Producer Profile
Chateau Durfort-Vivens
From the 14th Century, the Durfort de Duras family had been one of the major landowners in the Medoc. And in the 17th Century, they established a wine growing estate. Whilst it has changed hands a few times over its history, the estate was bought by Lucien Lurton, a renowned winemaker, in 1961, and it has remained in the Lurton family ever since.
The estate has been regarded as one of the premier in the region since the 1700s, but it was officially classified as a 2n growth in the notorious 1855 classification. The chateau has received even higher esteem since Lucien Lurton passed the estate onto his son Gonzague in 1992, as he took the winery to new levels.
Their vineyards (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc) sit on gravelly soils interspersed with limestone. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon used in their final blend is the highest of any in the southern Medoc, and this gives the wines blackcurrant and cassis notes as well as firm tannins and great structure.
