The World According to Lurton
Château Cheval Blanc St-Émilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé Since Pierre Lurton took charge in 1991, collectors have prized this wine above even Mouton and Latour. Pierre emphasizes its trademark balance of richness and freshness.
Château la Louvière Pessac-Léognan Though it's not a classed growth, many consider this estate and its elegant château to be the flagship of André Lurton's holdings. Under the guidance of Denis Dubourdieu, the guru of modern, oak-aged white Bordeaux, it produces excellent-value bottles.
Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux, Second Growth Although Lucien Lurton lives here, his son Henri makes the wine, marrying power with elegance. A true Lurton, Henri credits the terroir, especially the mound of gravel at the vineyard's heart.
Château Climens Barsac-Sauternes, Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux's sweet vins liquoreux are something of an endangered species, but Bérénice Lurton-Thomas is solidifying her wine's reputation as second only to Yquem's.
Château Durfort-Vivens Margaux, Second Growth Gonzague Lurton believes that his terroir favors a lighter style of Margaux wines, and so he avoids manipulating them too much. His bottles are excellent values. Gonzague is also the leader of a campaign for "sample integrity," to ensure that barrel tastings are genuinely representative of the finished wines.
Château Bouscaut Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé This estate has made great strides under the guidance of Sophie Lurton-Cogombles, producing a serious, stylish claret made up of 60 percent Merlot that is, nonetheless, 100 percent Bordeaux.
Château Haut-Nouchet Pessac-Léognan When Lucien Lurton bought this winery, it had been all but abandoned; now his son Louis makes an earthy, Cabernet-based red and a barrel-fermented white (mainly Sauvignon, with some Sémillon) that has more complexity than most Chardonnays.
Château Reynier Entre-Deux-Mers Marc Lurton's Reynier produces affordable reds from Bordeaux's back country, the region where the Lurtons first earned their fortune.
Bodega JF Lurton Tunuyán, Argentina André Lurton helped his sons Jacques and François choose the terroir for this substantial South American estate. The property's top wine is a rich and spicy Malbec, an Argentinian specialty that also happens to have once been a leading Bordeaux variety.