Château Ripeau
Château Ripeau has had an eclectic lineage of owners over the years - from landscape architects, the Bühlers, who designed not only a beautiful park around the château, but also the Parc Bordelais in Bordeaux. Raoul Gunsbourg, director of the Monaco Opera had a stint at the helm, as did the de Wilde family who also had a hand in Pétrus. Today it is in the more than capable hands of the Grégoire family, who have been in charge since 2015. Ripeau is a family affair, brothers Cyrille and Nicolas run it together with their wives, Peggy and Aurélie, and the four have undertaken renovation and restoration work in the château, winery and vineyards. Their 16 hectare, single plot vineyard lies to the west of St-Emilion and work in the vineyard is moving very determinedly towards an organic approach, with no herbicides or pesticides used since 2017. Work in the vineyard is fastidious; hand harvesting and intentionally low yields all contribute to creating complex and powerful St-Emilion. The Grégoire’s respect for the land and dedication to creating great wines is evident, and these are wines which are well worth following.