All Sips Considered

Chateau Le Gay in Saint Sulpice & Cameyrac

Why is Chateau Le Gay in Saint Sulpice & Cameyrac one of the most selling wines in the world?

Chateau Le Gay not only makes great wines in Bordeaux, the Chateau is run by a great family that has a long history in the wine business plus the Chateau itself has an extraordinary history.

Chateau Le Gay was the childhood home of French architect, archaeologist, painter, designer and sculpturist LEO DROUYN (1816-1896).

Artist and scientist from Gironde , he left in the middle of the nineteenth century , an exceptional iconographic heritage of the Aquitaine around 1850 , forty years before the first photographic evidence : his work contains more than 5,000 drawings and nearly 1 550 sculptures. He participated in the tradition of Victor Hugo to the rediscovery of the Romantic Movement and triumph of the Middle Age.

“Le Gay, I can never utter this word without remembering every moment of my childhood….” He said

The Maison Family at the end of the 19th century, François Maison, originally from Saint Sulpice Les Bois in the Corrèze region of central France, followed his true passion and began buying and selling wine, choosing to set up his business in the Gironde, in the village of Saint Sulpice et Cameyrac.

He concentrated mainly on growing and developing clients in the North of France and in Belgium, and in the early 20th century, as the business expanded, his son Romain began to work with him. Their collaboration led to the creation of the vineyards of Romain Maison.

They soon launched and developed their own wine production, with the acquisition of several properties, most notably Chateau Le Gay, as well as Château Marzy in Pomerol and Clos Magne Figeac in St Emilion.

The children, and today the grandchildren, Luc and Marc, of Romain Maison, continue this family tradition.

Today the family's properties extend over four appellations: Pomerol, Saint-Emilion, Graves de Vayres and Bordeaux, covering 190 hectares (470 acres) with 126 hectares (311 acres) under vine. It is one of the few vineyards of this size to sell almost the entirety of its production direct to individual clients in France.

Matty Iqbal