Château L’IF is owned by Jacques Thienpont, famous for buying Château Le Pin decades ago and turning it into the most celebrated Right Bank cult Bordeaux. L’IF is adjacent to Château Troplong Mondot and makes cuvées that are up to 90% Merlot.

A Grand Cru of St.-Emilion, Quinault L’Enclos is produced in a 17th century estate. LVMH’s Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere purchased it in 2008, revived the wine and now produce 60,000 bottles a year.

Martinelli has a terrifically romantic history. In 1887 a teen-aged couple from Tuscany eloped to the Russian River Valley. Giuseppe Martinelli, a young winemaker, then 19, and his 16-year-old wife set to work growing grapes and making wine.