Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion

Not many châteaux can take on the big players and win, but Haut-Brion Larrivet did just that. In 1929 it won a legal battle against First Growth Haut-Brion to keep its name, the only stipulation was that it be reversed so that Haut-Brion had less prominence, and so it was changed to Larrivet Haut-Brion. In fact, the addition of Brion refers to the local gravel, rather than the First Growth, which lies much further north. Since 1987, the Gervoson family have been in charge - perhaps best known for their affiliation with Bonne Maman jams - and they have worked hard to revitalise the estate: since 2015 the style has changed to a much brighter, more silky style. Larrivet Haut-Brion sits on the same gravelly ridge as Haut-Bailly and the 75 hectares of vines grow both red and white varieties. Unusually for the Left Bank, Merlot makes up the majority with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon also grown.

The production of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion rouge begins with manual harvesting, in crates, then continues with vinification in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats before maturing in oak barrels for an average of 18 months.

​In 1987 the Gervoson family took over La Riobion and worked to restore its reputation. At that time the winery had 17 hectares of vineyards and 13 hectares of woods. The winery owner couple Philippe and Christine kept their promise and began to renovate the estate as a whole. In just a few years, the estate expanded to 72.5 hectares ( 11.5 hectares of white vineyards, 61 hectares of red vineyards) by purchasing surrounding vineyards and planting new ones . At the same time, a loyal working team inspires and inspires each other, constantly modernizing the infrastructure and reorganizing the vineyards (with intensive geological studies) to ensure the production of high-quality wines that stand out for their character and elegance. Bruno Lemoine , general manager and winemaker, embarked on this adventure with us in 2007, bringing his expertise and his unique sensitivity to the wine industry. Lario Bionte has genes passed down by women. In 2009 , the team grew again. The public relations manager Emilie Gervoson , one of the three daughters of the owner and the couple, is also a second-generation representative of the estate who is also passionate about wine culture and full of hedonism. The complicit and complementary duo of Bruno and Emilie bring a fresh vision to the estate.