Yves and Nadine Hostens-Picant fell in love with this estate when they first visited in 1986. Following this transformative experience, they abandoned their respective roles in medicine and financial services and, in 1990, launched their first vintage at the newly monikered Château Hostens-Picant.
When Yves and Nadine took over the estate, it had a farmed area of 19 hectares dedicated to vines. From the onset, the couple understood the excellent potential in the mix of flint, gravel, clay and limestone found in the soil, and have steadily grown this to 40 hectares, with 30 of them dedicated to red wine and 10 to white.
After several years of trialling and testing, a new winery, cellar and warehouse were added. With this, they chose to revive the Sainte-Foy Côtes-de-Bordeaux appellation which had been established in 1937, but which had fallen out of popularity and into disuse by the mid 1970s. Their philosophy is a simple one: ‘There is nothing more important than excellence,’ and with this mantra at the heart of the project, they work tirelessly, always by hand, focusing on responsible, sustainable winemaking techniques.
Included in the range, the ‘entry-level’ Grangeneuve Blanc and Grangeneuve Rouge reference the estate’s former history, where the vineyards and property – ‘Domaine de Grangeneuve’ – were owned and worked by a local co-operative. The site itself has been the home of wine cultivation since the 15th century.
With growing success, in 1998, Yves began development of what would become the estate’s new flagship wine, the Cuvée d’Exception Lucullus. A wine only produced in the years when the conditions and quality justify it, the Lucullus is made from a careful selection of plots from older vines, where the soils are particularly rich in limestone. With the estate being just 24 kilometres from Saint-Émilion, the Lucullus has much in common with the more modern and prestigious wines of this world-renowned appellation.
Completing our selection, the Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux Rouge offers much that the Sainte-Foy appellation was singled out and famed for: supple tannins and soft red and black fruits, while the Cuvée des Demoiselles has all the presence and class of a premium white Bordeaux.
Nowadays the couple’s two daughters, Charlotte and Valentine, have taken charge of various aspects of the estate, and work alongside their parents with the same inherited passion. Valentine develops the business in France and across the world while Charlotte, her big sister, deals with communication and tourism.
