Bernard Magrez launches 22-cuvée Les Trésors collection
Bernard Magrez and his son Philippe have introduced Les Trésors de Bernard Magrez, a collection of limited-production Bordeaux wines that experiments with blends across vintages, estates and appellations. Most of the wines are priced between €80 and €150 and will be sold directly through a restricted network of trade partners.
A collection crossing established boundaries
Bernard Magrez and his son Philippe have launched Les Trésors de Bernard Magrez, comprising 22 limited cuvées made exclusively from wines belonging to the group’s estates. Presented at Restaurant Guy Savoy in the Monnaie de Paris, the collection includes blends spanning different vintages, properties and appellations, as well as individual small-production wines.1
The named multi-vintage examples are LTC5, which combines five years of Château La Tour Carnet; LGC6, based on six years of Château Les Grands Chênes; and PC4, bringing together as many as four leading vintages of Château Pape Clément. No individual vintages were specified.1
Other cuvées cross geographical or estate boundaries. Les Complices combines the classified growths Château Fombrauge and Château La Tour Carnet, linking Bordeaux’s two banks, while Mes 5 Pépites incorporates wines from five properties in one bottle. The collection also includes Amphoria, a Médoc matured in sandstone amphorae; very small single-parcel selections; and a Pape Clément white identified as “Reconnaissance” blanc.1
Rarity and presentation
Some wines are limited to only a few hundred bottles. Philippe Magrez said the commercial challenge was to give each technically unconventional cuvée a clear, memorable account that sales teams could communicate. Jean-Noël Kapferer, an HEC marketing professor and luxury specialist, described the underlying tension as introducing new sensations while retaining enough of the established grand-cru framework to preserve its identity.1
The range is positioned as “accessible luxury,” with most references priced from €80 to €150. Its sales approach gives the story behind each wine priority over conventional technical sheets, although Philippe Magrez acknowledged that positive professional ratings across the range would have commercial value. The collection was introduced without relying on the customary scores from wine journalists or professional tasters, and the source reported no scores for any cuvée.1
Direct distribution
The company is bypassing Bordeaux négociants and selling directly to a limited network of wine merchants, specialist distributors and restaurant professionals. Partners can receive territorial exclusivity, and two sales representatives have been assigned to develop Les Trésors de Bernard Magrez in France.1
Bernard Magrez framed the project as a response to an increasingly competitive international market in which Italian, Spanish and Australian producers continue to introduce new products. Beyond sales of the collection itself, the company hopes it will attract new customers and create opportunities for its other wines.1
Further expansion planned
The initial collection contains 22 cuvées, and the company is considering expanding it to nearly 30. Its strategy combines small production, unconventional blends and controlled distribution in an effort to generate renewed interest in Bordeaux while retaining links to the reputation of its established estates and terroirs.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
