Château Franc Mayne

The property takes its name from the Côte des Francs. It lies to the north-west of Saint-Émilion, 1 km from the centre of the village by the paths through the vineyards, and is bordered by an ancient Roman road. A 16th-century coaching inn on the Santiago de Compostela route stands on the site, and an 18th-century residence sits among the vines. Griet Van Malderen owned the estate from 2005 until 2018, when Jean-Pierre Savare and his family bought control of it. At the time of the sale, Martine Cazeneuve of Château Paloumey in the Haut-Médoc was asked to guide the estate, and a restructuring of the vineyard was planned. The Savare family, which had held investments in Bordeaux vineyards for more than 20 years, took over the reins in 2018. From the 2018 vintage onward, the label has been engraved by Oberthur Fiduciaire, a nod to the Savare family's original profession. Château Franc Mayne is listed among the Grands Crus Classés in the 2022 Saint-Émilion classification.

• Name: from the Côte des Francs; the site includes a 16th-century coaching inn on the Santiago de Compostela route.
• 2005 to 2018: owned by Griet Van Malderen.
• 2018: Jean-Pierre Savare and his family bought control; the Savare family took over the reins that year.
• From the 2018 vintage: labels engraved by Oberthur Fiduciaire.
• 2022: listed among the Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Émilion.

Pierre Arnald is director of the estate and is in charge of the entire project; Thomas Savare represents the Savare family in the project's management; and Sophie Mage is technical director, responsible for the vineyard and winery. The Savare family and Pierre Arnald have worked together for over 10 years. Consultant oenologist Thomas Duclos works with Pierre Arnald and Sophie Mage during the vinification.

• Director: Pierre Arnald.
• Family representative in the project's management: Thomas Savare.
• Technical director, vineyard and winery: Sophie Mage; consultant oenologist: Thomas Duclos.

The estate has seven hectares of vines in a small, continuous area spread over three zones: plateau, hillside and base of hillside. Combining limestone, clay, sand and marl, the vineyard presents five soil types. It faces north-west and is fairly cool. Merlot is the predominant variety. An ongoing restructuring will double the area of Cabernet Franc, which is planted on the limestone plateau, to reveal the terroir's strengths and adapt to the changing climate. The 2018 vintage was 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, from vines with an average age of 20 years. The 2024 technical sheet gives the surface as 7 hectares including 5.68 ha in production. Conversion to organic winegrowing began in 2019, and horses work on some of the plots. Two hectares of quarries, dug over the course of centuries as stone was removed, run under the property.

• 7 ha in three zones (plateau, hillside, base of hillside); five soil types combining limestone, clay, sand and marl.
• North-west facing; Merlot predominant; the Cabernet Franc area is to be doubled on the limestone plateau.
• 2018: 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc; average vine age 20 years.
• Organic conversion began in 2019.

Harvests are carried out entirely by hand, and the vineyard is managed plot by plot. The winery has ten relatively small temperature-controlled oak and stainless-steel vats, and the grapes are allocated to vats on the basis of selections identified in the vineyard. Half of the wines are aged in new French oak barrels and the other half in vats and amphorae. After a first year in the winery, the wines are transferred to the quarry cellars to finish ageing, at a constant temperature and ideal humidity. In 2018 the Merlot was harvested from 11 to 20 September and the Cabernet Franc on 17 October; in 2024 the harvest began on 25 September.

• Hand harvest; plot-by-plot management.
• Ten temperature-controlled oak and stainless-steel vats.
• Élevage: half in new French oak barrels, half in vats and amphorae; the wines finish ageing in the quarry cellars.

The estate makes two wines: Château Franc Mayne, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, and the second wine, Ilex de Franc Mayne, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. The 2018 technical sheet for the grand vin lists production of 35,000 bottles of Château Franc Mayne and 6,000 bottles of Cèdres de Franc Mayne. Ilex de Franc Mayne 2018 came from 1 hectare of clay and sand, was 100% Merlot, and was aged for 12 months in oak barrels that had held one wine, in the underground limestone quarries; 6,000 bottles were produced.

• Château Franc Mayne: Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé; 35,000 bottles in 2018.
• Ilex de Franc Mayne: the second wine, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru; the 2018 was 100% Merlot from 1 hectare of clay and sand.

The estate describes its goal as wines with more density and richness while favouring the expression of fruit, vigour and freshness, made to be accessible when younger while keeping their potential to improve with age. Its blends aim for 'an intensity balanced by the purity of the fruit and the silkiness of the tannins.' Sophie Mage's note on the 2018 describes a wine that is 'precise and taut with a tight tannic structure and balanced by a remarkable freshness.'

Tours are offered all year round by reservation. Visitors tour the vineyard and winery, continue into the old stone quarries and finish in the barrel-ageing cellar before a tasting. The Relais Franc Mayne, an 18th-century residence entirely renovated in 2019, has five guest rooms, including a tree-house in one of the ancient cedars that surround the building.

• Tours all year round, by reservation; the visit includes the two hectares of underground quarries.
• The Relais Franc Mayne: five guest rooms, renovated in 2019.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/a-new-chapter/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/a-property-with-character/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/a-wine-a-signature/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/vins/chateau-franc-mayne/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/our-tours/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/a-superb-setting-for-wine-tourism/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/vins/ilex-de-franc-mayne/, https://www.chateaufrancmayne.com/en/vins/chateau-franc-mayne/vintage-2018/. Secondary sources: vins-saint-emilion.com, the 2022 classification list (https://vins-saint-emilion.com/en/welcome-in-the-vineyard/the-2022-classification/), Decanter (https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/chateau-franc-mayne-sold-st-emilion-383666/) and Wine Spectator (https://www.winespectator.com/articles/jean-pierre-savare-buys-franc-mayne). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.