Chinese snap up latest Bordeaux estate

Yet another Bordeaux wine estate has passed into Chinese ownership following the purchase of Château Renon by entrepreneur James Zhou.

Château Renon

As reported by Bloomberg, the deal involves eight hectares of vineyard, a château dating to 1802 and five hectares of parkland and gardens, all located in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux appellation.

The estate, whose past owners include the Lur Saluces family of Yquem fame, last changed hands in 2002, when it was bought by Xavier Belliard from a long-standing Bordeaux winemaking family. It currently produces a Merlot-dominated Côtes de Bordeaux red, Sauvignon Blanc-based dry white and 100% Sémillon sweet wine.

Among Zhou’s business interests of a packaging company and a polo club is a wine import business, which suggests that wine from his newly purchased estate will be shipped to China.

With over 100 Bordeaux wine estates thought to have been sold to Chinese investors since 2010, this deal follows last month’s purchases of nearby Cadillac property Château de Birot by a Chinese hotel group, and Château Preuillac in the Médoc by an anonymous buyer in China.

According to a recent report, China remains the biggest buyer of small to medium-sized estates in Bordeaux, although there are signs that interest is now expanding to other regions such as Napa and Barossa.