Château Beauregard

Château Beauregard sits on the central plateau of Pomerol with the appellation's only moated late-Renaissance château, parts of which date to the 17th century. The estate became locally celebrated when its château inspired the design of the Guggenheim family's Mille-Fleurs mansion on Long Island in the 1910s, an unusual cross-Atlantic architectural footprint for a Pomerol property. Owned for several decades by the Moueix family of Petrus stewardship fame, the property changed hands in 2014 when it was sold to the Cathiard family, proprietors of Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan, in partnership with the Moulin family. The Cathiards have brought the estate's farming and winemaking under more rigorous quality discipline.

• Late-Renaissance moated château dating in part to the 17th century
• The only moated château in the Pomerol appellation
• Architectural inspiration for the Guggenheim Mille-Fleurs mansion on Long Island
• Sold by Moueix to the Cathiard-Moulin partnership in 2014

The 17.5-hectare vineyard sits on Pomerol's signature gravel-and-clay soils with significant iron-rich crasse-de-fer subsoils that contribute the appellation's hallmark structure and minerality. Encépagement is approximately 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec, with the Cabernet Franc proportion higher than most Pomerol estates. This unusual emphasis on Cabernet Franc is a defining stylistic choice, contributing greater aromatic lift, herbal complexity, and structural tension to the grand vin than is typical of Merlot-dominated Pomerol neighbors. Vines average mature age across the property, supporting concentrated fruit without heavy extraction.

• 17.5 hectares on Pomerol's central plateau
• Gravel-and-clay soils with iron-rich crasse-de-fer subsoil
• Encépagement ~70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec
• Cabernet Franc proportion higher than most Pomerol estates

The grand vin is Château Beauregard, a Merlot-dominant blend with a classic Pomerol profile of plum, violet, and graphite, structured by the Cabernet Franc component, which provides aromatic lift and savory herb undertones. Le Benjamin de Beauregard is the second wine, sourced from younger vines and serving as an accessible introduction to the estate style. Critical reception has improved markedly under Cathiard-Moulin ownership, with post-2014 vintages showing greater precision and freshness than earlier releases. Pomerol uses no formal classification system, leaving Beauregard at an attractive price point relative to its central-plateau location.

• Grand vin: Merlot-dominant Bordeaux blend with notable Cabernet Franc component
• Profile: plum, violet, graphite, with savory herb and aromatic lift
• Second wine: Le Benjamin de Beauregard from younger vines
• Post-2014 vintages show improved precision under Cathiard-Moulin ownership

The combination of architectural distinction, central-plateau Pomerol terroir, and disciplined ownership makes Beauregard one of Pomerol's most recognizable estates short of the elite tier. Its higher-than-typical Cabernet Franc proportion offers a useful counterpoint to the Merlot-dominated norms of the appellation, and its moderate price point relative to neighbors makes it a valuable reference for understanding Pomerol's terroir without the markup attached to cult names. For students of the appellation, Beauregard offers a cleaner read on the central-plateau crasse-de-fer signature.

• Useful reference for Pomerol's central-plateau terroir at a moderate price
• Higher Cabernet Franc proportion than most appellation peers
• Cathiard ownership brings Smith Haut Lafitte-tier farming and winemaking discipline
• Pomerol's only moated 17th-century château is itself a regional landmark