On July 5, 2018, entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrey Filatov unveiled his wine estate: Chateau La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs – Art Russe Saint Emilion Grand Cru. In 2014-2017, the chateau underwent a large-scale transformation aimed at preserving French winemaking traditions while introducing process innovations to achieve the highest quality of wine. To improve the winemaking process, the renowned consultant Louis Mitjavile was invited. Jean Nouvel developed the architectural redesign project.
ART RUSSE
Owning one of the largest collections of Russian art of the late 19th-20th centuries, ART RUSSE was founded in 2012 by Andrey Filatov, with the aim of developing a greater understanding of Soviet and Russian cultural contributions. In particular, it focuses on collecting and increasing international awareness of Russian art dating mainly from 1917 – 1991. Its aim is to increase appreciation for this genre through exhibitions, loans to international museums and galleries, and publishing books and catalogues on key artists and artefacts.
THE CHATEAU
La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs was founded in 1885 and today is surrounded by such wine estates as Laroze, Chateau Figeac, La Dominique and Cheval Blanc. Its wine is bottled under the name La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs since 1958, and has always enjoyed a good reputation among connoisseurs of Bordeaux. In recent decades, however, the chateau found itself in dire need of reconstruction, process modernization and a general underlying cultural concept. Those were precisely the objectives the new owner Andrey Filatov set for himself, relying in his efforts on the support from the Art Russe Foundation, whose name now appears on the chateau’s wine labels.
ART RUSSE AND CHATEAU LA GRACE DIEU DES PRIEURS
19th-20th century Russian art has been used in the design of Chateau La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs wine labels since 2017. In accordance with the agreement signed in May 2017 between the Art Russe Foundation and Chateau La Grace Dieu Des Prieurs, reproductions of 12 works of Russian painters from the Art Russe collection will appear annually on the chateau’s grand cru wine labels.
VINEYARD
The quality of wine quality is a priority for the new owners. The chateau produces a single wine, marking all the more the character of a «genuine cru». The vineyard’s topsoil is homogenous brown earth of sandy ad argillaceous type. The subsoil contains iron oxide, locally called crasse de fer, found at a depth of 40-60 cm. While requiring particular attention and care, such soils produce some of the most classic and elegant wines of the appellation.
