Collection: Château Bernadotte

In 1997, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande acquired Château Bernadotte in the Commune of Saint Sauveur which borders the Pauillac appellation to the west. Château Bernadotte particularly interested Madame de Lencquesaing, the owner of Pichon, because she was attracted by the quality of the soil (made up of a very fine plateau of gravel on clay) by its position close to Pauillac and by its proximity to prestigious classified growths.

The name Bernadotte was given to this property in honour of Marshal Bernadotte, appointed Sovereign Prince by Napoleon I and plebiscited in 1818 by the Swedish people to succeed their King Charles XIII, who died without an heir. The château is a stunning residence in the style of the Restoration, built in 1860 and renovated in 1989 by the previous owner Curt Eklund, a Swedish industrialist.

In 1998, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing and her team made important investments not only in the château, vat room and cellars but also in the vineyard. A study was made of the soil, vine-stock was replaced, and parcels of vines were replanted. New buildings for storage were built and the property was fully equipped with all the facilities necessary for the production of a great wine. The vineyard today is spread over 35 hectares, grouped together around the Château. The soils are mainly gravelly, sandy and naturally well drained, with an important quantity of clay to prevent the ravages of drought and to moderate water stress during the ripening period of the grapes.

In 2007, Château Bernadotte and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande became the property of the Louis Roederer Champagne house, under the management of Frédéric Rouzaud, and the wines showed a marked improvement in style and quality. However, in December 2012, Château Bernadotte was sold once again, this time to the King Power Group of Hong Kong. The King Power Group has massive business holdings in a myriad of different industries, including real estate, food and beverages and retail.