The story goes that The Marquis de Ségur, who also owned Ch. Lafite and Ch. Latour, adorned the label of Ch. Calon-Ségur with a heart claiming “I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is in Calon.”

The most northerly of the châteaux we visit each spring, it’s also nearly always our first 09.00 call in a busy week. Woe betide that we were ever late as the truly formidable Mme Capbern-Gasqueton was always there to greet us. Chatelaine since 1995 when widowed, she died, aged 87, a year ago and it would seem the family were faced with such a huge tax bill, and no doubt other inheritance issues, that they have had to sell the property for a handsome sum believed to be in the region of €170m.

Let’s hope the new owners, believed to combine a consortium of Bordeaux trade and a large bank, manage to maintain the character and individuality the Marquis, the Gasquetons and more recently ‘Madame Gasqueton’ alone, bestowed on the wine.