Every Harvest, a Flag Flew Above the Vineyard — What Was It Really Saying?

In the story of the five First Growths, we traced the origins of the Classification and the stories of the five producers who stand at its summit. From this installment, we move one tier down, into the stories of the fourteen Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus). The first estate we visit is Château Gruaud-Larose, in the village of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle.

There is a story passed down within the family. In the 18th century, the man who founded this château is said to have raised a flag over the vineyard at every harvest. The flag's colors corresponded, respectively, to England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Buyers, it is said, could learn how the year's vintage had turned out simply by looking at the flag from a distance, without having to travel to the vineyard themselves. Whether the story is true or not is uncertain, but hidden within it is a key to understanding the château's roughly 300-year history.

The Other Name Hidden in the Flag Story — Gruaud and Larose

The estate was founded in 1725, when a man named Joseph-Stanislas Gruaud established it in the village of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. The details of who he was — his exact social standing — vary from one source to another, and cannot be stated with certainty. But it is always this founder to whom the flag story, recounted at the opening of this page, is attributed.

The name "Gruaud-Larose," however, was not complete at this stage. Later in the 18th century, the Larose family joined the ownership, and the two family names are said to have merged into the single name that continues to this day. Over the roughly 300 years since its founding, the estate has passed through a number of families: the Gruaud family at its founding; the Larose family, which joined in the late 18th century; the Balguerie and Sarget families in the 19th century; the Cordier family in the first half of the 20th century; and today, the Merlaut family. Within a single name lies the folded-together history of several family lines.

A Family Line Divided Once, Reunited in the Twentieth Century

In the 1855 Classification, the château was named a Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growth). This ranking has remained unchanged to the present day.

But the château's history did not proceed in a straight line from here. In the mid-19th century, Gruaud-Larose split, for a time, into two separate lines. The Sarget family later became associated with one of these lines, and is said to have given the estate an epithet (the specific wording is not covered in this article).

The divided château was reunited in the first half of the 20th century, when the Cordier family bought back both lines, making Gruaud-Larose once again a single estate. During this period, the château's main building, the watchtower built in the mid-18th century at the northwest corner of the property, and an agricultural storehouse would later be recognized as part of France's national heritage: on 22 February 2012, the French government listed them as Monuments Historiques.

Under the Merlaut Family, to the Present Day

In 1997, Jacques Merlaut, who headed Groupe Taillan, a corporate group holding several châteaux, acquired the estate. The Merlaut family is also a négociant family that owns multiple châteaux, including Château Citran, Château Chasse-Spleen, Château Ferrière, and Château Haut-Bages Libéral. In 1999, following a division of family assets, Jean Merlaut, Jacques's son, became the owner of this château. Jean Merlaut remains the owner today, with Nicolas Sinoquet directing its management.

The second wine is named Sarget de Gruaud-Larose, still carrying the name of the Sarget family, which left its mark on the château's history in the 19th century. The founder signaled with a flag, the Sarget family carried the estate forward, the Cordier family reunited it, and the Merlaut family carries it into the present — a relay passed from family to family around a single vineyard.

Three Facts Worth Knowing

• "Gruaud-Larose" is a name formed when two originally separate family names merged in the late 18th century. In the mid-19th century, it split for a time into two lines, and in the first half of the 20th century the Cordier family bought both back and reunited them. In total, a number of families have passed the estate down over roughly 300 years.
• According to a story passed down within the family, the founder raised a flag over the vineyard at every harvest, in the colors of England, Germany, and the Netherlands, respectively, to signal how the year's vintage had turned out. Whether the story is true or not is uncertain, but it is one that has been handed down within the château.
• The three structures — the main château building, the watchtower, and the agricultural storehouse — were listed as Monuments Historiques by the French government on 22 February 2012. The tower that has long overlooked the vineyard still stands on the property today.