One of the things that help when negotiating the tricky fine wine investing business is looking at a producer’s history. With an aristocratic line-up and an upswing reputation for producing high-level wines, Château Malescasse offers a taste of Medoc history in a bottle.

Château Malescasse’s long history has not been without its ups and downs. Founded in 1824 by the Renouil family, the 37-hectare estate has passed through the hands of a fair few owners in the latter half of the 20th century. However, mismanagement and lack of funds meant that the once benchmark estate lost credibility as well as primary matter and by the later 1970s just four of the 37-hectares were planted with vines. All that changed when a massive cash injection arrived in the shape of French telephone giants Alcatel Alstom in 1992. The next 20 years saw Malescasee return to its former glory. The estate was sold in its entirety in 2012 to Philippe Austruy, owner of La Commanderie in Peyrassol, Provence.

Austruy immediately began making waves with his new vineyard. He put a new team in place, spearheaded by superstar winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt. He then declassified the whole of 2013 vintage after a particularly bad summer of rain and hail, selling the “fine wine” for just €2 or €3 a bottle (as opposed to the average €10-12). From 2014 onwards, neither Austruy, nor the wine, has looked back.

Today, the Left Bank vineyard is planted to 54% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. Vines are around 35-years old in gravel, clay, limestone and sandy terroir. The vineyard is just off the famous “Route des Vins”, Bordeaux’s fine wine equivalent to Damascus, equidistant between Margaux to the south and St. Julien to the north. The wine is aged in about 40% new, French oak barrels for up to 14 months before bottling.