Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse’s story began when Arnaud Ducasse bought a modest house on the banks of the river in Pauillac in 1675. Little did he know that it would become a large estate that would remain in his family for almost three centuries. Pierre Ducasse, a lawyer with a passion for wine, considerably extended the land over three parishes - Pauillac, Saint-Lambert and Saint-Sauveur - and three seigneuries: Lafite, Latour and Beychevelle. In 1820, his son built the Château’s winery facing the Gironde estuary. At the time, this was a daring decision: Grand-Puy Ducasse would be the only Chateau in the area to vinify its grapes for 200 years. In 1855, the property was included in the prestigious classification of great growths; with 40 hectares of vines spread over 11 different types of soil, its vineyard can be considered as the most representative of the diversity of Pauillac’s terroirs. Since the 1990s, major investments have been made in restructuring the vineyard. In 2004, CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of the Credit Agricole Group, has embarked on an ambitious optimization plan. The subsequent construction of a new vat room and barrel storage facilities completed the Renaissance plan. The guiding principle of Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse and its teams lead by Anne Le Naour and Benjamin Cassoulet is to push rigorous standards even further.

Although the start of the year brought a great deal of rain and created a surplus of water throughout the Bordeaux wine region, summer 2018 will be remembered for its incredible heat!

The radiant and spontaneous smiles on the faces of our staff were the most obvious sign of the confidence and enthusiasm for this vintage. The first clip of the secateurs set the tone! The grape harvests were accompanied by lovely sunshine to the delight of the grape pickers and our permanent staff. Although the Merlots had already brought a smile to our faces, the Cabernets proved to be even more magnificent, confirming the exceptional potential of the vintage. 2018 will be big, extraordinary even.