Château Franc Mayne sold

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

31 January 2018

Jean-Pierre Savare his family yesterday bought an excellent grand cru classé of Saint-Emilion, which has been known not only for making savory wines, but also for its marvelous bed and breakfast accommodations just near the centre of the most charming town in Bordeaux.

Griet Van Malderen was the owner since 2005. Savare, a Parisian businessman and winemaker pronounced having a “real crush” for Château Franc-Mayne, and in a press release said that he was “seduced” by the “consistency” of the property: a vineyard of seven hectares, located on both the plateau of Saint-Emilion and the slope below, just near Châteaux Beau-Séjour Bécot and Grand Mayne. He also said that he appreciates its wine tourism aspects.

Martine Cazeneuve is taking over Château Franc Mayne’s management.

Owner of vineyards in Bordeaux for the past 25 years, Savare has been long associated with the Cazeneuve family at Château Paloumey, a Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois.

Logically, he asked Martine Cazeneuve to be in charge of Franc Mayne, according to the press release.

“I have been managing Paloumey since 1990,” said Cazeneuve. “I am well aware of how much time and what a strong commitment it takes every day to make an estate successful,” she added. “At Franc Mayne, the château team and I will work towards having the best possible understanding of the beautiful terroir and restructure the vineyard accordingly to produce a wine fully worthy of it.”