Moët Hennessy has taken control of Château d’Esclans, the leading Provence Rosé in the American market. The LVMH unit acquired Alix AM PTE Ltd.’s, 50% share and an additional 5% of shares outstanding from Sacha Lichine, president of Château d’Esclans. He will continue to oversee the estate and manage its future development. Terms weren’t disclosed.
Château d’Esclans lies in the center of the Department of the Var, on an extraordinary site in the Esclans Valley perched on the heights of La Motte. The original château dates back to before the 12th century. The current château, inspired by Tuscan Villa design, was built during the mid-19th century.
Today the estate stretches across 267 hectares of which 74 hectares are planted with AOP Côtes de Provence vines of an exceptional quality. The vineyard will be extended soon to include an additional 60 hectares of vines of the same quality.
Sacha Lichine acquired Château d’Esclans in 2006 and disrupted the wine world in producing very high-end rosé wines. The primary grapes grown on the property, Grenache and Vermentino, are spread across several complementary soils permitting wines unrivalled in complexity and finesse. These rosé wine parcels are vinified in the same manner as the finest wines and raised in demi-muids of oak (barrels of 500 liters).
As a result of this quest for quality, the Château d’Esclans rosé wines and vinification division are recognized as international references and have conquered the U.S. as category leader.