Leading French wine company Barton & Guestier last night (19 June) celebrated its 300th anniversary with a sumptuous gala occasion at Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux, the city where its journey began.
Founded in 1725 by Irishman Thomas Barton and Daniel Guestier, Barton & Guestier has developed a premium brand strategy based on AOC and varietal wines from the main French wine-growing regions: Bordeaux, Loire, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, Languedoc, Provence and Gascony.
Today B&G wines are distributed in 130 countries and the company has partnerships with over 200 winemakers across 23 appellations spanning 20 grape varieties.
The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt was among the 250 guests at the gala evening, which showcased the wine company’s proud history, featured memorable food and wine pairings and included stirring musical performances.
Welcoming guests, Barton & Guestier Managing Director Philippe Marion said that the company had come through “many storms and trials” in its three-century journey. “It all started when an Irishman, Thomas Barton, arrived in Bordeaux, and fell in love with the city, with the Bordelaise and definitely with the wine.”
He reflected on the partnerships with other entrepreneurs and ship owners that accelerated the company’s growth as a “blend of trade, maritime spirit and bold ambition”.
For the next 225 years the Barton and Guestier families led the business, before US spirits group Seagram, and later Diageo, invested in B&G and helped internationalise sales. In 2010 the Castel family acquired the business, taking it back into French hands. Addressing the owners, Marion said “you have brought us strength, vision and firepower”.
He hailed the B&G teams as “wine adventurers who are writing the next chapters” in the company’s story.
Marion saluted the company’s selection by industry title Wine Enthusiast as European Winery of the Year in 2024, and paid tribute to guests “who are our customers, our friends and our companions, who give meaning to everything we do”.
Later, the company looked to the future. It introduced its new, lighter bottle design and also looked ahead to the 2025 vintage of its prestige Haut Médoc label Château Magnol with a remarkable touch. A special cask that will house the vintage was inscribed with the names of all guests in the room – with each person later to receive a bottle from that year once it is ready for distribution, in around two years’ time.
In travel retail, the B&G focus for this year lies on its AOC collection and on Château Magnol, which remains its flagship in the channel.
Among other expressions developed to mark the milestone is a limited-edition Côtes de Provence Rosé Tourmaline 2024, designed in collaboration with Montreal-based French artist Isaure Atelier.
An updated label for Côtes du Rhône Les Galets is inspired by a painting from Bordeaux-based artist WOO, who previously worked for the brand in 2022 to design the limited-edition Bordeaux Red – Cuvée Germain Rambaud.
B&G recently achieved the Engagé RSE – Exemplary Level label by AFNOR Certification, recognising its commitment to social responsibility across both its Wine House and its Château Magnol estate.
*More images will follow. Watch out too for an interview with Barton & Guestier Managing Director Philippe Marion, coming soon. ✈
