Bordeaux négociant Mähler-Besse was taken over on Friday 11 July by the Castéja family group BCAP, reports David Rowe from Bordeaux. The BCAP group owns négociant Borie-Manoux as well as a handful of prestigious châteaux, including Château Trottevieille in Saint-Emilion, Château Batailley in Pauillac and Domaine de l’Eglise in Pomerol. Ownership of Château Palmer [pictured here], which is shared between individual members of the Mähler-Besse family and Maison Sichel, is not included in this transaction. So it will be business as usual at Palmer.

Chateau d’Yquem: A brilliant 2011 but no 2012

The quality of the 2012 vintage in Sauternes and Barsac risks being unfairly overshadowed by Yquem’s decision not to make a grand vin this vintage, closely followed by the same news from Château Rieussec, writes David Rowe in the first of a series of 2012 Bordeaux previews.