Bottle Apostle owners buy Bordeaux estate

The founders of London-based independent wine merchant Bottle Apostle, Andrew Eakin and Naomi Murtagh, have bought Château Puynard in Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux.

Bottle Apostle founders Andrew Eakin and Naomi Murtagh with their two children

As reported by Decanter.com, the pair bought the 17-hectare estate from Cyrille and Nicolas Grégoire, who also own St Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate Château Ripeau.

Overlooking the Gironde river, Château Puynard is planted with 75% Merlot with the remainder of the vines made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Cabernet Franc.

Decanter reports that Cyrille Grégoire will be staying on to help with the handover. Eakin and Murtagh plan to sell the wine through their five London Bottle Apostle stores in addition to other distributors.

“We lived in Paris for three years before setting up the shops in London, and have regularly gone on wine sourcing trips around France so we have had a long-standing connection with the country,” Eakin told Decanter.com.

“We know making wine is a lot of hard work, and we are not expecting to get rich from it. This is about making a wine that we’re proud of,” he added.

The couple run Bottle Apostle sites in Victoria Park Village, Clapham, Crouch End, East Village and Primrose Hill.