Chateau de Fargues

What Chateau de Fargues does

Château de Fargues is a privately held, family-owned wine estate in Fargues-de-Langon within the Sauternes appellation of Bordeaux, France. The property has been held by the Lur Saluces family since 1472, anchored by a fortress built in 1306 that is classified as a French historical monument; the estate covers 175 hectares, of which 18 hectares are under vine (80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc). The estate produces a single prestige Sauternes wine at approximately 15,000-20,000 bottles annually, with yields of roughly one glass per vine stock and 30 months of barrique aging prior to bottling.

Production follows traditional Sauternes methods, including successive harvest passes (tries successives) to select only Botrytis cinerea-affected grapes, with no disclosed mechanization, AI, or modern automation systems. The estate's stated differentiation rests on heritage (Lur Saluces lineage, prior stewardship of Château d'Yquem until 2001), terroir, scarcity, and aging potential of up to 150 years per bottle.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: (i) primary wine sales distributed globally through luxury wine boutiques, specialized Bordeaux négociants, and the Wine-Searcher marketplace, plus direct estate sales (pricing not publicly disclosed); (ii) curated estate visits and tasting experiences (e.g., the Journée d'Exception at 255 EUR per person); and (iii) book sales documenting the family history (titles at approximately 39-39.95 EUR). Customers span fine-dining programs (Guy Savoy, Le Cinq at Four Seasons George V), wine collectors, luxury consumers, and wine tourism visitors. The estate is led by owner Philippe de Lur Saluces, with Charlotte de Lur Saluces as Directeur de publication.

Name

Chateau de Fargues

Legal name

Philippe de Lur Saluces

Website

https://chateaudefargues.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Château de Fargues is a family-owned Bordeaux wine estate (Lur Saluces family since 1472) producing limited-quantity prestige Sauternes from 18 hectares, selling globally through luxury boutiques, négociants, and curated estate experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Sweet Wine (Sauternes)

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Premium sauternes wine
• Bordeaux wine estate
• Sweet white wine
• Noble rot winemaking
• Luxury wine tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargues-de-langon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales: Primary revenue from production and sale of Château de Fargues Sauternes wine. The estate produces approximately 15,000-20,000 bottles annually from 18 hectares of vines (80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc). Production has historically remained confidential, with only about 20,000 bottles per year. The estate sells directly and through luxury wine shops and boutiques globally.
2. Estate Visits and Tastings: The estate offers visits to the historic fortress, wine tastings, and special events. Packages include experiences like the 'Journée d'exception' at 255 EUR per person, featuring estate tours with the Lur Saluces family, wine paired lunches, and concerts.
3. Book Sales: Sale of books about the estate and the Lur Saluces family. Books available include 'From Yquem to Fargues' published by Gallimard (39€) and 'Château de Fargues, la folle ambition des Lur Saluces à Sauternes' published by Glénat (39.95€).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Château de Fargues produces premium Château de Fargues Sauternes sweet white wine from 18 hectares of vineyards (80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc), aged 30 months in oak barrel, with annual output of approximately 20,000 bottles. The estate also offers curated wine tasting experiences at its historic 14th-century fortress, published books documenting its heritage, and operates as a wine tourism destination in the prestigious Sauternes appellation of Bordeaux.

Product overview

Château de Fargues is a historic family wine estate producing premium Sauternes sweet white wine from 18 hectares in the prestigious Sauternes appellation, owned by the Lur Saluces family since 1472. The core product is the Château de Fargues Sauternes wine (80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc), aged 30 months in barrel. The portfolio extends to published books documenting the family's wine history and philosophy, visit and tasting experiences at the 14th-century fortress, and culinary pairing content. Production averages 20,000 bottles annually with capacity for up to 30,000, supplemented by a 2014 expansion including a new 2,500 m² winery facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Château de Fargues Sauternes Wine Prestigious sweet white Sauternes wine from the prestigious Bordeaux appellation, made from 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc grapes, aged 30 months in oak barrel, with annual production of approximately 20,000 bottles. Targeted at luxury wine collectors, fine dining establishments, and prestige wine consumers globally.
• Estate Publications and Books Published books documenting the estate's history, family heritage, and winemaking philosophy, including 'From Yquem to Fargues' (Gallimard, 2016, 39 EUR) and 'Château de Fargues, la folle ambition des Lur Saluces à Sauternes' (Glénat, 2022, 39.95 EUR). Targeted at wine enthusiasts, historians, and visitors.
• Estate Visit and Tasting Experiences Guided tours, fortress visits, and wine tasting sessions at the historic 14th-century Château de Fargues estate, including premium experiences such as the 'Journée d'Exception' (255 EUR per person) featuring estate tours with the Lur Saluces family, wine-paired lunches with chef Benjamin Toursel, and chamber music concerts. Targeted at wine tourists, luxury travelers, and cultural heritage enthusiasts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wine aging potential of up to 150 years per bottle
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Union des Grands Crus de BordeauxcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2018Château de Fargues participates actively in Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux events and tastings. The UGCB organizes events connecting classified growth estates with wine professionals and enthusiasts globally. Fargues hosted a Passion Dinner at the fortress in June 2018, demonstrating its commitment to this partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Château d'Yquem: The most prestigious Sauternes estate, owned by LVMH and located in the same appellation. Yquem is the benchmark against which all other Sauternes (including Fargues) is judged, and the Lur Saluces family managed Yquem for over two centuries — making it the closest direct peer by category, terroir, and historical lineage.
• Château Suduiraut: Premier Cru Classé Sauternes producer (1855 classification) located in Preignac, immediately adjacent to Fargues. Directly comparable on grape mix (Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc), botrytis-driven production, and luxury wine positioning, though with classified-status advantages Fargues lacks.
• Château Guiraud: Sauternes Premier Cru Classé producer with biodynamic certification. Operates in the same appellation with comparable production scale and direct-to-consumer tasting room business, making it a strong comparable for both wine production and on-site enotourism economics.
• Château Coutet: Barsac Premier Cru Classé estate producing botrytis-driven sweet wines from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Highly comparable in production method, scale (~15,000–20,000 bottles range), and historic family ownership profile.
• Château Rieussec: Sauternes Premier Cru Classé owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). Comparable on appellation, grape mix, and luxury positioning, though Rieussec operates at larger scale with the distribution and marketing resources of the Lafite group.
• Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey: Sauternes Premier Cru Classé producer, now part of the Silvio Denz group. Comparable in single-appellation sweet wine focus, Sémillon-dominant blend, and historic estate positioning within the same appellation as Fargues.
• Château Climens: Barsac Premier Cru Classé specialist, also exclusively Sémillon-based and frequently compared with Yquem for quality. Comparable in estate size, single-appellation focus, and family-run heritage dynamics.
• Château de Rayne-Vigneau: Sauternes Premier Cru Classé with comparable vineyard scale (~80 hectares) and traditional Sauternes production. Direct comparable on appellation regulations, noble-rot harvesting, and B2B négociant/wholesale distribution dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: While focused on Burgundy rather than Sauternes, DRC is the benchmark ultra-premium family-owned French wine estate and the most relevant comparable for Fargues' family-stewardship, scarcity model, aging potential, and collector-driven pricing power.
• Château Margaux: First Growth (1855) Bordeaux estate with comparable historic estate structure, single-family stewardship heritage, museum-class heritage architecture, and ultra-premium pricing. A comparable for heritage-driven luxury wine economics, though in the red wine category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chateau_fargues
• Facebookfacebook.com/chateaufargues
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/château-de-fargues
• Instagraminstagram.com/chateaudefargues_sauternes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chateau de Fargues