Château Grand Mayne is a 42-acre estate in the St.-Emilion appellation. It is a Grand Cru of the St.t-Emilion classification. Grand Mayne’s history goes back to the 16th century, and by the early 19th century the estate included more than 500 acres. But 19th century inheritance laws required that the state be gradually broken up. Today the château enjoys an unusually high altitude at 55 meters above sea level and has an enviable terroir of clay, limestone and iron. Vineyards are planted to 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. About 60,000 bottles are produced annually. The second wine is Les Plantes du Mayne. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called the estate’s wines “some of the most opulent and richest now being made in St.-Emilion….Grand Mayne is one of the up-and-coming stars of the appellation.”
Entre-Deux-Mers is the appellation “between two seas,” as the name charmingly suggests. The “seas” are actually the two important Bordeaux rivers, the Dordogne and the Garonne. The appellation has nearly 7,500 acres, which makes it the largest appellation in Bordeaux. The Entre-Deux-Mers appellation only includes white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Though the fashion for these white wines once was to make them slightly sweet, today most are crisp and dry. Red wines sold in this region are labeled as Bordeaux AC or Bordeaux Supérior AC.