Evolving an estate without ever losing what makes it unique.
It is within this balance that Vignerons Consultants’ guidance of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion has taken place since 2015.
Located at the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is a 70-hectare family estate acquired by the Gervoson family in 1987. Focused predominantly on red wines, the estate cultivates a distinctive approach: that of a vineyard deeply rooted in its history, yet resolutely open to experimentation.
Since January 2025, Charlotte Mignon has run the property, having previously held various positions at the estate, from cellar master to broader roles in viticultural and commercial development. A natural progression for someone who has been guiding the Château’s transformation for several years.
Alongside the estate’s teams, Frédéric Massie, Vignerons Consultants’ lead consultant, supports viticultural and winemaking thinking, in a relationship built over the long term, through dialogue and trust.
Charlotte Mignon, Managing Director of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
An identity built on freedom and innovation
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion has a distinctive identity: that of an estate that claims its own freedom.
Without being officially classified as a Grand Cru of Pessac-Léognan, the estate enjoys great latitude in its technical and stylistic choices. A freedom that feeds its personality and encourages a different approach to wine.
“We’ve always had this desire to break the mould,” explains Charlotte Mignon.
This desire does not mean breaking with history, but rather extending it in a different way. The estate draws on its winegrowing heritage while embracing a certain modernity, a constant curiosity, and a “touch of madness.”
In the glass, this philosophy translates into wines with a carefully sought balance: generosity and richness, precise fruit, paired with a structure that gives them depth and ageing potential.
Guiding a technical and stylistic evolution
The collaboration between Château Larrivet Haut-Brion and Vignerons Consultants began in 2015 with a shared ambition: to refine the expression of the wines and strengthen their reading of the terroir.
Frédéric Massie’s guidance takes a comprehensive approach, spanning both viticulture and winemaking. Present regularly at the estate, particularly every week during harvest, he supports the teams in their thinking and their technical choices.
“The idea is to offer tailor-made support, adapted to the estate’s needs,” explains Charlotte Mignon.
Beyond vineyard and winery practices, discussions also extend to a broader vision: telling the story of the wines more effectively, moving beyond traditional Bordeaux conventions, and creating new connections with wine lovers.
An approach that reflects Vignerons Consultants’ philosophy: bringing an outside perspective while deeply respecting each property’s identity.
Frédéric Massie in the vines of Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
Imagining tomorrow’s vineyard
Faced with a changing climate, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion has chosen to plan ahead.
The most emblematic project is the “vineyard of the future,” a 12-hectare experimental plot incorporating agroforestry, among other approaches.
This initiative aims to imagine a more resilient viticultural model, better able to cope with the climate changes ahead. Replanting of this plot is planned for the coming years, with thought being given to grape varieties suited to the Graves terroir, particularly cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and malbec.
The estate is also working on evolving its cultivation practices: vine training, pruning, leaf thinning, and cover crop management.
Today, drought represents a major challenge for vineyards. Agroforestry stands as a sustainable response, helping to preserve natural balances and support the vine in a changing environment.
Turning experience into technical precision
Some developments arise from observation and dialogue.
This is the case with the work carried out around grape stems, an experimental practice that has gradually found its place in the estate’s technical thinking.
Through discussions between the teams at Château Larrivet Haut-Brion and Vignerons Consultants, this initially empirical approach has been structured into a genuine tool in the service of the wines’ precision.
An initiative that illustrates a shared conviction: the best innovations are those rooted in field experience.
Toward greater precision in every cuvée
Today, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion produces 300,000 bottles a year, split between a grand vin, a second wine, and occasionally a third cuvée.
The challenge for the coming years is to continue this pursuit of precision: better defining the identity of each cuvée, adjusting volumes, and strengthening the coherence of the range.
This pursuit of balance also supports the estate’s commercial development.
Historically present on the Place de Bordeaux, the Château is now developing new connections with wine lovers through direct sales, its website, and a growing wine tourism activity.
France, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom remain its main markets, alongside a desire to gradually open up to new audiences.
A relationship built over time
For nearly ten years, the relationship between Château Larrivet Haut-Brion and Vignerons Consultants has rested on a shared vision: guiding an estate through its evolution without ever altering what makes it unique.
Understanding a place, engaging in dialogue with its teams, sharing ideas, and supporting the choices that shape the wines: this is the approach to consulting behind the work carried out alongside Château Larrivet Haut-Brion.
Because guiding a property is, above all, about revealing what it already is.