Château Durfort-Vivens is a winery in the

Margaux Margaux (; oc-gsc, Margaus) is a former commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

of the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxièmes Crus'' (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. While the 1855 classification is still legally in effect, more modern classifications have been performed to reconcile changes over time. In

The Liv-ex Bordeaux Classification The Liv-ex Classification is a classification of the wines of the world by the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex), based on their average trade prices on Liv-ex. The classification is inspired by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classificat ...

, in which quality of Bordeaux red wine is determined by demand in terms of price, Château Durfort-Vivens is listed as a Fifth Growth. In Alexis Lichine's classification of Bordeaux wine, which is based on subjective criteria, it is a ''Grand Cru'' (Great Growth), putting it in the third group on his list.

History

The Durfort property dates back to the 12th century having been owned by the influential Durfort de Duras family for seven centuries. The family also owned the nearby Château Lamothe, later renamed

Château Margaux Château Margaux (), archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve ''Premier cru'' (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expens ...

. The property was purchased in 1824 by M. de Vivens, and renamed Château Durfort Vivens. In the 20th century, the château was purchased by local négociants, and in 1961 it was purchased by

, which was controlled by the

Lurton Lurton is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Lurton Blassingame (1904–1988), notable American literary agent * André Lurton (1924–2019), French winemaker and winery owner *Horace Harmon Lurton (1844–1914), American jurist a ...

family, which also owns Château Brane-Cantenac and

Château Climens Château Climens is a Premier Cru Classé (French, "First Growth") Sauternes wine producer from the Barsac appellation. The estate is located in the southern part of France's Bordeaux wine region in the district of :Graves, an eighth of a mil ...

. Until that time, the wine was produced at

. Lucien's son Gonzague Lurton, became the head of operations 1992.

Vineyards and wine

The Chateau has planted with

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, and

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

. A

second wine Second wine or second label ( French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

is produced under the label ''Vivens''.J. Suckling ''50 Best Bordeaux under $50'' Wine Spectator Magazine pg 74 March 31st, 2007

References

External links

Château Durfort-Vivens official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durfort-Vivens, Chateau Bordeaux wine producers