SAINT-ÉMILION, France: For François Despagne, it was the challenge of a lifetime. His family has owned the same property in Saint-Émilion for seven generations. But in 1996, in the classification of St. Émilion wines that takes place roughly every 10 years, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne was downgraded from Grand Cru Classé. "When you're declassified, you're the ugly little duckling," Despagne said. "People lose faith in you." Worse, it becomes harder to sell the wine at the best price. One Bordeaux broker called him then and said: "You're in trouble, you're declassified. I'll buy your stock for half-price," Despagne said, still disgusted. "It was hard, morally." Despagne, trained as a biologist and oenologist, went to work full-time for his family. He convinced them, and the banks, to invest €2 million, or more than $3 million, in a new tasting hall, new vats, new tractors, new bathrooms. He dug 150 holes to analyze the soil on his 26.8 hectares, or 66.2 acres, then identified 53 different parcels, all planted slightly differently. Where the soil is richest, he grows grass between the rows of vines, to compete with them and force the roots to dig deeper. He put in 27 new vats, to make smaller batches from the different parcels, and reduced the yield by 25 percent, to get a more concentrated wine.
SAINT-ÉMILION, France: For François Despagne, it was the challenge of a lifetime.
His family has owned the same property in Saint-Émilion for seven generations. But in 1996, in the classification of St. Émilion wines that takes place roughly every 10 years, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne was downgraded from Grand Cru Classé.
"When you're declassified, you're the ugly little duckling," Despagne said. "People lose faith in you." Worse, it becomes harder to sell the wine at the best price. One Bordeaux broker called him then and said: "You're in trouble, you're declassified. I'll buy your stock for half-price," Despagne said, still disgusted. "It was hard, morally."
Despagne, trained as a biologist and oenologist, went to work full-time for his family. He convinced them, and the banks, to invest €2 million, or more than $3 million, in a new tasting hall, new vats, new tractors, new bathrooms. He dug 150 holes to analyze the soil on his 26.8 hectares, or 66.2 acres, then identified 53 different parcels, all planted slightly differently. Where the soil is richest, he grows grass between the rows of vines, to compete with them and force the roots to dig deeper. He put in 27 new vats, to make smaller batches from the different parcels, and reduced the yield by 25 percent, to get a more concentrated wine.
