Chateau De Villegeorge 1986

Château La Tour de Bessan and Château de Villegeorge came under the ownership of Marie-Laure Lurton's father, Lucien Lurton, in the early 1970s. He purchased them both from the Clauzel family.

Château La Tour de Bessan's history dates back to the construction of a 13th-Century fortified tower in Soussans, while Château de Villegeorge dates back to the 18th Century.

The latter has been revered for its superior winemaking for several centuries. It was awarded Cru Bourgeois Exceptional Growth status in 1932 and 1966.

Located in Avensan, Château de Villegeorge consists of 12 hectares of vines on layers of deep gravel. The property is planted to 63 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 37 percent Merlot.

Output is 30-50,000 bottles of the château's grand vin and 20-35,000 bottles of its second wine, l'Etoile de Villegeorge. The former is aged for 10-16 months in oak barrels, the latter in tanks.

Marie-Laure took control of the 30ha (74 acres) of vineyard at Château La Tour de Bessan in 1992. Lurton developed the vineyard and Château La Tour de Bessan earned its Cru Bourgeois classification in 2003.

The blocks are spread over three communes within the Margaux zone; Soussans, Arsac and Cantenac. Soils are gravel with varying quantities of clay in each location.

Approximately 55 percent of vines are Merlot, and 43 Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The latter was introduced in 2012.

In the cellar, the grand vin is aged in French oak barrels for between 10 and 14 months. The second wine, Le Page de La Tour de Bessan, is matured in tanks.