drouhin, which has roots in the Côte de Beaune, had made two significant acquisitions in lesser known corners of Burgundy – Château de Chasselas in Saint-Véran, and the Rapet estate in Saint-Romain.
Among DBR’s current portfolio are: Château Lafite Rothschild, one of the largest estates in the Médoc; Bordeaux estates Château Duhart-Milon, Rieussec, Château Paradis Casseuil and Château L’Évangile and the Languedoc-based Domaine d’Aussières, plus Burgundy’s William Fèvre. Outside France, DBR owns Viña Los Vascos in Chile, Bodegas Caro in Argentina (with the Catena family) and Domaine de Long Dai in China.
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